Bought this paper trimmer to use when making products for my Etsy store. I mostly cut laminated card stock, and have found this trimmer to be perfect for this use. Plus it has a rather satisfying slicing noise!
PROS:
- Appears well made
- Safety lock
- Satisfying noise!
CONS:
- Since the blade is coming down rather than sliding across, it can be difficult to make a precise cut. It takes a little extra time to line it up. Small price to pay for having a blade that will last longer.
Work's well, really great for the price. I looked at much more expensive models but couldn't really justify the cost, as I only needed it for cutting a few sheets of 110lb cardstock and a few shipping labels a week, and I only needed to cut 1 piece at a time.
The blade is sharp and cuts straight. It has a nice little locking mechanism to keep kids from playing with it. It has very little give, but it's easy to cut with, and it's sturdy enough to stay up when you leave it in the up position. (Very important for aligning paper without fear of chopping off your fingers.)
The measurements start at the exact edge and go up to 11.5 inches, which is more than enough if you are only cutting regular sized paper. The measurements make it easy to cut exact pieces, and it cut every one of the 110lb cardstock sheets perfectly. (See photo.)
All in all I'm glad I got this paper trimmer, MUCH easier than trying to cut out everything with scissors. I just hope the blade holds up! If not, it looks like it easily replaceable, I just hope I can find a replacement blade when the time comes.
So far I've only cut about 10 sheets, but I will update this review in about a month or two with some info on how it's holding up. If I haven't updated this review, then that probably means it's doing pretty well. :)
When I first bought this item, I thought it was me splurging for my "occasional" paper cutting projects that I tend to create for myself. However, it has become an essential item in our household. It's amazing how much time it saves with various paper craft tasks or projects from cutting school photos (perfectly to hand out to our friends and families), our daughter's homework math facts (they are like paper flashcards sent them home in multiple sheets of paper to be cut at home), and even greeting cards when they don't fit in their "designated" envelopes (I don't know if that has ever happened to you, but for some reason that happens to me a lot more than I realized). Again, this paper trimmer is an excellent product and an item that every household. I have had it for a while, and it has hold up in excellent condition. Even my husband who did not know what it was, uses it more than I do!
I used a paper cutter often enough at my old job that I wanted to have one at home. I bought this based on the price and reviews, even though my scrapbooking sister in law argued that swingline should stick to staplers, not cutting equipment. It cuts beautifully, so far I've cut newspapers (coupons), printer paper, photos, and light cardstock with it without any problems. It's very light - I need to hold down the base at the bottom left corner when cutting to keep it from lifting up. The safety latch was so tight I couldn't get it unlatched when it arrived, and when I finally did, I ended up just removing it because it was such a hastle to use. Otherwise it's sharp and does what it's supposed to do - cut.
First, this is a lot lighter than any paper cutter I've ever used before. I was surprised at how light it is, and everything but the blade seems to be made of a very thin plastic. I was afraid that it would not work, or wouldn't work well, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how great it's been. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now, cutting 8 1/2 x 11 paper into half page handouts. I've had no trouble with this cutters performance, and I'm quite picky. I like perfect, crisp edges. I don't expect that it would survive being tossed around too much, but that won't be a problem in my environment. For my purposes at this price this is perfect.
Feature Product
- EASY TO USE TRIMMER - Lite trimmer is simple and easy to use, with a sharp guillotine blade and a handy alignment grid. Built with a sturdy plastic base, it's also light enough for easy transport.
- 15" CUTTING LENGTH - With a 15" cutting length, it's a convenient choice for most common trimming tasks. Ideal for use in the home or at the office.
- CUTS 10 SHEETS - Excellent for everyday use, this neat little trimmer cuts through paper, photos and more, cleanly cutting up to 10 sheets at a time.
- ACCURATE CUTS - Designed for accuracy, with an alignment grid for precision. Dual scale ruler, with marks in inches and centimeters, assists with measuring, regardless of which system you prefer.
- SAFETY FEATURES - Guard rail keeps fingers safely away from the blade while it's in use. Blade latch hook securely locks the trimmer arm when not in use.
- BUILT TO LAST - Swingline stands behind this high-quality trimmer with a limited 10-year warranty.
