8200M Heavy Duty Desktop Stack Paper Cutter

I've been wanting a Desktop stack paper cutter ever since I left my last church, but I didn't want to pay the $ 1,000 + for the paper cutter I left in that church. I wanted a very well built, modest cost, but effective manual heavy duty stack paper cutter for modest frequency use in this church. My initial impressions upon using this QCM 8200M Heavy Duty Paper Cutter is that it is almost perfectly matched to my requirements. I've only used it a few times, but it seems to do exactly what I wanted it to do. If the paper is carefully positioned, and the block appropriately set, our machine cuts square, and with only a very negligible margin of measuring error. The only thing I miss from my prior more expensive cutter is that the drop block, which you roll down into place to lock the paper into position, takes a little longer to drop into position with its rolling handle. (My last machine had a quick-action lever to drop the block into place). But considering the hundreds of dollars of price advantage for this machine, and our relatively low frequency of usage, that is a small price to pay. I'm very pleased with the product for the price paid. It appears sturdily built, attractively built, and well functioning so far. Mind you, these are just initial impressions, but I'm thrilled enough so far that I thought others might benefit from my positive review, if they are also hunting for a solid, capable cutter at a very reasonable price. I am very pleased to recommend it based on my experience so far.

I've used this cutter about 20 times so far for removing spines from books prior to feeding the unbound books through a sheet-fed scanner. For that purpose it works fine and I recommend it. If you're looking for a professional-quality paper cutter for highly accurate, repeatable cuts down to 1/16" or 1/32" accuracy (say, for printing purposes,) I wouldn't recommend it. The unit is made in China, with typical "just good enough" Chinese materials and engineering. Acceptable, but clearly corners are being cut in the fit and finish of the unit. It smelled like low-grade machine oil for the first month it was out of the box. Quite a few slightly-too-flexible stamped sheet metal parts. On the whole: adequate, but nothing to write home about.

I purchased a refurbished model and after nearly two months of use, I couldn't be more satisfied. I am the editor and publisher of a small press that produces poetry journals and chapbooks, and I have used the cutter in the production of approximately 100 copies of 28 page saddle stapled books. Cutting one book is as easy as cutting 10. I am impressed with how solid this paper cutter is built. It was ready to use right out of the shipping box. All I had to do was attach the cutting handle. There is a built in 2-hand use cutter safety lock to prevent injury from the blade. The measurement markings are perfectly accurate to assure consistent straight cuts. The instructions included with the cutter were easy to follow and I was able to begin manufacturing after just a few test cuts to become familiar with the process. I highly recommend this product and this company. Before I purchased the cutter, I spoke on the phone with a gentleman from the company from the technical department for nearly 30 minutes. He was patient, friendly and very knowledgeable in all the specifications of the raw materials used to manufacture the blades and the unit itself. It was the attention and patience this gentleman paid to my questions and concerns that sold me on the product and the company. O.P.W. Fredericks, Editor Touch: The Journal of Healing & The Lives You Touch Publications

This is a very good, but not flawless, paper cutter that we can recommend for cutting up stack of paper, including perfect-bound and saddle-stitched magazines. We purchased the QCM-8200M (12-inch) cutter in February 2011 specifically to work on a project where we were cutting up hundreds (nearly 1,000) magazines in order to scan them. We believe that these comments below would also apply to other QCM paper cutters of the same design. The cutter was heavier than expected. We had planned to keep it on a shelf and take it out only when needed, but ended up keeping it on a dedicated counter. At over 40 pounds, it was too heavy (and unwieldy) to keep moving, or to lift high enough to place on a shelf safely. For cutting, the process is easy: Place the magazine carefully into the cutter, spin the wheel to lock it into place, and slice by pulling down the arm. We used tape to mark the correct position for perfect-bound magazines, so we could slice off the binding and glue, while removing as little of the live matter as possible. Two problems. First, if we placed the magazines all the way forward against the back stop, and then locked it in place, the pages would slide and distort while slicing. Not good. We learned that we needed to stop the magazine from touching the back stop; we generally kept it about an inch back. We are not sure why this happens. The other problem is that with saddle-stitched magazines, there are staples. The cutter would slice effortlessly through the staples, but doing so nicked the blade. Frankly, we didn’t notice for a while, after which damage had been done; cuts aren’t as clean as they used to be. We then tried removing the staples with a staple remover, but then it became difficult to position the now-unbound magazine sheets properly. Ultimately, we chose to stop using the paper cutter on saddle-stitched magazines altogether. Instead, we removed the staples, folded the pages back and forth a few times, and then carefully tore the pages along the saddle seam. Overall, we are happy with the paper cutter. We are about 2/3 of the way through the project, and although we’re only using the cutter for perfect-bound magazines, it does a great job. NOTE: The blade is SHARP. We have nightmares about having children come anywhere near this paper cutter. There are lots of safety features that would help prevent accidents, and this design, with a shrouded blade, is clearly safer than a traditional cutter with a swinging blade. But still. Be careful!

