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Ok I'm here again asking the community for help. I am looking for a good but reasonably priced guillotine trimmer. I want a mini one. I have a tiny cabin that I go to in the summer and space is tight as is storage. Previously I dug out my old Creative Memories one but it's older than dirt and as you know when they first started they were more into only scrapbooking and not paper-crafting so the guillotine cutter was for photos and very small platform. I think only a 4 x 6 could be cut. Cut but way too small. So last year I bought a Fiskar small guillotine trimmer but have had nothing but issues with it. First it is very light and does not seem sturdy to me. Second more times than not the paper folds when the arm comes down in some places and does not actually cut all of the paper off leaving me to have to adjust and re-cut what I'm doing. Or if it does cut some cuts are clean others are fuzzy and it's the same paper. It is so inconsistent and I am very fussy. So what are your thought? I'm looking for suggestions of what you like. I cannot return the Fiskars as I don't have the packaging or the receipt. Just for your information I tried cutting really slow hoping that would work and it did not but that being said.......I am not a slow person. I want to slip something in whack it off and get going! No "Slo-Mo" for me LOL.
The Tim Holtz comfort guillotine 8.5" tripper is really the best I've ever had because of it's versatility. It's made by Tonic. I've got a large and a mini Tonic I have used for 20 years. I had the mid range one but it would not cut 8 1/2 x 11" paper in half so when this one came out I coveted it for a couple years and finally bit the bullet and bought it. It has grids and a ruler at each side plus, the best part, there is a bar you can butt your paper up to at the lower end so when the guillotine comes down it doesn't make the paper move at all. A little tip I learned from a Splitcoast post a while back.
The following 4 users liked this post by rockybeta:
I have a few different ones, (including a giant one that I think was for classroom use but I've never used it! But that's a story for another day.)
But the one I always go back to is the Tim Holtz 8.5" one. It's easy to use, easy to read and I really like the paper guard on it that not only protects my fingers, but it holds the paper in place with ease. I purchased mine from Scrapbook.com and keep an eye out--they're usually running some sort of deal.
Another fan of the Tim Holtz/Tonic 8.5 trimmer; I use it for all cutting except 12x12 papers and I use an old Fiskers with the wire trimmer for the 12x12.
I love my Tim Holtz 12.25 Inch Maxi Guillotine Trimmer. I make cards vs. scrapbooking, so the 8.5 inch one would have been fine for most of my use, but I do have some 12x12 paper and who knows, I may want to scrapbook someday.
I had an old Stampin' Up Paper Trimmer that never got a clean cut, even with new blades, which was disappointing because I liked the size and that it also scored. But once I tried the guillotine, the paper trimmer got put in a drawer for use only when crafting away from home.
I have been card making for a long time…so I have the Fiskars ProCision bypass rotary cutter for the big paper and when I need to cut a lot of bases etc (Christmas cards). I have a string trimmer for certain things but got the Tim Holtz 8.5” guillotine a few months back and have found it’s my go-to. Light, not too big, cuts very cleanly and the grid lines, top & bottom rails and holder thing make it easy and accurate. Reasonably priced to boot.
Another vote for the Tim Holtz Tonic guillotine trimmer. I have one in the 8.5" size and one in the 12" size (well, I don't know the exact size of the larger one but I use it to cut 12x12 paper). I've owned both for YEARS and they still perform great. Occasionally I have to cut aluminum foil or use the cut arm without any paper to get it to sharpen itself, but it's as good as new after that.
__________________ Nicole
The following 3 users liked this post by cnsteele:
No, it will not. It would have to be bigger to do that and it's the perfect size now. I have the 12" Tonic with the extention arm for that but I don't use it nearly as much as the 8.5"
Susan, if you aren't already doing this, it may help with the cutting issues you described: Always press the blade towards the left as you bring it down so it forces the blade to run really tight against the edge where the paper is being cut. I find that if I don't do this, the paper can fold or I get less than clean cuts. I use this method with any guillotine type trimmer.
Last edited by Karen3000; 03-06-2024 at 06:37 AM..
Reason: additional info
Thank you rockybeta. Glad to know this is not the cutter for me. I make a lot of cards with that orientation. I have a Dahl guillotine that I use exclusively at home, but all the grid lines have rubbed off - twice! I've carefully redrawn them and put a piece of clear plastic over it, but keeping my eyes open for one with 1/8" divisions at least in the ruler area. I also like the heft of the Dahl and would not like the movability of the Tonic.
You might go ahead and try contacting Fiskars. I have one of their bigger paper trimmers. I had it probably a couple years. I was not happy with my results. So I reached out to them, planning to maybe buy another one and see if it were something I done to cause the issues I had. I took a picture, sent it to them and explained what was happening. They sent me a brand new one within a couple of weeks! I had not expected that at all!
I, also, have the Fiskars. The paper would shift and give me uneven sheets. However, by holding it down, I have even sides. I would love the Tim Holz cutter but cannot afford it. I bought one from Hobby Lobby and it works fine. However, they discontinued the cutter and I won't be able to purchase blades. It would be nice for stores to place an item that will no longer be available. I purchased another cutter and extra blades. That is set aside when the other kicks the bucket.
I have been wondering about this Tim Holz guillatine cutter. I have the larger one after watching GinaK Designs using it with great success. But I find I still get rough edges sometimes. Then I bought the We R Memory Keepers one that Gina uses all the time. But that gives me rough edges too!! I've tried pulling the blade down fast (as suggested by the GinaK customer service people) but I didn't see much improvement. So when I saw this smaller one by Tim Holz I thought I might give it a try next. I'm just not sure because it looks exactly like the We R Memory Keepers one. I've been using the Stampin Up trimmer with better success and I like the scoring blade it comes with too. But I find I need to change out the blades often. So long story short (not so short!) any recommendations on buying this smaller Tim Holz cutter? Thanks everyone!
__________________ __________________________ Karen My Blog
I have found that when using a guillotine cutter...whether the small 9 inch ones or the massive 30 inch ones at the art store, you need to cut with some control.
**A slight push in on. the blade when cutting (just a little bit to keep tight contact between the blade and the metal edge). It's the contact between the two that cuts, not the blade by itself.
**Don't go fast. A quick slice always goes wrong for me. That doesn't mean be poky, just don't fling it fast.
Guillotine Choice Help
