It's been years since I've used anything like this (and then it was one of those medieval torture devices that they used to put in elementary school art classrooms to bump up the insurance premiums), but how well would something like this work for, say, bookbinding?

I was recently talking to a librarian about setting up something along the lines of the Internet Bookmobile, and obviously a cutter that's safe enough for kids but fast enough that it doesn't take hours to get a book ready would be a requirement.

It wouldn't work well for bookbinding if your need is to flush cut a thick stack of pages. You couldn't do that with a guillotine style cutter, either and you get crooked cuts cutting stacked paper with that type of cutter.

If you have a few text weight pages to trim at a time, a rotary cutter like this will handle the job.

My Dahle 552 cutter has held up well over several years without a blade replacement. I use mine for trimming photo prints and artwork proofs. Cool Tool but I'd like a large one too.

For a serious paper cutter check out the COME (Commercial Office Machinery and Equipment) paper cutters. http://www.comemachines.com I have the 2700 and its AMAZING. I haven't had a stack of paper yet that it wont go through. Rumor has it that it'll take down a large phonebook with no problems. Pricey, but WELL worth it.

This is a neat item, but I have increasingly become aware that the items featured are moving towards things useful for the sort of suburban, gadget-oriented trendy, and less towards actual cool tools for people who use tools. Maybe it is because only so many multi-tools, knives, flashlights, sport water supply systems, can openers or screwdrivers can be featured before some serious overlap occurs between selections. This isn't meant to malign or complain about the submissions or the selections that are featured so much as it is an observation necessitating consideration if this is the direction in which cool tools should be heading.

@Karsten: I hear you. Cool Tool reviews are written by readers. We tend to go where they go. So as a reader, you can influence the direction of Cool Tools by submitting some reviews and recommendations of the type of tools you love. We await your submissions...

Karsten:
You're right in that there are only so many multi-tools and such to recommend, but we're a creative, resourceful bunch: you, me, thousands of regular Cool Tools readers.

With that in mind I just wrote a call for submissions (currently on the homepage) in the hopes that readers will send in some useful recommendations for me to post. I look forward to hearing from you.

I also wouldn't want Cool Tools to head in the direction you described. And it won't. I value the comments here because it gives me a sense of what our readers perceive of our work. Perception's a flexible thing, though. In recent weeks I've received, and posted, reviews of The Caretaker Gazette, Backwood Homes Magazine, a marine heater for off-the-grid tiny houses, a greywater reference book, an inexpensive and very popular tiny screwdriver kit, and websites for knitters and those looking for locally grown food.

The best way to see to it that Cool Tools features the kind of tools you love is to tell us about them.

> Painfully dull but illustrative video of the Dahle cutter here.

Wait, the video is dull, or the cutter is dull? I'm confused.

There is a good point in this review that can be generalized: Often, looking at the "pro" versions of things in commercial settings can suggest an item (or version) for home use (and even sometimes open up a whole insiders' world of catalogues, etc.) I know that many of the tools at the local Home Depot rental center retail for less than double the full day rental price after "insurance."

I'm guessing that a paper cutter is a gadget only to a person who doesn't have one. Our household paper cutter gets used almost daily by my wife and I for a wide variety of tasks, and we couldn't imagine life without one. It allows you to do useful things you simply wouldn't attempt without it. I'll spare you the many examples. The only down side is that to be useful it must be readily accessible, which means that it must permanently take up horizontal surface space, which is a scarce resource in our small home.

Although not a review, there is also a couple of videos for this model out there. "Product Video" one is pretty good to see it in action.
http://www.buy-dahle-paper-cutters.com/Dahle-550-Rolling-Trimmer-Paper-Cutter.htm

I recently purchased this same Dahle 550 paper cutter from Office Zone. So far, I really like it. I'm an avid scrapbooker, and this paper cutter is so much better than the less-expensive ones I have used in the past. You can really tell a difference in the build quality. I'm confident this one will last for many years to come, unlike my previous cutters.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me why it is awkward to cut larger than 8x10 on this particular cutter? As a scrapbooker I use primarily 12x12 pages so I'd really hate to shell out for this trimmer only to find it's not ideal. I'd rather get the larger 440 if this is the case and be done with buying trimmers forever... Thx if anyone can answer this!

@Nina:
This from Andrew: "I would definitely suggest getting the larger size, especially if you're cutting 12x12, just because the cutting board maxes out at 12". Cutting 8x10 can get awkward because the marks on the board do not coincide with the ruler."
-es