Customer Reviews

Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I decided to try this item even after reading the 2 one star reviews I found here at JoAnn's Amazon storefront. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, the cutter works as it is designed to. FIRST - READ THE DIRECTIONS - If you are cutting fabric you will need to adjust the tension screw, and for two layers of fabric it has to be all the way to the left. The cutter does however cut high quality quilting fabric quite well. Using this machine does take some practice so start with scrap fabric until you really get the hang of it. You do have to pay attention, and guide the material through straight. If you quilt you know you need to have accurate cuts so practice till you are really sure of yourself before cutting into your expensive goods. I can't say that using a hand held rotary cutter is really that much more difficult for me, but if you have any issues and I know folks who do, arthritis or trouble holding a rotary cutter this is something to look into. If you cut lots of strips it could be great, it is fully adjustable from 1/8" to 2 3/4" strips, straight or pinked edge. I have to say I am more sure of my old hand held but this is really great for pinking those fabric edges before pre-washing fabric and I am sure as I get more proficient with the machine I will use it more and more.

The thought of having an electric rotary cutter motivated me to buy the Simplicity product. Rotary cutters are excellent and have revolutionized quilting, but since I have tendonytis in my arms, I was willing to spend the money on this unit.

Similar to the first reviewer, I was completely dissatisfied. First, because the foot pedal chord is quite short, it is awkward to use. Second, there is no on/off switch. To try to increase the cutting tension, you have to rotate a screw head on the side of the machine. For safety reasons, that means unplugging it each time. Third, after tightening the screw so that I could cut fabric, I found that the fabric gets caught under the blade and does not move smoothly. I tried this several times with different thicknesses (I was trying to cut cotton).

Save your money and the trouble of having to return the unit. I thought the Simplicity name brand meant quality, but I was wrong.

Only cuts light weight cotton and its not very good at it!
Blade is not sharp enough and it takes special blades not normal rotary cutter blades -And at this price not worth the $$$.

I bought this for my wife to speed up making quilts. All I can say is read the directions and watch the video. It works exactly as advertised. I have no sewing expertise, and I can use it. Don't expect it to work right out of the box. It requires adjustment for the material you are cutting. The directions and video show you, step by step, how to do it. This is a great time saving product if you take the time to learn how to use it. And they say men won't ask for directions.

Looking for a way to strip-cut fabric w/o making my arthritis scream. Purchased a Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine;had a few problems at the beginning. My husband tried it out and easily went through over 150 strips from fat quarters. Instead of just starting using it, he went through the directions, set it for size we wanted and started out testing it. I just kept fabric at the ready and he kept cutting. Next day, another 100 strips. If he cld do this, I was determined; he showed me how and we like it very much. I agree, if u have a problem read the directions and try again.

I'VE BEEN SEWING FOR OVER 60 YEARS. I HAVE ALWAYS CUT STRIPPING BY HAND. WITH THE ROTARY CUTTER I SAVE TIME FOR OTHER THINGS. I ALSO HAVE THE BIAS TAPE MAKER. I MAKE QUILTS AND THE BINDING LOOKS SO MUCH NICER NOW. FAYE MCGHEE, TN.

I got one of these for Christmas and was elated because I use a lot of bias tape and hate cutting all those strips by hand. However, this machine needs a lot more product development work. I agree with another reviewer that the cord on the foot pedal is way too short and thus awkward. I did not have any trouble getting it to cut apparel weight fabrics such as cotton, cotton polyester blends, and poly broadcloth. It took some adjusting of the screw underneath according to directions. Feeding the fabric through the cutter is a nightmare! It gets off course fast and once that happened you are sunk as you cannot stop and easily rescue your work and start over. You get a lot of very uneven strips and wasted fabric. The fabric feed has only one speed - full ahead which makes it difficult to control things and get accurate cuts. There is no on-off switch on top of the machine - only the foot pedal. The fabric bunches up around the cutting wheel if you are not careful. The fabric pulls down to the front and off course easily. You have to use two hands and carefully thread the fabric through using the guide and tapping the foot pedal on and off intermittently. I guess it is like juggling, I may get the hang of it, but I really think they could have done a better job of designing this one and made it much easier to use and control.

I, too, was excited at the possibilities presented by this little machine. I followed the instructions explicitly. I tightened, un-tightened, re-tightened the screw: the machine is incapable of cutting anything but paper and the lightest of fabrics. The blade is not even remotely sharp; the cutting action relies on the pressure between the "blade" and the cylinder underneath. The screw adjustment simply controls how close the blade and the cylinder are spaced. If you are using thicker/heavier or stretch fabrics, no amount of screw tightening will make a difference.

That said, if you are cutting paper, it's perfect.

I had seen this rotary cutter demoed on the internet and was really anxious to have one. I quilt and do other sewing where I use long bias strips, so being able to cut quickly and accurately would be very helpful. I bought one at a very good price and immediately tried it out. The first thing I noticed was there is no warranty provided. I read the instructions and set the machine up as directed, incrementally tightening the screw on the pressure wheel until the blade was cutting the fabric cleanly. For the first few passes, it cut pretty well. Then I tried it on satin fabric and it would only score the fabric, not cut it. I tightened the screw a tiny bit more, but to no avail. I tried it on cotton fabric again and it wouldn't cut. I tried tightening the screw again, and it made no difference. Then I noticed that the screwhole was probably stripped already, because when I would try to tighten the screw (turning it to the left), it would return to it's previous position. It could not maintain tension and there is nothing to prevent over-tightening of the screw. BTW, the rotary blades are not sharp, the cutting action is from pressure between the rotary blade and the pressure wheel. I'm an experienced sewer, with over a hundred sewing machines, many are vintage or antique machines that I have restored to working condition, so I'm pretty good with mechanical stuff. This product is a great idea, just poorly designed and cheaply made. I returned it and got my money back.

It has saved me a lot of time cutting strip of fabric, jeans, and old clothes for rag rugs, Christmas gifts and such. Easy to adjust and travel with.
Only one problem. The cord from the foot peddle to the wall plug-in, could be longer. I found I had to use an extension cord at most locations. Another foot of cord would work better.
In all I like it so much I'm thinking of getting the next one up, that does 1/4 - 6 inches. Would have gotten that one first had I seen it before ordering this one.