Description
The Swingline ClassicCut Lite Guillotine Trimmer is simple, steady and precise, with a sharp guillotine blade that cuts through papers with ease and an alignment grid that ensures accuracy. Sturdy trimmer is also light and easily transportable, with a durable plastic base. A 15” cutting length makes it a convenient choice for most general trimming tasks, whether at home or in the office. The trimmer easily cuts paper, photos, and more, cutting up to 10 sheets each time. The alignment grid helps ensure precision. A dual scale ruler, with marks in inches and centimeters, allows for easy measuring, regardless of which system you prefer. Safety features include a guard rail to keep your fingers away from the blade when cutting, and a blade latch hook that secures the arm in a locked position when the trimmer is not in use. Swingline backs this high-quality trimmer with a limited 10-year warranty.
I have been using this for a while now and I can say that it is a far superior improvement over the paper cutter that has the little roller slide blade. This is basically the cutter you had in grade school that you weren't allowed to touch, just scaled down. It is a little flexible, so If you are using it on the floor or an uneven surface, it will bend. The plastic does feel a little like a cheaper plastic. If it were to fall from a table, I'm not so sure that it would survive onto a travertine floor. Luckily it hasn't happened. I cut a lot of card stock with it, 3-4 layers thick and it cuts just fine. I probably wouldn't push 5.
So good to have at home. It cuts well even watercolor paper. If you need really precise cuts I would measure with a ruler and make pencil marks. The cutter is fantastic, but since there is nothing to clip down the paper the action of pushing the blade down also makes it slide, so sometimes the cut is a bit off, not completely squared off. You can help it by putting pressure with the other hand on top while you cut, always away from the blade of course. I made a notebook and when I folded the pages in half I noticed this. Didn't bother me because I don't care about super perfection, specially at this price! So convenient because it is very compact and light, I store it upright under my table and never notice it until I need it for use. You don't have to replace blades ever because it keeps sharpening with every cut. It has a safety pin on the side of the blade that latches to keep it locked, another plus. Very happy with this cutter.
I used cutting boards my whole life in work, but never had a home one. My work ones are large format cutters with 1/4" blades that are beveled in on side down to the cutting edge. This unit is tiny in comparison, but in all my years I've never been cut by one until now. This units blade is basically one long razor blade. I've nicked myself twice on it not being careful. If you just brush against it your cut. Also the paper stop is not a crisp 90 degrees. There is a slight radius caused by the plastic mold I suppose. So when u try to set just one paper it tends to ride up off of the stop. With more sheets the better it gets at sitting at the stop without having to use both hands to position it.
That being said, I find tons of uses for this guillotine and glad I got it. Just be mindful of how sharp this sucker is.
Color me amazed at the functionality and accuracy of such a well priced cutter! I do a LOT of papercrafting and needed a full sized cutter that was highly accurate and light enough to move every time I wanted to use it (my table space is woefully limited). This is PERFECT!
Couple things to know: The handle is packaged with the cutter but is inside of a cardboard spacer in the box. It's lightweight so if you open the box and pitch the packaging there's a really good chance you're going to miss it completely. Also, this cutter is exceptionally accurate. There are full length grid lines that allow you to set up the paper for a spot-on cut regardless of inconsistencies of the paper itself. So use the grid lines instead of the top edge of the cutter to stage your cut if you aren't positive of the precision from your paper manufacturer.
Other than those two things, everything about this cutter is self-evident and straightforward. After owning this only 11 days I can't imagine how I crafted without it. Thanks Swingline, you guys hit this one out of the park!
I bought this about two years ago, in October, and used it intermittently for making homemade books. I estimate that I've cut through a few thousand pages by now.
It still cuts perfectly fine on small stacks of paper (~5 sheets of average thickness) but it's starting to show its wear when it comes to slightly bigger stacks as well as odd materials. The largely unused part of the blade near the hinge is still sharp enough to make clean cuts down the soft plastic of trash bags, but the middle is worn enough to start catching and tearing in slightly larger stacks of paper (~15 sheets).
Still, for a paper cutter I bought at $38, I feel like I definitely got my money's worth. And it still works just fine on small batches of paper.
On a side note, I also got a lot of use out of the grid. It turns out that it's perfect for making straight creases in conjunction with a bone folder.
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