Scrapbooking Supplies – Paper Trimmer

Jan2011 2705
I got a new paper trimmer!

For years I’ve used two paper trimmers.

A great little mini trimmer from Creative Memories that is perfect for small photos.
A giant large trimmer from Making Memories that I’ve had mixed opinions about.

I broke my giant trimmer — namely because it’s so giant I dropped it — and have been using it anyway for the past year or so. After hearing about a Fiskar’s trimmer on the Roundtable, I decided to buy one. After all, Fiskars is who you think of for cutting tools, right?

Jan2011 2707

I took a Sharpie to the bottom of it and wrote down type of replacement blade to look for, as well as the instructions for how to change it. If I have to go look it up when my blade gets dull, I’ll procrastinate. Instructions on the bottom is a better plan!

So far I love the weight of it. I love the wire that shows you where it will cut. I love the size — it’s small, but it’s arm allows you to measure out fifteen inches! I love the way the lines of measurements are laid out. And I love that I can put my paper up against the top and it lays straight!

I’m not sure of the actual cut yet — it looks super straight so far, but it seemed to get dull after just two cuts. And then it seemed to get sharp again.

???

So I’ll have to get back to you on that.

Either way, I’m definitely ready to go from two heavy clunky trimmers to one very light-weight easy one!

Jan2011-2708

A local foster parent who is putting together a Life Book for the child in their custody will be receiving my unbroken Creative Memories trimmer. Into the box it goes!

Tags: fiskars, paper trimmer, scrapbook

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at 6:00 am and is filed under Scrapbooking Supplies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Lindsey

Noell,
I’m really enjoying your semi-daily posts. Your personality really shines through them and I always pick up a few good tips. Thanks for all your work!
http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com Sara G.

I got the same paper trimmer for Christmas! I have found that the Fiskars blades can dull pretty quickly, but overall I like the trimmer. I also got a Big Shot (my first die cutting machine) before Christmas and love it. I love the idea of donating extra supplies for Life Books. Thank you for sharing!
http://scrappingmariangeles.blogspot.com/ mariangeles_spain

I have the Cutterpede Straight Edge Trimmer from ektools, and love it! It’s the best one I’ve had so far :) http://ektools.eksuccessbrands.com/Product/Cutterpede++Straight+Edge+Trimmer.aspx
http://store.scrapbook.com/ek-ekcp01.html
Moejgreer

WAIT WAIT!!! I have that same trimmer. my advice- don’t get rid of the Making memories trimmer just yet. I have both and use them both all the time. I DON”T LOVE the Friskar’s trimmer, it does get a bit wonky just like all line trimmers can and my Making Memories one is always straight and always sharp. I do use the Fiskars trimmer for small projects and on the go jobs at crops and classes. Just tuck the big trimmer on a shelf and give yourself sometime to use the Fiskars one. BTW I bought on the Making Memories trimmer on your advice.
Artisteyes

I just bought the same trimmer and LOVE it. Sure beats the old clunky one I was using. Love the wire because now I get a straight cut and can see where the cut is going to be made. Great trimmer.
Kristyn G

I’ve had the same trimmer for a couple years now and LOVE IT! the blade doesn’t get dull, you just have to flip the cutting piece under the blade. I change mine pretty often, but have never changed my blade. you can flip/turn it 3 times before replacing it also.
and I am loving the fun playful tone of your posts these days :)
Stephavela

I just recently purchased the same trimmer and I do like it. I also have the same CM small trimmer and I still use is it a lot. I do not like to trim smaller size pictures or paper in a larger trimmer. I notice you use a lot of CM sticker letters and you use some tools from them. Is that the product you used when you first started scrapbooking or do you just like some of their products. Just curioius….
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Thanks, Kristyn! Which trimmer is that you’re using?
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

I’m unusual — I scrapbooked many years before I started using some CM
products. I went through a short CM phase but continued with many of their
tapes and tools and I love those classic letter stickers (though I’m not
sure if they still carry them!).

I would really prefer to have just one trimmer now.
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Thank you! I think for the past few weeks they’ve been totally daily except
for weekends (haven’t decided on weekends yet).
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

I wasn’t sure from the description — is there an arm that extends 12
inches? Or 15? Or not at all?
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Part of my issue with the MM one is that it’s broken, so I don’t like using
it.

