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I'm looking to buy a paper trimmer/cutter with scoring attachment too. I'm thinking of getting a Fiskar, but there are so many to choose from! I do know that I want to get the kind where the knife slides around on this clear "ruler" thing (SureCut or Portable Craft Paper Trimmers), and not the rotary or bypass.
What do you use? Have something that works great and not a fiskar? Please let me know! Thanks!
I don't know how to edit my post...
but I thought I should mention that I am using the paper trimmer for card making, so I won't be cutting/scoring anything larger than A4 or Letter size.
I have a Fiskars 12" Sure Cut Paper Trimmer and it's dandy! It has a wire on it so when you place the plastic piece on top (that holds the blade), you can see exactly where you are going to cut. It uses the Style I blades with the high profile handles on them and I believe there is a scoring blade available as well. The blades are also the "triple track" style so the cutting is much more accurate than some of the less expensive Fiskar paper cutters.
I actually own two other Fiskars paper cutters, the Making Memories paper cutter, and I have a 12" guillotine paper cutter by Xacto and the 12" Sure Cut is my favorite and most accurate.
Thanks for the response! I ended up buying what you have, I think, but European version because I need cms as well as inches. Also bought the scoring blade too.
I'm so excited....can't wait for it to arrive! I'm such a perfectionist, so I'm glad you find this the most accurate of the 3 you have. I have 3 paper trimmers myself (and this will be my 4th) and they all are pretty bad in their own way. One doesn't cut where it says it'll cut (cheap rotary), one wobbles and no handy wire or top measurements (cheap slider), and one is old (~10 year old guillotine). Having a good paper trimmer is so key to making pieces of paper fit together nicely...especially if one is a perfectionist like me. XD And the scoring bit really handy!
Would you share with us how the paper trimmer works for you? I am looking to buy the exact same thing you were looking for. But I have read horrible reviews about both the surecut and portable ones (Fiskars): the wire fraying, the cuts beeing slightly off - now I'm confused.
The big thing about the wire on the Sure Cut paper trimmer is to pay close attention when you are cutting. I broke the wire on my first one after only 8 days and emailed Fiskars with a photo and they replaced the entire paper cutter. The new one they sent me has worked perfect every time, and I am very careful when using it.
I noticed if I press down slightly on the blade while sliding, it works much better. I also do NOT cut chipboard with my paper trimmer. Since I didn't have to return the "broken wire" paper trimmer to Fiskars, I put my old blades in that paper cutter and cut thin chipboard with that!
The surface of my Sure Cut paper trimmer had slowly started getting "bubbles" and was interfering with paper cutting. So, once again, I emailed Fiskars a photo and got an email back - the paper trimmer has a thin plastic protective coating sheet on the surface that should be removed. Ta Da! I removed this protective film and it's like having a brand new paper cutter! The extension arm also has this protective coating.
Customer Service at Fiskars is very nice and they stand behind their products. I told them maybe they should include in the packaging the bit about the protective coating on the cutting surface!
Of all the paper trimmers I own (including my expensive guillotine cutter), the Sure Cut is the most accurate.
One thing I forgot to mention is that all the guidelines on the surface of the Sure Cut paper trimmer are underneath the surface so they do not wear off.
Forgot to mention - the Fiskars 12" Sure Cut Paper Trimmer is just as portable and transportable as all their other paper trimmers they call portable. I sometimes teach at a scrapbook store 3 hours from home so I pack for a weekend and my Sure Cut goes with me every time!
Forgot to mention - the Fiskars 12" Sure Cut Paper Trimmer is just as portable and transportable as all their other paper trimmers they call portable. I sometimes teach at a scrapbook store 3 hours from home so I pack for a weekend and my Sure Cut goes with me every time!
which one of them do you have? I saw that they are available in 2 widths. I would like to be able to cut a letter size or A4 paper in half without having to use the extension arm.
I saw an older version (5955) which I liked because it was not so narrow - however, even the online shop had a note about the scale rubbing off! :-(
So I'm glad you mentioned that issue being resolved with the surecut.
