What features should I look for in a guillotine paper cutter?

If you’ve ever worked with a guillotine paper cutter, you’re probably well aware of how dangerous they can be. Using one of these tools improperly can lead to disastrous results which is why it’s absolutely essential to exercise good judgment when cutting. The right safety features are also important and you’re probably wondering what sort of features should be present in a guillotine cutter. Here are three you should look for when selecting such a device.

1.) A tension spring. The first thing you should look for is a tension spring. The tension spring is a device that’s attached to the blade so it won’t move unexpectedly. This prevents the blade from flipping up without warning and, more importantly, it ensures that the blade won’t come down when you least expect it much like a real guillotine. The tension blade helps make the cutting experience much safer because you won’t need to worry about your fingers being accidentally sliced off. If you run into problems with the tension spring, either have it repaired or replace the entire trimmer.

2.) A finger guard. Another safety feature to be on the lookout for is a finger guard. On a high-quality cutter, a finger guard will run along the entire length of the trimmer’s base so your fingers won’t come into contact with the blade as you cut. Finger guards are sometimes made out of plastic, although there are metal ones available as well. There are even some trimmers that have a guard on both sides of the blade to almost eliminate the chance of your fingers accidentally touching the blade. Whatever you do, don’t remove the finger guard from your cutter. Doing so will make using the trimmer even more dangerous and it could possibly end up turning your workday into a very bad experience.

3.) A blade latch. One more thing you should look for is a blade latch. As the name of this features suggests, a blade latch will keep the blade in place when the cutter isn’t being used. The latch is usually made out of wire or a piece of metal and while it’s typically small, it’s a very important part of the cutter. Not only does the latch prevent the blade from springing up, it prevents people from accidentally running their hands along the blade and cutting themselves.