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I am thinking of purchasing a more heavy duty trimmer so I can cut multiple sheets of cardstock at a time. I am a SU demo so this would make a big difference when prepping for classes. I am in Canada so website links below are in CDN dollars. I would appreciate any comments if you have used either trimmer.
The Rotatrim is directly from their website whereas the Carl is from Amazon. I'm leaning toward the Rotatrim even though it is a bit more money as I like the idea of buying directly from the company in case of problems down the road. The Carl cutter on amazon.ca says its by "Carl Brands" but other Carl trimmers of different sizes say "CARL". I'm not sure if a knock off can be sold as a Carl cutter as I don't know too much about amazon shopping.
The Carl cutter has the wide green plastic thing that holds the paper down so it is not possible to cut CS that is less than about 2" in width. The Rotatrim does not seem to have that so I'm guessing you can cut smaller widths. If anyone can confirm this I would appreciate it.
Rotatrim can cut 3.0mm thickness (they don't go by sheet capacity)
Carl - If anyone can confirm how many sheets of SU cardstock it cuts that would be great.
I am VERY particular about having straight edges. I returned 3 paper trimmers (Fiskars rotary that I am currently using) because it would cut about 1/16" off from the top of the cut to the bottom of the cut. Both the Carl and the Rotatrim have that edge piece so you can butt the CS up to it when making multiple cuts of the same size. Does this option work well for giving accurate, straight cuts?
Sorry for all the questions but its so hard to tell from pictures and there are not too many stamper type reviews for the Rotatrim cutter. There is a sale for a further 5% off plus free shipping on the Rotatrim which ends tomorrow so I need to decide ASAP. Any comments would be appreciated.
I looked at this, as I have a Rotatrim, but not this one. I can say I have had mine for over 5 years now, and still going strong, so I can vouch for reliability.
One point I wanted to make, when you say you were having trouble getting straight cuts. One bit of advice I was given about all these trimmers was, don't butt your card up to the actual edge of the machine, instead line up to any grid lines on the base. Apparently, they are far more likely to be 'true' than the edges of the machine. I do this on my guillotine, and have found it to be correct. I get better straight cuts this way, than by using the edge of the machine.
I looked at this, as I have a Rotatrim, but not this one. I can say I have had mine for over 5 years now, and still going strong, so I can vouch for reliability.
One point I wanted to make, when you say you were having trouble getting straight cuts. One bit of advice I was given about all these trimmers was, don't butt your card up to the actual edge of the machine, instead line up to any grid lines on the base. Apparently, they are far more likely to be 'true' than the edges of the machine. I do this on my guillotine, and have found it to be correct. I get better straight cuts this way, than by using the edge of the machine.
I have a Making Memories trimmer that I've had for years and love. Shaz is so right about lining up your paper with the grid lines and not the edge of the trimmer. I get precise cuts with my trimmer when I do it this way.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
We have a Rotatrim at work. If you look closely at the picture you will see that there is a plastic strip along the cutting edge to put paper under. Ours makes it difficult to cut smaller than 2". Ours cuts about 3 sheets of card stock at once. More than that it gets ragged cuts. LOVE that is so easy to use.
I have the 15" Rotatrim and I love it. It was the best investment I have made. I don't use the removable guide when cutting multiple pieces of cardstock. I'm fine with just using the grid for measurements and make sure the cardstock is butted up against the ruler. I always get clean, perfectly straight cuts each time. I especially love that I can cut chipboard and trim down magnetic stamp boards with it. It's also great for trimming the tiniest slivers of paper like white edges of photos that were not properly trimmed.
I have the Carl cutter in the pic. Its ok but there is one big problem. Because of the plastic piece to hold paper and the bar you really cant cut anything under 2 inches...very frustrating. Other than that its ok.
Just remembered another thing about getting straight cuts I was told. Quite often, one or more edges of a sheet of card will not be precisely square, which will of course throw off all your other cuts when you go off that side. Can be worth checking on the grid on a cutting mat/or a right angle ruler before making cuts.
I'm just waiting for measurement confirmation from Arizona on the 15" Rotatrim. For some reason the website doesn't show actual measurements. If anyone has the 12" Rotatrim can you post the measurements. Kind of thinking I might get the 15" if it fits in my workspace.
I found this on Amazon but would like to confirm if possible.
12" dimensions: 18 length x 15 width
15" dimensions: 21.5 length x 15.75 width
One more question for you all. I'm just wondering what kind of project you would make where you would need to cut a 12x12 in half diagonally. I have never needed to do this in my 10 or so years of stamping. I don't scrapbook (yet?). That is the one thing the 15" trimmer will do that the 12" can't. If anyone knows why you would cut 12x12 diagonally please post. I'm thinking if I buy the 12" trimmer someone will post something about a week later and I'll regret not buying the 15" trimmer.
If you have a 12x12 paper with a nice diagonal design on it, and you want to cut a strip of it to use as a horizontal border or accent, you would need to cut it along the diagonal edge.
Forgot to add that you don't have to cut the paper in half depending on the length of strip you need, but the 12x12 paper would need to fit flat on the cutting board turned diagonally.
I have had this same Carl for several years. Cuts like butter. It does cut multiple sheets, but usually not with one pass thru. Every cutter has its issues, but I mostly cut card stock in half, so works very well for my purposes. I have previously purchased directly from Carl, but I think this one was ordered on line thru Office Depot.
I would go with the Rotatrim. I have a Carl, not exactly like the one in the link, but mine does have that tiny cutting mat like the one pictured, and it is a TOTAL pain. The cutting mat is only about 1/2" wide; if it's like mine, you can turn it over and use the other side. But that tiny mat costs $10.00. With the little use mine gets, there is already a cut-path routed in that mat.
But with the Rotatrim, you don't need a cutting mat at all.
I have a Genesis; I wanted to buy an extra carriage wheel assembly just to have as a backup, but there are problems getting one. If I had to replace my Genesis, which I consider the best on the market, I would buy a Rotatrim. No question. Oh, I have the 16" Genesis; I've used that extra length one time to cut something diagonally. So I would not pay for that extra length.
Good luck with your decision! And I hope it's the last paper trimmer you'll ever have to buy!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Rotatrim or Carl rotary cutter?