I read a lot of complaints about the wire of the surecut fraying. How long have you been using it now without having any issues with it?
And how long does a blade last? The 5955 apparently goes through the blades rather quickly.
@drsus, I will definitely let you know how the trimmer goes when I get it, I'll take a good look at the wire too and see how is it possible that it frays. My guess is that the blade probably rubs against the wire, thus cutting it a bit until it starts fraying. :(
By the way, the one I bought is this one: Large Personal SureCut
It can definitely cut an A4 in half without the extension arm since I see "A5" written on it. However, I don't know which one Sew It Seems has, since I see several 12" on the fiskar website: SureCut
Great, thanks! I have heard that Fiskars gives a lifetime warranty- no matter what country you are in, so that should help with the "wire-worries". ;-)
which one of them do you have? I saw that they are available in 2 widths. I would like to be able to cut a letter size or A4 paper in half without having to use the extension arm.
I saw an older version (5955) which I liked because it was not so narrow - however, even the online shop had a note about the scale rubbing off! :-(
So I'm glad you mentioned that issue being resolved with the surecut.
I read a lot of complaints about the wire of the surecut fraying. How long have you been using it now without having any issues with it?
And how long does a blade last? The 5955 apparently goes through the blades rather quickly.
Thanks for your input!
My Sure Cut trimmer is 6-1/4" wide. I've been using it for well over a year and the wire has not shredded. I can cut a piece of 8-1/2 x 11" cardstock in half without using the extension arm. Also, my trimmer has a sliding lock at the top to lock the blade carriage in place when transporting it.
As I said above, you must pay close attention when using it and I always press down slightly on the blade and that seems to help preserve the wire.
It's hard to say how long your blades will last. Mine does not have the rotary blade. One way to save your blades is to only cut one piece of cardstock at a time, not "up to 5 pieces" as the advertising states. I have yet to see a company who can guarantee how long a blade will last! The only paper trimmer I have with a self-sharpening blade is my 12"x12" Exacto Guillotine trimmer, and even that needs tweeking once in a while (screws need to be tightened, the cutting edge on the surface develops "nicks", etc.)
Also, the Type I triple track blade fits some of the other Fiskars paper trimmers. I have an older blue 4" wide trimmer (the same style as the one Stampin' Up has now discontinued) and the blades fit it.
When my first paper cutter's wire snapped in half, I had been using the "low profile handle" blade. Fiskar's customer service did not recommend using that style triple track blade. Type I triple track blades are recommended (they have a higher profile handle on the blade). Even with this issue, Fiskars still replaced the trimmer!
I wish Fiskars made a Sure Cut trimmer in a short length as this would fit on my work surface much better!
Thank you so much for taking that much time to answer all my questions! I think I will settle for the same model Emma ordered. I just have one more question for you: Fiskars has 3 recommended blades on their web site:
titanium blades high profile 5740
cut and score mix high profile 9685T
cutting blades high profile 9675T
In their pictures the blades have a bar shaped handle.
If I look for just the item number on the web I find 2 different looking blades with the identical number. The "grip" looks slightly different. Are the ones with the "X"shaped grip on them (they look low profile to me) any different from the ones with the bar shaped handle? I would not want to ruin the machine.
Thank you so much for taking that much time to answer all my questions! I think I will settle for the same model Emma ordered. I just have one more question for you: Fiskars has 3 recommended blades on their web site:
titanium blades high profile 5740
cut and score mix high profile 9685T
cutting blades high profile 9675T
In their pictures the blades have a bar shaped handle.
If I look for just the item number on the web I find 2 different looking blades with the identical number. The "grip" looks slightly different. Are the ones with the "X"shaped grip on them (they look low profile to me) any different from the ones with the bar shaped handle? I would not want to ruin the machine.
The blades I recommend and use all the time are the titanium high profile blades (with the "bar" shaped handle). The titanium blades seem to last longer than the regular blades.
The blades with the "X" look on top are the low profile blades and Fiskars told me they do not recommend using them with the Sure Cut paper trimmer with the wire.
