Cardstock Cutters - Which is best?

[scrapinnut620]

Ok..We all have our favorite cutters I want to know which is the best and why.

I have 3 fiskars the old kind with the grey base and the orange blades..don't like it as it is not exact.

I have the cutterbee and it's good, still about 1/8 " off.

I have one that lights up. This one (don't know the brand) misses even more if cardstock is greater than 2".

I have a large guillotine one. No make or model specified. Got it at Aldi and can it cut but it's too big to carry with me.

What's your experience? I am in need of a good one that travels well.

[vdoyle8]

I wish I had an answer for you but I'm in the same boat. I'll be watching this thread to get some feedback. I have a newer fiskars - the one with the entire orange body. It's worse than the grey/orange model as far as accuracy.

[scrapinnut620]

I love your dog Vicki. It looks adorable.

[NikiM]

All of the Tonic cutters are GREAT!!!!!!! Their scissors are awesome too.

[scrapinnut620]

Hi NikiM,

I'll have to try it as mine broke on Wednesday eve. Yesterday I was stuck using my industrial guillotine. It wrks well, but too big.

Where do they sell the tonics?

Thanks,
Lissette

[kcill]

I have a whole collection of cutters, each with a varying degree of "offness".

I think the perfect cutter doesn't exist.

Vicki I love your dog too. Angus and Chloe (my Westies) said hello :-)

Cyndi

[smriti]

I'm also looking for a new paper trimmer - one because the blades on my cutterpede need to be replaced. Of course I could just change my blade but I also don't like the fact that its swing arm starts at 4 3/8 inches! I would like to get one that has a base of 4.5 inches. I'm liking these two:

Fiskars purple trimmer

Fiskars Nouveau Premium Trimmer

Does anybody have any good or bad words for them? Also what is the difference between rotary trimmers and the trimmers above?

[michelle328]

Personally, I've never had much luck with Fiskars. I love my Cutterpedes, I have the large and the small one and have always gotten good clean, straight cuts with them. The one drawback was that you can only do one sheet at a time. I do mostly ATC's so I do a lot of cutting of CS and am too impatient to do one at a time.

Last week, I bought a Dahle and I just LOVE it! It will do several sheets at once, has a self sharpening blade and is really easy to use. It's a big unit, so not really portable and I still use the Cutterpedes for trimming but for big jobs, the Dahle does it for me.

HTH
Michelle

[scrapinnut620]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

Personally, I've never had much luck with Fiskars. I love my Cutterpedes, I have the large and the small one and have always gotten good clean, straight cuts with them. The one drawback was that you can only do one sheet at a time. I do mostly ATC's so I do a lot of cutting of CS and am too impatient to do one at a time.

Last week, I bought a Dahle and I just LOVE it! It will do several sheets at once, has a self sharpening blade and is really easy to use. It's a big unit, so not really portable and I still use the Cutterpedes for trimming but for big jobs, the Dahle does it for me.

HTH
Michelle

Michelle,

Is the Dahle like the Karl?

I tried the Karl at my weekend swap and I know that a famous store near here uses it for their classes. I don't think I have found another cutter that is so exact but it is pricey and large.

Lissette

[stampinfeat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

Personally, I've never had much luck with Fiskars. I love my Cutterpedes, I have the large and the small one and have always gotten good clean, straight cuts with them. The one drawback was that you can only do one sheet at a time. I do mostly ATC's so I do a lot of cutting of CS and am too impatient to do one at a time.

Last week, I bought a Dahle and I just LOVE it! It will do several sheets at once, has a self sharpening blade and is really easy to use. It's a big unit, so not really portable and I still use the Cutterpedes for trimming but for big jobs, the Dahle does it for me.

HTH
Michelle

Hi Michelle, I have a Cutterpede too. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the measurement plan is on it though. Especially at the top. I took it to a crop and a few others looked at it and shook their heads. Any thoughts? I am sure there is a good reason why the top number are the way they are.

