Side by Side Comparison of: Swingline vs Purple Cows

Cuts like butter! I even tried 10 scrapbook pages at once. Flawless! This is a lightweight easy to use machine that I love. It doesn't have a laser to tell you where your cutting, but you don't need it! It's that easy! It has a safety lock underneath that holds well. I don't see why anyone could give this less than 5 stars!

THis works for what I need it to cut card stock. Save me so much time. It doesn't have that wooden hefty feel since the board is made of light plastic. It does it's job cutting thought. Straight.

I have a paper goods business and this has held up very well over time. It has stayed sharp and has a safety clip that protects children and others from getting cut. It cuts well and can cut a few sheets of paper at once. I use it daily.

While I have only had this cutter for a short time, I have used it every day. It is lightweight,portable, and easy to use. The guidelines are easy to see. I have not tried 10 pages to check the description, but I have used to cut through several pages of cardstock. I highly recommend, and would purchase again.

This trimmer is really great! I decided to get it despite the fact that products sometimes are different online than when you finally receive them in hand. So, I took the risk, and guess what? I was pleasantly surprised. The quality is excellent for the price. The packaging is excellent and protects it during shipping. I also received it faster than I expected! Please note that I received this product at a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. Despite the discounted price, I have not allowed the opinions expressed in this review to be affected. Therefore, I have consistently made sure my review remains balanced and accurate. Thanks for reading.

I love it. I was struggling with an 8 inch one for a long time before I finally gave in and bought a proper guillotine. For the price, it exceeds my expectations. I will let you all know now that I don't cut more than two sheets of cardstock at a time. I don't really have a reason to do so. I mostly make cards and sometimes journals. I have not tried cutting chipboard yet but, I have cut some thick cardboard and have had no issues. I guess if there was something that was bothering me about this guillotine is that there is nothing to hold the paper down besides your own hand (which can shift the paper if you are unstable), those of you who have a Tonic guillotine know what I am referring to. Otherwise, this cuts very well. You don't need much pressure to cut through paper (gravity works in your favor), though I did need to use a little bit of force to cut though the cardboard. It will most likely be the same for the chipboard.OH...one more thing....The ruler on the board and at the top is exactly 11 inches. If you line a 12x12 piece of paper right on the cut line, you will get 12 inches. Also, each square is a 1/2 inch.

Great for the home card-maker. Guillotine cuts perfectly and easily;vast array of blades all work well, except 1, but I've only yet tried it on regular paper, so it's not yet a fair review. For the dollar, you'll not be disappointed.

This thing is great so far!It's a multiple position piece of equipment. You can see it's a guillotine on the right and a roller on the left. The base board can be split, so you actually have two cutters that join in the middle for a sturdier base.The guillotine cutting edge has a nice hand guard that helps to hold the paper down on the left (inside) edge. If you're just making a quick cut and don't hold it down like you're supposed to (tsk, tsk), the cutting action activates a small spring which does the same. So, in theory, your paper won't move too much as you cut through it. It worked great cutting through 6 pages when we tested it.The roller works just as well. I didn't expect it to come with all the different attachments. It came with six additional cutting wheels, which are super easy to swap in and out (just a push, twist, and remove). My wife was just looking for a simple, high quality cutting wheel. These added options will let her do all kinds of fancy trimming. One I liked is a scoring option, in which it doesn't cut all the way through. I joked that she can now make her own coupons.My only complaint is that, though there are two spots for storing extra cutting wheels on the board and the other four wheels came on a small plastic carrier, there isn't anywhere to store all of the wheels it came with, nor the 4 wheel carrier. I'd prefer to keep them all in one, cause I feel like that the four wheel carrier might wander away.

