Customer Reviews

Logan Mat Cutter Board Mounted Compact

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got my Logan 301 yesterday, and have already gotten the hang of it. I bought some practice sheets and spent an hour or two with it, and now I am cutting real mats! It took a little practice, but I think it's well worth it.

The machine is well built and comes with five replacement blades. The blades seem to wear quickly, so I've already ordered a pack of 100 replacements. Unlike a reviewer below, I am able to adjust the depth of the blade with a little screw on the bottom of the cutter. In fact, it's necessary! You have to get the depth just right or the cuts won't come out straight. (I learned the hard way). I recommend visiting the Logan web site and reading over their FAQ and troubleshooting tips. They also have a downloadable form that shows you how to get the most out of a single piece of 32X40 matboard.

The only minus so far is that it is impossible to straight cut a full 32x40 matboard. Due to the size of the device, straight cuts are limited to boards no wider than 28 inches, which means that you must use a straight-edge or t-square to subdivide a full size matboard before you begin matting. It can create mats from board that size, but not straight-cut them. I may start buying 1/4 sheets just for convenience sake, even though they are a little bit more expensive. Otherwise, I am highly satisfied.

I borrowed this from a friend to "try it before I buy it," and was really impressed how easy it was to use. I don't have the steadiest of hands and was concerned that would affect the finished mat, but since the cutter does most of the work it turned out fine. If you have reached a point where you would rather take a little more time to mat artwork yourself rather than pay a framing store's outrageous prices, then this will pay for itself in no time. I'm ordering mine today!

Alas, the reviewer below hadn't yet posted when I ordered and received my Logan 301-S and discovered that it won't really cut a full 32x40 piece of mat board. The "throat," that open area behind the cutting edge, is really about 29-1/2" and the free area between the blade and the guide attachments is only about 5-inches. That's not a problem for cutting window mats but if you are whacking up a full sheet into 11x14's or 8X10's it means that you are back using a big straight-edge and your trusty 30-year-old Dexter or a box knife to make the long cuts. It wouldn't take much, IMHO, for the Logan folks to add three inches to the base and the cutting guide and thus make this a true 32-inch cutter.

Beyond that, this works very well for the price. Make sure you change the blades *often*. They're cheap and it will insure a good clean cut.

I'd give this a full five stars if it was 3 inches longer.

For all the money you will save by making your own mats, you should invest a little more and get the Logan 450. I bought this and found the "straight edge" to actually be curved, the beveled cutter was wobbly and the whole thing just wasn't well made. I made some lousy cuts on practice board before I returned it to the store and brought home the 450. The 450 is excellent. It is also just enough larger to make cutting full sized mats possible. Making mats isn't that hard with good equipment and is very frustrating with poor equipment.

The cost of this device is small compared to what I'd spend to mat and frame my own photos. It pays for itself after doing three or four jobs. Buying pre-made frames from a craft store or on line at affordable prices, this mat cutting kit makes it possible to custom cut mats for just about any frame and size print. It requires a very short learning curve to become proficient. I can frame an 8.5 X 11 print on a 14X18 aluminum frame, with mat, for around $20 total. This a a fraction of what a framer would charge.

I purchased this model for home use after years of using a larger version of it at my work place. It's a great tool for those who want to do intermediate framing. With some practice, you can make beautiful bevel cuts that mimic those that you'd pay big bucks for. It's eally quite easy to master. The instructions are very clear. And it's versatile... a wide variety of mat sizes can be cut. If you're agonizing over whether or not to purchase a Logan mat cutter, I say go for it. It's money well spent if you like to create your own art, but need to save some cash by using pre-existing frames. With this cutter you can customize any store bought frame to suit your "frameables". Enjoy!

Very good mat cutter, I particularly liked the mechanism that kept the guide parallel to the knife guide, simple yet effective. As a previous user of the Dexter mat cutter, I enjoyed the knife being at a fixed angle rather than having to reset it every time I picked up the tool.
Another great feature was being able to use the witness marks instead of running way over the previous right angle cut to insure separation of the waste from the mat, a mistake here can rip the corner of the mat and render it unusable and the extreme bypassing of the cut is quite apparent to me.
My only complaint is not having a squaring bar built in but considering the price I'm sure I'm asking far too much.

This an easy tool to [ASIN:B0006TUA7S Logan Compact Deluxe Mat Cutter Model 301S]] for cutting mats for photographs. Cuts cleanly. I did have a slight problem in that I was using it to cut 8X10 openings in 16X20 boards. I was barely able to cut the larger opening by extending the mat guide to the outer limit.

Although it may not be common to public use, I frequently use 8 ply musium style mat boards and the cutter has no provision to change the depth to the thickness. However using diamond bar bit on miniture dril/grinder, I was able to enlarge the hole on the blade for the stopper screw. The enlargement is just enough to move the cutter below the mat surface of 8 ply mat. This model may be enough size to me for a while. Sure, larger cutter would be nice but for the cost so much more? Perhaps not. Other than the depth adjustment and smaller size, there is nothing to complain to. In fact, it is functionally near perfect for individual use even for use of independent artist.

Quality unit that, with a little time, makes professional (sometimes better) results. Went to a Logan demo at a Tall Mouse in LA and learned how to tape the first mat with the second for fantastic double matting. Saves money and time not having to drive for custom matting.