When I was a newb, before having opened any amps before, I followed all the advice out there for "carefully" breaking amps... amp cutters, pen caps, scoring.... what a friggin' pain! For a while, the best advice I followed was to use a paper towel or small hand towel and just snap it open (I guess the worry was that you could get glass in your hand?)... now I just snap them open with my bare hands.... it's so easy and simple, it's not even funny... and I've broken open different types / sizes of amps... I think people fuss too much about this.... but if you're worried, use a towel like I said and you're golden.