Oval/Round cutters- Fiskars vs. CM?

[Tinkrbell]

I am very new to scrapbooking and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue once I get my Disney books done.

I don't want to spend a fortune on products that I might never use again. I borrowed a friends CM oval & round cutters and they were great, but pricey. How are they in comparison to the Fiskars, better priced version?

Thanks for any help. From a New Scrapbooking friend.

PS- I may be on here a lot for advise while I'm finding the time to work on these.

 

[Spinning]

First offf.....HAHAHA you think you may not continue after you Disney album.... this is a very addicting habit! Once you start you can't stop! any way,
I love my CM cutting system. Only one that I have used. I like the fact you can make a perfect matts every time. I like that it is compact and can store easily. I also don't think it will break or fall apart.
But if you are just getting started and not sure if this is for you I would wait on a circle or oval cutter. it is pricey. I would invest in a good paper trimmer or a personal photo trimmer first you can always find uses for it down the road. Stick with simple cuts. then once you find you really do enjoy it (which you will ) then start to buy the tools .I would use your friends stuff more just so you get a good feel for the tools...Hope that helps!

 

[Alice28]

I can't remember if the original circle cutter I had was Fiskars brand or not....it was a swing like action number, where there was a tubular base, and then you put another piece down the tube, like an arm, and you had to screw in and out the blade, to the size you wanted. I used it for many years, and for the most part, thought it was better than tracing and cutting. BUT I HATED when I would mis-judge how big or little I needed to put the blade in or out and would cut my picture too big or too small. Or cut my paper mat too huge or more frustrating, too little. I to borrowed a friend's CM circle and oval cutting system and LOVED it so much that I bought one almost immediately. I too balked at the thought of shelling out $52 (I wanted the circle & oval patterns at the same time), but it was worth every penny. I have had it for at least 2 years now and have only had to replace 1 of the blades ( they do dull--the are only $4.75 to replace a blade). Also, with CM, once you make the first invesment to buy the original set, it seems cheap or at least reasonable, that each additonal set of patterns is only $14.

I am a CMC, so I am biased, but I had my experience with other brands, and that is the conclusion I came to WAY before I became a CMC...if you have any other questions about the product, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[crazyforpooh]

I love my CM circle and oval templates and all the other templates you can use this cutting system with. Go for it I say if you think you will continue scrapbooking, which I believe you will.

Alice28 - you are decribing the old CM circle cutter which I swore by till they came out with the templates.

Laura

 

[Alice28]

Laura,

I know mine wasn't CM brand cause I got it at Michael's- it was probably just a knock off of the CM idea though....

 

[Twigs]

I had the fiskars oval and circle cutters long before I started scrapping, when I went to a friends CM party, I discovered their cutters and they are the best. They are fast and easy to use. I hardly use the fiskars anymore, only a few times for sizes that don't match up with the CM system. Even though they are much more expensive, if I were to only have one system it would be the CM, the fiskars are tricky to get the hang of, and if you want to reproduce the same exact size after changing the adjustment, it is almost impossible to do. As for not continuing scrapping I'm with Spinning, it is a very addicting hobby. I thought I would only redo DS's baby album and that would be it, but I can't stop!

Another thought about investing in the system, I use them for other projects other than scrapping and for DS's school projects etc. so there are many uses for them.

 

[WDWAurora]

I asked this same question not long ago!!

For a much more reasonable option, check out Coluzzles. This was suggested to me, and I'd never heard of it. I had decided to go with the CM set, but my grandparents got me Coluzzles for Christmas. It is FANTASTIC! Since then I've used the CM set several times, and I didn't do well at all with it. Fiskars apparently rips a lot of people's pictures, so don't go with it! Coluzzles uses a mini swivel blade and it's a flat thing that you cut the shapes from...and there are tons of sizes on each shape's template. I have circles, ovals, and squares. Each template is about $7.50, and the starter kit with the mat and blade are around $20...These are available at Michaels as well as online. I highly highly recommend this kit! I never would have been open to it without the suggestion of many wonderful DISers! It's the oldest cutting system, too, if that says anything about its longevity and usefulness over time.

 

[Tinkrbell]

You guys are GREAT!!!

I can't believe I've gotten such helpful advice so quickly on scrapbooking!

This really must be addictive. I'm still not sure which system I'm going to go with yet. decisions, decisions....

 

[nicki dahling]

Another recommendation for CM. And a warning label "resistance is futile " ! Scrapping is addicting ( especially if you hang around this group ).