I do feel like my fiskar’s cuts are straighter, just not as clean b/c the
blade is already dull. The blade is my only issue.
http://scrappingmariangeles.blogspot.com/ mariangeles_spain

There’s an arm that extends 15″, and folds at the 6″ length if you’re working in that size. Love it!
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Sounds great!
Iceteeeeee

Your daily posts are great! Thank you so much for taking the time to do them! I have the same trimmer you have, but haven’t had issues with the blade. Maybe it is defective? Hate when that happens:(.
Anonymous

Ali had posted a while back that she was using the Fiskars Desktop Top Rotary Trimmer. I tried the one you bought and (which is cheaper) and did not like the way it cut. The larger trimmer is a much better product: it’s better balanced, and I like the interchangeable blades. They sell it at Michel’s and you can get it on sale often times for 40% off.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Fcy&rlz=1R1GGLL_en___US384&q=fiskars+rotary+trimmer&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10823081794306948445&ei=5DI3TYi5JoiesQPK3vz_Ag&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=4&ved=0CDEQ8gIwAw#
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Thanks for your help. What do you mean that it is better balanced? Like the
way it lays on the table? Mine lays perfectly flat — my big concern is only
the blade’s ability cut. Today it’s not even cutting through paper — after
only about 10 cuts since I bought it. Did you actually find that the blade
cut better? It doesn’t make sense to me that the blade itself would be
better between their two trimmers…

Would love to hear your experience on this. I’ll probably be sending Fiskars
an email.
Lara

Hi Noell, Good to see you more often. Looking forward to the new Roundtable. I have the fiskar’s trimmer as well and love it. I’ve had it for several months now and haven’t had to replace the blade so you might want to check with Fiskar’s because I don’t think it would dull that fast unless you were cutting some heavy duty products. I kept my CM trimmer and I love it to trim photos and small paper scraps. I like it because it doesn’t take up much room and I can leave it on my desk and then just pull out the bigger one from time to time. Happy scrapping!
Cara

Oh that sharpie tip is sooooo smart!!
I use two trimmers. I LOVE my little CM trimmer, I actually prefer that to the cheapy 12in cutter I have. If it’s small enough to be cut with it, I’ll use it ;)
Love seeing more posts from you!
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Mine looks like the same model as yours? Good to know! That helps. Thank
you!

I liked having the two trimmers for a long time — 1 large, 1 small. But now
that I do a lot of art projects in addition to scrapbooking, I don’t like
having trimmers sitting around my area anymore. I put my trimmer away and
only have it out when using it. As I’ve expanded my number of tools this
year, I’m definitely wanting to streamline.
Anonymous

I found that the blade (which is sorta like an exato blade) drags and tears more on the paper; and if I remember correctly, it only cuts in one direction (towards you). It feels like mine is more balanced because it can go in both directions, thus moving with the cut which with me; more smooth. Also, the the outside housing for the circular blade has a spring-y piece in it to give the blade play: so you can “feel” the paper a little better. I bought the scalloped blade, which is really easy to switch out, and gives a nice edge treatment. You can see examples of it on Ali’s layouts, “HO HO HO” in CK magazine Dec 2008, pg 62, . (I ripped the page out, that’s how I know). I would try it out if you can – you can always return it if you don’t. Last thing: rubbing alcohol will dissolve that sharpie pen note. :-)
KarynS

You will love your new trimmer Noell. I put up with 2 not great trimmers (one that didn’t even come close to cutting a straight line) for years. I finally just bit the bullet (also after hearing Ali talk about it on roundtable) and bought the Fiskars one last year and had such an AHA moment the first time i used it. I LOVE IT and can’t believe what I put up with for so long :) Are you sure you want to get rid of the small CM one though?? I’ve never used one but always think it looks really handy whenever I see you using it.

P.S. Love seeing more posts from you
Kristyn G

The Fiskars. I believe mine is the smaller one though. It goes to 6 inches with an arm that extends to 12″. these (fiskars rotary) are also the trimmers that Ali has used for a few years–i think she talks about them in her office post from a couple years ago.
Kimjan

just fyi – i recently got this trimmer too and absolutely love it…however, i do notice a difference in cutting (sharpness of blade) sometimes depending on the paper/manufacturer…??? not all paper is created equally i guess?
Laurawoodykelly

I also have the same Fiskars trimmer and love it. Last year I haad problems with my blades getting dull almost immediately. I did email Fiskars and they told me they had several “batches” that were bad. They asked me how many I had purchased and then sent me replacements with a few extras. Something else I do that seems to maximise blade usage is to cut only one direction like “down” until it gets dull and then I turn blade around and it’s like a new blade again. This way I get maximum cuts from one blade. I quickly got used to only going one direction.
got tis tip from a friend and my blades last longer.
michelle (fom KY)

