A New Zealand primary school teacher has revealed an unlikely craft tool that’s a ‘game-changer’ – and sent shoppers racing to snap it up too.  

Jordan Shallcrass, 31, has been raving about Ryobi’s USB Lithium Power Cutter, which is available for $89 at Bunnings.

The teacher shared a TikTok video that showcased the clever tool in action, with the 52-second video seeing her easily cut strip after strip of thick cardboard into neat squares for an upcoming art lesson.

Jordan, who has spent more than a decade in the profession, described the cutting tool as ‘worth its weight in gold’.

The ‘handy tool’ was something Jordan recommended not only for crafty-types, but anyone who regularly needs to cut various materials or ‘break down a lot of cardboard’.

Demonstrating how the Ryobi gadget works, Jordan explained that the tool’s lithium battery is simply slotted and twisted into the end of the device – and it is ‘good to go’.

The Christchurch-based teacher also made mention of the rechargeable battery being ‘really easy to recharge’, thanks to its USB C port.

New Zealand primary school teacher Jordan Shallcrass revealed her ultimate art class hack in the Ryobi USB Lithium Power Cutter, available for $89 at Bunnings. The teacher showcased the tool in action in a viral video shared to her @miss_shallcrass account

The Ryobi USB Lithium Power Cutter, which is available at Bunnings, is a handheld device that  has is able to quickly and accurately cut through tricky materials like plastic, carpet, rubber, paper and cardboard

As she effortlessly pushed the power cutter along pieces of thick cardboard, Jordan also addressed any safety concerns about the tool being accidentally picked up by her young students.

‘It has double triggers, so you don’t have to worry about it getting into kids’ hands and them easily being able to use it,’ she explained.

Jordan spoke further to Daily Mail about the craft tool, explaining that preparing cumbersome materials like cardboard for art classes was a time consuming process, which is difficult when teachers already have ‘limited free time for lesson planning’.

But once she’d discovered the power cutter, Jordan knew it would be a gamechanger for school.

‘I’ve even used it to create organisation systems with old boxes for my classroom,’ she said.

‘I also regularly use the power cutter at home to break down cardboard boxes,’ she added. 

‘It can also cut fabric, which was another reason I was interested in getting it.’

The Kiwi woman, who shared the now viral video on her @miss_shallcrass account, was quickly inundated with hundreds of impressed comments – many noting other potential uses for the nifty tool.

NZ teacher Jordan described the power tool as an unlikely game changer in her classroom (left) and had even used it to make things like these dividers (right), created by cutting up old cardboard boxes

Bunnings shoppers who like to undertake creative projects were quick to note the abundance of potential of uses for the power cutting tool and were excited that it could be used on a number of different materials

‘As a kinder teacher, YES PLEASE!’ read one response. 

‘It would be great for kids school assignments or making costumes,’ a dad replied.

‘I have one and it is a life saver!’ chimed in another person. ‘[M]akes cutting up boxes so easy! I live in an apartment building with a small recycling chute and now can cut all my boxes down to fit easily.’

‘I have never coveted a power tool before now,’ one excited responder wrote.

‘I want it, just to cut things for fun…running to Bunnings,’ another person added.

The online product description notes that the hand-held Ryobi USB Lithium Power Cutter tool is 202mm in width, 60mm in height and 100mm depth.

The power cutter is designed to be used on ‘plastic, carpet, rubber, paper and cardboard’ and described as a ‘great alternative to using scissors or a box cutter’.

It also has an ‘integrated guideline’, which helps users to ‘make accurate and clean cuts’.

As Jordan noted, the device has a number of in-built safety measures, including a blade guard and a lock-off safety switch.

Jordan told Daily Mail that this wasn’t the only Ryobi tool that was helpful and convenient for classroom art projects.

The teacher also swore by the Ryobi USB Lithium Soldering Pen, $99 and the Ryobi USB Lithium Soldering Glue Pen, $79, which are also both stocked at Bunnings.

Jordan noted that all three tools operate on ‘the same batteries’.  

‘I have the three port charger and just grab a battery when needed,’ she added.