[stampinfeat]

I have decided that I personally like the guillotene cutters the best. That may be because I am a retired teacher and used them for 22 years. I want to buy a good Guillotene cutter. Karl, Dahle, and Genesis are names coming up, with Tonic in there too in a lower price range. The top three are pricey. I would like to know which I should invest in.

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stampinfeat

Hi Michelle, I have a Cutterpede too. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the measurement plan is on it though. Especially at the top. I took it to a crop and a few others looked at it and shook their heads. Any thoughts? I am sure there is a good reason why the top number are the way they are.

I have had about 7 Cutterpedes over the years, so I can try and help you, but I'm not sure exactly what the question is.

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

Personally, I've never had much luck with Fiskars. I love my Cutterpedes, I have the large and the small one and have always gotten good clean, straight cuts with them. The one drawback was that you can only do one sheet at a time. I do mostly ATC's so I do a lot of cutting of CS and am too impatient to do one at a time.

Last week, I bought a Dahle and I just LOVE it! It will do several sheets at once, has a self sharpening blade and is really easy to use. It's a big unit, so not really portable and I still use the Cutterpedes for trimming but for big jobs, the Dahle does it for me.

HTH
Michelle

I just looked up the Dahle - wowzers! Which one do you have? I'm drooling.

[michelle328]

I got the 550 model from monomachines.com. The shipping was free and I got a bit of a discount so the grand total was $125.13. It shipped within a couple days and I got it very quickly. I've been using it like crazy and just love it!

With the Cutterpede, the measurements start in the middle and increase to the left. So, if you want to cut something 2.5 inches wide, you would like up the left side of the paper at the 2.5 inch mark and cut. The measurement of 0 starts where the blade is.

Hope this makes sense and helps.

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

I got the 550 model from monomachines.com. The shipping was free and I got a bit of a discount so the grand total was $125.13. It shipped within a couple days and I got it very quickly. I've been using it like crazy and just love it!



Hope this makes sense and helps.

That looks like a nice one!! I might have to put this on my list. It looks a little safer to me than the genesis. And you don't have to change the blades, right?

[michelle328]

According to the literature, you might eventually have to since the blade will wear, but it's self-sharpening and I've checked other folks' blogs and they said they've been using theirs for years and they were still going strong.

Safety was another thing I liked about it...the cutting blade is virtually inacessible by anything except paper, and the clear plastic ruler-looking thing clamps down when you move the cutter, so it holds the paper in place nicely and the guide moves easily but clamps securely so you can set the paper right up against it to hold it in place.

It's obviously not good for taking to crops, but for me that's fine, I don't work anywhere but home, so it's got its own spot and I just leave it there. Shoot, it's even got gizmos on the back so you can hang it on the wall! Not practical for crafting but if you had to cut stuff from rolls it would be handy.

I like it more and more every time I use it!

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

According to the literature, you might eventually have to since the blade will wear, but it's self-sharpening and I've checked other folks' blogs and they said they've been using theirs for years and they were still going strong.

Safety was another thing I liked about it...the cutting blade is virtually inacessible by anything except paper, and the clear plastic ruler-looking thing clamps down when you move the cutter, so it holds the paper in place nicely and the guide moves easily but clamps securely so you can set the paper right up against it to hold it in place.

It's obviously not good for taking to crops, but for me that's fine, I don't work anywhere but home, so it's got its own spot and I just leave it there. Shoot, it's even got gizmos on the back so you can hang it on the wall! Not practical for crafting but if you had to cut stuff from rolls it would be handy.

I like it more and more every time I use it!

Thanks Michelle! I'm really going to look into it. I'm so tired of buying a cutter and then being really disappointed in them. Does it cut pretty straight? About how heavy is it? I don't go to crops so transporting is an issue but my workspace is kind of small. I usually do most cards by mass producing so do a lot of cutting all at one time though. Thanks so much for the info.

~Nikki

[michelle328]

It weighs about 7 lbs and is 21 3/4" x 14 1/8". It's sturdy enough that you could stand it up leaning against something when you're not using it and it would free up your space. DH used it for a large origami project he was making and those papers have to be straight or they just don't fit. It worked great for him! I've found it to be very straight cutting as well.

