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Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz
Posted – 3- 13-2018
One of the more frustrating sewing tasks for me has been cutting strips of fabric that are consistent in width. While making my larger FlyingRC.net RC airplane wing bags and protector sets I often need strips well over 80 inches for installing full-length zippers. Producing consistent strips that long with a hand-held rotary cutter, even guided by a metal straight edge or using a scissors has been fraught with error and frustration. Then, during a visit to the fabric/sewing store I noticed the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo (# 195130-1001) and my life had purpose again.
The Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo was designed to cut multiple layers of fabric which itself is a huge time saver. It uses a 45mm rotary blade mounted on a track which is permanently attached to a 6" x 24" ruler with easy to read graduations including commonly used angles. The rotary blade does its work inside a protective housing that makes it difficult for the operator, including ingeniously dangerous “to themselves” human operators to injure themselves.
The 45mm blade is the same as is used by the popular Fiskars hand-held rotary cutters and is just as easy to replace. So far in my use the rotary blade is just as durable in the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo as in the hand-held cutters. Don’t run the blade off the cutting mat and onto non-cutting compatible surfaces and you won’t be changing them often.
The rotary blade is normally well above the bottom edge of the aluminum rail. The blade is extended only when you press down on the large, curved handle. As with any cutter, a fair amount of downward force is necessary to make clean cuts through several layers of some fabrics. The shape of the operating handle of the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo makes that applying that pressure comfortable.
A rubber-like “traction” strip on the bottom surface of the aluminum guide bar helps keep the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo in place while you make the cut. Having to push down on the cutter handle increases the friction between the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo keeping it perfectly aligned. This design makes it difficult to move the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo on the fabric except when you want to. I found myself having to lift the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo slightly to slide it into the next needed position. This is way better than trying to follow a rule with a hand-held rotary cutter.
I know this is not earth-shaking technology but as is usually the case simple designs work best and are more reliable. I like a tool I can bring out, use it, get the results I need and put it away without unbecoming language echoing around the shop.
The scales and angle markings screen printed on the clear plastic base are designed to be easy-to-read against light and dark colored fabrics. The graduations and angle guides are mirrored on opposite sides and ends of the otherwise clear plate. These dual-markings also make the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo easy for left-handed folks to use as well.
I hadn’t used the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo long before realizing that when used with a little common sense the chances of running the cutter over your body parts are very close to nonexistent. Stand over the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo, use one hand to press down on the clear rule while the other hand presses down and moves the cutter. The result is accurate cuts made where you wanted them, and your supply of band aids is not depleted.
There isn’t anything tough about using the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo, align the graduation needed with the edge of the fabric, press and cut. Simple. As is usually the case, a simple-to-use tool gets that way because of thoughtful, first rate design and manufacturing. There are lots of ways Fiskars could have cheapened the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo up but that is not their style. That attitude on the part of a manufacturer gets my attention and their share of my budget. The rotary cutter is positioned close to the aluminum bar that guides it which allows making the initial cut to true up the raw edge fast and simple. Then you can use that edge when aligning the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo to cut the strips needed.
The graduations on the long axis of the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo have lines that run end-to-end making aligning the cutter to a specific width much easier. I accidentally found that these graduation lines also identify a curved fabric edge that I thought was already square. That let me make a quick “clean up” cut to insure the strips I cut would be accurate.
The stability of the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo means we can make very narrow strips with the same super-accurate cuts very close to the edge of the fabric. Making a cut by hand so close to the edge of the fabric is somewhere between difficult and impossible for mere mortals. The Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo makes it simple.
The Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo has a list price of $69.99 but the sale-oriented sewing world means we can usually find a deal. I purchased the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo for my shop (and this review) for $41.99 (3-11-2018) with the help of one of JoAnn’s Fabrics coupons. Now that I have used the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo in my shop the original list price does not seem so out of line.
The Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo is a tool that does exactly what it is designed to. It has simplified many of my cutting operations and made them more accurate. The ease with which I can cut precise strips of fabric saves chunks of time that I previously spent tweaking layouts to compensate for irregular cuts. All these capabilities help eliminate the “do-over” cuts caused by my hand wandering or the straight edge moving during the cuts. That saves time and money.
If you cut strips of fabric or need other straight cuts you need to take a long, hard look at the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo. I think this is one of those oddities in the sewing world that performs better than the manufacturer indicates in their product literature. Though I have only had the Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo in the shop a few days I find myself reaching for it more and more to make a quick but accurate cut or when laying out a new project. The Fiskars Rotary Cutter and Ruler Combo enhances my in-shop efforts and that makes it worth every cent of the purchase price to me.
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