Fiskars Rotary Paper trimmer
 

I was curious if anyone has the Fiskars 12" Ultimate Craft Rotary Paper Trimmer and if so, what is your opinion of it? I have been using the older Fiskars cutter that is gray and orange and I'm not happy with the cuts.

Thanks for any help,

Lisa

I have one and I really like it. Many people have told me that they don't like them because the cuts are not straight but I don't have that problem.

I also have the Fiskars ultimate cutter. I like it a lot and actually had purchased five of them for workshops. However, I don't seem to be able to find the replacement strips that the blade runs against. The ones that they have shipped are all 1/2" and the cutter I have takes 1/4" strips. Very frustrating.

I also have a Carl cutter which I love except it is difficult to cut small strips - this may be a personal problem since I haven't had the cutter very long.

I also have the Cutter Bee. I love it too and I don't have any problems finding the mat strips when mine need replacing.

Fiskers cutters
 

Lisa,
I'm not sure about the model number/name of the Fiskars 12" rotary cutter you're referring to, but I have had a Fiskers 12" rotary cutter for years - the"bed" of the cutter is dark charcol grey and the whole thing measures 13" wide by 18 1/2" long. The rotary cutting bar lifts up for easy paper insertion and there are orange ruler markings at top and bottom and grooves in the bed itself every 1/2" to create squares so you can easily see if your paper is perfectly aligned. The rotary cutting wheel is large, about 2", and is the same style that is used in the Fiskars quilting rotary cutter. I think when I purchased it, it ran about $50, but I recently saw the same cutter at Craft Warehouse for $39,(regular price not a sale.)

If this is the Fiskars cutter you are asking about - BUY IT! I have never found a more accurate, easy to use and durable cutter...it is hands down THE best cutter (yes, I've tried Carl's, thinking that it wouldn't be so big, but the cutting bar is nailed down on it and it is really awkward to use...it also was not perfectly "square" to start with...2 thumbs down on this one!) The only drawback to this Fiskars is its size, but after fiddling with various cutters, you just can't beat it for accuracy and ease of use.

I agree that the 12" Fiskars that has the flimsy bar and little cutting blade is totally worthless - it makes off-kilter cuts and raggy edges. That being said, my very favorite small cutter is the grey bed Fiskars 8 1/2" personal trimmer. I've been using the same one for almost 10 years and all I've had to do is change the blades - the tracking bar has stayed "true" and it's survived many drops on the floor.
You might want to visit a local scrapbook store and ask if you can do some cuts on the cutters they have in their workshop area....there might be something that you love (or hate!) about a certain cutter that would not be obvious looking at it through the packing box.
Good luck on deciding which to get!
Susy

Thanks for all of your comments!

Re: fiskars rotary cutter
 

I have the fiskars rotary cutter and LOVE it! I purchased it after making my Christmas cards this year with the 12" with the handy bar - needless to say my cards came out crooked, it didn't cut straight. I haven't had a bit of trouble cutting straight edges with the rotary cutter, and it also has measurement markings that make it almost foolproof.

This is so nice to hear. I have been looking at the 12' rotary cutter at Sam's Club for $29.99. I have put it off and saw the same one at JoAnn's last night for $59.99. And Karen, I saw a replacement strip the other day at either JoAnn's or Michael's. Try going to this JoAnn's website. Hopefully this will fit yours

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?C...5&PRODID=53403

Melanie

Karen, here's another one.

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?C...5&PRODID=47745

I bought this cutter at Sams Club for 29.99. It's worked great so far. It even cuts the ultrasmooth papers without leaving the yucky edge like my smaller cutter does. It also cuts several sheets at once which is really a time saver when preparing for workshops and stamp camps.

I have this one
http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?C...5&PRODID=43119

and I love it!!! I have a few of the other blades (scoring, pinking, preforating and one of the fancy ones). I use the scroing one and the straight one the most.
My only complaint is that the paper does slip easily so I have to push down and up (against the top) while I'm cutting so that it won't slip.

Paper slipping
 

Ariel,
I have the older version of this same cutter and love it...can't say I've noticed that its slippery, but maybe I'm just used to holding the paper down with my left hand while running the cutting blade with my right.

You might try placing a piece of cling vinyl (the clear type) on the cutting bed to see if this helps the slip problem. I had a Carl cutter that was really slick (it had a metal bed with a painted finsih) and this worked well on it.
Susy

re
 

I am kind of in the market for a new paper trimmer. I like my cutterpeed but sometimes it is just ok and just ok isn't good enough for me. I guess when you talk abt this Fiskars one I am not sure which one you mean. There are so many. I do know Michaels sells this Fiskars in this big box. Is that the one you mean? I think it runs like at least $40, maybe that is on sale, not sure. I an willing to try the one you mention. Another one, the one that SU sells in there catty which Fiskars is that and is it good.

Julie

Julie,


I thought I would let you know that Michael's will let you try a trimmer out and if you don't like it, you can return it as long as you have the receipt and the original packaging. I bought the 12" rotary ultimate craft trimmer (sale price $29.99), tried and liked it.


Lisa

I have the big one too. I got it at Michael's with my coupon. I love it. I use my CM trimmer for small stuff....but I love that I can change the blades. Only thing is my Michael's only has the reg replacement blade now. I got the scoring, perforating & squiggly blade. But I can't find any more now. (Guess that means I don't need any more, huh??)

I love my new euro trimmer. I hate rotary trimmers! They make my teeth hurt!

Ditto on everything! I have had great success with these cutters. I've seen all these posts on "problem" cuts. One thing to also keep in mind is that often times the paper from the mill is not exactly cut to the exact dimension. This is because they now use lasers to cut it instead of a metal knife. The lasers can leave length or width off just a hair. This means that even though you have cut your paper in half, some pieces may still look "bigger" when compared all together. Also to prevent the paper from wiggling, move the cutting blade from the bottom up toward the top paper guide, "pushing" the paper toward the top guide.

HTH
Annette
http://stamponthis.com