Posted by David McGann on August 1, 2008 at 1:39 AM
Bought a great printer based on input from all of you, now looking for recommendations on quality mat cutter. Have used hand held sporadically for 10 years. Looking to upgrade to an easier/quicker/reliable cutter for less than $400...suggestions appreciated. DAve
Posted by Bill Chambers on August 1, 2008 at 8:09 AM
Dave, I use the Logan 450 and have been happy with it. It's not designed for mass production or anything but it does a good job. I got it for $130 on ebay (new), which was MUCH cheaper than I could buy it for locally.
Posted by Frank Winters on August 1, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Dave, I just took David Logan's framing course. He recommends the Logan 750. The 450 is good (I have the 401 the model that the 450 replaced) but I miss the squaring arm that the 750 has. It makes cutting full sheets of mat board easy. With the 450 it ain't easy to get them square and true.David's company sells the 750 a a good price. You can find them here:
http://www.framing4yourself.com/
I think the 750 is on sale for $250.
Frank
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 1, 2008 at 12:32 PM
I've been using the Alto's system for many years. There are things I like about both Alto's and Logan. I like the ergonomics of the Alto's cutter much better, but I like the flexibility of the logan system and its tracking groove too.
Also for cutting sheets down, in my opinion a big 48" T square and a box cutter is a good reliable option. The squares you can buy at Lowes or Ace work just as well as the more expensive ones from the art supply store.
Dave, I use the Logan 750 and really like it. If you can get it on sale for $250 that is a great price.
Posted by Zack Schnepf on August 4, 2008 at 1:51 PM
I also use a Logan, I opted for the 650 Framers Edge. It's their top of the line cutter, but not much more expensive than the 750. The production stops, squaring edge and cutting rail make it a great machine. The cutting blades are mounted on teflon and run on a cutting rail, it works very well. I've cut hundreds of mats this year alone, and once I got over the learning curve I haven't ruined any.
There are nicer and easier mat cutter out there, but for the price, you can't beat the 650. My $0.02
Posted by David McGann on August 4, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Sincere thanks again to all of you for the info. I had checked out Luminus Landscape and that's why I asked for your advice..confirmation if you will. Appreciate all the ideas and will head off in search of.....DAve
Discussion
7 repliesCheck out this article on matting at Luminous Landscape. About halfway down the page Reichmann discusses various cutters.
http://www.framing4yourself.com/
I think the 750 is on sale for $250.
Frank
Also for cutting sheets down, in my opinion a big 48" T square and a box cutter is a good reliable option. The squares you can buy at Lowes or Ace work just as well as the more expensive ones from the art supply store.
Mel-
There are nicer and easier mat cutter out there, but for the price, you can't beat the 650. My $0.02