Swingline SmartCut EasyBlade Plus 12" Rotary Trimmer - 8912

Swingline is known primarily for their high-quality staplers, but they also make good rotary trimmers. One of the ones they manufacture is the SmartCut EasyBlade Plus 8912. Here's what you need to know about this cutter, including its rating on a scale of 1 to 10.

• The 8912 can cut a maximum of 15 sheets of paper at a time. This is a decent amount for a rotary trimmer and it means this device can be used for small and medium-sized cutting jobs. However, a different cutter should be used for bigger stacks of paper.

• This trimmer can cut paper that's up to 12 inches long, making it perfect for letter-sized sheets (8.5" x 11"). Smaller documents can also be trimmed with this device, although you'll need a bigger cutter if you want to work with larger sheets of paper.

• The 8912 utilizes Swingline EasyBlade blade cartridges. This type of cartridge encases the blade in plastic so it's not out in the open. EasyBlade cartridges are safe to use and they even have an indicator window to let you know when it's time to change the blade. (When the window turns red, it's time.) Plus, you can store extra cartridges in this trimmer's base to keep them handy.

• There's an alignment grid printed on the 8912's cutting mat so you can easily measure your paper beforehand. The grid has metric and standards measurements so you can use whichever system you prefer. The base is self-healing so you can get a lot of use out of it.

• The 8912 has a manual clamp so your paper can stay in place when you cut it. There's also a transparent paper guide to make cutting easier. Also, the bottom of the trimmer's base has rubber feet on it so the entire thing won't move around.

• This is a pretty well-made device despite it having some plastic parts. The base is made out of metal which helps make the trimmer more durable. (The self-hearing cutting mat is a nice touch as well.)

• The 8912 is pretty compact and it won't take up your entire work surface. Since it weighs just over 7 pounds, it's lightweight as well and can be easily transported.

• Finally, this product is affordable (it costs less than $100.00) and it's backed by a limited one-year warranty for peace of mind.

Final rating: 8. The Swingline SmartCut EasyBlade Plus 8912 is a good, basic rotary trimmer. This device's cutting capacity makes it good for use both at work and in the home, and it can easily slice through paper and photographs. It's nice that the trimmer uses EasyBlade cartridges because they're very safe and it's not difficult at all to change them. (However, it would be nice if the blade was self-sharpening.) While this isn't the ideal trimmer to use for big stacks of paper, it's good for occasional use. If that's what you need in a rotary trimmer, take a look at the 8912 today.