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Here is another alternative. As much as I love the X-Acto trimmer, it is difficult to take to a crop where your space is limited. So, I researched other trimmers, and found lots of great reviews on the Fiskar's Rock Paper Trimmer. It is large, too, but not cumbersome. And it has a handle, so it's easy to carry. I found mine on ebay, so I didn't have to pay $80. AND, here's one that is exactly like it, made by Fiskar's, but has blade storage instead of mp3 dock, and it's $20 cheaper:
One thing I LOVE about my Fiskar's RPT that my x-acto won't do...it cuts small pieces. You snap that bar down onto your paper, and it doesn't move. I've cut 1/2 inch strips in half!
Both of these trimmers are easy to get accurate measurements, cut straight, never fray or shred your paper. The X-acto is self sharpening. The blades for the Fiskar's RPT last forever, and then they are cheap. I was actually getting frustrated at not being able to find a refill/backup blade for it, so I called Fiskar's. She said it is a standard 45mm QUILTING blade, and it sold in most quilting departments! Including Michael's and Joann's. I have it bookmarked now.
Good luck! I know there are not a lot of people raving about these two trimmers, but everybody I know who has either one of these LOVES them!
How many sheets are you trying to cut with the Tonic cutter?? With mine I can only do two or max three depending on the thickness. A lot of times I end up cutting one sheet at a time. More accurate that way.
Also, try to push the blade a little to the left when you're cutting. Then it has better contact with the metal edge on the base.
Ditto; one sheet at a time and push the blade handle to the left while cutting.
I am so fed up with paper trimmers! I too have tried just about every one out there and while some were okay at first - the bloom was off the rose very quickly! The latest one I tried is the Fiskar's triple track "Premium Crafter's Trimmer". I loved the face plate as it's coated so the lines don't wear off and it just feels nice. The extension arm is solid and is not likely to snap off. BUT...within a week it started giving me really rough, frayed cuts. I tried a new blade - same thing. Cleaned the track with a tooth brush - same thing. If I cut more than one piece of paper, the top piece is okay, but the bottom one is tattered. And both pages have a ridge on the bottom side.
I've totally given up on the rotary trimmers!
Guess I'll try the guillotine next and see how much money I can waste there.
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent! I feel much better now.
Don't know if you've heard of the genesis trimmer, but it is now available for order! It's expensive, but worth the money! I just got mine last week and am in love!! It is such a quality trimmer... I paid $390 plus shipping. HTH
I've had my Dahle trimmer for over a year now and still love it just as much as I did the day I bought it. It works great and I have very consistant cuts. It is the guillotine kind but is very safe. I highly recommend it. Before I got this one I had been through many different trimmers. This is the only one that I can say hasn't let me down.
__________________ Kristen
�Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.�
I loved my boston!!!!! but ran over it with my car
yes was loading up the car and forgot one bag, guess which one!
I just bought the Swingline 1142 ClassicCut Ingento. I love it.
Is very sturdy like my boston, solid maple surface, and no plastic handle. It is the paper cutter of choice for schools all across the country.
X-acto is rubbish. IMHO.
I used my Boston for craft cutting, card stock, photo matte, and even popsicle sticks. I even cut 800 pieces of solid metal banding once, and then tested it on paper, perfect cut.
Losing my boston was like losing a friend. I may give up driving;)
Love love love my Dahle! It cuts 4 sheets of SU cardstock at once. It always cuts straight and easily! The one drawback is that it is big and it does not cut anything under two inches very well. For the smaller pieces I got the SU one and that works very well!
Does anyone have the Dahle 550? I'm wondering what the maximum grid size is on it. What size paper can I measure on it? 11", 10", 8.5" or ????? I keep trying to see the grid on the pictures on the web, but they just aren't clear. There isn't a local store that carries them either.
I have had the original Dahle 507 since 1992 (wow, 18 years). I still love how it cuts and I've never had to replace the blade. I just hate that I can't measure past 6 inches. It doesn't have a "swinging arm" to pull out to measure larger. like the Fiskars, etc. I've taped a clear plastic ruler to it, but that keeps falling off, so I'm looking to buy a bigger base that I can see measurements at least to 10 or 11 inches.