The blades I recommend and use all the time are the titanium high profile blades (with the "bar" shaped handle). The titanium blades seem to last longer than the regular blades.
The blades with the "X" look on top are the low profile blades and Fiskars told me they do not recommend using them with the Sure Cut paper trimmer with the wire.
Well, I got my trimmer today and I am both happy and unhappy. It really cuts straight and accurate. It's also quite smooth with both plain paper and card paper. Replacing the blade is quite easy: there's a little area that has a slightly wider notch so the blades can go in and out without having to snap and bend anything.
I am unhappy about my scoring blade, however. It's one of the reasons why I bought this because I wanted to score my paper without buying yet another thing just for scoring. I found that other people have had problems with it, but the same people also said that fiskar has great customer service and if I contact them, i should be getting a replacement. I hope so! Basically, my scoring "blade" doesn't work. It works at the top for about 2cm and then just goes blah on me. And the only reason it works on the top is because the scorer sits on top of the wire, mashing the wire into the paper then after that it'll sort of roll/snap off the wire and then not score at all. Very frustrating. I should also note though, I am in Europe and it may be more difficult for me to get replacements or what-not. So hopefully you live in the US in case you run into any problems.
So if you want an accurate trimmer, this is really good. As a scorer...well, I'll have to see once (and if) I get a replacement. :T
Last edited by luckyemma; 07-23-2012 at 02:21 AM..
Thanks Emma,
That sounds like a bummer tough. :(
I have a scoring board but if it's just one score I would like to do this with the cutter - just like you.
I am in Europe too - the store that would order the cutter for me told me that they would help me if I ran into problems. I probably will not get anything for a few weeks though so I'll see what happens with you. I would definitely contact Fiskars! First try the store you bought yours at and if all else fails try them directly. That thing is supposed to score so they should do something about it.
By the way, can you keep both "blades" on at the same time or is there only room for one? It would be nice not to have to switch them all the time.
Well, I got my trimmer today and I am both happy and unhappy. It really cuts straight and accurate. It's also quite smooth with both plain paper and card paper. Replacing the blade is quite easy: there's a little area that has a slightly wider notch so the blades can go in and out without having to snap and bend anything.
I am unhappy about my scoring blade, however. It's one of the reasons why I bought this because I wanted to score my paper without buying yet another thing just for scoring. I found that other people have had problems with it, but the same people also said that fiskar has great customer service and if I contact them, i should be getting a replacement. I hope so! Basically, my scoring "blade" doesn't work. It works at the top for about 2cm and then just goes blah on me. And the only reason it works on the top is because the scorer sits on top of the wire, mashing the wire into the paper then after that it'll sort of roll/snap off the wire and then not score at all. Very frustrating. I should also note though, I am in Europe and it may be more difficult for me to get replacements or what-not. So hopefully you live in the US in case you run into any problems.
So if you want an accurate trimmer, this is really good. As a scorer...well, I'll have to see once (and if) I get a replacement. :T
DO PLEASE call customer service at Fiskars - they are great about working with customers! I would not use that scoring blade until you talk to them - don't take the chance of breaking your wire!
I contacted both Fiskar EU and the company I ordered at (Creativ Company, it's a Dutch company, since I live in NL). Waiting to hear from them, but I should within "5 business days". I am asking for a replacement, I hope it will work.
@drsus, to answer your question, yes, you can place both blades into the trimmer at the same time, you just have to place your paper either higher or lower or at the top or at the bottom, depending on which blade (score or cut) is on top or bottom...really hard to explain. Basically, if there are two blades on the track, one of them doesn't reach all the way on the top or bottom because the other blade is in the way. So it depends on how accurate you want to be when cutting or scoring.