For the price, this cutter has a lot going for it.1. Knowing ahead of time that there are some structural issues means I am keeping the box and will handle it with care.2. The Guillotine blade worked well on fairly heavy card stock. This was heavier than just heavy paper, but not thick enough that you could see much edge.3. When the blade got dull, cutting aluminum foil really did sharpen it quickly.4. Guillotine blade did not work well on glassine "paper". Would have been better to use thin vellum as interleaving instead. Regardless, the rolling blade worked very well!5. Every easy to use. Has all the cutting alignment tools you need. I am quite pleased.6. I am intrigued by the various alternate shaped cutting blades for the rolling blade. Will have to experiment with them.7. The final test will be to use it to cut fabric and test if the aluminum foil trick applies to the rolling blade. If those work, it doesn't get much better!

Great product. Love the flexibility of 2 separate cutting machines in one with the added bonus of extra blades. I have several trimmers in my collection and this has quickly become the favorite. The guillotine arm cuts much better than heavier duty models we use at school.

I love the product and it works very well. However, I was just reviewing my receipt and find the I was charged a VAT of $3.19 which is not applicable when the product is shipped to the U. S. and I would like that local tax refunded. VAT does not apply to export items.

This trimmer is such a good deal for the price. I like that it has two different methods of cutting, plus the blades that can cut several different designs were a great bonus! I used this trimmer to cut 200 wedding invitations and cards for wedding favors--it was accurate, easy to use, and has held up great! I haven't even used all the features. Again, great value for the price.

this is a small papercutter, which i've used to cut treat bags and card stock. I like that it's a smaller size (compared to the huge one I had). Fits all kind of paper - which is perfect. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because it's a little light. My other papercutter was heavier and a bit sturdier. But anyways, this works for my purposes..

I really like this cutter so far. Cuts Vinyl with ease but don't expect to cut more than two pieces of vinyl or 4 pieces of paper at once. Great product just not professional grade (whatever that is) material... Would buy again!

Mostly good ... starts to feel flimsy once you have 10 pages. Accidently cut 20 pages at one point and was terrified the cutter would just crumble when I lifted the lever again ... eep ... when this dies (and I'm sure it will) I'll be springing for the higher model

Easy to use, great quality, and very sharp! This paper cutter is almost perfect for any teacher, or person who wants a paper cutter. The only downside to this paper cutter is that the lock on the side is extremely close to the blade and doesn't always seems to lock very well when being transported. Other than the lock, it will easily cut through all the paper you feed it!

Nice and sharp so it cuts cleanly. The back edge is perfectly perpendicular to the cutter so that it makes straight cuts. It's lightweight and flimsy so it needs to be on a flat hard surface so that the rubber feet can make purchase. All in all this is a great cutter for the price.

I have been using this for a while now and I can say that it is a far superior improvement over the paper cutter that has the little roller slide blade. This is basically the cutter you had in grade school that you weren't allowed to touch, just scaled down. It is a little flexible, so If you are using it on the floor or an uneven surface, it will bend. The plastic does feel a little like a cheaper plastic. If it were to fall from a table, I'm not so sure that it would survive onto a travertine floor. Luckily it hasn't happened. I cut a lot of card stock with it, 3-4 layers thick and it cuts just fine. I probably wouldn't push 5.

Cuts well but as several reviewers noted, it is hard to determine where the exact cut will be. I am getting better at using it but it also takes quite a bit of hand/arm strength to use.I have tried some of the specialty blades and they did provide interesting edging.

This is a great trimmer. I love that you can do with rosary and guillotine cutting with the same device. I tend to use guillotine more often but love the option. It is quite sturdy and gets lots of use. I have a business where I cut vinyl designs daily and need them trimmed. I even cut 3 layers with transfer tape added.

No doubt a good cutting machine, but somehow for me, not the ticket. It has a lot of blades for various specialty cutting requirements, and both a guillotine blade and a rotary blade, but that was not enough to offset the fact that I could not keep paper from skewing a bit when I used the guillotine, and the rotary cutter allowed only a couple of pieces of paper to be cut at any one time. I'm pretty sure the fault was with the operator, and I have since been able to correct the skewing problem by using a rotary cutter which runs along double-bars made by Fiskar. I think the Purple Cow is a good machine, but my success rate for true cuts has risen markedly since I switched.