For the two of you with Dahle's, I was reading one post that said the sheet that is cut off doesn't have a good edge, have you noticed that? I'm seriously considering a Dahle 550, 440 or 212. They are a bit spendy but I'm a demo so I cut A LOT of cardstock.
I had a Dahle for years and loved it tons. I eventually broke it. I dropped it and broke it in horrifying fashion. I'm kinda clumsy.
I have the big tonic now and it works great, but if you have not found tonic works for you I do recomend the Dahle.
I got it from Oozark. they rock.
__________________ My BlogMy GalleryAll dog's feet smell like Fritos. I know you don't believe me, go check... See, I told you so.
I have the Making Memories rotary cutter. I really like it. I like the fact that the blades are self sharpening and I get clean straight cuts every time. I also like that it has a metal base and comes with a magnetic ruler so that you can block off your cut line if you're doing multiple cuts (no need to align each cut). I like that it folds in half for storage - but that is a downfall if you have to cut something at the fold. For smaller pieces, I have a Fiskars guillotine type cutter and I love that one as well. I do have a large heavy duty office supply guillotine type cutter (Photomaterials Co. ??) that I got for free off Kijiji, but it needs to be sharpened - looks like the thing is about 100 years old - but it cuts straight.
I have the Dahle 550 and love it. It handles 12 x 12 sheets beautifully and cuts through multiple cardstock. Since it has a piece to hold down the paper, you can also cut fine strips of paper as well and get curls. It's my heavy duty go to cutter, and wouldn't be without it! You won't get any burrs with this one....
I have the Dahle 550 and love it. It handles 12 x 12 sheets beautifully and cuts through multiple cardstock. Since it has a piece to hold down the paper, you can also cut fine strips of paper as well and get curls. It's my heavy duty go to cutter, and wouldn't be without it! You won't get any burrs with this one....
Thanks, again, for this response and the private messages. I ordered it last night and already got a tracking number. Can't wait to get it!!
I brought the tonic and have the same problem, they say to sharpen the blades by going up and down against the metal, this does seem to work but still gets dull quick. I only use it for cardstock. I also have a Carl which I love-love..
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Rebekka
Before you listen to the above post that said x-acto is rubbish, remember that they make many trimmers, just like fiskar's and dahle make many trimmers. some are crap, and some are great.
I've had my X-acto laser trimmer for between 3 and 4 years now, and LOVE it. I've never seen anybody who owns this trimmer say otherwise.
good luck in your quest for the perfect trimmer!
I'm one of the few who love the purple Fiskars Triple Track trimmer. I've had it since I started scrapbooking nine years ago, and it's still working great. In fact, I have four of them. They were returned to a store where I used to work. The owner said that I could have them because the customers who bought them said the trimmers cut crookedly, and she was going to throw them out instead of paying the cost of shipping them back. Well, I tried every single one of those trimmers, and they all cut perfectly for me. They still do. I also have the Tonic guillotine small and large cutters, and they both work just fine.
Please don't take this the wrong way, because I'm sure there are terrible trimmers out there, but many times it's user error. For instance, most trimmers are designed to cut only one sheet of paper at a time. I can cut 2 or 3 with the guillotine, but that's about the limit. When you're using a sliding blade or rotary trimmer, always slide the blade up, while butting the paper against the top lip. Or cut from top to bottom, while butting the paper against the bottom lip. That keeps the paper straight, which in turn keeps your cut straight.
I hope that helps, and I hope everyone finds a paper trimmer that you just love. Good luck and happy cutting.
Heavy duty cutter by CARL I use this for chipboard and multiple pieces of paper at one time.
SU! new cutter I bought this last year and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I will add that I have been through probably 10 different trimmers before these. I am so happy now!
I did the same - bought a Fellows for $100 from an office supply store and couldn't be happier. Cardstock is expensive and a bad cut ruins it. This thing is big and heavy but cuts everything with a good clean cut.
