I couldn't resist, despite the price. I bought the new electric rotary blade sharpener.

before you continue reading my personal thoughts, please keep a few things in mind:

i am ridiculously picky about my blades. i ask more of them than most people do, i suspect. i will set a blade aside in a heartbeat when it stops cutting through at least 8 layers of fabric like a hot knife through butter. (needles to say, i go through a lot of blades. :lol: ) for that reason, i haunt ebay so i can buy humongous piles of blades at once for dirt cheap.

i have tried all sorts of blade sharpeners over the years. while some work "as well" or nearly "as well" as the round plastic sharpeners with the replaceable sandpaper circles, those are the ones i think give the best results. the problem is that it takes a lot of "elbow grease" to sharpen a blade with one of those. and ... well ... i'm pretty lazy about such things. :lol:

the electric sharpener will not return a blade to factory sharp. none of them will, and they all admit to that on the package.

however, after testing it on several blades i think it does as good a job as the round plastic sharpeners i described above. it costs about 4 to 5 times as much (depending on where you buy which), but ... and this is the selling point to me ... i can use it to sharpen blades with just a touch of a button instead of a gymnatic workout for the old upper arms and wrists.

it's pretty noisy but ... again ... just press a button.

even starting with a brand new blade and sharpening frequently, once it loses the "8-layer" edge, i can't get that back more than once or twice. but i am able to keep it at a 4 to 6 layer edge. i estimate that i will be able to double or triple the useful (to me) life of each blade at minimum. i feel fairly comfortable assuming it would perform even more satisfactorily for a person who is not quite as insane as i am about my blades. :lol:

i can't decide for anybody else whether it's "worth the price". it is for me because ... did i mention? just press a button. no need to put on my gym clothes. :lol:

ooooh, tell us where you got it! I have that same blue sandpaper one. Works, but the wrists get the biggest work out. :)

Would be nice to pop them in and just keep working.

Just think of calories u burn the old way!! Just means u can eat more chocolate! Lol. Enjoy your new toy!!

Thank you for the review! :D:D:D

you have to hold the button down. you can't just press and walk away.

i know. still too much work. :lol:

i got mind from connecting threads for the intro price of about $10 off. they are already sold out until this weekend. :lol:

Looks like a useful tool!

wow that seems great.I also go thru the blades.if it can't cut 8 layers out it goes.I had never had enough good result to justify the elbow grease either.I may have to try this.thanks for showing it.

Enjoy your new toy. That is neat.

thanks for letting us know about your new toy

I'm just impressed that you cut 8 layers at a time. :shock: No way would I ever try that. My scraps would be bigger than my stash. It's rare when I cut 4 at a time. I'm a newbie. Can you tell? :lol:

love your review!

So, how long does it take to sharpen a blade?

Have fun with your new toy!

8 layers, now thats cutting i dont care what anybody says.
i tried to cut 6 and... well didnt work i had a wobble in it. more scraps..

Looks nice!

Just saw that recently somewhere and can't remember where...Glad to see the review and might make the investment

the brand name is TrueCut Power Sharpener.

just for giggles, i plugged it into amazon.com

take a look. look at the bottom of the page and note the price of the blue plastic person-powered sharpener i was talking about. makes the electric model (which will sharpen all sizes up to 60mm) downright inexpensive. :shock: :lol:

cutting through a thick stack of fabs takes practice. needless to say, i have made my fair share of scraps during the process of figuring out what works and what doesn't. i don't remember whether or not it's the highest stack ever to go under my rotary blade but i do know i've cut through as many as 16 layers with a new 60mm blade.

things i've learned so far:

1. don't waste your time trying it on slippery fabrics unless you want oversized confetti instead of patches when you are done.

2. do it using fabrics that "stick" to each other.

3. lots of starch makes it even easier.

4. make sure to cut standing up, looking down onto a clear view of the ruler and fabric stack. make sure also that the cutting surface is hard and steady. the more comfortable the height, the better. kitchen counter is a good place.

5. make sure you have lots of light to work in - again, so you can see everything clearly.

6. start with stacks of 4 and work your way up. when you find your own personal limit, don't push your luck. swallow your pride and stick to that number of layers. (for me ... the hardest lesson to learn. :lol: )

7. when using a fabric for the first time, also start with 4 layers and work your way up.

