Rototrim paper cutters

[scott jones]

Hello there,

Could I obtain some feedback from the group on the Rotatrim paper cutter Masterc ut II that I may use for trimming photos and mounting tissue. Is this the best p roduct for precision cuts and if not are there any other ideas? Thanks for any h elp that you can give me!

Scott

[Scott Walton]

For doing the above, they are great... even up to 2 ply mount board they aren't bad but anything thicker... The Master is self sharpening and does a nice job.

[Jim_1228]

I agree with Scott Walton. The Rototrim is excellent.

[Jeff Buckels]

The Rototrim's very good. Real precise, clean cuts. -jeff buckels

[Nicholas F. Jones]

Scott, Another satisfied owner of the Rotatrim Mastercut II chiming in. Very precise cuts on prints, prints with mounting tissue, and unexposed enlarging paper in the darkroom. Sharp enough a cut to leave a reserved border around the print when overmatting. My one little difficulty is that once the work is placed on the board and under the guide, it's difficult for me to tell exactly where the cut will be made, but I'm still pretty new to this and expect to get better with practice. Nick.

[Scott Walton]

Nick, I have found that by cutting with a lightbox underneath works like a charm. You can see the edge VERY easily.

[Cem Topdemir]

Yes, it is absolutely the best thing on the market.

[scott jones]

Wow, I think this is the only time I have seen a unanimous opinion on this site! Thanks for all the help; now I just have to decide which length of cutter to order....

Scott

[Jim_1228]

Scott,

My recomendation would be to buy a Rototrim that is the next size up from the size you think you will need.

[Reinhold Schable]

Scott: You'll never regret buying a Rotatrim. A tip... There's a small metal deflector under the blade housing, intended to carry away the trimmed piece. If you remove it, (youv'e gotta be a bit mechanically inclined), you can slit in both directions. Slit quality is identical, either way.

[Jasmine2008]

I came across this doing a Google search and know this thread is a little (lot) old, but I saw that you guys are mentioning Rotatrim. I purchased my Rotatrim Professional a few weeks ago for the school I work at and love it. This model replaced the MasterCut series. It is stable, precise and not to bad looking either.
Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter (http://www.officezone.com/m2rotar.htm)

http://www.officezone.com/images/rotatrim.jpg

[tgtaylor]

Wow, I think this is the only time I have seen a unanimous opinion on this site! Thanks for all the help; now I just have to decide which length of cutter to order....

Scott

Scott,

I own the Mastercut 24 and agree with all the opinions express thus far.

As far as the size, a 25" cutter will handle all prints up to 25" and if you are limited by budget or space for one cutter that's the one that I would recommend since you can trim prints up to 20x24.

Great product. It will last several lifetimes so you can pass it down.

[Michael Kadillak]

Scott, Another satisfied owner of the Rotatrim Mastercut II chiming in. Very precise cuts on prints, prints with mounting tissue, and unexposed enlarging paper in the darkroom. Sharp enough a cut to leave a reserved border around the print when overmatting. My one little difficulty is that once the work is placed on the board and under the guide, it's difficult for me to tell exactly where the cut will be made, but I'm still pretty new to this and expect to get better with practice. Nick.

The only negative to the trimmer is what Nick mentions.

Solving this problem takes a bit of effort but it is worth it.

You need to acquire a replacement plastic edge guard one size larger than your Rotatrim. If you have a 18" Rotatrim you need to the next size up edge guard - say the 24" replacement. Trim it to the correct width and with a drill you need to carefully install it so that it is precisely and accurately at the cutter edge. I did this with both of my Rotatrim cutters and it is a pleasure to work with. I have a 12" and a 24" model so if anyone needs a 24" replacement edge guard, let me know. Wish they would do this at the factory, but until then do the ball is in the consumers court.

Cheers!

[D. Bryant]

Hello there,

Could I obtain some feedback from the group on the Rotatrim paper cutter Masterc ut II that I may use for trimming photos and mounting tissue. Is this the best p roduct for precision cuts and if not are there any other ideas? Thanks for any h elp that you can give me!

Scott
Rototrim is King. Worth the money, IMO.

Don Bryant

[neil poulsen]

I have an older Rotatrim, and it works great. Got it used at the local pro shop. I went to the Rotatrim site, and it appears that all the current parts are interchangeable with my old one.

Mine has the two cylinder guides like the current ones. Don't know if it's a Mastercut, though.

[Turner Reich]

Is the cutter replaceable, is that what makes it last so long? How much for the cutter part? I too have been getting ready to buy one.
The Ingento with the sword on it is getting 18th century. I can keep it sharpened but the tendency of the material to turn while cutting is getting old too.

[David A. Goldfarb]

The cutter blade is replaceable for around $65 last I checked, but the blade is self-sharpening, so it can last for years. I've had mine for a few years and haven't had to replace the blade. I was finally convinced to buy a Rotatrim when I used one that looked beat up with rust on the blade in a workshop, and it still cut perfectly and easily.

[Peter De Smidt]

Make sure to check that the guide is square to the cut. Mine, and the one I use at work, were not. Luckily, it's not that hard to fix with a machinist square and a screw driver.

[Drew Wiley]

I use a 24inch and a 48inch Rotatrim. Never had any problem with them. The larger
one is permanently mounted onto a 4ft x 4ft table with a stainless steel squaring
edge, and at the rear a roll feeder for wide rolls of mounting tissue. I have also installed flush threaded inserts in the table so I can attach a measuring gage, in order
to cut down 30x40 sheets into smaller sizes like 8x10 for test runs. A very convenient
system.

[jeroldharter]

I have a 48 inch model that is about 10 years old. Not heavily used but in great shape, just like the day I bought it. Shaves prints and dry mount tissue precisely.

Only complaint is the narrow width of the baseboard which makes it iffy to align large boards and requires some care. Dropping it into a recessed table would be great if you had the room and ability to do that.

[Jasmine2008]

It's nice to see a manufacturer that hasn't cut back on the quality over years! I agree, Rotatrim is king when it comes to rotary paper cutters.

[Scott Davis]

If you don't have the budget for a Rotatrim, I did get a Dahle rotary cutter (Model 552 IIRC) at my local PlA-Za art supply store. I paid $199 for it. I just found it on the Dahle website for $150 (ouch!)

http://www.buy-dahle-paper-cutters.com/dahle-paper-cutter.php?productID=335

A comparable Rotatrim is over 2x the cost. I used my Dahle for cutting 8x10 film down to 6.5 x 8.5. It worked flawlessly, with perfectly square cuts (one or two went a little long, but that was my fault for not checking the alignment with the backstop before cutting... I'm working in the dark, so what do you expect??? :D ).

[Jasmine2008]

I have used Dahle cutters and you really are getting half the cutter for half the price. The quality just isn't there as compared to the Rotatrim. I have used both.

http://www.officezone.com/images/rotatrim.jpg