Paper Trimmers

[Barry Trabitz]

I find I am in need of a new paper trimmer. The Rotatrim M24 model has been reviewed before. However it is also the most expensive of the cutters I have seen offerred that will trim 16x20 prints. Has anyone any experiance with any of the following trimmers? Fiskars Meopta Susis Carl(Bogen C250) Keencut (Epsom)

Any opinions or experiances would be most appreciated.

Thanks, Barry.

[JohnnyV]

I purchased a SUSIS 26"rotary cutter last month - it works very well. At $150.00 it's a great bang for the buck. It's very well made - it's solid. It cuts 308 PhotoRag with ease and cuts it cleanly.

If I had to do it agian I would buy it again.

SUSIS S197 PAPER TRIMMER WITH 26 INCH CUT CAPACITY:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29988&item=2950549648

I have no affiliation with the seller - other than being a happy customer.

John V.

[Martin Reekie]

The subject of rotary trimmers made me think of a related question and this might be the forum for it. I use rotary trimmers, very efficient and compact but am I correct in thinking they are not the best way to cut paper? Should we be using a bladed cutter - a guillotine? This causes less distress to the paper?

However, my Rotatrim has served me well over 20 years.

[Gem Singer]

Hi Barry,

I previously used an 18 inch Dahle rotary trimmer (made in Germany). When I needed a larger trimmer, I was unable to locate a larger Dahle, so I purchased a 24 inch Rotatrim from Calumet. The Rotatrim is a fine instrument(made in GB). Definitely worth the investment. However, if you can't see your way clear to purchasing the expensive two-rail Rotatrim, there is a single rail Rotatrim 26 inch Eurocut that has a lower price tag. It looks like the Dahle. Midwest Photo Exchange sells them for US $143. Look at mpex.com, under darkroom equipment. They ship worldwide.

[Bob Salomon]

There is also another choice which is made under 2 different names: Dahle and Kaiser. The difference is the name and the color of the base - blue for Dahle and black for Kaiser. The large Kaiser cutter is called the Profi-Cut 3 and it has a 28.3" cutting length. While this cutter has a list price of $242.00 we have decided to close them out in the U.S. and any camera store can sell these (while they last) at about $125.00.

This is a considerable savings but there are only 8 or 9 pieces left.

[Ed O'Grady]

Barry, you really should take a closer look at the Keencut. One big advantage of the Keencut is no cutter bar obscurring your view. I do sell these but I also have been using one, both in my home darkroom and at work. By far the best cutter I have ever used.

[Ted Harris]

I second taking a look at the Keencut. I use a Rototrim I have for many years but Keencut make superb cutters of all types. Not sure they are any cheaper than Rototrim though.

Ted

[pedram fanian]

Hi

I am a distributor for several brands of cutters and the Susis cutter referenced above.

My opinion is that Rotatrim is, all things considered, the best rotary trimmer on the world market today. The reasons are simple: it offer bur-free, accurate cuts; is the more heavy duty than any other so it works well in production settings where the cutter is used every day; and handles with thicker materials, like mat board, plastics, etc. Therefore I recommend the Rotatrim to two types of users: 1. very high end, demanding industrial settings; and 2. individual end users who want the "Rolex" of cutters despite the relatively high cost. To give you an example, we offer the Rotatrim M24 with 24" of cut length for US$247.

However, it could be excessive for most users who may have a limited budget. The good news is that other brands offer equally accurate and burfree cuts as the Rotatrim. These include paper trimmers made by the Susis (Germany), Kobra (Italy), and Keencut (England). When you consider that the vast majority of users only cut single sheets at a time, other more economical trimmers can get perfect results.

All good rotary trimmer (including those mentioned above) operate in such a way that the blade remains sharp for a long time -- n other words, self-sharpening. The way to determine this is to see if the rotary blade runs on top of a cutting mat, where the blade is not sharpened by use, or if it runs along the side of an additional lower fixed blade, the friction of which helps keep the blade sharp.

At last, some prefer a lever (guillotine) cutter. In this category you have to go with the absolute best - like the "kutrimmer" from Germany - to get the accuracy that you get with rotary trimmers. These are ideal for cutting thicker materials and are also popular with bookbinders and framers.

<font size="4">CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME OF OUR CUTTERS ON EBAY (http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&include=0&userid=finegrafics&sort=3&rows=25&since=-1&rd=1)



good luck,

Pedram Fanian
SignetAndino Co.
dir 416-464-9712