I just bought that trimmer, and i love it! I didnt even read the instructions on how to change the blade….oops, now I wish I had! Isn’t it nice to declutter sometimes?
Anonymous

I have the same trimmer. I find i reach for it a lot more than my big Making Memories one (you never need to replace the blades) but I have the same complaint that you couldn’t butt it up against the top or bottom and get a straight cut. I’ve been using the new Fiskars one for almost a year now, and I haven’t change the blade yet. I think my old Fiskars one that uses the same blade is just as good – I just wanted a new one just because…
dimplesmom

I’ll be curious to hear your feedback after you’ve used the trimmer a bit more since I’ve been eyeing the same trimmer. Like some people said, maybe you got a bad blade. I have an old Fiskars trimmers that uses the same (or very similar) blade and it doesn’t dull that fast. And like everyone else, have been enjoying your weekday posts and love the tip about using the Sharpie on the backside of the trimmer.
Angela

How hard is it to cut a straight line?! I have 4 trimmer!! I also have the CM small trimmer. It is my go to trimmer for photos. I will never get rid of that one. I have been on a long quest to find the perfect large trimmer. I use to have a Fiskars portable trimmer a long time ago. I found that the blade moved slightly from side to side. So if I forgot to push it slightly to one side the cut would not be straight. I have a Marvy Uchida paper trimmer. If the rotary blade it is not push down straight it also does not cut straight lines. It is easy to accidently angle in the blade because the case that houses the blades is big and bulky. I like the arm that extends and the interchangeable blades but it’s a goner soon. I also have a Purple Cow 12-Inch Two-in-One Combo Trimmer. It is BULKY. If I want to cut more than 12 inches I have to attach the bulky guillotine part. I cannot tell where I am cutting because the cutting channel mat is worn out and I have yet to find a replacement. Anybody know where I can get it? I love that it has 12 interchangeable blades. Last year I bought the Memory Makers trimmer . It is bulky. Initially I had a hard time sliding the blade up and down. Also the printed grid has rubbed off in some areas. Sigh…. Keep us posted on your new trimmer.
JillT

I have been looking at that trimmer too. Thanks! But just a warning. . .it is really nice of you to donate your photo trimmer, but you must not do a lot of small trimming and photo cropping like I do. I will always have two trimmers. . .love the smallness and I guess I just love what feels like the exactness of that blade arm going up and down :)
JillT

I commented before reading the other comments. I started scrapbooking with a blade like you are using (different model Fiskars trimmer) and a similar cheap trimmer. Those blades DO SEEM to dull really fast. I tried to remember to cut in both directions, but I also felt I must be a lot fussier (or just crazy!) than friends that had similar trimmers. I moved up to a rotary blade/trimmer. It is round and perhaps because there is a bigger cutting area (?) it seems to stay sharp forever. Costs of trimmers are similar, blade replacements are more expensive but they last longer. (Sorry to tell you this after you’ve made a brand new purchase. Only advice is to have a lot of blades on hand. If you’re like me, it’s the only way you’ll be happy with this trimmer.)
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

I used to do a lot of photo trimming but not as much anymore. And while I
did like the smallness of that trimmer, the arm had a slip to it — it
wouldn’t stay all the way up, so I had to make sure the arm was all the way
up and that I didn’t let it slip or I’d end up with diagonal cuts instead of
straight ones. I had it replaced once and had the same problem.

I really love and prefer the size and feel of this new fiskar’s trimmer. The
flatness of it is much more comfortable to me than the height of that small
one. Even though it’s bigger sideways, I think it’s lighter. And there’s
something about the smoothness of the fiskar’s plastic that just all around
feels really good. My only problem is that darn blade.
Jamie Leija

I have almost this exact same Fiskars cutter but one with a rotary blade. I dislike this type of blade. I found those to get dull very quickly as you mentioned. The rotary type blade is much better about this!

Also, I made my second donation to the Life Books program! This box was 25 lbs worth of goodies :) I think the first one was about 40 lbs. I fee lighter, literally and figuratively!
http://www.paperclipping.com Noell

Yay Jamie!!!
Craftsintern

Hi -

My
name is Bethany Marcello, and I write for the soon-to-launch
Craftfoxes.com – a crafting and social networking site. We’re putting
together some great stuff for our upcoming launch, featuring everything
from quilting to sewing to paper crafting and baking. One of our writers came
across this picture of you with the trimmer and was wondering if you would grant us permission to use it? We’d give you a link to your site.

Thanks for your consideration!

Bethany Marcello

http://craftfoxes.com

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15312551941#!/pages/CraftFoxes/153289901371436
http://twitter.com/craftfoxes

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