This is my second QCM Desktop Stacker Paper cutter. They have made several changes since I purchased the first one. The clamp mechanism does not stay tight resulting in skewed paper. Also, the blade dulled after about 20 cuts and wouldn't go through a stack of copy paper thicker than 50 sheets and even that was with tremendous force. Way over priced for a piece of junk.

I bought a refurbished model, and unfortunately had to return it, because the moving side gauge was crooked. It wouldn't align in a perfect square. I also had to manually align the back ruler to the blade. I had no luck in getting straight cuts. The cuts were always a little angled. But, I was very satisfied with the level of customer service that I received. I got a full refund, plus my return shipping cost. The seller agreed that the machine I had received was indeed defective and did offer to replace with a new one. Although, I cannot recommend the product, since the one I received was defective, I would definetely recommend this seller. They will work with you if you have any problems or questions. I am very satisfied with the final outcome, even though I had to return the cutter. I would not hesitate to purchase from this seller again, knowing that if there is a problem it will be well resolved.

I'm a book artist. I bought a factory-refurbished QCM 8200M through Amazon. Cost with shipping was $276.49. I placed my order on 4/21. It arrived via standard shipping (UPS Ground) on 4/28, which I consider very fast delivery. It came fully assembled. Looked like new. For my work, square cuts are absolutely essential. Trial cuts were not square, but it was easy to figure out how to adjust the side gauge ("fence," I'd call it) though the instructions say nothing about it. The back gauge (the sliding part) is a sturdy casting but a bit sloppy. However, I seemed to have figured out how to use it correctly. The blade lines up nicely with the grid printed on the base. Within an half-hour I was trimming text blocks. The blocks were about 1/2" thick stacks of cover-weight paper, faced front and back with pieces of mat board. Cuts were smooth and nearly effortless. This is a lot of machine for the price. My first impressions are very good.

When the unit arrived there was very little to assemble. Attaching the handle and paper guide was all that it needed, and I was up and running. It's very smooth, and I use it for my hand-sewn books. Here are a few tips: 1) When you open the box and before you use the device, make sure that the finger guard is resting flat on the device. I didn't and snapped it. 2) Never do more than one work at a time. Don't pile up several individual works and expect it to cut straight. One at a time is better and doesn't add that much extra time. 3) If you are doing more than one like-sized project, cut them one edge at a time. In other words, I cut five books by setting the paper guide once and cutting all top edges together, etc. This will make for more consistent products. 4) Get a heavy terry cloth and wipe down the whole unit prior to using it the first time. There was a film of grease preservative all over it. Wipe the blade *last*. Even then cover your works with a paper top and bottom when cutting until the grease is gone. 5) The unit can handle a lot of paper and various paper weights. However, be sure that you press it firmly with the wheel. Also, you may want to place some heavy board between the press and the paper (and away from the blade). I tightened too much and bent my signatures. 6) The wider the paper the less likely it will cut all the way through. This can be solved by *very*carefully* adjusting the blade. I wouldn't recommend adjusting the blade. Just be aware of this gotcha. 7) As others have warned, the blade it wickedly sharp. Don't touch it. I can't say better. Just the fact that I was able to cut about a two-week's worth of work in just one day says a lot.