Clover Rotary Cutter Product Review

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Clover was nice enough to send me a 45mm rotary cutter for free to review. I’ve never had one before, and never realized quite how much I needed one until I tried it!

Do you really need a rotary cutter?

I’m not much of a sewist, though I have taken some baby steps towards learning. I had heard of rotary cutters before but didn’t really know what they were or how to use them. Then one day a friend at Joann was teaching me how to sew a pillow, and I got to try one they had there. It was a neat tool but since I don’t sew a lot, I figured I didn’t need one.

Fast forward to a few months ago, when I was working on my twill woven scarf. I realized that a rotary cutter would have made cutting the fine fringe so much easier, and I decided it was time to get one. It turns out, they’re super handy, and not just for sewing. I even opened a package with it once (don’t tell my sewing friends though, they would scream!)

The Clover rotary cutter

I work a lot with Clover products and have always loved the products I’ve used. You may have seen my previous posts about their pom pom makers, snag repair and tapestry needles, and swatch ruler, among others.

When I asked about a rotary cutter, Clover recommended the 45mm size because it is their most popular, and a good “all-purpose” size for general use. They also have a 60mm size for larger projects, a 28mm size for smaller projects, and even an 18mm size for really fine, detail work.

Safety cover and blade

The sizes indicate the diameter of the round blade. It’s very sharp, and is protected by a retractable cover. There is a sliding button on the front that pulls the cover back at an angle, exposing the blade. Because it retracts at an angle, you can hold the rotary cutter upright, horizontally, or any angle inbetween.

There is a nut on the back of the cutter that tightens or loosens the blade. You can turn this slightly to make the cutter turn slower or faster. Keep turning to remove the blade completely when you need to change it out.

Comfort grip

The rotary cutter fit comfortably in my hand, with soft foam grips. Right out of the package, it’s set up for right handed use. Though I haven’t tried it, the website says you can turn the cover around for left handed use as well.

Cutting foam

The first project I used my rotary cutter was my crochet pet stairs. I needed to cut the foam to create the stair shape. A bread knife worked really well, but I was concerned about getting a really straight line with a kitchen knife.

So after marking my cut line, I used a straight edge and my rotary cutter to score the foam all the way around. It slipped through like butter, and helped me create a really clean, straight cut.

Cutting fringe and fabric

My original reason for wanting a rotary cutter was to cut fringe. I got to use it for exactly that when making an enamel pin display. For the display, I used a scrap of handwoven fabric that still had a long fringe where I cut it off the loom. Before folding the fabric, I cut off most of the fringe to decrease the bulk.

This didn’t have to be exact or straight, because it was going to be hidden, but it made a good excuse to try out the cutter. Once the fabric was in the hoop, I also used the rotary cutter to trim off the corners. It cut smoothly through the fabric without any snags.