By Jeff McRitchie
Although GBC (General Binding Corporation) is primarily known for their binding and laminating machines, they have also branched out into the world of paper cutters and rotary trimmers in recent years. Although GBC produced an excellent line of paper cutters, after the company was acquired by Acco brands, all of the GBC paper cutters have been rebranded under the Swingline name. This review will provide an overview of the Swingline Smartcut Lite trimmer which was previously known as the GBC AccuCut A300. The SmartCut Lite is a good trimmer that's ideal for personal use. In fact, it is a great economical choice for individuals and small offices that need a low-volume rotary trimmer for trimming items such as scrapbooks, presentations, laminated documents, etc.
The SmartCut Lite has a cutting length of 12 inches, so 11 x17" paper can easily be cut. The cutter's ruler offers both standard and metric measurements, and is accompanied by an alignment grid that will help you cut right where you need to. Also ensuring an accurate cut is the A300's blade, which slides along a cutting guide so you can see exactly where the blade is slicing. If you're looking to give your project a unique look or have a perforated section in your document, special wavy and perforated blades are available separately. As for the body, non-slip rubber feet ensure the trimmer will stay in place during use. And because the unit is made of plastic, it is light and easy to move when needed. If getting the right cut all the time is important to you, the SmartCut Lite is a good rotary trimmer at a great price point, with the unit retailing for under $50.00.
Still, the Swingline SmartCut Lite isn't right for everyone. Since it is designed for personal use, naturally it has some limitations. First off, this rotary trimmer is made almost entirely of plastic, so while it may be portable, it won't hold up to frequent, heavy-duty cutting. If you're looking for a more durable, high-capacity cutter with metal components, the Swingline professional series of cutters would be a better choice. This is especially true because this trimmer is only rated to cut up to 10 sheets of 20 lb. paper and it sometimes doesn't seem to be able to handle even that amount. This could obviously hamper your productivity if you're cutting a lot. In fact, a guillotine-style paper cutter would probably be more effective if you'll be cutting 10 sheets or more on a regular basis. Finally, the SmartCut Lite comes with a special cutting mat that's placed under the blade. While such a mat helps ensure a good, clean cut, the mat needs to either be rotated or replaced on a regular basis to maintain cutting quality. You'll have to keep an extra mat handy to get the most out of this machine.
Overall, the SmartCut Lite isn't meant to be used in a high-volume capacity, such as a busy office or print shop. However it is specifically designed for personal use and on that level, this product is great. It's a nice little rotary trimmer that would be perfect for crafting and light home office use, especially for users who don't want to spend a fortune on a commercial grade paper cutter.
If you are in the market for a Swingline SmartCut Lite rotary paper trimmer, you should really visit MyBinding.com. They carry the full line of GBC AccuCut and Swingline SmartCut rotary paper trimmers and cutters. Their prices on Rotary Trimmers are great.
Source:www.isnare.com |
