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I am looking for a rotary cutter to cut fabric so I want one useful for that purpose. Does anyone have one they love and would recommend. I looked at Michael's and they have Fiscars and Olga but I did not buy one because I did not know enough about them. I know that many of you quilt and sew along with stamping so I thought I would ask here. Thanks.
As a quilter and a fabricaholic, I have about 857 rotary cutters (well, maybe I exaggerate...a little...). The one I reach for most of the time is my middle sized (45mm?) Olfa.
One of the keys is to always have a sharp blade ready and a good, large mat. I go through a lot of blades, so whatever you buy, be sure that you have a good source of replacement blades--I buy mine in packs of 10. Buy a mat bigger than what you think you will need, and a cutting surface that is at YOUR comfort height is absolutely essential. I am 4'10", and the best craft purchase I ever made was a custom made worktable that is at MY height. All of the rotary cutters in the world won't make you happy if you don't have a good set-up for using them.
There are many styles of rotary cutters, some more ergonomically designed than others. I recommend that you actually TRY before you buy. Go to your local quilt shops or fabric shops and find what they recommend and why. If you have friends with rotary cutters, ask what they prefer and maybe twist their arm into letting you try theirs!
I have an Olfa and a Fiskars that I use for quilting. If you do a lot of cutting, I would suggest getting one that is ergonomically designed to fit the hand - like my Fiskars. My Olfa one works great, but its just a straight handle and gets hard to use if I'm cutting a lot of pieces. I also picked up a cheap ($ store) one to use for paper.
I have used an Olfa rotary cutter since I started stamping. I love it but would suggest you get an Omnigrid clear ruler to use with it. I have several and use them constantly. They have black graded measurements that start at 1/8 inch...perfect for matting around and very accurate! Using it this way I don't have to try to figure out what sizes to make each of the pieces. Simply tape and cut, tape and cut each layer.
I love my Olfa. I prefer the small size (28 mm). I stopped quilting years ago but I still use my rotary cutter almost daily for my paper crafting. It works great with the Perfect Layers Tool. I also use my old Omnigrid quilting rulers (6 x 6" is my fave) a lot too.
I have the larger Olfa, it's around 2.25 inches across the largest portion of the blade. I love it. I especially like the way it retracts and locks into place. Makes it easy to toss in a drawer and not have to worry about getting cut when digging in the drawer.
I had a small/tiny one that I eventually trashed. It didn't retract as well and I seem to remember it didn't 'lock' and I just never used.
I have used the Olfa for both fabric and paper. I really should buy some new blades, as it is the same blade I've have for around 20 years. Doesn't seem dull and I just made a strip quilt (I don't tear, I have to cut). It worked just fine.
I also have a sweet 35" x 24" Olfa mat I work on when using the rotary cutter.
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I have a 60mm rotary cutter from Dritz. What I like most about it, is the blade guard is always in place. It's kind of on a spring, so when you push down to cut the guard moves back. The only thing I don't like is the blades don't seem to last very long.
I have a 45mm rotary cutter from Fiskars and the best thing about it, is the blades. Fiskars blades are just better than all the rest. They are super sharp and last a long time. I haven't tried using a Fiskars blade on the Dritz cutter, but I think I might - that may give me the best of both worlds.
I second the recommendation on a good large cutting mat and you will need lots of Omnigrid rulers... be sure to get one of the ones with the black plastic "lip" on it. Those are great for making sure your cuts are straight.
Rotary Cutter Recommendations
