I, too, did not like this ruler for about 10 yrs. Then, being the frugal person that I am, I tried it again and (drumroll please!) LOVE it! I could not be without it. Just GENTLY insert the rotary cutter in the teardrop opening of the slot (kind of letting gravity allow the blade to settle in the slot) so that you do not nick the ruler or cutter blade. Pretty soon you will get enough practice to develop a "rythym" of making many parallel cuts quickly. In fact, I often use the outside edges to make straight cuts (like cutting a square in half to make 2 HSTs) so that I do not need to use another tool. Please give it another try. Who knows? Maybe you will also be a convert!