List Price: $42.00
Sale Price: $29.99
Today's Bonus: 29% Off
When it comes to being crafty, there's absolutely nothing I won't try. I'm constantly making my own labels for store-bought goods, recycling cards into new cards, cutting out photos, magazine ads -you name it! I cut lots of paper, thin plastic, Vellum, photo paper, card stock, etc. and I try to do much more with it than many crafting tools are intended.
I have half a dozen paper cutters and trimmers. All of them are Fiskars because they're well-made, stylish and last a long time. Before I got this trimmer I used my X-Acto knife more than anything else -I just found that it yielded the crispest, most reliable results for thin, precise cuts. But now, this portable rotary trimmer has replaced my X-Acto knife for virtually all of my previous tasks. It's far better than any of my other "sliding" trimmers. Here's why:
It really is portable! It's lightweight because it's virtually all plastic. The 12" horizontal arm folds underneath the unit so it's only about 5" x 12" yet it still cuts a 12" x 12" sheet of paper with perfect 90 degree corners.
It has a wide, clear plastic "press" that keeps your paper from moving around, even on narrow sheets or the smallest trim. The wide plastic also gives you a place to press firmly onto the paper without oils or dirt from your fingertips getting onto your paper. The rotary cutting blade is on a separate arm that comes down over the top of the paper press. So, not only will your paper stay where you want it, you can see exactly where you're cutting without having to stand on your head. Both arms are ratcheted so they stay upright while you're positioning your paper. None of my other trimmers have that feature, and boy is it nice!
The rotary blade slides on an aluminum rail. It doesn't skip or "stick" like some cutters do. It's one smooth motion. It also cuts cleanly in a single swipe, which I'm sure adds to the life of the blade and the cutting mat below it.
Last night I wanted to put a finished edge on something so I decided 1/2" double-faced tape covered 1/2" strips of paper would do the trick. For this to work, I needed a precise cut. If it was preceise, either the tape would be exposed or my paper edging would not lay flat. I started with a 1" x 12" strip of paper (I recycle everything!) I successfully cut that into 2, 1/2" x 12" strips that fit exactly on my tape! None of my other trimmers can do that and give me two 100% equal-sized pieces. And believe me, I'd never try that with an X-Acto knife! I value my fingertips... I performed the real test of a straight cut: I folded my 1/2" strips end-to-end to see if one end was wider. All 4 ends were exactly the same size!
I don't very often cut paper any heavier than cardstock or photo paper, and I rarely cut multiple sheets. So I did a test for the purposes of this review. I stacked 4 strips of 1"x12" paper and cut them into 1/2" strips -same great results. I stacked those 8 strips and cut them in half, too! I can't report I was able to divide the 1/2" width into perfect 1/4" and 1/4" strips but I can report I got 8 100% parallel strips of paper! All of them cut clean and parallel with a single pass of the blade.
The rotary cutting blade gives a clean cut with no burrs or folded edges. They last a lot longer because there's so much more surface area than a razor-blade based trimmer. I have other sliding trimmers with just the tip of a razor blade exposed and they can shred or leave ugly cuts, especially as the blade starts to wear out. Even my X-Acto knife had that shortcoming. The only thing worse than constantly buying replacement blades is ruining expensive photographic or specialty paper!
I have only one wish for this trimmer: that the rubber feet on the bottom would keep it in place. It's just too light for rubber feet to work -suction cups would be better! Luckily, the wide plastic press allows me to put enough pressure to keep the unit from moving around.
And I have just one concern. I haven't been able to locate replacement rotary blades for this. The back of the trimmer says "Blade Style F" which I cannot find anywhere. The blade is about the size of a half-dollar.
So buy this with confidence but be sure to buy your replacement blades at the same time or you'll be tempted to just buy a whole new trimmer when it comes time for a new blade!
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