I bought a really cheap guillotine for the heavy papers/cardstock and a Fiskars trimmer for paper. Not been disappointed and used both for five years. I just couldnt justify the £70+ even though it is more substantial and I do think that when new products come out, once again crafters are exploited and pay through the nose. Im not keen on it for all the reasons you give. A good review Amanda.

There are pros and cons and work arounds for each type of trimmer. I love rotary trimmers for their ease of cutting 1 to 2 sheets, slide trimmers for their precision and guillotine for their strength in cutting multiple sheets. When using a trimmer with the extension ruler, I usually cut the shorter measurement so I don’t have to use the extension arm. Looking at the TH trimmer, I would cut at 4 1/2 to get my 6 1/2 piece from 8 1/2x11 paper, that way I avoid the drop.

When I went beyond making cards, I learned I needed multiple cutting tools for different types of projects. It was a difficult, long, and expensive lesson to learn especially on a budget. After all the trials and errors, there were many, I have settled upon a guillotine, a light weight trimmer, and a recently acquired rotary cutter all by Fiskar. They are all decent products with a reasonable price point I can afford and actually get good results from. But, like all crafting products, it all boils down to personal preference. While I like many of Tim Holtz products, they have gotten really pricey and I have to carefully budget for anything new. I wasn’t surprised how expensive his rotary cutter is. I just couldn’t justify spending almost $100.00 for his rotary cutter I wouldn’t use often. Not to mention most of the reviews I have read or seen are not very positive in actual functionality. I am glad you did this review. I trust your opinion. It makes me feel much better about my decision to not spend the extra money on something I am sure I wouldn’t like.

I love my Tim Holtz Multi Media Rotary trimmer. I don't have the same issues that you have mentioned with yours. I had the Guillotine for years but I had issues with the blade getting dull and no matter what I did, it wouldn't sharpen. So I treated myself for Christmas and I love it to be honest.

Great honest review Amanda 🥰 I have the Tim Holtz trimmer and I would not buy it again, if I had to ❤️ thanks for sharing your honest review Hugs xx

I agree the elusive “one trimmer for all needs” does not exist 😂. Love your forthright reviews, thank you

Thanks for the honest review. I will stick with my Dahle 550 trimmer and a Fiskars for small cuts of paper.

Oh do I agree with you. Your remarks are spot on! Stampin Up trimmer has been my go to and find blades wear out. I bought the Tim Holtz and not being able to see measurements drives me crazy!!!!

I’ve used a Cricut trimmer for years and it never lets me down. I found a great deal on the blades and loaded up although they last a long time depending on what you cut. It sits right on my desk. I also have a guillotine cutter that I use for heavier weight paper. I don’t cut a lot of chip board but I like my finger blade and a ruler. I think everyone finds what works well for them. Thank you for the review, I’ve heard somewhat the same from others so I think I’ll pass on the rotary cutter. 😊

I really enjoyed your review. It was very informative. I have been paper crafting for 20 years and one thing I have come to realise with any tool is that it’s only as good as the person who assembled it. I have had an expensive Tonic guillotine that wouldn’t cut straight because when the blade was screwed down it wasn’t straight. I have just bought a Spellbinders Glimmer machine and it looks like it was put together by a trainee on their first day. None of the casings fit flush and there are deep scratches on the top plate. It really is the luck of the draw whether you will get a quality product or not.

Thank you so much for an excellent review. I’m in the market for a new trimmer, and you pointed out several things to consider that I hadn’t even thought of. My next purchase will be a more educated one thanks to you. 😊

Great review, Amanda. So helpful. Thank you. X

I have the Tim Holtz trimmer, a guillotine, and a tonic blade trimmer and as you have said, each one does something the other one cannot. You are right the Tim Holtz one is expensive but for heavy weight work it's brilliant. Horses for courses. Thanks again for you great input.

Whenever you put in an order, just order a pkg of blades if you need to up your order to get the hostess gift. That’s what I do. I love the SU trimmer.

Thanks for sharing this honest review! I usually love my Tim Holtz products but not this one! I’m keeping it for cutting chipboard and water color paper but that’s all I will use it for. Mine also sticks on the metal rod and is very noisy when cutting.

