HFS(R) Heavy Duty Guillotine Paper Cutter 400 Sheet Capacity | Solid Steel Construction (A4-12'' Paper Cutter)

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.

Good cutter for the price -- even though I'm on my 2nd one. One problem is the packaging -- this cutter is heavy, and the winder on the paper compression bar sticks out. Though there is some styrofoam in the area, it's not enough for this sturdy part to survive rough handling -- my first cast iron handle was broken in half and the 8mm hardened steel shaft was bent -- not sure from what height this unit would have to be dropped to accomplish that, but FedEx managed it. Bottom line, this needs to be a user-installed part. To Amazon's credit, they picked up the broken cutter and I had a new one in less than a week. So save your packaging! until you check out your unit.Other users have complained that the handle on the winder comes off because an inner part breaks in half. It's not broken. Find the two pieces of plastic and put then together in the slot on the winder, then shove the handle back on. It's not the best design, but it works -- just don't pull on the handle, or it will come off.Finally to the cutter. The directions are almost non-existent, and those that are there are a laughable, unintelligible translation from Chinese. A real hoot. Basically follow these rules:1) Only one set of hands on the cutter, period.2) Use in good light.3) Raise the compression bar enough to insert your sheaf, sheets, or book4) Align the intended cut with the blade5) Lower the compression bar enough to keep paper from moving.6) Release the latch, pull on the handle, then re-raise the handle until it latches. Voila.I use this cutter to de-spine books and manuals for scanning. It chomps through anything I can get under the bar -- perhaps an inch-and-a-half -- like butter, and produces a clean cut. I have scanned a hundred thousand pages using this cutter. For the record, I use the cutter without the plastic safety shield -- it's much easier to see what I'm doing -- but reinstall the shield when the cutter isn't in use: the blade is sharp!.I can add that I took the first cutter apart trying to repair it on my own. I liked the engineering I saw. There's nothing "cheap" about this cutter for the price. Good luck with yours.