Thanks Emma! I know the new trimmer SU is coming out with has enough room to "park" the blade that is not used, that's why I asked. But that really would not be such a big deal to me. The SU trimmer seems to become available in inches only. I've managed with the inches for years but if I spend that much money and have the option - I'd prefer to have both measurements. Also, it still seems that the wire version is the most precise tool out there. (I am asking away on a different thread that is dealing with the new SU trimmer ;-))
So I'd be very interested to hear if you get the Happy End we are hoping for - keep me posted!:cool:
@drsus, I figured I update you (and anyone reading) about the scoring situation. I had emailed both Fiskar and the company that I bought the stuff from, separately. And they both responded that they'll send me replacement blades, lol. I really didn't expect that because I thought Fiskar EU didn't do replacements for EU (read it somewhere on their FAQ) and I figured they'd respond with, "email the people you bought it from". But as SewItSeems said, really good customer service, even for the EU! Either way, I hope at least one of the 2 replacement blades will work, if not both. But so far, I have been using my trimmer to score by placing the paper in there and running a bone folder in the notch (with the cutter/ruler/wire bit up and out of the way). Works quite well, and I'm really loving this trimmer because its saved me several minutes per project since now I don't have to measure out, mark, ruler line out and cut paper to the right size!
Anyway, as others have said, when you get your trimmer, be wary of the wire. Placing the blade crooked could have you cutting your wire or sheering the edges of it that could lead to eventually snapping. Also, if you see the surface bubbling, there's actually a plastic covering that you can remove safely since the measurements/numbers are printed under the plastic. I would have kept the plastic on as long as possible, but the plastic started bubbling because I placed my silicone glue on top and silicone glue fumes warps thin plastic, hehe.
Thanks for the update Emma! I appeciate your input. You just anwered another question: I was wondering whether it was safe or even possible to use a bone folder with that cutter. I figured it would not fit because of the wire but it looks like it would be possible (when kept away from the wire.)
Now I hope that the replacements you'll receive will work as well. ;)
Hello drsus,
I was wondering if you got your paper trimmer and how it's working out for you.
I got replacement scoring blades both from Fiskar EU (in France) and from the company I bought it from. Maybe my expectations are too high, but the scoring blade just doesn't work well! The one I originally got just doesn't do it. The one I got from Fiskar is the same exact packaging as my original one and it does work a little better (sits better for one thing), but it makes such a light score that you have to hold the paper to the light to see, but folding along the "scored" line is nothing. The replacement I got from the company I ordered from was a different packaging (I think it was older package) and the package also did not list the 4153 trimmer as one of the models these blades can be used in. However, it fits intot he machine and actually makes a slightly (and I mean slightly) deeper score mark on the paper. But again, trying to fold along the "scored" line is nothing. I find that running a bone folder is the best way! Thank goodness for the notch int he trimmer otherwise I might end up spend some $$ again for a Scor-Pal....it's so tempting.
Anyway, I'd like to know how you're doing with your trimmer, and if the scoring is working better for you.
As a trimmer, I recommend this machine to anyone looking for something accurate and rather affordable. But as a scorer...no way.
Hello drsus,
I was wondering if you got your paper trimmer and how it's working out for you.
I got replacement scoring blades both from Fiskar EU (in France) and from the company I bought it from. Maybe my expectations are too high, but the scoring blade just doesn't work well! The one I originally got just doesn't do it. The one I got from Fiskar is the same exact packaging as my original one and it does work a little better (sits better for one thing), but it makes such a light score that you have to hold the paper to the light to see, but folding along the "scored" line is nothing. The replacement I got from the company I ordered from was a different packaging (I think it was older package) and the package also did not list the 4153 trimmer as one of the models these blades can be used in. However, it fits intot he machine and actually makes a slightly (and I mean slightly) deeper score mark on the paper. But again, trying to fold along the "scored" line is nothing. I find that running a bone folder is the best way! Thank goodness for the notch int he trimmer otherwise I might end up spend some $$ again for a Scor-Pal....it's so tempting.
Anyway, I'd like to know how you're doing with your trimmer, and if the scoring is working better for you.
As a trimmer, I recommend this machine to anyone looking for something accurate and rather affordable. But as a scorer...no way.
I know you said you wanted an all-in-one trimmer/scorer, but I've never seen a review on one that actually works well as a scorer, too.
