12″ Tonic Super Trimmer Review – Tonic Paper Cutter Board

For a while I have been wanting a decent paper trimmer for use in my craft room. I have a portable one, but I wanted something more “solid”. When my mum got a Tonic Super Trimmer last summer, I was rather envious of some of its features. But I am envious no longer as mum bought me my very own one for my birthday!

The trimmer has a large base plate and is suitable for paper and card that has one dimension less than 12″. It comes in a simple “blister pack” with instructions for how to replace the blades and how to use the trimmer. There are two blades includes -a cutting one and a scoring one.

The paper or card is held beneath the clear, central ruler. This has measurements in both cms and inches and the ends are “turned up” which makes it very easy to flip open and closed.

The board is marked in both centimetres and inches throughout. The rulers are repeated around the board to ensure it is always easy to be accurate. This is one of the strongest features of this cutting board. There are also lines marked out at 4 1/4″ and 5 1/2″. These are the standard dimensions of greetings cards in America, though not in most other countries. However, many non-USA crafters do use American products and standards, or you can just ignore the marks! It is just as easy to use the board for International standards too (A5 and A6 sized cards).

The rulers have extensions that swing out from behind the board and click into place to make the board effectively wider. There are two of these swing arms, and this enables the board to be used either way up.

A scoring bladed head is included. The “blade” is smooth to the touch and ideal for creasing lines in projects.

The included cutting blade is permanently mounted in a plastic holder. This is very easy to slip into and out of the central ruler. A great feature of the blade holder is the two little pointy “wings” that stick out of the sides. These allow you to line up the blade with the ruler and cut very precise lines in the middle of your card – ie not cutting to the edge. This makes cutting mounts and frames a doddle and is one of the things that really swung me to this particular model of paper trimmer.

The paper trimmer is very well made. It feels sturdy (though it is lightweight) and all the markings are deeply engraved so unlikely to wear off easily. I have been using it a lot and am very impressed with how easy it is to get quick, very accurate cuts. I have used it on paper from very thin copier tissue paper right up to 340gsm board.

Handy Hint – When cutting, alway slide the cutter towards the edge your paper is butted up against. Doing the opposite can drag the paper away from the edge and lead to a wonky cut.

I am very happy with the Tonic Super Trimmer and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sturdy, easy to use paper and card trimmer. I love the features that help ensure accuracy (even for someone who is like me!). A very well thought out and well made piece of crafting equipment.

Here are links to the Tonic Super Trimmer on CraftStash and Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk. If you purchase after clicking any of these links, I will receive a small commission for sending a customer their way.