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Please help me. I'm having a horrible problem deciding which 12" portable paper trimmer to purchase. I'm fine with spending a LITTLE more if it means I get a good-straight cut, but the portability factor is very important to me too. Any thoughts and opinions would be GREATLY appreciated. :-D
u should check out Purple Cows trimmers. They have different ones that may suit your need. I personally have the 2 in 1.. you can detach one side for easier usage. It's a slide trimmer on one side and a guillotine on the other. the cool thing is you can purchase decorative blades for the trimmer side.
You will get lots of different favorites from different people, but my all time best trimmer is the Making Memories Precision trimmer. It opens to 12 inches, but folds nicely for portability and smaller cuts. The blade is self sharpening, and the company has wonderful customer service.
It is about $50 retail, but you could use a Michaels 50%coupon from this blog and get it for $25.
Thanks for all the advice. I wasn't sure if the MM Precision trimmer was very portable plus I kept reading a mixture of good and not so good reviews on it. I've never used a guillotine style trimmer except for work stuff and they never seemed to cut straight - so I get really leary of them. Its just so difficult to put make a final decision.
I have the Making Memories Precision trimmer and I like it. I broke the plastic guide on it and contacted the company. They sent me a new guide at no cost to me. What great customer service. Lil
I am on my 2nd mm trimmer, I like it but the numbers are wearing off. I contacted the company the first time and they sent a new one, I never bothered with the second one. Other than that I was pretty happy with it.
__________________ Pia 2024 Scrapbook goals April 16/10 layouts YTD 91/120 Check out my gallery
Thanks for all the advice. I wasn't sure if the MM Precision trimmer was very portable plus I kept reading a mixture of good and not so good reviews on it. I've never used a guillotine style trimmer except for work stuff and they never seemed to cut straight - so I get really leary of them. Its just so difficult to put make a final decision.
You are right - it's a tough decision to make, and kind of an expensive purchase.
I've read lots and lots of threads and reviews of paper cutters. As I said, everyone seems to have their favorite. The hard part to decide is "will their favorite turn out to be yours, also."
About the MM trimmer, which I really like, one of the complaints is that people don't like having to line their paper up on the grid and hold it steady while they run the blade down. That doesn't bother me at all. I am a very precise kind of person, not impatient, and want to get everything lined up just right. I get very straight, accurate cuts this way.
If you are the kind of person that wants to put the paper on the trimmer, butt it up against a guide at the top and cut away, this may not be the trimmer for you.
The self-sharpening blade is a big plus for me also. I hated having to buy and change blades all the time. I've had my MM trimmer for over a year, and the edges of my cuts are perfectly sharp and crisp and not at all ragged. They look as good as the sides of the cardstock when it comes from the package.
Also, I only cut one piece of cardstock at a time. If you want to cut multiple pieces at a time, I don't know how the MM works for that.
I guess your "cutting style" and general overall personality type might have a lot to do with which kind of trimmer you think works best.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Bugga - thx for the info!! On the MM Trimmer - is there no lip on the top and bottom to butt up against at all? That would definitely be good info. I would say I'm somewhere in between the "butt up against" style and the precise grid cut. Just depends on what I'm doing. It would be good to know if it was smooth on the edges or had some sort of paper guide along the edges.
Bugga - thx for the info!! On the MM Trimmer - is there no lip on the top and bottom to butt up against at all? That would definitely be good info. I would say I'm somewhere in between the "butt up against" style and the precise grid cut. Just depends on what I'm doing. It would be good to know if it was smooth on the edges or had some sort of paper guide along the edges.
Thanks!!!!:mrgreen:
I had to go get my trimmer and look to answer your question, lol. You know how we get on autopilot when we do things. I couldn't remember if there was a lip or not.
Answer: it really isn't made to use that way. If you butt the paper up against the top or bottom, you cover up the measurements on the ruler and you can't see them. Maybe you can see what I mean if you look at the pic on the MM site that I linked to. I just noticed that they have a video demo now that I hadn't seen before.
I use the top edge of my paper to find the measurement I want, and then line up my paper precisely with the grid lines printed on the trimmer. I guess maybe that's where it got the name "Precision" trimmer.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Last edited by buggainok; 08-14-2009 at 07:40 PM..
I use the top edge of my MM trimmer all the time! I only do larger cuts with it and so far they have all been straight. I find the ruler to be a nuisance unless I'm doing bunches of the same cut and I prefer having the paper against the top or bottom edge. I use a Fiskars portable trimmer for smaller, fussier cuts. I get the cutting blades with coupons at Michaels. One trick with the Fiskars non-rotary cutters is to get the correct cutting blade, the wrong one will fit in the track but not cut properly.
