Gear guide
Best Lino Cutting Tool Sets: Handles With Interchangeable Blades
Picked from Amazon listings, not hands-on tests. How we pick
A first lino cutting tool set is usually a handle with interchangeable blades: you push a cutter into a chuck, tighten it and swap it when the cut changes. That is enough to start linocut and block printing, and a dull blade is simple to replace. What differs between sets is the number of blades, which shapes are included, the steel, how many handles you get and whether the blades store inside the handle. The shapes matter most: V tools cut lines and outlines, U gouges clear and add texture, and a knife cuts edges. A sound first set has one small V, one small U and one wide U. Speedball numbers are shape codes, not sizes, so read them against our lino cutting tool size chart. This guide compares seven sets by what their listings state. Nobody here tested them.
Compare the picks
| Pick | Blades | Shapes | Steel | Handle | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Speedball 4131 lino cutter set, 5 cutters and handle | - | - | - | - | - | Amazon |
 Speedball 2-handle kit with 6 lino cutters | 6 | #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 | not stated | 2 plastic, store cutters | - | Amazon |
 Flexcut SK130 lino set, 4 blades and handle | 4 | 2 gouges, 45 and 70 deg V | High-carbon steel | 1 quick-connect ABS | - | Amazon |
 Falling in Art block cutters, 6 blades, 2 handles | 6 | 3 V, U, round, flat | not stated | 2 plastic, store cutters | - | Amazon |
 Bobblebro linocut tool, 6 blades and 1 handle | 6 | 3 V, U, round, flat | Stainless steel | 1 twist-lock, stores blades | - | Amazon |
 Speedball Linozip safety pull cutters, 5 plus handle | - | - | - | - | - | Amazon |
 Speedball lino cutters, 5 assorted, no handle | 5 | #1, #2, #3, #5, #6 | Tempered steel | None, sold separately | - | Amazon |
Facts are taken from each Amazon listing. Prices are checked daily and shown with their date.
If you just want one
- Closest match for the jobSpeedball 4131 lino cutter set, 5 cutters and handleContains one each of the #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6 lino cutters, which covers a small V, a large V, a small U, a large U and a knife.
- Most for the money on paperFalling in Art block cutters, 6 blades, 2 handlesSix blade types: V-shape in small, medium and large sizes, plus U-shape, round and flat knife blades.
- Most complete listingSpeedball 2-handle kit with 6 lino cuttersSix lino cutters, #1 through #6, so it adds the #4 square U that the five-cutter assortment leaves out.
The picks in detail
Pick 1 · Speedball
Speedball 4131 lino cutter set, 5 cutters and handle
See price on AmazonThe standard Speedball starter set: one red plastic handle and five cutters, #1 small V, #2 large V, #3 small U, #5 large U and #6 knife. It covers lines, clearing and edges for a first linocut.
What the listing offers
- Contains one each of the #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6 lino cutters, which covers a small V, a large V, a small U, a large U and a knife.
- The hand-adjustable metal chuck changes cutters without tools, and the twist-off end of the handle stores them.
- Listed for linoleum, Speedy-Cut, Speedy-Carve and other hard and soft blocks; designed and made in the USA.
Limits to know
- Speedball numbers are shape codes, not sizes: the listing gives no blade width in mm and names no steel.
- One handle only, so every change of cut means swapping the cutter, and the #4 square U is not included.
Pick 2 · Speedball
Speedball 2-handle kit with 6 lino cutters
See price on AmazonThe larger Speedball kit: six cutters, #1 to #6, and two storage handles in red and blue. With two handles you can keep a V tool and a U gouge mounted and switch without changing blades.
What the listing offers
- Six lino cutters, #1 through #6, so it adds the #4 square U that the five-cutter assortment leaves out.
- Two hard plastic handles, red and blue, let you keep two cutters mounted and switch between them.
- Both handles have storage compartments with removable end caps and a quick-change metal chuck; made in the USA.
Limits to know
- No blade widths in mm and no steel type are stated; the numbers are Speedball shape codes only.
- The same push-in cutters as the smaller assortment: thin blades that are usually replaced, not resharpened.
Pick 3 · FLEXCUT
Flexcut SK130 lino set, 4 blades and handle
See price on AmazonFour high-carbon steel blades that lock into one quick-connect handle: a #6 x 5/16 in gouge, a #11 x 1/8 in gouge, a 45 degree x 1 mm V and a 70 degree x 1/4 in V. Sold with a strop, honing compound and tool roll.
