Fiskars 12" Personal Rotary Trimmer

Today I want to share a brand new trimmer with you that has just recently been released and is now available to purchase. This is the Fiskars 12" Personal Rotary trimmer. Here are some of the features of this trimmer-

1. Metal track that your rotary carriage runs on
2. Swing arm that comes out from the side giving you continuous measurements
3. A line on top of the blade carriage that shows you exactly where your cutting line is.
4. An easy lift guide under the blade rail to hold your paper in place as you cut.
5. A locking tab that locks your guide and rail in place for storage/travel.
6. 4 rubber corner stands and 3 black rubber stand underneath to prevent slipping
7. Measurement marking are done under the surface so they cannot rub off
8. This trimmer takes blade style "F" which means you have a variety of creative options including scoring, deckle, perforating, wave, scallop, and pinking.

So I gave this trimmer a little test run to see how it worked. I tend to line up my paper on the measurement line itself on a trimmer because normally I tend to get a straighter cut that way. For this trimmer I tried cutting two ways.

a. I cut by lining the cardstock up on the measurment line, got a straight cut.
b. I cut next by just sliding my cardstock to the measurement line but relying more on the top edge when cuttnig the paper. Again, this resulted in a straight cut.

The next thing I played around with was the locking clip. I slid it into place and then flipped my trimmer around a couple of times. It held tight. Next I tried shaking it up, down and sideways to see what would happen. Again, the clip held tight. Next I tapped it several times on the back of the trimmer board to see if the clip would move and it did not.

I have a very smooth desktop and I put the trimmer in place on the desk and then started cutting some scraps I had laying around. The 4 orange corner pegs held tight as I was cutting. This is great! I am going to guess though that you have to keep these legs dust free because over time if dust or dirt gets underneath it will lose it's rubber grip. So I plan once a month to take a damp cloth and just wipe them clean to keep dust and debris off of them.

Next I took a close look at the swing arm. Normally with these smaller personal trimmers I am challenged when I go to cut at the 5 1/2" mark. Not on this one. The markings are almost continuous. There is a gap between 5 1/8" and 5 1/2" where you cannot see any markings. But I probably don't use those markings as frequently as some of the others so it works for me!

Overall this trimmer is full of features for the price point and is an excellent personal trimmer. This is now the trimmer will take to crops or classes with me. My new crafty traveling companion!

One huge wish from Fiskars.....I am still in search of the ultimate 12" desktop trimmer that is heavy duty, stable, cuts straight, I don't need to replace strips, and a self sharpening blade, etc.

What do you look for in a trimmer? What is your favorite trimmer right now? What would your ultimate trimmer be like? Tell me all that you can about what the perfect trimmer would be like for you right down to the last little detail.......