I bought this paper trimmer after tiring of using scissors to cut my classes supplements. It's sturdy and works well enough. I will say that it is a little on the cheap side, it doesn't have real stainless steel accents, but it works well enough!

I love the size and weight as it is not to small and not to heavy. I am a little disappointed in the accuracy of the cuts. It is not accurate on straight cuts and cuts at a slight angle. I mostly wanted it for straight cuts so that's a bit of work for me , and yes I did follow directions on getting a straight cut.

I love everything about this, except for that fact it doesn't always appear to cut straight (may just be a user error, ha!) but the blade seemed somewhat dull from the start. Still gets the job done.

The 15" Swingline Paper Trimmer seems to be fine for everyday casual use. It can cut several papers at a time. For thicker paper like cardstock, it is best to cut a max of 2 sheets simultaneously otherwise it would cut at a slant. Similar with paper that has a shiny luster, brochures for example, you can only cut 1 at a time but it is difficult to be precise.It's great for small arts and crafts activities, homework and other light duty tasks. For more heavy duty paper cutting, opt for a wooden one instead. The price is also quite high considering the quality and precision of this paper trimmer.

Does a good job if you cut less than five pieces. Any more than that it won't cut all the way through.

This product is okay. It handles less than 10 pages the best. The underneath is hallow so it's not entirely sturdy. It did the job of cutting my wedding invitations decently. I had to be careful though because it did cut several of them loop sided even with me be very careful about lining them up straight

It was sharp, inexpensive, and cut a few sheets okay. Snap on handle tip appeared at first to be missing, but found it later buried in the packaging. It is very lightweight, not like those heavy and stable maple wood trimmers you remember from grade school (if you are old enough), but okay for occasional use.The design flaw is that it should have a hinged, clear, fold down ruler on the table near the cutting edge to keep the paper from moving and flat while cutting.

Cuts well ... but it's SO lightweight! Which normally might be a good thing but it moves easily when using sometimes. Especially if you're in a hurry and that's never a good thing. I wish it were a little heavier so it wouldn't move just from making a cut. Other than that it cuts extremely well. I have given up on using my previous trimmer.

Nice sharp blade, cuts straight lines. Would be totally satisfactory for use in hobby--scrapbooking, cardmaking, etc. However, I ordered this for use for cutting and assembling wedding invitations. My major problem with it was the lack of precision in the measurements. At the top, each 1/8th inch is marked with a line, 1/2 inch and inch with a larger triangle marking. These didn't match up with the grid precisely, which made cutting larger pieces a little more difficult. A couple inches further down there was another ruler; this one also included metric (which also didn't quite line up with the grid). However, these two rulers still didn't quite give me accurate measurements. If I didn't have such a need for precision, this would have worked quite well enough!I am returning in favor of continuing to borrow someone else's X-ACTO brand trimmer with wood cutting surface and gridlines that extend from major points of measurements (each 1/2 inch and each centimeter) all the way to the bottom of the surface.

This product is okay. Made with cheap quality but will do the job for daily projects.

It doesn't cut perfectly. I have to hold down the paper really hard so it doesn't move and I don't get a weird cut.

It still isn't exactly what I wanted.

I purchased this trimmer to cut my coupons with. It works, but it has its flaws. You have to pull the handle a little to the left to get a clean cut.

Shipping was 3-5 days.Its built of a plastic base with a thin metalic sheet that is embossed w/paper sizes. The Guillotine is heavy duty metal and cuts great-metal to metal-pretty cool. The Rotary trimmer is awesome- blades are a little flimsy- but replaceable.It Did Break--> it got knocked off my desk onto a carpet ground and the guillotine plastic blade guard and metal push down bar broke off & I cant find a replacement part anywhere. It still cuts great, But will not be at my desk anymore for fear of someone being stupid LOL.I would have been happier if it was prime eligable or free shipping...but overall I'm ok w/purchase.I like it(as for what it does) but will not recommend it to others because its got parts that are not that durable.

