This is a product review of the We R Makers Mini Guillotine Paper Cutter by We R Makers / We R Memory Keepers (This brand is owned by American Crafts.)
The Most Important Things You Need to Know About This Paper Crafting Tool:
We R Makers Mini Guillotine Paper Cutter: Product Description
If you make small paper craft projects such as handmade greeting cards and mini album pages, you might find it productive to own a small paper cutter. The We R Makers Mini Guillotine Paper Cutter is ideal for small crafting spaces. If you don’t have a massive craft room or table to work with, this paper cutter is a good one to consider. This cutter measures only 6×8.5 inches.
The Best Things About the by We R Makers / We R Memory Keepers
- This paper cutter works well.
- According to the manufacturer, you can cut 3 sheets of cardstock at a time with this cutter. I haven’t tried that yet to confirm; I do sometimes use it to cut through the side of a folded card that I messed up, and so I can definitely say it cuts through two layers at a time successfully.
- The cutter’s surface has a .25 inch grid that makes it super easy to align your project to the correct spot for cutting.
Cons:
The biggest downside to this paper cutter is that you cannot easily cut larger papers with it.
Out of the box, the paper cutter has a safety mechanism on it that makes it impossible to put, for example, a 12″x12″ piece of cardstock or patterned paper in the cutter to be cut.
I didn’t let that stop me. I removed the safety mechanism. Without the safety mechanism in place, it is possible, although not easy, to cut 12″x12″ paper with this cutter. You have to first place your paper where you want it and then cut it partially. Then you have to turn the paper over, align the paper to the spot you want to cut, and cut again. If you’re really careful, you can line up the cuts so the whole thing is straight and even. If you mess up, you won’t have a straight cut.
I do mess this up fairly frequently, but overall, this hack works as well as could be expected.
One more con: The blade on the paper cutter is prone to getting dull. I’m not aware of any replacements available for it; there might be some, but I haven’t come across them yet. But there’s a solution for the too-dull blades. You can sharpen them by simply cutting through some tin foil several times.
Conclusion
I recommend this paper cutter to other crafters with caveats. If you have the space and sufficient money to buy the larger version of this cutter, my advice would be to buy the larger version. If you are both a scrapbooker AND a card maker, and you have a LOT of space, and a lot of cash to spend on your crafting, you might find it worthwhile to buy both sizes. You’re likely to use them both; I find it a lot easier to cut a small card on this small cutter than it would be on the larger cutter (My friend has the larger one, so I’ve had a chance to compare them).
I went with this smaller cutter for my own stash because I live in an exceptionally space-challenged environment, and I literally do not have enough space for the bigger cutter. So it works for what I need it for. I’d rather have the bigger one if that were an option for me, though.
Where to Buy the by We R Makers / We R Memory Keepers:
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Posted By: Amy Solovay
About Your Product Reviewer: Amy Solovay is a freelance writer and content marketer with a background in textile design. She holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor from Sweet Briar College and a degree in textile design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Los Angeles.
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This page was last updated on 7-20-2023.