HFS(R) Heavy Duty Guillotine Paper Cutter 400 Sheet Capacity | Solid Steel Construction (A3-17'' paper cutter)

Pretty straightforward to set up, but could be confusing upfront. Ditch the blue safety guard, who needs safety anyway? The blade is hefty, and the pressure bar is great for aligning paper on the board. So far it looks like the measurement indicators are pretty spot-on. Only a mm or two difference between cuts, but it can easily slice through extra thick stacks. For anyone setting it up for the first time, DO NOT UNSCREW ANYTHING before reading the instructions thoroughly. I unscrewed the black alignment bar from its track like a doofus, and then I had to take a good portion of the cutter apart in order to get the alignment bar back into its mounting bracket, which is held together with tension. If you unscrew it, the bracket will fall to the bottom of its track, and you will NOT be able to reattach it without taking the track apart. The adjustable alignment bar is hit or miss. I don't use it too often, as it feels a bit loose once it's tightened down. I just use the printed measurements and it's treated me well. One thing to be aware of is that the grid on the cutting board is for cm measurements, NOT inches. You need to align your cuts to the two rulers on the board instead of the grid. That might be a little confusing for newcomers. Overall though, the guillotine is fantastically sharp and has held its edge for the month I've had it. Hopefully it holds that edge for a good long while.

The Paper slicer of your dreams. When I say it cuts thru a Reem like butter. 👍 im a book maker and the time this saved me. Was using a 13 page cutter. This is my fav tool

Overall a good paper cutter. But even though it sells as a 400 sheet capacity, I would not recommend cutting anything that thick. When cutting small length of paper it cuts with ease, but the thicker the stack and the longer it is, the more difficult it can be to cut and can be less accurate. Especially with card stock or index. Keep the stock height for card stock to .5 of inch or less. The movable cutting stop is challenging to set parallel to the blade. Even when the guide is parallel to the blade the fence is not at a 90% angle, it's slightly off. The movable guide is also not even. it's made of plastic and only claps at on end. And be careful when placing a stack of paper in, if one taps the guide too hard it will move. And recheck the guide after each cut, because it can move from the force of the cut, especially when cutting card stock or index. I've read complaints about the knob stripping out from over tightening, so it's a fine balance to apply enough pressure to hold it's position, especially when make multiply cuts the same size. I've used it long enough now that I needed to replace the cutting wick. That was interesting. You have to turn the cutter on it side. I can't image how difficult that would be on the larger size cutter (17'). It's very awkward to do. I have not needed to change the blade yet, I'll let you know how that goes later. The biggest disappointment is it's listed as a 12" cutter, that's only 12" in width not length. It should be 12" both ways. I purchased this cutter when my 18" 35 year old electric cuter, finally quit. A new one is several thousand dollars and I could not find a used one. My cutting needs were also less, but still needed to have something on hand. (self employed printer since 1997), so I opted for the 12" manual cutter rather than the 17" that they also sell. Given the price, I have to admit that over all it does the jobs I need for now, even though It requires many more cuts to get the job done. One more thing for safety, even though they have a plastic guide that covers the front of the blade, be carefully when removing paper from the cutter, the cutting edge of the blade is exposed and it is possible to nick your fingers, because that plastic guide moves up easily. So be mindful, the blade if very sharp.

I was skeptical after all the reviews on various models on here. I took a chance and don’t regret it…but it’s also day 1 and I’m not running a business. I received what I believe is a new unit based on packaging. Instructions were easy but I had to figure out the feet on my own. Not too complicated but they do snap in if you press down on the unit. Within a few minutes I grabbed some scrap cardstock and cut 5.5” wide pieces easily. It was a variety of brands so after I cut once, the other piece had some that were longer than 5.5” so I popped that stack in and it cut the slivers off easily. And they measure exactly 5.5”. So far, so good. The caveats are that the guide bar can move at the free end. South end if you’re looking at it like a map. So I made sure that when I added my stack of cardstock that I didn’t push too hard on that section. I have no intention of cutting an entire ream of paper so this shouldn’t be an issue. I’m mostly cutting heavyweight cardstock, and I am tired of doing 2 sheets at a time. Another thing to note is that it does make an impression on the top piece of cardstock. It didn’t go through to the second, so I’ll be sure I have a scrap piece on top each time. Not a deal breaker. I waste more than that trying to cut individual sheets. The last thing I noticed was when I clamped the paper down. The top sheets of paper wanted to shift out so I repositioned, reclamped, making sure it stayed against the guide. No issues so that’s just a learning curve. Second cut was fine, without the need to readjust. When I raised the clamp for the first time there was some paper and marks where they must have tested it once before packaging. Otherwise it looks brand new. I will be back to rate the blade durability once I’ve used it for awhile. I’ve heard they dull quickly so it was important that I have a blade easily available. One other notes about the weight. It’s heavy but not so heavy that my aging arms couldn’t manage it. I carried it in from the porch and brought it downstairs and set on a sturdy set of drawers. I up won’t be moving it much, but if I decide it’s taking up too much real estate for the usage, I can put it in another room and bring it out periodically.

I bought this for my bookbinding hobby and if you have ever tried trimming a text block with a knife you will understand why. Bookbinding is a very low-cost craft but in my view this piece of kit is essential and it is the only pricey tool you need to get. It works beautifully and is so satisfying to use. My only caveat is that when you first use it you must cut some waste paper initially to remove the oil used for transit. I didn't do that and so ruined a lovely text block. However, that was a one-off. It's a magnificent machine. By the way there are useful YouTube videos on how to adjust and maintain the blade.

The guillotine cuts through approx 3cm. It requires some effort but has now done about 30 books of this size without loss of sharpness. Two minor issues I've had to work around: 1. Books tend to warp a little whilst being cut, so I tend to break them into 2 thinner sections to reduce the effect 2. The last few pages don't cut cleanly, hence the scissors in the attached photo. I've tried putting scrap paper underneath the books, but that makes so much mess! Overall, very pleased.

WORKS BEAUTFULLY, ONCE YOU HAVE EATEN YOUR BREAFAST PORRIDGE TO OPEN AND TRANSPORT THE WEIGHTY PRODUCT, TO YOUR DESK' CLEAN CUT REQUIRING LESS MUSCLE THAN I IMAGINED FOR TRIMMING A 360 PAGE BOOK THE CUTTER FOOLED ME. BEFORE EXECUTING ITS MISSION, THE LOCK BUTTON HAS TO BE PRESSED. THE DOWNSIDE - THE TOOL BOX. SEALED BEYOND MACHINE EXTRACTING PRESSURE. ANS REMAINS SO. THE MEASURING BAR, WONT'S LOCK. SUSPICION FALLS ON INCOMPLETE ASSEMBLY. CAN BE WORKED AROUND, BUT THE PRICE SUGGEST A MORE THOROUGH INSPECTION BE TAKEN BEFORE LEAVING FACTORY. PROVIDING THE BLADE HAS A SATISFACTORY LIFE SPAN, NO INDICATION TO THE SERVITUDE OF CHOPS - THEN I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO A SATISFACTORY RELATIONSHIP. IF NOT, NOTICE WILL BE SHARED ON THIS PLATFORM.

Me llegó el día indicado, hasta ahorita estoy encantada como funciona, permite que entregue al cliente un buen trabajo, como no sabía de este equipo una muy útil herramienta.

if you do a lot of paper trimming, especially book edges, treat yourself and your shoulders to this tool! I love it. I do a lot of book making and it has saved me so much time, energy and frustration. Straight edges every time with little effort.