Btw…my reviews of these products are based on products I purchased, although I wouldn’t mind if companies were going to offer me some for testing, even if my reviews may not be 100% positive, they will be honest. I really wish I had had these cutters to try since although there are 9 cutters in a box, they are not exactly inexpensive. I thought ‘wow NINE cutters, that’s awesome!’ I sprung for the investment because I thought they would last me a long time. But wait there is more! They are safe in the oven up to 160Degrees Celsius or 320Fahrenheit. Great if you wanted to use them for bangles or perhaps for making boxes. They are nested like this…
and you can take out the smallest first, but if you want the largest cutter or anything in between you have to remove them all, because they are concave, that is curving inward rather than convex and curving outward as I think they should have been made! I’ll demonstrate…
I rolled some clay on a #1 (or 9 card thickness). I used the teardrop and a round. You can actually see the the cutters aren’t 100% smooth and will require a bit of sanding on your part. I’m getting more and more annoyed. So I just used my nails to scratch off the roughness and you can see that the edges on the clay just aren’t smooth at all…I rather have a seam on one tiny part of the clay that I can cut away with a blade rather than the whole circumference being rough. But that isn’t the only thing that bothers me…
The other thing is that because the cutters are concave, when you cut out an item, it actually shows. Sometimes I like to use butcher wrap over the clay before cutting to get a nice beveled edge, and even though these cutters create a beveled edge, the bevel is way too pronounced for my liking.
But what about using it to make boxes? Well, the cutters are nice and deep and although concave-ness could work in favor of a box…here is the stupid thing…there is a ridge at the halfway mark! Why? I have no idea…
…but I see two useful purposes for these cutters in regard to polymer clay…One is using them for shallow boxes and for the round cutters, use certain sizes as a bangle sizer/shaper while baking. And the other useful thing is for those with small children because I’m annoyed that I have to play the stacking game to get them back into the container…largest first…
Ok, those were just initial observations from a seamless newbie ;)
Edited to add...yes sanding has helped quite a bit. Observation is the nylon should be thinner for the smaller cutters. I also would prefer straight walls instead of concave. However, all in all the price is right...about $17 for 9...not bad.
15 comments:
Hehehehe, you've made me laugh :))))) one of the best reviews I've read in a time.
But I know you're upset, I would be too. I believe you'll find a way to use them :)
LOL, am glad you saw my sense of humour Sonja :).
Good review, but I disagree. I have 3 sets of these and use them a lot. I've sanded the edges and really like the result.
Tina I bought some too and wasn't overly pleased. My husband suggested sanding the edge to refine it- might be worth a go.
Thanks fortesting these nylon cutters out. I was really hoping I could use them in makin my boxes but I suspect like you wrote they aren't suited for that. I love your sense of humor about these cutters.
They kind of look like the cutters I bought quite a while ago that Kate McKinnon spoke about in one of her books. They were quite expensive but I really love them. They are French and I don't remember where I bought them. Of course you do have to buy the whole set, and I only use the smaller ones..... Matfer. That is the brand. Try those instead. I think you'll like them better.
These are 'Made in China'. I'll check out the French ones. No prejudice intended but European quality tends to be much better.
Thanks Roberta!
...I think I'll sand all of mine and then they'll be fine. I'll post later. I want them to work! I still don't like puzzles and stacking tho, lol
Tina - you & I seem to be in sync with the products we're using! I in fact am using these cutters for all the new shapes that I'm developing for my book and I love them! This picture especially shows the beautiful edges I am getting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/helenbreil/6728211539/in/set-72157627767539168 Yes you need to sand the inside edges of the cutter - I use 800 or 1000 grit and it only takes a minute or two. The odd one has a thicker lip in sections that needs more work. You still get a bit of a lip on the clay after cutting but it's much smaller after sanding and it's easy to smooth it to the back of the piece. I also use a heavy plastic (milk bag) for beveling the outside edges of my pendants. In the link you are seeing the inside edge of the pendant which is not beveled. Anyway I think it's worth taking the time to sand them and give them another try. I know I'm not happy with my metal ones. I hate the overlap and some are bent out of shape.
Funny how that happens sometimes, lol.
Have sanded a few of them now, yes, much better. Oh, the metal ones are really hit and miss for sure, I just got some 'rectangles' and the largest one, not quite a rectangle because the shapes overlap was bonded in the wrong place and yes, the bugger is they get bent out of shape. The nice thing about these nylon ones are they are TOUGH! (I still think they'd make an awesome kids toy, lol)
Great review. Certainly gives you something to think about before buying! ... I think these are the cutters mentioned by Roberta: (EXOGLASS CUTTER Matfer) http://www.matferbourgeatusa.com/products/indexphp/cake-and-pastry-tools/dough-cutters-and-bakers-blades/exoglass-round-plain-cutter-sold-individually.html
I just discover that these cutters are sold at amazon in the home section, for less than what some of the polymer clay stores are selling them for (I just did a search for nylon cutters. The brand I found was Fat Daddio's.)
Some on Amazon are actually more than what I paid. I don't think the pc stores are making much profit on these. I just found these ones here...fluted on one end and smooth on the other, for 9.99
http://www.karenscookies.net/Nylon-Circle-Cutter-Set_p_1657.html Nice sharp cutting edges. Haven't checked if they have other shapes. Downside...the smallest cutter is 1 1/2"
In my post of October 16, 2011 I talked about my de Buyer Plain Square (set of 9) and a fluted (set of 7) Boat cutters from Sur la table made from heavy weight plastic and are heat resistant to 320 degrees. They run about $58 each set. I made a repetitive pin design that turned out great. Sorry you had so much trouble with yours....bummer.
...Thank you Tina for this review!!! I have seen these cutters and I have been circling them and been debating if I should get them or not. I hate that they do have that silly mark half way down on the outside...! But the seem to be worth a try...! ;-))
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