Rotary cutting blade sharpener
 

Has anyone used a rotary blade sharpener, and if so do they really work and are they worth the money? Could anyone recommend a good one? I have had hand and shoulder surgery so I need to use a very sharp blade at all times to ease the strain on my joints, and the cost of replacing the blades is getting very expensive. I saw an electric sharpener at a fabric store that retails for $60. CDN, but I'm not sure whether to give it a try or not. Thanks in advance.

I use the Tri Sharp. It's a blue circle that you put the blade in and turn it around the outer circle. It has two sides; one is for sharpening, one is for nicks (like sandpaper).
I love it, it works and is MUCH cheaper. Can't remember what I paid for it; maybe under $10? I think I got it at JoAnn's.

I also use the Tri Sharp and love it but also the Harbor Freight blades are so cheap.

I wouldn't buy the electric one? Had one and hated it. As for Harbor Freight blades I didn't even think they were worth the price. Not nearly as sharp as the name brand ones. I usually find good bi
It's for blades on eBay.

I have the circle one also, used it lots of times.

One of the gals on the board recommended the TrueCut Rotary Blade Sharpener. I found one on Amazon for less than $50 and free shipping. I LOVE it! I've tried several sharpeners and this one absolutely delivers. It is noisy though, that's the only negative thing I can say about it. But I just plug in my ipod and sharpen away. The trick is to sharpen your blade with the first sign of nick or dullness, don't let it get really nicked up and dull. If you wait that long, I don't think there's a sharpener out there that can revitalize it back into good service.

ditto this one! I use it a lot!

All of my new Enzotech 45 rotary fittings have this brown goop around the inner rim.

I thought it was some sort of grease or lub to allow the fitting to rotate but on some of the fittings this stuff was rather hard. In other fittings it's still goopy.

And I don't think it's a sealant either since it's situated above the rotating joint rather than on it

I thought of this when I remembered that my friend who sold Creative Memories used aluminum foil to sharpen her corner rounder - I take a strip of foil about 2/3 inches long and fold it over and over until you have a square, cut back and forth until you can't cut anymore and your foil is completely shredded. It does give a little extra life to your rotary blade.

verry good!

I own and have used the Tri sharp. For me it does not work well. My DH uses it with great effectiveness. I suspect his greater strength/pressure makes the difference.

I have the TriSharp blue one and I think it works pretty good for something that did not cost a fortune. I am not saying that you resharpen the blades endlessly. I keep track of the blades that are resharpened and then only use them once more before I get rid of them. 2 uses for the price of 1. I always start out with name brand blades.

Thanks for the tip. I need to find a sharpener but didn't know where to look for one.

I love the electric Tru Sharp. I keep my blades sharp with just 30 second treatments regularly. Haven't bought new blades in ages!

I bought the True Cut Rotary Sharpener, the electric one, and love it. It comes with two stones. It is a bit noisy, but it only lasts a bit. It works wonders. Better than anything out there. I found it on Amazon for a steal. Worth every penny. You will be pleasantly happy with it, I promise.

Also, I bought the Gingher blades and they last forever for me. They cut so many layers of fabric. I bought a blade for $12. It is truly worth the money. I even went and bought the Gingher handle since I loved the blade so much.

I noticed there are two TrueCut Sharpeners. One is about $35.00 and the other is about $50.00. Is there a difference in them other than the price?

Thanks!

I bought the TruCut Electric Blade Sharpener that is currently $64.95 on their website. It is great. Haven't bought new blades in forever. I do what was suggested earlier sharpen them for 30 seconds as soon as they start acting a little dull. What I paid for in the sharpener I have saved many times over in blades. Also check out their rulers and cutters while on their site. They also are one of the best purchases we have made. We have them all.

I use a Sullivan Cutting Edge ruler - it has a sharpening strip along one side - whenever the blade gets dull I use the ruler. Really stretches the life of a blade and they come in different sizes.

I tried the blue TriSharp that you turn by hand and hated it. I see they have a gadget now where you insert the TriSharp and turn it with a crank. Don't quite remember where I saw that. I bought the electric TruCut and I really like it. You do have to remember to sharpen your blade before it won't even cut butter, and nicks will probably stay there, but it does work.