I came here to defend Tim against the Scrimpy angst 😂 but found your review to be very informative and fair. I despise not being able to see measurements in an area!! And Yepper, You definitely need more than one Trimmer if you're a regular crafter- I LOVE his guillotines. I want to Thank You because I was considering buying this cutter, so you just helped my family save $70 for Christmas 😂

Very helpful!! I have a gullotine and dress my craft paper trimmer and I love it!! I am so glad that I did not invest in the Tim Holtz one!! Thanks for sharing!!

It was helpful to hear your feedback on this trimmer. I had been considering maybe trying a guillotine type Holtz trimmer if there is one, but then I realize that I don’t need to. I’ve tried other trimmers and my favorite has always been the Stampin Up trimmer and my mini Stampin Up trimmer. I have an old guillotine trimmer in my storage that I bought back in the days of homeschooling my kids and it is a workhorse and great for multiple sheets of cardstock. It was a life saver for when I was doing card classes or making a lot of cards for Christmas.It’s since been retired because I don’t have that need any longer.

Definitely good to watch a variety of reviews before buying this tool. I needed a good trimmer to primarily cut heavy cardstock for card bases and couldn't find a guillotine style one with consistent good reviews. Purchased this Tim Holtz one for $60 and have had great results. And I agree, you eventually need more than one type of trimmer if you do paper crafting for a while.

Thanks for your review, Amanda. I was seriously considering getting myself the Tim Holtz one but won't bother now. As you've said & I totally agree, we definitely need more than one trimmer based on what you're working with. So I'll be sticking with my Tim Holtz Guillotines, I have the large & small, & my Cutterpillar Pro rotary trimmer. My bank balance & I both thank you for saving us the money.

Disappointing about the Tim Holtz trimmer. I saw a few KZfaqrs say there was a bit of a technique to using it and I felt that you shouldn’t need to employ a special technique just to use a trimmer. I have an X-Cut (Tonic) guillotine, a Dahle office rotary trimmer and a Fiskars trimmer not unlike the SU one. I use them all for different things. You are right that one trimmer can’t do everything. 😊

I am so glad you did the review! I need a new trimmer but cannot afford to buy one I'm not going to use! Thanks for your honest opinion!

Thanks for the review. I have the Fiskars Precision Trimmer and absolutely adore it!

Thank you for your honest opinion Amanda! I agree, you need different trimmers for different projects!

Just spotted the link, bless your heart xx

I’m very pleased I’m not the only one who has settled on needing two different trimmers and for exactly the reasons you say, I have quite the supply of trimmers from cheap to really expensive! ($120 New Zealand) for my fiskars rotary and a smaller, lighter fiskars rotary, they both have the same advantages and disadvantages that you mentioned and I use them both in the same way you mentioned. This is definitely a multiple trimmer household here! I also have the wrmk’s scoreboard/trimmer that I use for scoring, I dislike the trimmer part of it immensely. Thanks for your review.

What a great review Amanda….totally agree, I had a fiskers trimmer 😏….i use that now as my scoreboard….my love is a X-cut guillotine had for years and it was a present from my daughter….yes we all have our favourites ….re the replacement blades….i suppose its worth buying a few packets of blades at a time…..cuts down on the postage. Xx

Thanks for your honest review.

Hi Amanda excellent in depth review thank you , I nearly purchased this so pleased I didn't I went for Crafters Companion Guillotine and I'm really happy with it, won't chop chip board though but im happy to use a Swan scalpel wth a safety none slip ruler also I've moved from chipboard for journal covers I now used pulp mount board what beer mat crafters use its brilliant easy to cut strong and doesn't crack when bent £6.99 for 20 A4 sheets good reviews on Amazon thought this might be helpful for anyone struggling to chomp chipboard. Thank you again Amanda brilliant 🌹

You need to press towards the trimmer bed when cutting to get the slivers (I.e. push to the left on the carriage when you move it with your right hand.) I’m not impressed with the trimmer either. My Dahle is way better. I did buy some grid paper though, because I like 1/8 measures and the painted measures on the Dahle bed can wear off. The grid would work on the TH trimmer bed too to get the 1/8ths. I noticed the grids are sold in CM too for those who prefer metric.

