Check your mat!!! I've been having a lot of trouble and thought it was the blade. The other day I told myself I was going to figure out what the real problem was. So I started watching where it was skipping. Bingo!! Anywhere thatthe mat was grooved, the threads would be pushed down into the groove and the blade would not cut when it crossed the groove. So I got out my new mat and now hardly any skipping. Good luck. Hugs, Sharon