PSA: That $40 guillotine cutter from Amazon is a waste

I bought one last month thinking it would save time on trimming book blocks. The blade bent after 15 cuts on standard 60lb paper, so now I'm back to using my old $15 Olfa knife and a metal ruler. Anyone found a budget cutter that actually holds up?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_wilson5114d ago

Your old $15 Olfa knife and a metal ruler" is pretty much the gold standard, honestly. I had a buddy who tried that same Amazon cutter and it went dull on him after two days, but the kicker was when the blade actually chipped and sent a little metal shard flying (he still finds it in his rug sometimes). He ended up getting one of those cheap desktop rotary cutters from a craft store for like $25, but that thing wobbled so bad the cuts were all crooked. He finally gave up and went back to the Olfa and ruler too, and he's convinced that's the only way to go for small runs (he does zines for fun). So yeah, I think you're on the right track sticking with what works.

wendy_jackson13d ago

Have you actually tried one of the newer rotary cutters lately though? I get the nostalgia for the Olfa and ruler, I really do, but my experience has been totally different. I grabbed a Fiskars rotary cutter from the craft aisle, the big 45mm one, and it's been a solid upgrade from the knife. The blade lasts way longer than a standard x-acto so I'm not swapping it out every other page, and the cuts come out dead straight because the wheel guides itself along a straightedge. I used to swear by the knife and ruler method too, but after doing about a hundred posters for a local festival last year, my hand was cramping and the Olfa felt like a chore. The rotary cutter just glides through, no wobble, no chipping issues.