I would highly recommend you check ebay or some other site that will ship internationally, and try to find a Martha Stewart Score Board. They are very reasonably priced here in the US and work quite well. As a bonus, the board comes with a handy envelope template that allows you to make your own envelopes very quickly. I use up some of my pattern paper not suitable for cards this way.
Good luck. I use my Martha Board every time I papercraft and like it a lot.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Thanks for getting back to me about the trimmer. I have not even ordered one because I wanted to see what you have to say about the replacements. So I have to disappoint you there. :(
After what you said I guess the new Stampin Up paper trimmer would be the best "all in one" - IF it ever gets released. ;-) But again, that one has inches only.
I have the Martha Stewart board too. I mainly decided for that one because it has many more score lines than the normal ScorPal - so it's easier for use with cm. I know it is one more tool on the desk (and off the budget) but I use it quite often actually. And if you have a project to score at 2,4,6,8 inches you don't have to move the paper around. I use mine mostly for little paper projects and scoring my cards - but because of the measurements it would probably be easier to do the cards with your cutter and a bone folder.
I got mine at Martha Stewards directly when they offered a 40 % discount on any one item. (I think they offer discounts frequently) They ship internationally and I ended up paying 18-19� including shipping. Much cheaper than the metric ScorPal. That was worth it to me. So if you can be patient and wait for a good deal maybe that's the best option for you too.
I think I will order that cutter anyway in the next weeks. If I can use it with a bone folder then that would be the tool I'd use to score my cards. (The scoring board is not QUITE as exact because the inch marks don't correspond with our DIN-sizes. But I could tell you how I got around that if you are interested.)
As tempting as a scoring board is, I don't score anything special except the line in the middle of cards. I'm still doing the simple stuff and just buying cheap envelopes that costs 10 cents each. Maybe some day I'll be scoring like mad, but for now, I'll stick to bone folder down the groove of my trimmer.
If the cards are the only thing you score: I agree - you really don't need an extra scoring board. If my current paper trimmer had a groove like that I would not have bought the board either.
I have the Fiskars SureCut LED Rotary Trimmer (purchased at Joann with a 40% off). I've had it for about a year, use it daily, often heavily. I've replaced the blade twice in one year and the cutting strip one time in one year. I love because instead of the wire showing you where it is going to cut, it shines a blue light line down where it is going to cut. It cuts accurately and very nicely, and cleanly. I had gone through about 15 cutters of various brands over the previous 10 years and never found one that was "right" but they were "good enough".
This one fits my needs perfectly. It folds in half, and folded in half you CAN cut a 11" wide paper at the 5.5" mark. It unfolds for an entire 13" wide by 12" high surface, so there is no swing out arm. I highly recommend this cutter. For some reason in the photo at Amazon it does not show the grid, but it does have a grid rule on it..and it does not rub off because it has hard plastic surface over it.
The surface of my Sure Cut paper trimmer had slowly started getting "bubbles" and was interfering with paper cutting. So, once again, I emailed Fiskars a photo and got an email back - the paper trimmer has a thin plastic protective coating sheet on the surface that should be removed. Ta Da! I removed this protective film and it's like having a brand new paper cutter! The extension arm also has this protective coating.
Customer Service at Fiskars is very nice and they stand behind their products. I told them maybe they should include in the packaging the bit about the protective coating on the cutting surface!
/QUOTE]
I know that it has nearly been a year since this has been posted but thank you so much for posting this!
I had shelled out for the Fiskars Procision Trimmer. I love it! It is rather pricey but for the accuracy and the the sharpness of the blade it has been the best investment.
I was so disappointed last night when I noticed "bubbles" on the "lifetime" coating on the surface of the platform. At first I thought it may have been adhesive residue or something else. When I start to "clean" it, it got worse. It kinda looked like how a sunburn looks when it starts to peel. I thought it may have been ruined. I know that I did not do anything to ruin it because I take such good care of it. But I was so worried that it was worried.
Have you had any issues with the surface now that the protective coating has been off your trimmer now for more than a year?
your paper trimmer/cutter and scorer?