The one I received grabs the paper and does not cut a straight line. Now I'm waiting on amazon to approve my return request. I don't know if it was just a defective individual item I received or the design is flawed. I think the cutters that have a sliding blade are better.

It doesn't cut the best, especially towards the last half of the board. It tends to instead fold the paper and crease it. Pretty disappointing.

The first couple of cuts were great, however we have noticed that as we have been using it more, the bottom portion of the cuts are anywhere from 1/8-1/4" wider than the top. Would love to contact the company directly to report it and return it, but for whatever reason the information is no where to be found here on Amazon.

I am very disappointed with this cutter. I wanted this to cut InkJet paper for T-shirt designs.. I only cut ONE piece at a time and the cutter does not cut a STRAIGHT line.. The cut is perfect at the top of the paper but towards the bottom the cut is way off.. I thought maybe my Paper was not lined up correctly.. After a ton of tries, and my whole household trying it out we could not get it to cut straight. Its possible the handle has been bent. I would not recommend this product. If I wouldn't have used st the package to start a fire in the pit, I would return this..

I've been using this cutter for about a year. There are plenty of good reviews here so I'll just skip to my pros/cons.Pros: It is still cutting as well as it did a year ago. I've cut cardstock, chipboard, and paper - probably totaling a few thousand cuts. Also, it is sturdy. I've had no issues with cracking or sticking. It balances well.Cons: The biggest, and the reason for my low rating, is that the handle/blade/grid are not properly aligned. If you align your paper to the vertical grid, it will be off. If you align it to the horizontal grid, it will be off. If you guesstimate, it will be off. Cutting perfectly even paper requires pre-measuring with a ruler for my unit. Also, the latch that is supposed to hold the handle down rarely secures it for more than a few minutes. Then, it falls off. Finally, you must hold the paper down close to the guard bar or you'll get slippage toward an incorrect cut.I'm finally going to break down and buy another paper cutter. It's sad because this one still cuts but the hassle of never having even pages without a few extra steps is more than I want to deal with right now. I hope that my unit was just defective and no others are having this issue. Still, I thought I'd share a review in case it happens to someone else. I didn't ask for a replacement because I always thought I must be doing something wrong. Finally, after a year of botched cuts, I asked someone else to try it. When their cuts also failed, I realized it is the tool.

**Please read with the caveat that I purchased this for trimming of photos for framing.**Upon first opening the package, this trimmer was disappointingly light and did not seem of high quality. Minor assembly was required -- simply snapping the handle onto the blade -- and ready to go. I took a test slice of the instruction manual, and it cut well, although with a pretty nails-on-chalkboard kind of sound.I then took it to its main task -- trimming small sections off of photos so they could fit in frames. For reference, I was cutting high quality photo paper, professionally printed, and I was cutting sections ranging from 1/4 - 1/16". The paper cutter did not handle the small cuts well at all, resulting in significant fraying and creasing, rather than cutting. The trimmer fared marginally better with the larger cuts, yet I still had to position and reposition and try different techniques to get it it cut well.Verdict -- fine for cuts where convenience is required, but not quality. Would not recommend for photos.Pros:+ Cost-effective based on what else I saw on Amazon.+ Sharp blade. Talk to my girlfriend's hand.Cons:- Feels cheap and plasticky.- Does not cut photos at all.- Felt like I needed to try different techniques / ways of holding, yet nothing worked.- Markings were not as small or precise as I would have liked them to be.