Great review Amanda. I saw a lot of bad comments about the Tonic one when it first came out. I use Fiskars and have for many years. I have a heavy duty guillotine too - Westcott. It is great at tidying up signatures. Its funny you mentioned the length. That to me is the most important thing. It has to fit on your desk or dining table or even lap top table. I think they give these to their design team members who have huge craft rooms. hugs xx

Hi Amanda. I also use the Stampin up trimmer and love it. I cannot imagine paying that much for the Tim Holtz one. Hugs. ❤💚❤

Thank you for the review. I love my Fiskars regular trimmer. I'm on my 2nd in 20 years. I do need something to cut chipboard, knives and rulers don't work for me with my old lady hands. I bought a rotary trimmer and didn't like it. The search continues.

I also bought the Tim Holtz cutter & hate the extension rulers. I've been looking at the Cutterpilar cutter, but I'm nervous to spend the money and maybe not like it either. Thanks for the comparison!

My mom bought me a REALLY expensive rotary trimmer and I love it... but I still keep my old "we r memory keepers" trimmer for the scoring! I definitely understand the good/ bad points you make!

Wow, what a great review. I was thinking about getting one? Think I will stick to my trusty SU one :)

Yep I have a SU trimmer and love it too, I also have learnt that using folded aluminium foil and just running the blade over it or even stabbing it will lengthen the life of the SU blades. Great review ❤ I also have a guillotine that I use to cut chipboard but mostly I use a blade and ruler ❤❤❤

I've got a Fiskars trimmer and not been dissapointed at all, such a shame that you have to do things to make the cutter do it's job, especially for that price! Great review, it just shows that new things not always do what the box says it does! Thank you so much for sharing, take care x

Very good information , so helpful , thanks so much for sharing the pro’s and con’s.

I hope you try Tims new precision trimmer...I think you will find that more akin to your old trimmer...however its back to the fixed replaceable blade system and associated cost. I have both, Im a sucker for Tim's products, but I also prefer mixed media to paper crafting, so the rotary is going to be the workhorse for me. And the new rotary trimmer has a learning curve as the blade needs to be angled towards the cutting plate when using it...its not a parallel up and down movement, its an application of sideways pressure while running up and down...thus the odd handle. You dont hold in between thumb and finger, its more base of hand and slight lean. Hard to explain but Tim has demonstrated it properly. I think the only day we will have that one perfect tool is when the invent the affordable laser cutter 🤣 But who knows what the future brings!

I like your stampinup trimmer. I have a Fiskars and it has that drop down like the Holtz trimmer, and the blades go dull so quickly. The one thing I really don't like on your Tim Holtz trimmer is that huge bar, you can't see where it's cutting. A lot of times I am cutting something and need to see exactly where I'm cutting. Thank you for the tutorial, the next trimmer I'm getting will be a stampinup.

Thanks for the honest review Amanda. I’ve heard more negative comments about the Tim Holtz trimmer than positive. I was tempted when it was first launched but now I’ve finally made my mind up. I won’t be buying this one xx

Great review. I use the stampin up one and the Fiskers. I love the Fiskers guillotine. I just find the Stampin Up blades wear out far too quick, which is costly with blades and I find it frays my paper, no matter what poundage, even when I clean the track. I also find it is difficult to read at the join. Like you I love some of the Stampin up products, just not a fan of the company. Thanks again for the review because I was considering buying the tonic studios one. I don't have a huge craft space either and if this one is heavy I really can't purchase it. Thanks again Amanda.

What you said at 5:45 in the video is exactly why I won't be buying this. The fold-out arm should be at the same level (height) of the cutting platforom. For me, that one flaw outweighs all the other positive aspects of this tool.

