Okay, so what exactly is the best tool for these dang blister packs? Any better suggestions other than using a sharp pocket knife, remembering to slice away from you, and making darn sure there is nothing that you do not want destroyed anything around you in case the knife slips? (And additionally trying not to destroy the item inside the blister pack!)

Chainsaws? Tin snips? Any ideas?

I think I heard/read somewhere that more injuries are caused on Christmas day by people opening blister packs than anything else.

I'd have to vote for the sharp knife thing...The blade on a Charge or Wave seems to do nicely.

Depending on what it is, and how it's packaged, sometimes you can cut just enough, far away enough to pry the rest open with your fingers.

Barring that, I try to use just barely more than the tip, so the blade stays away from the goods. Of course, a sharp knife helps that whole process work.

Another thing you might try is moving the blister pack instead of the knife...a trick I learned the summer I failed at selling Cutco. I wasn't cutting blister packs of course, but when using the Chef Knife, we were encouraged to move the food we were dicing toward the knife instead of moving the knife toward the food...same thing works for blister packs...if you keep the knife in one place, then if there is a slip, it's the pack...you might smack yourself in the chest, but there are no lacerations

If I have them handy, then, yes, tin snips are the way to go... That little serrations that they have grips the plastic well and will even catch the raised edges and cut right through them.
They are the only REALLY safe way to open the things!

never used one but there's this thing made specifically to open them:

http://www.myopenx.com/

I use my kitchen scissors, kershaw shuns are the ones I have. Never had a issue with any package, or even cutting thru a chicken for that matter.

small amounts of C4?

EMT-shears work for me.

+1 on the tin snips, i use the long nose wiss snips. Haven't had a package yet they wouldn't open.

http://tinyurl.com/2nv85o

Cutco scissors if the form factor isn't too radical. They will cut a penny in half, but are more articulated than tin snips.

If it is a real odd shape, I've been known to get out the portable dremel tool and a cutting wheel, or even my solder gun. Gotta be a bit more careful about them things, though.

As luck would have it I found in my stocking yesterday one of these http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.cfm/pid_359_benchmade_5_rescue_hook/ Let's just say that no package was safe yesterday!