I like the safety features on the rotary trimmer and the guillotine. However, the trimmer will not cut anything heavier than copy paper and even then it is not dependable. If it does cut, it often looks as if it were chewed. This cutter is not at all suitable for card making or scrap booking. It is also difficult to line up the paper to cut where you want it to cut. The directions that came with the cutter suggests moving the paper about 1/8 in. to get the desired size, but they don't say which way to move it and you cannot see where the blade is as it cuts the paper. There are a lot of line and measurements on flat area, but if you place the paper against the straight edge, the trimmer or the guillotine doesn't go to the end so the paper is not cut completely even the copy paper. This item is a complete waste of money.

The materials and construction are very weak/cheap. The straight edge cutter with interchangeable blades, does not even cut through one sheet of paper. I'm not even able to use this item for the task for which I purchased it.

Not sharp enough. Thicker pages get caught and torn. Also hard to see exactly where it will cut.

The guillotine seems to work fine but my issues are with the rotary. One of the springs does not work (right out of the box) so clamping down my papers does not work well. I would return it, but you can tell it is VERY cheaply made and I assume the same issue would arise with a new one. I have found the rotary also seems to only cut 1/2 papers and simply makes an indent on the 3rd. This had high reviews so I really expected better.

Cheaply made, the blade in the cutter we received was sharp at the top and bottom and dull somewhere in between. Wouldn't cut printer paper straight as a consequence. Safety latch doesn't work. It was loose upon unpacking. We very carefully tightened it with a screwdriver as it's in a location where you can cut your hand on the blade. Safety watch stayed locked til we opened the blade to use again. Then safety latch would not stay engaged and kept falling off. This was a complete waste of money. Doesn't do what it's supposed to, is dangerous because of the faulty safety latch and dull part of blade, and is lightweight/junky. There is no way for us to store this where someone couldn't become severely injured picking it up due to faulty safety latch.

Very unsafe!Cut paper in an inclined line not straight so the papers end up having white ages from at the end.

Had to return. Would not cut a straight line. Every page I tried was a slightly curved edge.If you just need things cut and don't care about precision, this will work. If you need a straight line, try something else.

Does not cut thick paper evenly all the way. the item is made so cheaply that the plastic bends and it is hollow and thin. the blade wobbles and flex like a bow when cutting a few sheets together. this one for $40 is not worth the price ( cheap plastic+ blade=$10 worth)

After only a few cuts, this paper trimmer started tearing my paper instead of cutting it. As I trim mostly expensive, quality paper, this just wouldn't do. The plastic base seems too light for the blade. Perhaps this imbalance caused some of the cutting issues. For light trimming tasks on standard printer paper where accuracy isn't important, this might do the job. Otherwise, I would not recommend it. Spend a couple more dollars for a trimmer with a sturdy metal base.

The blade on both side was made of poor quality rough edges. The blade is just a piece of metal that wasn't sharpened. There is no way it will cut 1 piece of photo paper sharply and like a scissor. When I try my first cut it thorn my photo didn't even make through a quarter of the paper. I regret having bought this product. I do not recommend this product at all.

RECEIVE BROKEN

I returned mine, but I like the idea of this gadget. I couldn't get mine to work in my favor. The cutting wheels would only cut thin paper and the cutting board side was just down right awkward to use for me. I am not saying that this is not a good product. I am just saying that it was not good for me for my projects. I tried hard to get it to work for me if only for the rotary trimmer to know avail.

Not a very good product does not cut well or does it cut through thick materials and you also can't tell what you're cutting until you cut it don't waste your money and do not buy this product please don't make that mistake

So many good reviews and my experience this thing is a piece of junk. The blade isn't even a blade just a piece of flat metal. I bought to cut a thin piece of laminated paper and it will cut about half. I have tried everythingDO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY

I had trouble getting the rotary trimmer to complete my cuts. I had tried it a week ago and had problems, but thought maybe I needed to put it on a harder surface. I put the cutter on a hard, very flat surface and I still had trouble. I would not recommend this to anyone.