My favorite Craft Stuff – Paper Trimmer.
Since I am not able to craft these days(I really hope I can this weekend, cuz I got some awesome stuff from Priya’s Store and some stuff from Crafters Corner is on the way!), I thought I might as well do an useful post.
After months of saving up and extensive research, I went ahead and bought the Fiskars 12″ Surecut Portable Paper Trimmer.
Fiskars Surecut 12″ Personal Paper Trimmer
Image Courtesy : Amazon.com
Here are the things that I find appealing about it.
1. The triple track blade running system is genius! It makes sure the blade doesn’t waver and therefore cuts are precise. In other words you don’t get one end broad and one end short
2. The blade is very sharp. Therefore, the trimming action is very smooth and you dont have to struggle while slicing through paper/cardstock. Also, the cuts are very clean and smooth. I haven’t got paper cuts from it.
3. Is has bold markings, and therefore cutting paper to size is very easy. It also has the standard A2 size marked down for card makers. Just remember you need A2 size times twice to make a card 😉 I didn’t 😀
4. You can lock down the blade runner, so you don’t have to hold on to the cardstock/paper while you are trimming.
5. It has an opaque wire running closely parallel to your cutting blade, so it is very easy to see where you are cutting.
6. It has an extendable arm, so you can measure up to 12 inches of your cardstock.
7. It’s very light. So you can carry it around easily. This is great when you have a couple of crafty friends, and you want to craft together. Also, it is easy to gift 😉
8. It has titanium replacement blades, so your replacement blades last evne longer than the regular one that comes with it.
Here’s what I don’t particularly like about it.
1. The blade at times comes of the runner when I moving the trimmer from one place to another. So, I am always careful while shifting my trimmer. In case the blade comes off and I stomp on it. Yikes! I wish they had a better way of locking down the blade to the runner. I hate the system
2. The thin layer of plastic coating is beginning to come off and I find it unappealing to look at. It hasn’t affected the functioning of the trimmer, but still.
So, what else should you know about your trimmer?
Your trimmer should always be kept in a cupboard and kept locked. I am serious about it. The blade is tiny, and it will fall off if someone accidentally pushes the trimmer off your craft table. Someone might stomp on it. What’s even more worse? Kids laying their hands on the loose blade!
Your blade will lose it’s sharpness over time, and you will have to replace it in 6-12 months based on usage. So how do you know that you have to replace the blade? You cuts will feather out and look very ugly. Go for titanium blades rather than the regular blades. They will last much longer.
Never keep the arm extended out when you are not using your trimmer. It will easily break away.
So, what do I think about this trimmer? Despite the major con, I love it! I bought it cheap 😉 and it saved me the time using a craft knife to cut cardstock. Trimming papers wasn’t so joyous before 😀 I would definitely vouch for this paper trimmer.
Where can I buy it? Here’s are the links to Indian Craft Stores that carry it. Choose wisely.
Lulupu
Crafter’s Corner used to have it. But it is not there now!! sorry guys.
Here’s where you can also buy it:
Amazon. I bought mine for $21 at Amazon. You can ship it here to India for $35 (inclusive of taxes) which should come around 2100 rupees.
If you’ve got a friend in the US who wouldn’t mind receiving parcels for you, and bringing it along when they come to India, then go for it! It will be much cheaper.
I do not know if this can be classified as full fledged review. But I really hope that some of you will find this useful.
Please drop me a line if you found this post useful. It will not only make me happy, it will also make the time I spent writing this worthwhile. Thanks for dropping by & reading through.
Note:
Please note that there is the Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer that Tejal stands by. Tejal, is the most unselfish person I’ve met in the Indian Crafting Scene. She readily divulges any sort of useful information she has, and it is a quality that I really like. So, those of you who can spare a few extra bucks, read her review and go for it 😉
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