I'm seriously considering a Tonic, but would like to try one first. My dad's old heavy paper trimmer went dull and I couldn't cut anything straight with it (plus it had that old style scary guillotine blade) so I donated it to the Goodwill.
This is always a hard question! I have owned quite a few trimmers over the years. I have a passionate desire to help others find the perfect trimmer, so this will be lengthy!
Features that are important to me:
*Rotary blade - the pointy ones get blunt too easily and will tear your paper, whereas even when a rotary blade has a nick in it or is getting dull, a couple of passes will still make a complete, sharp cut.
*Metal guide bar for the blade to track on - plastic ones will flex and give you distorted cuts, especially with heavier cardstocks.
*Replaceable cutting channel mats
*A measuring guide to the left AND right of the cutter bar, to make centreing any piece of cardstock easy, without measuring. You get much more effective use of scraps this way.
*Included scoring blade, that can be quickly changed
*A reasonable degree of robustness. You are going to knock it off a table and get the extendable arms caught up on things during the course of use, and it should be able to stand up to this.
Ones I have owned and how they measure up:
MM precision trimmer - when these first came out you were supposed to be able to use the black plastic stoppers at the top to butt your paper against, there is no reason why they can't be made square to the blade! Mine never were straight though. And the stencilling wore off after very little use. And there was no scoring blade and no measurement to the right of the bar.
Cutterpede - plastic cutter bar tended to flex. Fragile! I broke mine, and I know of many others who had the extendable arms break off, even with care.
Zision trimmer - my first ever trimmer. Stupid little pointy blade! Non replaceable cutting channel.
Fiskars Ultimate Trimmer - grey mat version with detachable cutter head. I don't think this is made any more, it has been replaced with one having lime green mats and a fixed cutter head. Essentially the same, although the ease of use is better with the old style. I believe the change to the blade carriage was a safety issue. However I find changing between the cutter and scorer blades on the new version scary indeed, and I am well practiced in scalpel use, so I am pretty good with sharp stuff! Metal bar, replaceable cutting mats, included scoring blade, sturdy extendable arms to left and right. Portable. This one has pretty much everything I like, and is the one I keep coming back to. It can cut chipboard and matboard sheets and several sheets of cardstock in one go. After several years the markings are wearing out on the base, but that's the only problem I've had with it.
I just bought the MM cutter and tried it and took it back. It for me was to hard to keep the paper lined up straight. It was also hard to cut half in cuts for me anyhow. I am going to order a Tonic and try that one out.
...Features that are important to me:
*Rotary blade - the pointy ones get blunt too easily and will tear your paper, whereas even when a rotary blade has a nick in it or is getting dull, a couple of passes will still make a complete, sharp cut.
*Metal guide bar for the blade to track on - plastic ones will flex and give you distorted cuts, especially with heavier cardstocks.
*Replaceable cutting channel mats
*A measuring guide to the left AND right of the cutter bar, to make centreing any piece of cardstock easy, without measuring. You get much more effective use of scraps this way.
*Included scoring blade, that can be quickly changed
*A reasonable degree of robustness. You are going to knock it off a table and get the extendable arms caught up on things during the course of use, and it should be able to stand up to this. ...
I've also purchased a wide variety of trimmers. My best purchase has been the Carl Cutter. Mine accommodates 12" papers ... but sometimes I wish I had purchased the 15" type. The cutting mats are beyond EZ to replace! The blades are very easy to replace as well ... but last a verrrry long time. Nope ... I do not have a connection to the company. ;) Just sharing my opinion.
I have tried all kinds of trimmers, and have yet to find one that I like! I DO NOT RECOMMEND the MM trimmer.....HATE it....I am waiting on a replacement to arrive then I'm getting rid of it.....cuts crooked, leaves jagged edges, is not portable.....
Someone said they are coming out w/ a new Creative Memories trimmer - I am looking forward to seeing it. I do like the CM trimmer but the blades are expensive to replace.
I've also purchased a wide variety of trimmers. My best purchase has been the Carl Cutter. Mine accommodates 12" papers ... but sometimes I wish I had purchased the 15" type. The cutting mats are beyond EZ to replace! The blades are very easy to replace as well ... but last a verrrry long time. Nope ... I do not have a connection to the company. ;) Just sharing my opinion.
Does it cut 12x12? Where did you get yours? Thanks for your help!
12" PORTABLE Trimmer Help ME!!
Tonic cutter