The "mass production" thing is me too...I like to cut a lot of "blanks" at once so I can have them on hand, and the Dahle works great for that. It will take 4 or 5 sheets of CS at once so mass cutting goes really quickly.

HTH, let me know if you have other questions

Michelle

[scrapinnut620]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

It weighs about 7 lbs and is 21 3/4" x 14 1/8". It's sturdy enough that you could stand it up leaning against something when you're not using it and it would free up your space. DH used it for a large origami project he was making and those papers have to be straight or they just don't fit. It worked great for him! I've found it to be very straight cutting as well.

The "mass production" thing is me too...I like to cut a lot of "blanks" at once so I can have them on hand, and the Dahle works great for that. It will take 4 or 5 sheets of CS at once so mass cutting goes really quickly.

HTH, let me know if you have other questions

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

Where did you find it?

Thanks,
Lissette

[nancystamps]

I'm finding that more often than not, it's the PAPER that's OFF! Seriously, check out a few sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper, sometimes just a 1/16th of an inch will throw off your cut/score. I have the Xacto 12x12 cutter with laser light, I love that thing!

[Sheena74]

I have and love my Cutterbee for easy trimming- this is my second one in 2 years I recently broke the swing arm off being clumsy. DH just purchased me X-Acto guillotene cutter that is quite large. It does have all common cuts marked on the grid and it cuts up to 15 sheets of paper at 1 time (its says this on the box). It has a self-sharping blade. The grid measures 12X15 but 2 sides (bottom & Left) is open for larger sheets of paper. I hope I fall in love with it but this is my first large guillotene cutter only time and practice will tell me so...

Off to check out reviews

Sheena

[lovetostamp3]

Ladies, you may be interested in knowing I found the Dahle 550 model that Michelle was talking about for $107.60 w/free shipping. I Googled that model and found it through GSA Price.com, a website that goes through Monomachines.com. In fact, when I put in my order it actually was processed as "monomachines.com. They just emailed me to let me know they won't be in until the 5th of April. Since I can wait, not a big deal......

For those of you interested, it's a bit of a savings.......

[michelle328]

Wow, that IS a good savings! I priced it out fairly thoroughly, but managed to miss that one somehow. *sigh* just think of the stamps I could have bought with that extra money, LOL

Thanks for letting us know!

[c-mouse]

Fiskars Nouveau Premium Trimmer

I have the Fiskars you listed above and love it. I have had it about 3 months and feel that it is extremely accurate. Formerly I had the Fiskers gray with orange(I got along fine with it but it broke) the Creative Memories dark blue one(hated it,,,couldn't read the measurements and it was horribly inaccurate) and a cutterpede( hated the vertical liftup arm, blades went dull fast and inaccurate). I would love to find a good 12" guillentine but haven't located one yet.
A rotary trimmer uses a rolling blade to cut. My demo has one she really likes. I haven't tried one of them.

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

It weighs about 7 lbs and is 21 3/4" x 14 1/8". It's sturdy enough that you could stand it up leaning against something when you're not using it and it would free up your space. DH used it for a large origami project he was making and those papers have to be straight or they just don't fit. It worked great for him! I've found it to be very straight cutting as well.

The "mass production" thing is me too...I like to cut a lot of "blanks" at once so I can have them on hand, and the Dahle works great for that. It will take 4 or 5 sheets of CS at once so mass cutting goes really quickly.

HTH, let me know if you have other questions

Michelle

Thanks Michelle! Can you tell me, is there a top ridge where you line up the paper against it or do you have to do it according to the grid? Is there an arm that swings up or swings to the side to put the arm under to cut?

I can do 7 lbs. It's not like I'd be lifting it a million times a day, since I cut a lot at once. I'm working on rearranging my bedroom somehow to maybe accommodate an l-shaped corner desk. If I can swing that, then I'd have space to leave it out. Thanks for answering all the questions!