I've tried the hobby craft ones and you are so right they are not too good at all x

Thanks for the info!😊

Thank you for the review. I have a guillotine from tonic and a fiskars which the blades get blunt very quickly. Tfs.🥰😊

Great review video! 👍 I've had a Tonic Studios trimmer/scorer for years. I've not yet found anything I can't cut with it, however I do keep an old, duller blade for cutting chipboard and 300gsm cardstock. That way, I can make my blades work last twice as long. Also, Tonic Studio blades (and other makes may do this?) have a two-way blade so, as I'm a top down cutter, I just need to pop out the blade and turn it round which gives me even longer cutting power! I hope I've explained this clearly... 😬

I've been wanting to get a rotary trimmer for some time, but finding it really hard to choose, so I find this video really helpful. Tim Holtz stuff is pricey and that ruler would drive me nuts. The price of it, you would expect a better design. I've heard the Woodware one is brilliant, but not sure you can get them anymore and if you find someone selling them, you can't get the blades 😕 Thanks for this review, I now know which one to stay clear of 😊

I also have bought this paper trimmer and it's still in the box. I paid $150 AU which i regret

Thanks for the review/opinion. Hugs from Texas.

I don’t like not be able to see where I’m cutting. I have a Wescott brand trimmer similar to your Stamping up style and I have a Fiskers trimmer that I got on sale and a guillotine Fiskers trimmer that is medium to small size. I use the Wescott the most and then the guillotine trimmer and have not really used the Regular Fiskers trimmer as I am hoarding it and I don’t know why! Great review, hi from south Florida! USA

I use a stampin up paper trimmer as well. I love mine but I’ve just started my junk journal journey so who knows if I’ll need something else. I’m sorry the Tim holts one didn’t work out for you.

I've always been very happy with my Stampin' UP trimmer but I'm thinking of getting a heavier duty guillotine trimmer for heavier papers.

Thanks so much!

I don’t like that mine doesn’t have any overhanging edge past the blade. It needs at least a couple of centimetre’s .

I hate Rotary trimmers never had one that works I bought a min we r memory keepers trimmer & hate it to but I really like my swing line guillotine it works really well

I've never used any type of Paper Trimmer. I have several good pair of sissors, but have been to afraid to invest in a more expensive Trimmer. LOL.

I love Tim Holtz, but this trimmer fell short. The blade keeps popping off, but I still love you Tim.

I should have added I also don't like the channel that runs alongside the blade as thin strips fall into it and if not checked can make cutting difficult. .... but that might just be me.

Hi Amanda, I would like to change my old trimmer, which has seen better days for the Stampin up trimmer you recommended, but cannot seem to find it online. Am I looking in all the wrong places??? Help😍😍

I have to agree with everything you say. I find the measuring guide annoying lol but like Steve said.... you wouldn't just have one screwdriver so why have one trimmer but I think I have enough to last me a lifetime hahahaha . However, I think for what it is it's overpriced. and Tim Holtz needs to rethink the design.

Very helpful

Tim has another trimmer out. It’s more in the style of the SU trimmer but the blades look more robust. I’m not buying it because I have several trimmers already. 😊

I actually avoid Tim Holtz tools. The ones that work work but most of the time he's really just "reinventing" things that work just fine and charging far more than things need to cost. For cutting, my needs are modest since I don't cut chipboard. Inexpensive Fiskar cutting tools work just fine for me!

Consumer gets what they pay for from companys not taking into concideration except only for the $ signs

I have to say watching/listening to your “review”, did you not look at this trimmer or watch Tim’s video on it before you bought it? He addresses everything you’ve said and is pretty obvious to see before you buy it. I have it and it’s great. There’s nothing wrong with it, it just isn’t the right tool for you. Just say that.

After US exchange to CDN funds plus the Customs Duty/Taxes this trimmer came in at $198.00CDN. It is the 2nd worst crafting investment I’ve ever made. It does not cut straight, no matter how you hold your hand, cross your legs, or twitch your nose. You can take the same just cut sheet and put in your score board and it is out by at minimum by 3mm. Some say no big deal, well for me it is. It is a POS. I’ll stick to my Fiskars.

No way would I pay that trimmer 7:18

I don’t feel so bad about having three trimmers🤣

Unfortunately I bought this trimmer….I don’t like it at all. I’m with you…..I’ve had Stampin up trimmers for years…..which I will stick with.

Thanks Amanda, I can knock that off my Christmas list. As a very new to your site person, (thanks Sue @InspiredbyScript for the link) I’m enjoying the videos

Great honest review Amanda 🥰 I have the Tim Holtz trimmer and I would not buy it again, if I had to ❤️ thanks for sharing your honest review Hugs xx