View Single Post
Old 06-09-2016, 12:04 PM
  #22  
Jennifer23
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 838
Default

Welcome to the board! I'm a lefty as well, so I understand wanting tools that work for you. Fortunately, most rotary cutters aren't differentiated - you can just change which side the blade is attached on to make them left handed.

I'm in the minority, but personally, I don't like Olfa cutters. My go-to rotary cutter is my Martelli ergo cutter. I have the older model, but I like it so much I'm probably going to get the new one in the next year or so. This is one of the few cutters that is hand-specific, so make sure you order the left-handed version. https://www.martellinotions.com/shop...5mm-left-hand/

There is a bit of a learning curve to the Martelli cutter, but once you get used to it, I find it really outstanding. You can get it from Connecting Threads, Amazon, or probably other suppliers for less than Martelli sells it on their website.

The other cutter I like is the Kai rotary cutter, sold by Dritz and Omnigrid. https://www.amazon.com/Omnigrid-2050...=rotary+cutter I especially like this one for paper piecing, where you stop frequently and trim. The blade guard retracts on this cutter when you apply pressure, and it closes automatically, so you can't leave it with the blade exposed. The handle is nice and plump, so it fits my hand better than most other stick-style cutters. You also don't have to change anything to use this one left-handed - no blade switching - which I find convenient (especially when I'm sharing a cutter with my right-handed mom).

I'm a gadget-lover, so I've tried lots of rotary cutters, and these two are the styles I like best. I have different sizes for different purposes as well; if you're just starting out, 45mm is a good all-purpose size.
Jennifer23 is offline