Fiskars Recycled Bypass Guillotine Paper Cutter, 12" Cut Length, Self-Sharpening, Paper Trimmer for Crafting and Scrapbooking, Arts and Crafts Supplies, Photo Cutter with 30% Recycled Materials

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).

11-19-2023 Caveat: Today I attempted to cut a piece of 1/8" foam core. That resulted in my ruining the trimmer. I don't know how or why this happened, but I hadn't gotten more than 1/4" threw the attempted cut when more than expected resistance caused me to stop. After removing the foam core, I couldn't reseat the blade. Evidently the metal strip on the trimmer (not the blade itself) had a gouge in it that would hang up the blade. There was no way to save it. I tried finding a replacement strip but not having found one, I threw out the trimmer and ordered a replacement. Don't use it on anything but paper... ==================== Original Review ========================================== I recently took up the challenge of creating a board game for my nephews and nieces that also requires a small deck of personalized playing cards. Having watched several informative videos on the subject, I settled on a method where I create 8 evenly spaced on letter sized card stock, which I then laminate and trim to produce 8 individual cards. Based on the recommendations by one You-Tube guru, I purchased the Fiskars Sure Cut Portable Trimmer to facilitate this. But, while researching cutter/trimmers at Amazon, I decided to double down on my tool investment and also purchased this Fiskar's Bypass Trimmer. (I have no idea why it's labeled as "Recycled" - maybe a returned item being resold?) Comparing the effort and the results of both the Fiskars SureCut Portable Paper Trimmer and the Fiskars 01-005452 Recycled Bypass Trimmer to trim the playing cards, the latter has proven itself to be vastly superior in making accurate cuts. My card artwork includes corner marks that assist in lining up the laminated card stock in the trimmers. Unfortunately, the Portable Trimmer’s cutter wanders a bit during cutting and doesn’t truly track with that fine guide wire. The results were good but not perfect. The cards vary a bit in size no matter how carefully I set up the cuts. With a little care in the aligning those index marks along the lower cutting edge, cuts made on the Bypass trimmer were straight and super clean. The cards were virtually identical. In both cases I used the Kodomaru Pro corner cutter. (another invaluable tool for the DIY game card maker!) The deck I produced with the Bypass Trimmer felt like a storebought deck of playing cards. Those cut with the Portable Trimmer? Not so much. This Bypass Trimmer may cost a little more than the Portable Trimmer, but if you plan to use this to make game cards, you'll be glad you spent the extra money.

Love that it has a self sharpening feature. It is lightweight and I am able to store it away nicely in my very small workspace.

I bought this paper trimmer a few weeks ago and so far so good. The grids are very precise, the self-sharpening blade works perfectly and it's portable enough to take just about anywhere. I highly recommend this trimmer for home or office use on smaller jobs such as posters, handbills, crafts, etc. I also found it to be one of the best values around. Granted, it's mostly plastic, but it doesn't feel or look like cheap plastic and as a result it is very light weight. I would have given this a 5-star rating, but I think the blade lock (which is only a small plastic projection on the base near the handle) could have been better designed to be more secure. The blade arm unlocks too easily if you bump it or if it were to fall off of a table. The nice thing about the blade design is that neither edge is "sharp," but each blade has a very fine corner edge that cuts very nicely when they come together. You'd have to work a bit at cutting your fingers on this trimmer. I appreciate that fact a lot! Overall a good buy!

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.