Cyndi

 

[pjlla]

Glad to hear all this info. I got the CM oval cutting set for Christmas and other than a brief "test run" I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I didn't specifically ask for this, but I think I will enjoy having/using it. ..................P

 

[Lisa P.]

My DD & I are both very new to scrapbooking. Just this month, we went to our first CM crop and got to try out the CM cutters. We thought they were very easy to use. I especially liked the 12 inch wavy cutter. I can see why people love them.

Due to very limited funds, we decided to buy the Fiskars. We don't regret it. We practiced cutting shapes with several kinds of papers, cardstock and junk photos. We quickly learned to do it well and we like it a lot now.

We only bought one shape cutter ($15), 2 mats ($6 x 2) and one set of templates ($10 for ovals, circles, rectangles). Each template has a different rippled edge as well as a long straight edge, which we use for cropping paper & photos rather than using a $20 photo trimmer. The pretty, rippled edges are not as easy but we've learned to use them. We also bought a Fiskars scissors that cuts 4 different kinds of corners for $4.

So for $41 + tax, we've got all we need with Fiskars. If you don't need the extra mat, it would be ~$35 + tax. Similar CM cutters (straight + circles + ovals + corner rounder) would cost $74 + tax ($38 + $14 + 14 + $8) plus a 2nd cutting mat (saves us time in sharing the cutter between us).

For some, the ~$40 difference is definitely worth it, since they use it so much and they may find it much easier. But we really enjoy using our Fiskars cutters and that $40 bought plenty of other supplies. Those page protectors really add up once you get going!

If possible, go to a large crop and see if you can try a few different cutters that other people own. We know a few others who like using their Fiskars too. Several friends swear by their Coluzzles though we haven't tried them ourselves. Lots of people love their CM cutters too. But only you can decide if you like one more than another, enough to pay the difference in prices. So see if you can try them for yourself. HTH!

 

[Twigs]

I just want to clarify the fiskars cutters: the Fiskars Shape Cutting System that you use with the plastic templates is totally different from the fiskars oval and the fiskars circle cutter. the oval and circle cutters are a one unit device that adjusts by lengthening an arm that holds either a blade or pencil and you have to turn it around while holding the middle in place, not sure if I am describing it right. If you aren't careful with them you can tear a lot. I had these years ago before I even thought of scrapping. The Fiskars Shape Cutting system has a round shape cutter with a swivel blade in the middle that can adjust for the height of the plastic template, or you can use it without the template with the blade higher and cut free form shapes(my kids think this is a lot of fun).

Lisa P. I also have the fiskars shape cutting system and I love that too! It is very easy to use because of the swivel blade. I know what you mean about the borders, it was tricky at first but I too have gotten the hang of it. I have a lot of their templates too, the frames, banners, alphabet(which is tricky to use too), windows, hearts, diamonds(which I love), fun shapes and stars. I want to get some of the box templates, they look like fun too.

But as I said in my earlier post, when it comes to cutting circles and ovals, I use the CM system as it has more size choices, 18 for the circle and 24 for the oval, and if you want to cut the same size again it is always perfect.

 

[chessie]

I have to agree with Spinning. This album will definitely not be your last. This is truly an addictive activity.

I did not invest in tools for some time. I still don't have a lot of tools. I bought the CM straight cutter and mat with the red and blue blades to start with. That was all I used for quite some time. I added the green blade and the circle and the oval templets one at a time. I was given the other shapes by a friend but they are still in their packages. I found that I don't do much cropping of my photos except to cut off some of the sky or ground and to maybe center the subject a bit better. Even so I think the CM cutting system was a very wise purchase.


Chessie

 

[Lisa P.]

Thanks for the clarification, Twigs! I don't think I could handle the oval cutter and circle cutter you described. I wouldn't want to deal with adjusting the size of the shape each time. Using a template (with either CM or the Fiskars Shape Cutter or I suppose, Coluzzle) is so easy and consistent.

 

[pattyT]

I have the Ovals from CM
and the Fiskars Round thing Alice is talking about -
The CM is much easier to get a clean cut from.
With the fiskars one I often have to take out the scissors and snip somewhere cuz it didn't cut all the way through -
just my 2 cwnts of course

 

[caseylouandtyler2]

I have the Fiskars shape cutter, the one that twigs described with all the templates. I swore by the thing. UNTIL. . .


I went to a CM crop.

I am currently waiting for my new oval and circle cutting system to come in.

I used the CMC tools while at the crop and absolutely loved them. I can't wait until they come in, I refuse to do anymore of my books until I get them.

 

[Tinkrbell]

Well, I think I finally made up my mind!

If its that much easier to use I'll just go with the CM cutting system. I know I'll be much happier in the end.