I ordered this little goodie from Amazon after hearing from somebody else that they thought it did a good job.
Have you ever used the true sharp power rotary blade sharpener?
It says I can sharpen my blade with the push of a button! I'm really hoping it works :-)
Anyone have any tips or hints for me? I'm going to get Jeff to help me whirr these blades down to a sharp edge!
I am hopeful that this baby will be worth it's weight in gold or at least give me a longer blade life!
44 comments:
Bonnie, I got one of these for my birthday this year. Read the directions and put lots of oil in the first time like it says. It does give you a little longer life on the blades but it's still not as good as brand new one. Still, saves a little $$.
well, be careful!~ I need to get one of those fish cleaning gloves or the quilter's equivelant. I almost had a BAD cut the other day... I was very lucky, but it scared the bajedsjas out of me. The cutter went right up onto my ruler and headed toward my wrist. YIKES!~ I think we all get complacent. I sure have... I always thought about those gloves and never thought I'd wear them. I now have had such a scare that I not only WILL wear one, but now I have to FIND one... not popular it seems.
Good luck!~Hope it works for you.
I will be anxious to hear what you think of this, Bonnie. I have yet to hear of a really GOOD sharpener...
I would like to second the comment made by Linda H.
We didn't get the electric version, but bought the TrueCut Linear Blade Sharpener which works like a knife sharpener. I'm not going to say that the blades are like new, but I can definitely get additional usage out of each blade.
Mom has it at her house, so I really need to pick up one for my home. Will be looking for your review on the electric version.
Annette (looking forward to New Years classes in Dallas)
A vendor at a show this summer (who sold blades, by the way) said re-sharpening blades is not a good idea...he said the sharpeners don't sharpen clear to the edge and leave little burrs which make ragged cuts and add to wear on the cutting mat...
I have one...have not tried it yet
Please tell us all how you like using it. We will all be waiting for the review.
Looks like you are exploring new waters here and we are all waiting to see if they are clear or if there are sharks.
I also have the TrueCut Linear Blade Sharpner and I do not think it does the job at all. I also will be waiting for your review. I do hope it works.
BTW: Will you come to my house and organize my closets, drawers and cupboards?? Didn;t think so! :)
WOW!! Keep the comments coming -- because unless I get GOOD comments, this thing is going back to amazon UNOPENED -- I'd rather spend the money on fabric than on yet another dud!!
I've heard nothing but negative reviews from my guild buddies on blade sharpeners. As a matter of fact, we recently had a "garage sale" at a guild meeting (bringing in ugly fabrics/stash that you don't want anymore, extra rulers, etc.) There were a number of blade sharpeners, NONE of which anyone bought, even at a discounted price.....
I was thinking of buying one but after buying blades at Harbor Freight I decided I would buy 65+ blades before getting to the cost of the sharpener. Not sure how many blades I use in a year. I did see Eleanor Burns use it on one of her Kitchen Videos and she loved it.
Sue
Upstate NY
I have one. I love it. My blades go through the sharpener 2 times, haven't tried 3, before they are discarded.
I'll be interested in hearing how you like it. My blades go rusty within 3 days here due to the high humidity. I either have to do all my cutting in one great big marathon or put in a new blade every time I want to cut fabric (which is costing me a fortune).
I didn't buy that version, but I do have a blade sharpener and It works very well as long as I keep it oiled and clean. It does get fine grindings and if I don't clean it the blades don't get as sharp. I have used it with some blades 3 or 4 times, but it seems to work well as long as I play by the rules.
I buy my "carpet" blades from Harbor Freight too. They're priced right.
Fons and Porter sell a "clutz glove". Not cut proof, but cut resistant. I cut the corner of my finger off before I decided I should have one! Sue K
I took a Craftsy Class from Pepper Corey and one of the Bonus lessons included Sharpening Your Rotary Cutter. It seemed really easy and she recommended it, so I went ahead and bought a Dritz Dual Rotary Blade Sharpener. It was only $19.95 at Jo-Ann's. It seems to work ok.
where are you ruthsplace? I have never heard that problem in a short time.
Bonnie have you ever used the manual device to sharpen blades??? They are not like new, but they are sharper so it is an improvement.
I am a sucker for gadgets, and bought one of these a while ago. IMHO, it was not worth the money. I need my blades to be very sharp, but this just didn't do it. I'm going to google Harbor Freight, though!
Anxious for your review, have been eyeing this with a girlfriend for quite some time - we think we will split cost and hopefully reap the benefits. Those who have commented on other blogs seem to echo the "not like new, but definitely extending the life of the blade"... And if we share, we save even more! Good luck!
Sure hope it works better for you than it did for me. Sorry :c(
I think I would get a sealable container and some of the things that take the moisture out of the air and store the blades in there. I bet even cat litter would help keep it from rusting. Or a batch of rice.
