1st reason, safety for me, can cut smaller pcs more comfortably with less slippage. I just cut 6 layers of 2" squares out of 48" strips in a juffy. My large 6x24" requires a lot of pressure to not slip and some day I'm sure I'll come off that ruler and across my hand. This may not be for everybody but for someone as clumsy as me it works. And like I said before, I really have a problem finding my cutters on my table after I use them, never lay them in the same place, this is great it's one unit. So right now my side winder and this are two of my favorite tools.