8. on thick stacks, make a first-cut at the far edge of the stack. hold the rotary cutter straight vertically, and push down through the stack. do the same as you begin to cut from the edge closest to you. by doing that, you will not get any distortion as the blade moves through the stack and cuts through the far end.

9. if you are cutting around curves, don't try to make one long, swooping cut. instead, cut a few inches at a time. while holding the cutter, the stack and the ruler/template in place, carefully rotate to a comfortable angle and then continue the cut. (if you have a mat the right size, it's best to rotate the mat instead of the stack.)

10. for straight cuts, when you don't have a mat small enough to rotate, lift the cutter and ruler "clear away" from the stack and use a fingernail, stylus, knitting needle, etc. to gently push the stack into its new position. don't move it by touching the top of the stack in any way. that will disturb the fabs and they will become misaligned.

Very Interesting.

Sounds interesting

Patrice,

Sounds like good advice. I have never cut that many layers of fabric. Well that I know of. No, I think I usually stick to 4-6 tops. But then I am one of those people who will use that blade until it's not fit to cut anything but a piece of paper. Then I simply label it "paper only" and move on. I bought one of those blue sharpeners, but never found any value in it at all. Maybe because I assumed it didn't take a marathon work out. I thought it was more like a scissor or knife sharpener. 3 minutes and done. Guess not... I think I've already labelled it garbage and tossed it. This unit looks good.

Gotta ask, how on earth can you tell how many layers you have left? Are you using a magnifying glass? Can you actually see that?

Neat toy! Here's to more time sewing! ;)

Wow! I wish I could just go thru your trash and get all those blades that won't cut 8 layers. I'm happy with 4 and usually only do 2.

when the blade chews through the line instead of cutting it, i know it's time to toss it. :lol:

I just bought mine while on vacation in March. Could hardly wait to get home to try it out. I ordered it while I was at my sons and had it sent to my home. So, I had to explain to him that I wasn't wanting to leave to get away....just had a new toy at home!
I don't think Patrice mentioned, but these do sharpen, 28, 45, and 60's!!! At least I think that is the right sizes.

I love mine, not factory sharp, but definitely extends the life! I buy mine by the lots on eBay as well!

Thanks for the review, Ive been thinking about getting one. Asso The is a web sight that will sharpen your used blades, Ill have to try and remember who and where i saw it. DEB

I'm just piling up my old blades as I cull them. Maybe I need to get one of these puppies. Or, I could just send them to you. Do you take work In? hehehee!!

Thanks for the review. I have been thinking about one of these too. Great info!

Well, I can easily see that I am the laziest of all...I have never sharpened a blade :shock:...I cut and toss..cut and toss....better not tell DH that I'm throwing away things I don't like again :roll: Seems to be the easiest solution to me...no not the smartest, but then I never admitted to being the smartest! :oops:

You beat me to it. My son bought me the Grace Company one for Mother's Day and I love it. I was going to post it here but haven't had a chance to get a picture of it. I think it is well worth the money.

Gotta know where I can get one I found I never know I;m low on blades til there is no more in the box

Gotta know where I can get one I found I never know I;m low on blades til there is no more in the box

Nice! You get us all excited about a new gadget then tell us they are sold out!!! I hope they take back orders. Can you tell us how much you paid for it?

great review...for those of us who tons of charity work you can't beat using blades until they are too nicked up to move any more...
luckily I can buy wholesale, so I think I am getting two for my favorite charity groups....beats surfing ebay trying to out bid you for the piles of blades..ehhehe

Thanks!

I haven't got pass cutting 8 layers yet.LOL

What a nice machine! I wish I had one yesterday. Sheesh, I was only cutting two layers and had troubles. Guess I need to go shopping for blades... LOL!

LOL - I troll ebay for cheap bulk blades too. Wonder how many times we've bid against each other!

it comes with an extra set of stones. the instructions are very clear that there are no guarantees you can get the nicks out, but the second set is a different grade stone you can use to try.

I love new toys!

I guess I'm lucky my hubby sharpens all my blades for free.

Thanks for the review Patrice and the advice about resharpening as soon as they won't pass the 8 layer test anymore and the fact that it will last for 3 sharpenings. A new item for the wish list...LOL :D

I want one. I love new toys too.