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovetostamp3

Ladies, you may be interested in knowing I found the Dahle 550 model that Michelle was talking about for $107.60 w/free shipping. I Googled that model and found it through GSA Price.com, a website that goes through Monomachines.com. In fact, when I put in my order it actually was processed as "monomachines.com. They just emailed me to let me know they won't be in until the 5th of April. Since I can wait, not a big deal......

For those of you interested, it's a bit of a savings.......

Wow! THANKS!

[michelle328]

Hi Nikki

Yes, there's a raised edge at the top you just butt the paper up against. There are no arms or swinging anything (another thing I like about it). There's a clear plastic piece that reminds me of a ruler that runs along the length of it. You slide your paper or CS under it and nudge it up to the top and against the locking measure bar. When you start to move the blade, that plastic piece comes down and holds the paper in place.

I would sure go with lovetostamp's recommended site...that's a great savings!

Feel free to ask any other questions; if I can help, I'll do so gladly.

Michelle

[smriti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c-mouse

Fiskars Nouveau Premium Trimmer

I have the Fiskars you listed above and love it. I have had it about 3 months and feel that it is extremely accurate. Formerly I had the Fiskers gray with orange(I got along fine with it but it broke) the Creative Memories dark blue one(hated it,,,couldn't read the measurements and it was horribly inaccurate) and a cutterpede( hated the vertical liftup arm, blades went dull fast and inaccurate). I would love to find a good 12" guillentine but haven't located one yet.
A rotary trimmer uses a rolling blade to cut. My demo has one she really likes. I haven't tried one of them.

Thanks for the review c-mouse! I think I like it better than the other one and that you've liked it too boosts my confidence in that trimmer Do you get a clean cut from it?

Do rotary trimmers give a cleaner cut than the personal trimmers?

[scrapinnut620]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovetostamp3

Ladies, you may be interested in knowing I found the Dahle 550 model that Michelle was talking about for $107.60 w/free shipping. I Googled that model and found it through GSA Price.com, a website that goes through Monomachines.com. In fact, when I put in my order it actually was processed as "monomachines.com. They just emailed me to let me know they won't be in until the 5th of April. Since I can wait, not a big deal......

For those of you interested, it's a bit of a savings.......

Is it portable or a stay at home due to size and weight? Does it cut 8 1/2 X 11 from card stock that is larger?

How does it compare against the Carl/ Other than the Carl is more expensive?

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smriti

Thanks for the review c-mouse! I think I like it better than the other one and that you've liked it too boosts my confidence in that trimmer Do you get a clean cut from it?

Do rotary trimmers give a cleaner cut than the personal trimmers?

I've found rotaries and guillotines give a much cleaner cut than the v-blade trimmers. It's because with rotaries, the blade rolls along the paper. With the v-blade, you're basically cutting the paper with a razor blade. It just seems with rotary you don't get the fraying edges as much.

[cardsbynikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle328

Hi Nikki

Yes, there's a raised edge at the top you just butt the paper up against. There are no arms or swinging anything (another thing I like about it). There's a clear plastic piece that reminds me of a ruler that runs along the length of it. You slide your paper or CS under it and nudge it up to the top and against the locking measure bar. When you start to move the blade, that plastic piece comes down and holds the paper in place.

I would sure go with lovetostamp's recommended site...that's a great savings!

Feel free to ask any other questions; if I can help, I'll do so gladly.

Michelle

Thanks Michelle!

[Erin in Okc]

I have found the PERFECT trimmer for me! My mouse just broke, or I'd include a link. But it's the Fiskars Rotary Paper Trimmer 12", and it's exactly like the Rock Paper Trimmer, but without the mp3 dock. Instead it has extra blade storage. It's on sale right now at Joanns.com for $55.00, but check out ebay first. Occasionally you can find one of either model (Rock paper trimmer, or plain black and silver) for pretty cheap. I actually have the Rock Paper trimmer because I paid $35 shipped off ebay for it! But the black and silver one is the one I would have paid full price for (it's cheaper) so that's the one I recommend.

