New rotary cutter?

Polly, I have a Fons & Porter that I like. It covers the blade automatically and also has a switch for "hard & soft". More or less layers.

Anna Belle

We've got the same old yellow Olfas as most of the rest of the free quilting world, but no complaints. And that shapener I mentioned a while back extends blade useabilty.

Doc

Oh, I like the idea of that 'hard and soft' switch. What a clever idea. Can you let us know how it works when you have road-tested it? I don't mind 'buying before I really have to' if the idea is good like this. . In message , "Anna Bellefladavis"@bellsouth.net.invalid writes

Personally, I'll stick with my Fiskars. They make good products in general. A Finnish company, I believe. They have a cool website, too! My SO is a gardener, and he bought a pair of Fiskars secateurs at the same time that I bought my Fiskars rotary cutter. We made our choices separately, from different stores, and thought it was funny that our two tools (with their distinctive black and orange colors) were re-united here in Alabama having come from Finland.

I recently fell in love with a pair of Fiskars cloth shears, having seen the lady at my local fabric shop use them. Like all Fiskars, they were designed to be ergonomically correct. I just wear my hands out on fabric shears. But I was disappointed to see that this particular set was made in China. I try to avoid buying Chinese-made goods.

ep

I like my Olfa Deluxe Ergonomic cutter. It's easier on the hands than the original Olfa cutter. The blade retracts when it's put down. More pricey than the standard Olfa cutter, but might be a good choice with a

40% off coupon.

Julia > We've just about worn out the favorite rotary cutter here. Imagine

I do love my Fiskars spring-loaded ergonomic shears and the smaller scissors. I have some arthritis in my hands and would have a great deal of difficulty doing much cutting with a conventional shears. I've said that without those shears I could not have made 5 bridesmaid dresses for my daughter's wedding -- at least not without some cutting help.

Julia > Personally, I'll stick with my Fiskars. They make good products in general.

I've been using Clover rotary cutters for several years now -- they can also be used while sitting, to 'neaten up' small pieces as you sew. Julia, I'm absolutely lost w/o my small Fiskars spring-loaded scissors for snipping threads while sewing. I now have two pairs (I think), since one pair got misplaced in the nether regions a couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd be able to hold out 'til I found them, but after a day of trying all the other snips and thingies I've accumulated over the years, I had to buy another pair. They really do help my arthritic thumb (of all things)

rusty (who has many more arthritic parts, but the opposable thumb is the most aggravating at present:))

Patti, I have had the F & P rotary cutter for several years. Still like it. It is smart to have one without the blade exposed all the time. Especially in a classroom setting or work setting with others close by. Have had no complaints with the stability or long live. The blade seem to get dull as often as others though :-). You can find them at TSWLTH and sometimes at a discount. The brand is one that is usually excluded from the coupon use.

Anna Belle

I have a Dritz rotary cutter. I don't generally think of Dritz first when I am looking for quality tools, but this cutter has outlived all of it's predecessors, by a lot. This is the same cutter I had when Wendy was looking for a spring loaded one. The blade is spring loaded so I don't have to remember to close it, and it has hard and soft settings. This is the successor to Fiskers and Olfa cutters that died the death within a year or so of purchase. The last Fiskers cutter I had sliced into my left hand when it died. The cutting head just sort of exploded into shards while I was using it and the blade spanged right into my hand.

NightMist has no luck with Fiskers tools at all

Well, I have 2 cutters. Both Fiskars. one is yellow, the other has pretty flowers all over it. i like the flowered one the best, it feels like there is a texture to it, heftier. prettier, too. Never had a problem with either one. i have one of those spring loaded snippers, too. after a while my carpel tunnel acts up and i have to go back to my small stork scissors. amy in CNY

I've had the old Fiskars models of rotary cutters and the newer, more comfortable Olfa models. Right now my fave is the pink Olfa. ;)

DT bought a Martelli rotary cutter last year and loves it; it has a handle that goes out at right angles to the blade and is supposed to be better for your hand and wrist. I couldn't make it work correctly, but this all underscores the need to test before you buy. :)

I have an Olfa and a Fiskar, but both become obsolete within a day after I was given a Kai Cut rotary cutter. I don't know why I like it better, except that it cuts easier and seems to fit my hand really well. And blades seem to last a lot longer than they did in my Fiskar cutter (which was my very first and only rotary cutter for a long time). Kai is a division of or is owned by or fronts for or something of that sort for Dritz. The average cost is around $14, which is pretty average. The blade retracts when you stop cutting. It's got a pressure choice for cutting.

Sunny

I like the Olfa Ergonomic. I have it in two sizes.

Dragonfly (Pam)

If I had had any idea how long I would live I would have taken better care of my body. Maybe. I observe that some rotary cutters are handle grips sort of like picking up a bucket handle. Some are knife sort of shapes that expect you to aim/power the cutter by pressure from your pointer finger. If your cutting is only 10 minutes per week, no matter. If you are doing lots of cutting, do think about being very kind to your fingers and wrists. Furthermore - if you don't have a mezzaluna, get one. A mezzaluna is an arc sort of kitchen weapon for chopping/cutting that lets you use both hands - or- only one hand applying a rocking motion. If you're a tv chef and keep your knives as sharp enough to split hair, no matter. For the rest of us, a mezzaluna is a very nice instrument for being kind to our wrists. Company's coming and I needed to slice 4 cups of pecans and cube a pound of cheese. The mezzaluna saved the day - and my wrists. Does good on pizza too. Polly

"Julia in MN" wrote in message news:A8qum.30624$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe01.iad...

I didn't realize it when I first replied but, upon investigating the link, I find that these are indeed the ones we have. DW has Fibro & hand issues, so it figures she'd go for something ergonomic.

Doc

I use my Olfa 60mm Ergonomic cutter the most, but I also have the Martelli ergonomic rotary cutters as well & I like them to. I seem to have acquired some arthritis in my cutting thumb, so will probably be spending more time with the Martelli. If you go to their website

they have a video about the Martelli rotary cutter. They are very, very nice people to deal with. When I was changing my blade one day, the spring popped out & I couldn't find it anywhere. I emailed them to ask for a replacement - they mailed me a new rotary cutter! No charge! I noticed they changed the design of it, so the spring doesn't pop out anymore. Then, when they had a booth at Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, I went over to thank them & yes - they gave me another one! They're just really nice people. I remember talking to them shortly after Hurricane something had destroyed their warehouse & their inventory & yes - they were still nice people. Give it a try!

Pauline Northern California

"Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@r36g2000vbn.googlegroups.com... We've got the same old yellow Olfas as most of the rest of the free quilting world, but no complaints. And that shapener I mentioned a while back extends blade useabilty.

Doc

On Sep 23, 8:11 am, "Polly Esther" wrote:

Which sharpener did you get Doc? There are a couple out there. I tried the blue Dritz? a few years ago & tossed it, but I've seen a new one out there. Do you really think it is worth the effort - do you get enough extra life out of your blade?

Doc

Thanks very much AB. I'll see if I can find anywhere over here that sells them - or can get them. . In message , snipped-for-privacy@finial.com writes

I'll have a look for that one too. Thanks. . In message , NightMist writes