Choosing a rotary cutter – types and features

There are many different rotary cutters available and it is important to find a rotary cutter that suits you and your needs

If you can, try-before-you-buy

The features that I consider when choosing a rotary cutter are:

Fit:

I like rotary cutters that:

Safety and style features:

Manual lock	Automatic lock	Ergonomic
The blade is: exposed by manually sliding the lock open or by releasing the lock button retracted by manually sliding the lock closed or pressing the lock button As the locking mechanism is manual, I like to be really careful to ensure that I have closed the lock as soon as I have finished my cut Olfa is an example of a brand that makes this style of rotary cutter	Style 1: The blade is exposed by squeezing the handle and is retracted by releasing the handle	Ergonomic style rotary cutters such as the style made by Martelli: expose the blade by either rolling the blade along the cutting board or sliding the lock ope retract the blade manually closing the lock Martelli makes both left and right- handed ergonomic rotary cutters On the model I have, the locking mechanism is manual, so I like to be really careful to ensure that I have closed the lock as soon as I have finished my cut
	Style 2: The blade is exposed by pressing down to begin the cut and is covered when pressure is released Once the downward pressure is released, the blade retracts and is no longer exposed I like Style 2 because the blade is retracted as soon as I release the downward pressure Kai is an example of a brand that sells this style of rotary cutter

Size:

There are different sized rotary cutters and blades available

I regularly use 60mm, 45mm, 28mm and 18mm sized rotary cutters

Make sure that you order the correct size blade for your rotary cutter

The larger the blade, the further the cut will be with each each rotation

The smaller the blade, the tighter the curves that can be cut