I have noticed that when inserting the blade into the cutter I do not screw it down as tight as I did with the original name brand. I put a dot with a black marker on the side of the blade and lightly run the blade across a piece of scrap material while adjusting the tightness of the screw until the dot appears to be moving smoothly. If the blade is too tight it will not cut. Believe the blades are a bit thicker.