Gosh, gals, maybe I am weird or something because I am thrilled with my sharpener! Got it with Christmas money last year and am still using the same blades and they are still cutting. Of course, you have to play by the rules of the sharpener if you want it to work right-oil the heck out of the stones first and re-oil every time you use it, wipe off the stones when done to get the grit off and use the tweezers that come with it to handle the blades. I thought it was simple and easy and a great buy! But, then, I might be weird or something,..... :)
or, get someone who you know that works in a pharmacy to collect all the little moisture absorbers from the pill bottles for a day or so and your blades should stay dry in a tub or container.
I have one and love it. I'm able to get a good sharp edge at least 3 times. With the way it's made it only sharpens the tips. Be sure to use the oil.
Yes, I got one months ago and love it. That plastic one just didn't do it. Hope you love it too.
Jan in Gastonia, NC
Hmmmm harbor freight?? Going to look this one up too
Save those little bags of desicant and put your cutter inside a zip loc bag with several of those. They seem to come in so many things anymore. They're even in some of my prescription medicine, shoes, etc.
If you click on a person's name, you can usually see where they are from. Ruthsplace is from Papua New Guinea.
I live on the coast of S. E. Georgia and rust is awful, so can't imagine... We think we have it worse and someone else SURELY does...
Ladies, go to Harbor Freight.....carpet tool department. 45 mm blades in packs of 2....cheap, and sharp! And you'd be surprised how many other gadgets you can find that work in the sewing room! It's a really fun place to poke around in.
A friend and I split the cost and bought one last month.Most of the positive comments include, "Follow the directions." I agree with that.I love mine and want to keep it for myself.
Bonnie, here is a source for cheap blades. Harbor Freight sells rotary blades in their carpet installing section. Also I learned if you store your blades in a tin like Altoids has; place a round of flannel in the bottom, dampen the flannel with sewing machine oil; place 1 blade on top, another flannel round dampened with oil, another blade. Lid on the tin, stored and you can keep these blades for life with your sharpening machine which I do not have, BTW.
I looked at this cutter, but it said it would not sharpen blades w/ nicks, and I can't tell you how many times I've trashed a blade because I chipped/nicked it w/ my ruler.
I've found that I purchase the 'good' blades,and they last much longer than 'normal.' I only buy the Martelli blades now.
I get my bladesnfrom harbor freight and I actually think they last longer! I love them!
When Harbor Freight opened near us, my DH got all excited. I asked him to pick up a pack of the carpet blades for me as everyone was all goo goo over them. I tried one and it didn't cut well at all . I'm not sure if I got a bad batch or not. I think I'll put the other blade in today and try it.
I have the dritz hand sharpener and didn't think it worked well either.
I too have one of those sharpeners and love it. I do play by the rules (unusual for me! LOL!) and do have good results. I cut at least 20 projects out at a time because A) I'm not good at math and B) I detest cutting projects out. This sharpner solved a lot of problems there, for me at least.
I can sharpen a blade 3 times before I need to pass that blade on to DH to use in his shop for whatever there.
http://www.amazon.com/Colonial-Needle-Rotary-Blade-Sharpener/dp/B001CEAM88/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1351014450&sr=8-5&keywords=rotary+blade+sharpener
Bonnie - I hope it works to include this link in the comments. If not, it's for a simple hand-operated blade sharpener from Colonial Needle. I paid a lot less for mine than the listed price, on a 40 or 50% off notions special at my local fabric store.
I LOVE it. Simple to use, low-tech, and effective. I've had the same blade in my cutter for nearly two years. TWO YEARS! I do find that a good-quality blade (Olfa, for example) sharpens up better than a generic blade.
How well does it work? Let me draw you an analogy. Does it take your eight-year-old car and turn it into a brand-spanking new model with only 4 miles on the odometer? No. But it DOES turn your run-down old vehicle into a dealer's car with only 1,400 miles on it. Does that make sense? Close enough to new that I can be happy with it, esp. since a blade will last indefinitely if you don't nick it.
The gizmo doesn't cost much more than a couple of decent blades, so I thought it was worth the risk. In my opinion, mine has paid for itself many times over.
I love mine! I'm still sharpening the same three blades (18mm, 45mm and 60mm) since I received mine in July 2012. I do A LOT of cutting--I kit my stuff up for the many retreats I attend. I do keep a little clock with a second hand by the sharpener so I go for the full 30 seconds. I oil the stone each time and wipe it clean and use a magnet to lift the newly sharpened blade to drop into an empty yellow storage case they orginally came in and mark it "sharpened July 2012".
I was talking to a guy that sharpens scissors and he told me that those blade sharpeners are worthless.
Wish I'd known this before I opened mine, Ms Pat. Just tonight, mind you!
if all else fails, try a resaurant supply.
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