From 2014-2016 I chronicled my crafty endeavors on the site Adventures-in-Making. I’ve selected a few of those DIY’s, Recipes, and other posts to share on the site.

I recently decided to treat myself (and my t-shirt rug project) to a 45mm cutter. For the past several years I have tried to make do with an 18mm cutter, but I was a fool. (All those days re-cutting fabric that the dinky little blade didn’t cut through…)

Even though our local craft store carries a limited supply of anything related to sewing, they had a wide selection of hand-held rotary cutters. I could choose between Fiskars and Olfa, and have my pick of safety features, shapes, colors, weights– too many options, really.

I picked the simplest looking one- the Fiskars 45 Millimeter Titanium Rotary Cutter took it home, and started cutting.

Things To Love

• Since it is a simple, symmetrical design it works in my left or right hand, which is important.
• I have an old rotary paper cutter from Fiskars, and an assortment of awesome 45mm paper blades which all work in this hand-held cutter. I’m excited to try out some of the decorative blades in a more freeform way. (Watch me scallop everything like I round corners.)
• Cuts through fabric (even multiple layers of knits) like butter. When I put in the paper blades, they cut through paper just as easily. I attribute this amazingness to the blade itself.

Things to Hate

• The blade is quite far from the plastic guide of the holder. It means there’s a bit of excess “wobble” if you tilt your hand. It also leaves the blade even more exposed when open, threatening to cut you or to break.
• The whole thing feels so light weight and hollow that you have to apply a lot of downward pressure to to cut through a thicker fabric.
• To replace the blade you remove a basic screw from a plastic nut, but then a tiny washer pops out at you. I’m betting it will work just fine when that little washer escapes for good.
• The safety mechanism has a child-safe button that you have to push down with your fingertip while sliding the lever. That’s well and good, but the problem is you have to push that same tiny little button to close the guard back up. I have learned the hard way that it should be dead simple to close/cover/or otherwise protect yourself from sharp objects. Bleeding on a project seldom makes it better.

Things to Be Confused By

• The screw that keeps the blade in the casing has markings for “light” and “heavy” with helpful directional arrows. But, what does it mean? Light? Heavy? Is there something I’m missing? Heavy fabric? A heavy hand? A setting for those special days when it feels like the weight of the world is upon you?  The heavy setting tightens up the screw, making the blade roll more slowly/difficultly. The light setting lets the blade roll with less resistance, but there is even more play in the blade. I haven’t found reference to this setting on the packaging or online. Anybody know the thought behind it?

To Summarize

Fiskars 45mm Rotary Cutter Blades= great!
This particular blade holder= meh. Functional but meh.

Have you worked with one you like? Or is this just another case of “settle for what you’ve got”?