i can lift this thing with 1 finger. this thing does NOT take up ANY space. this thing is ...cute. i LIKE cute stuff!!! (specifically, it matches my home office decor with the orange handle.) this thing is sharp, but not so sharp that i've cut myself in the careless moments i've touched/grabbed the blade while in deep thought. yup, i did. smh @ myself!! this thing is DEFINITELY sharper and, overall, BETTER, than the slider cutter thingy i originally purchased. uugghh!!! sooooveryannoying was it!!!! this thing is NOT at all annoying!!!! this thing is VERY PLEASING!!! this thing has a plastic paper holder, for folks who do things like the above stated carelessness, that keeps fingers a safe distance away from the blade WHILE serving the purpose of keeping the paper in place so that the cut can be straight as possible. there's no need to slam down or pull hard on this thing's arm when cutting, as i still do because i'm soooaccustomed to the HORRIBLE, wooden trimmers at places where i've been using them for free. again, the blade is sharp. in fact, the box says it's a "Self-Sharpening" blade that "never needs replacing." cool!! the box also says that this thing comes with a "Lifetime Warranty." even cooler!!! this thing has a simple safety latch that requires only one fluid movement after cutting. simple!! this thing has a built in carrying handle! aaahh, convenience!!! that's how i know i can pick this thing up with 1 finger! lol!! $27.90 for this thing??? that's what i paid!!! I'd pay it all over again if anything happened to this thing!!!! I FRICKIN' LOVE AMAZON (and, uumm, Jeff!!Bezos!!! too!!!)

I was discouraged by some reviews saying that the cutter is not accurate, or that you can't line your paper up against the edge to cut a clean line. Well now that I have it, it is clear that issue is a non issue most of the time. You can only cut about 10 sheets or maybe even less at the same time, and so it is no effort to use the grid pattern to line up your cuts accurately. There is also a clear acrylic piece that secures the paper near the blade, which also helps to keep you aligned. The cutter is very sharp and cut through my 30 lb paper without any trouble, cutting about 6 sheets at a time. It is also amazingly lightweight and easy to store away, and of course the cutter has a lockdown mechanism. It is also a self-sharpening blade, which sharpens when the blade rubs against the board to make cuts. Very nice and definitely recommend.

It does cut through paper well. Even thicker paper. But its not straight. If that doesn't matter to you, and you just need to cut paper, its fine. But if you really need down to the millimeter precision, seriously just INVEST in a GOOD QUALITY and EXPENSIVE paper cutter. I wish I did. Because of the way the blade locks, its inherently flawed. It will never be able to be aligned perfectly because it relies on the user pulling the blade AWAY from the base board to unlock it, and that is just asking for things to go out of alignment. Its sharp, but it is not precise. I bought mine in 2024, be noted, so maybe they've made adjustments. I just genuinely wanted to give it a trial run before I left a review, and this is my genuine review of using it for about a year or so. Mind you, I have used it sparsely and this was the result. If you are someone who needs a paper cutter often, genuinely please just invest. Save your money. It is worth it in the LONG RUN.

Endlich hab ich meinen Papierschneider gefunden , nachdem ich einige bestellt und retouniert hatte , die nicht zu gebrauchen waren . Nutze den Hebelschneider vorallem für Bastelarbeiten . Dabei war mir eine Breite von 30 cm wichtig . Außerdem muss die Maßeinheit gut ablesbar sein , und sowohl in cm als auch inch . Der Fiskars Hebelschneider schneidet Graupappe von 1,5 mm mühelos durch. Denke er schafft auch dickere , aber hab ich noch nicht ausprobiert . Leider wird der Fiskars in der Suchmachine von Amazon nicht angezeigt . Hatte ihn auf Youtube in einem Video gesehen und explizit danach gesucht , und gefunden Schade dass man den Hebelschneider so nicht findet . Alles in allem bin ich sehr zufrieden . Der Hebelschneider ist vom Gewicht her sehr leicht und durch den Tragegriff schnell von A nach B getragen .

Does not cut straight. The first product arrived broken. I got a new one and every time i have tried to cut something straight it does not. only small pieces. No matter what it is paper, textile.

The Fiskars trimmer is great for my card making. It has a plastic shield that keeps the paper secure whilst trimming allowing for a perfect cut each time. Also has a sharp cutting blade - no catching or ruffling paper

I used 3 trimmers before, and I faced a lot of issues with them: they all didn’t cut perfect size, the blades became unsharp quickly and the cutting line become unfinished well. When I used this one for the first time I was so happy. It’s very accurate and very light to carry and there is no need to replace any blade. I’m using it for 6 months now and it’s still new..

Es una herramienta que amo. En mi taller de encuadernación y scrpbooking es esencial. Dura muchísimo su filo, es manejable, super duradera. Al año empieza a despintar las líneas (solo eso negativo)