Customer Reviews

X-ACTO Heavy Duty 12" Laser Trimmer (26234)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like to do paper crafts and have tried several different paper cutters over the years. This is the best cutter I have ever used.

I was concerned the laser feature would just be a gimmick, but it's not--it is dead-on accurate and makes lining up cuts completely fool-proof. The laser system turns off automatically to save batteries, and they thoughtfully included a set of AAA batteries in the box.

The main surface has a subtle non-stick feel to it which helps make lining up the paper easy and precise. The surface has a useful grid with markings for common paper sizes. There's a full ruler at the top of the unit which is also handy. The arm mechanism feels smooth and cuts are perfectly straight.

Another reviewer complained that this unit is made from plastic but I like that it is lightweight; it makes it easier to carry around, and it still feels very sturdy. There is a rubberized handle on the side that makes it easy to carry (be careful not to pick the unit up by the cutting handle because it could inadvertently come unlatched).

I have been using this cutter for a couple of weeks now and couldn't be happier. It's a little on the expensive side, but for precise, straight-line cuts I don't think there's anything better.

I Bought this trimmer to cut holiday cards and to make my own business cards and it works very well for these projects. I wasn't sure if I would use the laser, but have found it to be a very useful feature for making multiple cuts on one piece of paper, such as business cards. The laser has an adjustment feature but I found it to be dead on right out of the box.

My only concern would be that this trimmer is made entirely out of plastic. It is very light weight and probably would not stand up to hard use, such as in a busy office. But for what I use it for it is excellent.

The laser alignment is very helpful, but this plastic version does not hold up to heavy usage. I've gone through two already, and each has lasted maybe 9 months. The parts that control the laser light switching on and off are extremely sensitive and can be easily dislodged permanently if you accidentally push the cutting lever down too hard. If that happens, that's the end of the trimmer. Very disappointing considering the cost. I am trying out the wood base version (which only costs about $6 more on amazon) to see if it holds up better.

This X-acto Laser Trimmer made by Elmer's is the "new and improved" version of the old tried and true wooden paper cutters with the cutter arm. I was looking for something lighter weight and more accurate. After giving the newer rotary trimmers a try, I found them to be inaccurate and frustrating, often requiring several tries to get a finished cut. When I came across this 12-inch trimmer with the laser, my husband was skeptical. He has had hand tools with lasers that didn't live up to their accuracy claims. He was totally surprised that this laser feature was absolutely on the mark. There are several other features that make this trimmer a great product. The trimmer arm is locked in place (a good feature if you have little curious children) until you grasp the substantial, ergonomically-correct handle and push the large, easy-to-access button with your thumb. (I point these out because I think these are really helpful features they've obviously put some thought into and that make it so easy to use). When you lift the handle, the laser automatically comes on. When you lower it, it turns off and the handle locks back into place. The cutter is very sharp, and the action is smooth. The work surface has grids and common measurements and reminds me of one of those cutting mats you use for cutting fabric. Finally, the base is very sturdy and has rubbery corners so that the trimmer doesn't slide around. All in all, this is a very well-designed, well-made trimmer. I would definitely buy another one if this one ever wore out.

The X-ACTO trimmer is a great tool- it comes in very handy for scrapbooking and also for any paper projects.. The laser feature is awesome- it helps you to cut precisely and decreases the chances of making errors. And the laser has an auto-shut off feature which will prolong its life! Also the base has grids marked all over which makes it easy to cut to the size you want! Its a good value for money.

My daughter and I are amateur photographers and she gave me this photo cutter last year and I liked it so much I bought her one for Christmas

1/14/2012

Cost: Very reasonable, and it works as claimed for me. Since it works as good as it gets in its price range, it's well worth the cost because it performs as well as many trimmers costing twice as much, or more.

Laser Light: It's not a gimmick, and when adjusted between the leading edge length of the blade's shearing bar and blade, where the beam meets between the two, it does bounce and reflect the beam poorly as others state, but it's not a defect because the laser is trying to locate its target area on a reflective edge that has dispersed off of these two points: BUT, when you insert a piece of paper to your cut spot, the laser beam does not disperse off the edge; rather, it now puts its red beam completely across the paper's surface cutting area as there's nowhere for the beam to disperse off of now. It beams acrosss the paper's entire length exactly where the blade will make its cut, and brightly too and very accurately! BTW, my trimmer's laser beam needed no adjustment as it is dead on from the factory.

Weight: Since much of this trimmer is made of impact resistant plastic, it's light enough and tough enough to travel with you.

Blade: Sharp, sturdy, and appears to be made of quality steel that should give you years of good cuts. The blade is also self sharpening.

Conclusions: The overall quality of the material used to produce this trimmer, in it's price range, gets 5 stars out of 4 stars being the highest. What would you expect from X-acto, anything less? I'm not giving this X-acto product 5 stars--it earned 5 stars.

Imprinted measurements: Okay, but no better or worse than any other trimmer in its price range. They're good enough, though, for most home and craft requirements. If a crafter needs better measurement markings, they know how to work around that issue with other tools in their bag of tricks, and why I'm happy with my purchase, and you should be too. Just don't pretend you purchased a $300 guillotine trimmer... and expect it to perform like a thoroughbred even though it may behave like one. Heavy duty work loads, NO, but light to medium work loads...yes, for the home or small business projects. However, according to other reviews, some claim it's a bit buggy right out of the box. Perhaps, and only wondering, maybe the issues, here, are the operator rather than the product...just asking. If not, and it is a product issue, and like a new car off the showroom floor won't have some bugs...that's why you get a warranty, and then there's Amazons great returns policy, and why Amazon's growing faster by the day. Amazon is not perfect either, but they work to get it right, and experientially X-acto does also, and so do many other companies that make the effort because customers know crap from shinola, and quality from inferior.

Love the laser as it helps with all cuts. Nice trimmer works as expected. Nice straight, clean cuts. Solid construction.

I have two of these. One where the laser did not work, the cutting arm is flimsy, and the measurement is off by 1/16 - 1/8 of an inch, which messes up craft projects where precision is of utmost importance. X-acto sent me another one, but I'm so annoyed at how badly designed these trimmers are, I don't even really want to use it. I should have gotten a Dahle or something of better quality that is made for heavy usage. Save your money, folks.

I received this item yesterday and have used it for a bit and am very happy with the product. I purchased this model for its paper stop allowing a user to cut many pieces of paper without having to realign each page and did not care about the laser part. After using this for cutting i LOVE the laser thing! It shows exactly where the cut will be and allows you to line up marks that are not near an edge. This is actually a lot more helpful than i thought it would be. Most printed images that have a printed cutting edge line print them in the center of a page and this is no longer a hassle for me.

My only complaint is a purely esthetic one. The paper stop feels a bit cheep and the machine is quite light. I wish the machine had a more solid feel. That said this is an esthetic issue not a functional one. The machine does not move around when cutting. It does have some weight to it and the feet are nonslip coated. Another plus maybe as it will not scratch the surface it is being used on.

It works and is actually a better machine than i thought i was getting. would buy again in a hart beat. Surprisingly good value for the selling price.