WEP Award: Fiskars Original Craft Rotary Paper Trimmer

Just a little disclaimer - I have no affiliation with the companies who make the products I choose for my WEP Award posts (or any companies, actually). I'm not compensated in any way, and have never even had contact with the companies (other than occasional customer service emails when needed).

Today's WEP Award goes to my most-used tool, the Fiskars Original Craft Rotary Paper Trimmer. I'm going to be really honest with you here - even though it's still listed on the Fiskars site, I haven't seen one in stores in ages. Which is frustrating, because I used a 50% off coupon at one of the big craft stores to get mine, and I'm sad that it's harder to get them that way now.



Fortunately, though, I can still find replacement blades, which is really all I need. I think the newer trimmers (which are probably just as good, I just don't know personally) use the same blades.

As far as I'm concerned, a good paper trimmer is a top priority for a paper crafter, whether you're a card maker or scrapbooker. I've used and bought way too many average-to-bad paper trimmers, and, true to the award's name, a good one is Worth Every Penny. I originally had a small Fiskars portable with the blade that slides along a track - it was fine, but the blade didn't stay sharp very long and the track wasn't quite sturdy enough to keep the blade in a straight line every time. It was also small, which seemed like a good idea at first, but I decided after I'd bought my big rotary that sturdiness and accuracy were more important. And actually, with the bigger trimmer, I can set it in my lap, leaning up against my desk, and use it that way without having to clear a ton of space on my desk to use it.

I've also tried guillotine-style trimmers in the past, and I've gotta tell you - I just can't STAND them. Aside from the danger factor (it is SO easy to cut yourself on those things), the blades dull too easily, are too hard/expensive to replace, and it seems like I was forever getting a ripped bottom end of the paper where the blade didn't cut through correctly, no matter how sharp it was.

I've used this paper trimmer every time I've crafted (usually many multiple times) since I got it probably 5 years ago, and it's in fantastic shape. The replacement blades are only about $5, and I've only had to replace the blade (which is super easy to do) 3 or 4 times in all that time.

Worth Every Penny!