What the listing offers
- The listing states every profile: SK306 #6 x 5/16 in, SK309 #11 x 1/8 in, SK803 45 degree x 1 mm and SK307 70 degree x 1/4 in.
- Comes with a leather strop and honing compound, so the blades can be kept sharp instead of being replaced.
- Everything rolls into an 11-pocket tool roll, and the listing states the set is made in the USA.
Limits to know
- Only four blades and no knife, and three of the four widths are given in inches, not mm.
- One handle for all four blades, so you still stop to swap when moving from a V tool to a gouge.
Pick 4 · Falling in Art
Falling in Art block cutters, 6 blades, 2 handles
See price on AmazonA basic set of six blades and two identical plastic handles: V shapes in small, medium and large, a U, a round and a flat knife. Blades store in the handle end. Listed for soft blocks, rubber and linoleum.
What the listing offers
- Six blade types: V-shape in small, medium and large sizes, plus U-shape, round and flat knife blades.
- Two identical handles, so two different cutters can stay mounted at the same time.
- Hand-adjustable metal chuck, and the end of each handle twists off to store the cutters inside.
Limits to know
- No blade widths, numbers or steel type are stated, so the blades cannot be matched to a size chart.
- The listing does not say whether replacement blades are sold or whether other brands' cutters fit the chuck.
Pick 5 · Bobblebro
Bobblebro linocut tool, 6 blades and 1 handle
See price on AmazonOne handle and six stainless steel blades: small, medium and large V, a U gouge, a round and a flat tip. A twist-lock holds the blade and the end cap hides a storage compartment. A compact starter for classes.
What the listing offers
- Six blades are named in the listing: small, medium and large V-shape, U-gouge, round and flat tips.
- The listing states the blades are stainless steel, one of the few cutter sets here that names its steel.
- Twist-lock handle for blade changes, with a removable end cap and a built-in storage compartment.
Limits to know
- No blade widths in mm are given, and the handle material is not stated.
- A single handle and no mention of replacement blades, so a lost or dull blade may mean buying a new set.
Pick 6 · Speedball
Speedball Linozip safety pull cutters, 5 plus handle
See price on AmazonFive Linozip cutters and a plastic handle. These are pull cutters: you draw the blade toward you instead of pushing it, which the listing says reduces the risk of cutting accidents. Right hand use only.
What the listing offers
- Pull-type cutters, which the listing says reduce the risk of cutting accidents for beginners.
- Cutters are tempered steel with hand-ground edges, stated as suitable for both soft and hard blocks.
- Includes a plastic comfort-grip handle with a twist-off storage top; made in the USA.
Limits to know
- The listing states these cutters are for right hand use only, so the set does not suit left-handed carvers.
- The five shapes in the assortment are not named, and pulling is a different technique from standard push cutters.
Pick 7 · Speedball
Speedball lino cutters, 5 assorted, no handle
See price on AmazonFive replacement Speedball linocut blades, #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6, without a handle. This is the pack to buy when the cutters in a Speedball handle have gone dull, not a first set.
What the listing offers
- One each of the #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6 cutters, the same five shapes as the Speedball assortment with handle.
- The listing states the cutters are tempered steel with hand-ground edges, for both soft and hard blocks.
- The cutters store inside a Speedball lino handle, and the pack is made in the USA.
Limits to know
- No handle is included: the listing says the linoleum handle is sold separately.
- No widths in mm are given, and the pack repeats the starter shapes without adding the #4 square U.
Read before you buy
- Soft Cut vs Battleship Gray Linoleum: Which Is Best for PrintmakingSoft cut vs battleship gray lino compared in one table: carving effort, fine lines, crumbling, stretch, ink and press use, with a pick for each kind of work.
- Lino Printing Tools, Materials and Equipment: Full ChecklistThe full lino printing equipment list in one table: 14 items, what each does, which you need on day one and the household substitute for each.
- Lino Cutting Safety: Bench Hooks, Hand Guards and Safe TechniqueThe 5 lino cutting safety rules in order: hand behind the blade, bench hook or non-slip mat, sharp tools, warm lino, shallow cuts. Plus ink cleanup.
- How to Transfer a Design to a Linoleum Block: 5 Methods Compared5 ways to get a drawing onto a lino block, reversed correctly: tracing flip, carbon paper, soft pencil, a 3 minute toner transfer, direct drawing.
- How to Soften Hard Lino for Easier CuttingHow to soften lino for cutting: 4 gentle ways to warm a cold block, why too much heat hardens it, and how to tell old lino that is past saving.
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Inked Block chooses every product independently from what its Amazon listing states. We may earn a commission from the links above. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.