WHY is this the perfect trimmer for me? Here's my list:
1. It always cuts straight, never waves, never frays.
2. When you butt your paper up to the edge, you get the cut you want.
3. It is so easy to get an accurate measurement! I love the markings on it.
4. I never get wonky mats anymore that aren't square. The easy measurement lines, along with the ability to butt the paper up to the edge promotes nice 90 degree angles, and none of that slanty business that makes you question your eyesight!
5. I bought it for portability. It is larger than I wanted, but it has a handle, and is not awkward or clunky at all. In fact, I rarely use it ON my table. I keep it beneath when I'm scrapping, then I pull it out and set it on my lap, resting on the edge of the table.
6. I almost forgot my favorite thing, and the reason my guillotine is gathering dust on a shelf: it has an arm that holds down your paper so well that I can accurately cut a 1/2" strip of paper in half! Since I couldn't use my guillotine for smaller cuts, I exclusively use my Fiskar's.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[lovetostamp3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrapinnut620

Is it portable or a stay at home due to size and weight? Does it cut 8 1/2 X 11 from card stock that is larger?

How does it compare against the Carl/ Other than the Carl is more expensive?

When I ordered mine, I went by Michelle's recommendation and frustration from what I had. I was not familiar with the Carl cutter. I did go look, based on your question, and found in comparing the model that seemed to match close to the 550, that it was indeed heavier and more expensive. So, if you're going to cart it around, that could be a deterrent. For me, I'll bring my trimmer..... Even when I used to teach classes, I cut my paper in advance and only used the cutter on site for emergencies.

I bought the 14 1/8" size so it can easily handle the 12 x 12 size paper to cut down to 8 1/2 x 11. The blade is self sharpening so I figure I'll save there, and the video made it look so easy to operate. I agree with Nikki's comment, my experience is that rotary cutters seem to give a cleaner, smooth cut to the paper, and with the different core papers I use, I like that feature if I'm not tearing. I'm excited to get it!!

I hope that helps and answers your questions.

[scrapinnut620]

Hi Ladies!

I did a lot of research over the weekend and here is the site you should check out .

NOTE - sign up as a member and you will get a reduced price and in most cases FREE SHIPPING.

I have decided on the portable Carl. I have a guillotine at home, different brand and have to replace my Cutterpede.

Hope the attached link is helpful.


http://www.oozak.com/products.php?cat=81


You can also find a whole bunch of other stuff here.


Good luck!

[binx]

I was holding my breath as I scrolled through this thread - hoping you didn't end up with a Tonic (12"). I've had 2 and they are both in my junk pile. Good luck with your new trimmer!

[blondie090277]

I actually despise using cutting systems. I use a craft knife and a quilters ruler and mat. I can cut quickly with perfection and score all without changing mats or settings on anything. I also leave these on my desk at all times and use the mat as a worktop for making my cards. I'm a quilter and it was really hard getting used to other cutters and the blades for the craft knife are really inexpensive to replace

[kellykjs]

I love my carl!!

[NikiM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrapinnut620

Hi NikiM,

I'll have to try it as mine broke on Wednesday eve. Yesterday I was stuck using my industrial guillotine. It wrks well, but too big.

Where do they sell the tonics?

Thanks,
Lissette

Sorry for the delayed response. I am pretty sure that Archivers carries them. My LSS had them.

[gram2boyz]

I'm using the Memory Makers cutter right now. It has its pros and cons. I love that I can fold it in half and use it that way to save space on my table. I love the fact that it is self sharpening so I don't have to ever change the blade. The price is fair. I love the clean cuts. I hate the way the lines are wearing off, and that I always have to use the grid to get a straight cut. All that said, I'm saving for a Genesis.

[scrapinnut620]

Good Morning Ladies!

Wishing you all have a creative Wednesday!

Oh, by the way, Nesties are 40% off @ Hobby Lobby. No coupon necessary. I got one set yesterday and will probably get 2 more before the sale ends on Saturday, the 17th.