Fiskars Paper Trimmers

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Sorry readers! This great review by Colleen Schaan somehow got lost in the shuffle last week. Enjoy!

Fiskars 12” Portable Paper Trimmer and Fiskars 12” Home/Office Rotary Paper Trimmer

Review by Colleen Schaan

I have always been a picky shopper…name brand or nothing. That is why I am a Fiskars girl. Growing up, my mother did a lot of sewing and I remember her saying, “Don’t use that scissors…it is my good one!” It was a Fiskars. Now that I am a grown-up, I bought my own Fiskars and I love it.

I started my journey into papercraft with scrapbooking. I quickly got tired of cropping my photos and cutting my paper with a regular scissors so I purchased a Fiskars 12” Portable Paper Trimmer. It was lightweight and had a large (12”) cutting span. I sliced through photos and cardstock with ease. The swing out ruler was a bit awkward but it did come in handy a few times. The blade was a cinch to replace and it even came with a scoring blade. (Beware…it is difficult to tell which is which unless you touch them…I don’t recommend that!) Because of the guide points on the cutting blade, I was even able to measure the length of a cut and cut the centers out of things. But, not everything was rosy …I soon found out that it could only cut one sheet of cardstock at a time (not really an issue for scrapbooking), and it really didn’t cut straight. The plastic guide rails that held the blade in place would bend with even the slightest pressure. I needed something better…sturdier…

When in doubt, buy bigger!

I really liked the Fiskar name (sharp blades and smooth movements), so I forked over the money and purchased the Fiskars 12” Home/Office Rotary Paper Trimmer. I quickly fell in love with this cutter! Even though it is much larger, it really does not weigh much. It does take up more room than the portable cutter, but as I use this tool every day, I can justify the space it uses. I can quickly and easily cut two or three pieces of cardstock at the same time. The base has two 12” rulers for easy measuring. The guide rail is metal and the cutting blade has a palm shaped handle that is comfortable even after vigorous use. The blade glides smoothly in the cutting track in both directions, which makes the cutter great for both left and right-handed users. Blades are easily changed and additional decorative and scoring blades are available. The only drawback I see it that the nut holding the blade tight can loosen after extended use. This sounds worse than it really is. There is an additional plastic guard that keeps the blade tight and secure and I just pause to retighten the nut every so often.

I know there are a lot of cutters and blades out there. Now-a-days, you can hear me say, “Don’t use that cutter…it is my good one!” It’s a Fiskars.