Fiskars Recycled Bypass Paper Trimmer - 12" Cut Length - Guillotine Paper Cutter with Self-Sharpening Blade - Black

This paper cutter is great. I had a couple that you had to push the little blade down and then half the time it wouldn't go all the way through. This is a game changer. Slice and it's done! Highly recommend the guillotine type and this brand is great. Very clean, straight cut, easy to use and it has a lock to hold it until the next use. It says you can cut up to 15 sheets. Haven't tried that but it seems heavy duty enough that it would hold true. I make cards and use card stock often so this will be fabulous.

When I moved to a new state recently, I had to jettison as much stuff as I could. Some of those decisions I regret, and one was to give away my old Fisker's rotary paper cutter. It wasn't great (maybe a 4-star), but it did the job for years. So of course, less than a year later I found I needed another paper cutter. Picking one proved surprisingly difficult because -- consistently -- 15-20% of all reviews, of virtually all low-cost cutters, are 1-star. They definitely fill you with dread about ordering.. But I didn't want to spend hundreds on a tool I use twice a year. So I finally grit my teeth and ordered this unit. Glad I did! It's very nicely made, very simple, safe to use, and works like a charm. True, I've only just received it, and used it just a little. If it goes sideways in the next year, I'll come back and edit this review. But right now I can tell you that it seems perfectly well made and assembled, it cuts cleanly and at exactly a 90-degree angle, and it's reasonably compact and light. The unit itself was packed in perfectly adequate, yet minimal, fashion (but Amazon overpacked it in a much-too-large shipping box). Recommended for light-to-moderate use, although it probably wouldn't last long in a school or for someone doing serious hobby work making huge batches of cards and the like. (And I have no idea how well it would cut fabric).

I've now used this a number of times, and it works really well. It did take me a bit to realize that the cutting arm can be latched closed by pulling the arm out a little and hooking it on the small oval part sticking out of the base that stops the cutter on the downswing. I was looking for a small latch to hold it down, but this works just as well.

Light weight, easy to cary and store. So far I've used it trim flattened soft drink cans for stiffeners on models. Trims very accuratly

To qualify, I use this for small jobs. The edge I find VERY clean and sharp up to about 5 sheets of 24# paper. Love it.Beyond that, the edges aren't quite so clean, but it's still sharp. It isn't built to be strong enough to push it to 9 sheets of 24# paper, and when I do it sounds like it might die, so I don't try.The biggest issue is that the blade has a slight inward angle to it. If you line up a piece of copy paper flush against the top plastic lip, it is perfectly aligned with the metered lines. But if you line up the edge flush against the blade, there is approximately 1/16th of an inch angle skew in comparison with the measurement lines.I returned it and got a replacement - which has the exact same problem, to a tiny bit lesser of a degree. It's a fault in the design.That said, for $30, I'll suck it up because it's so crisp and sharp. I might invest in a wooden one in the future if I need it for more than little things.The way the blade locks is a disturbing feeling to pull it out like that. I just leave it unlocked since it's in my study and I don't have kids/animals probing around. The handle stays up pretty well if you leave it up, which I appreciate a lot.

I just got this trimmer, but I have to say, my first impression is pretty good. [I definitely prefer this type of cutter over the "rotary" cutters] I had to return another item that came with the shipment, and I had to make a small box for the item -- the trimmer cut the extra cardboard very well - the edge wasn't perfectly clean, but this is thick cardboard we're talking about. Every other piece of paper I've cut [that isn't thick cardboard] came out with perfect, crisp, clean, cuts -just as I expected.I do have to agree with the other reviews that the locking mechanism for the blade is not very "safe" -- the first time I pulled the trimmer out of the box I was holding the built in handle on the deck, when I got it out, the latch unlocked and the blade swung open rather dramatically [insert guillotine sound here]- right in my mom's face. Not something you want to have happen if you have kids, pets, or any loved ones in general. If you have any of the above, I recommend storing it in the box [and please don't keep it up high where it could fall on you].I have to say that although the "clear paper clamp/ smudge guard" is a good idea, it is kind of annoying IMHO; fortunately, you can easily remove it if it is in the way of your project. I'm sure I'll appreciate it more if I need to keep something I'm cutting smudge-free.Overall, I think this is a very good product for the price -- as long as you know what to expect. Remember, this product claims to be 100% recycled ["base construction"] and it is mostly plastic; lightweight, but seemingly durable - it costs around $30 [when I got it] so don't expect a hundred-dollar item for a third of the price. It does its job - and very well, so far. As long as you remember to use it on a flat, solid surface, [and not to carry it by the handle in the presence of anyone/thing that wants to keep all their extremities], I don't foresee any problems with this product.