Mat Cutter

saltydog

Hello everyone,

I'd like to buy a table top mat cutter so I don't have to depend on standard sized store-bought mats any longer. I am looking in the price range of $200-250 but it's hard to find reviews for mat cutters online. So far I am leaning towards the Logan 750 Simplex Plus. Does anyone have any experience with this or another model?

Thanks for any advice,
Jana

kdog

If you can spring for a bit more money, I think you get more bang for the buck with the Logan 650 Framer's Edge. You set the production stops for a particular size mat, then you can punch out multiple mats without any other setup or measuring. It's a really well built unit and fun to use.

Regards,
-joel

cmason

Heck I bought the most basic, called the 525 Kit, but referred to as the Team System on the above website. Cost me $65. Now it likely isn't the system you want if you are doing customer work or a whole lot of mat cutting, but for my own, personal picture frames, it is perfect. Sure, you likely don't want to be doing overly fancy cuts with it...but I have had no issues cutting mats, double mats etc very easily. A square or a rectangle is all you need...

B&H

saltydog

Thanks for the input kdog & cmason. The Logan 360 looks great but is probably a little out of my price range considering that I won't need it for heavy commercial use.

I will be doing some modest volume of mat cutting during the next few months, but not on a commercial level, so I am wondering: Cmason, the 525 looks like something I've used before and I had a really hard time to keep the mat from slipping, especially at larger sizes - what's your experience with that?

Thanks again,
J.

cmason

The largest size I have done is 9 x 12 (opening), so not sure I have the experience you are looking for. I cut a blank from a full size mat board, but just do that freehand. I use a t-square to mark out the lines. I save the cut out portion from previous (successful) efforts, and use that to trace around for the next cut-out, so that is a short cut that works for me. I just clamp the rail to my kitchen table, on top of the board, and cut away.

Haven't had any trouble, but sure, I would love the $200 model, and it probably would be easier and more repeatable. But this works, and I proudly display my framed images throughout the house. Not one knows they were cut on a $65 mat cutter.

jww

saltydog wrote:

Thanks for the input kdog & cmason. The Logan 360 looks great but is probably a little out of my price range considering that I won't need it for heavy commercial use.

I will be doing some modest volume of mat cutting during the next few months, but not on a commercial level, so I am wondering: Cmason, the 525 looks like something I've used before and I had a really hard time to keep the mat from slipping, especially at larger sizes - what's your experience with that?

Thanks again,
J.

I have a Logan 301s and works pretty well for my needs. ..and was less than $100. Looks like it is now a clearence item on that same site for $77.24.

Rhuarc

Hmm, I kind of like the looks of that Logan $65 dollar option! I've pondered for awhile that it would be nice to buy several large frames, and then be able to make my own mattes to go in them. This would make so that I could create any types of crops of my shots that I wanted to without have to try to find crazy frame or matte sizes. Would that work for what I want?

cmason

Rhuarc wrote:

Hmm, I kind of like the looks of that Logan $65 dollar option! I've pondered for awhile that it would be nice to buy several large frames, and then be able to make my own mattes to go in them. This would make so that I could create any types of crops of my shots that I wanted to without have to try to find crazy frame or matte sizes. Would that work for what I want?

Sure..heck you can even create the crops with matting, rather than cutting the photo itself.

I bought this for exactly that...I could not find ready made 9x12 mats, so I bought 8x12 frame, and put my own 9x12 mat in it.

The $65 model is simply a straight cut...there are no v-cuts, oval cuts etc with this one. So as long as you don't need anything fancier than a square or rectangle, and you have plenty of patience, you should be able to do it no problem.

Rhuarc

cmason wrote:

Sure..heck you can even create the crops with matting, rather than cutting the photo itself.

I bought this for exactly that...I could not find ready made 9x12 mats, so I bought 8x12 frame, and put my own 9x12 mat in it.

The $65 model is simply a straight cut...there are no v-cuts, oval cuts etc with this one. So as long as you don't need anything fancier than a square or rectangle, and you have plenty of patience, you should be able to do it no problem.

When you say it has no v-cuts, do you mean it has no bevel to the edge that it cuts?

cmason

Rhuarc wrote:

When you say it has no v-cuts, do you mean it has no bevel to the edge that it cuts?

No that is all that it does...it is simply an angled razor blade. More expensive kits contained other cutters as well, such as a v-groove cutter, that makes a v groove in the mat for decoration. I suppose if you bought the v groove cutter, it would work just fine, not sure.

OffTopic

I'm another 301s user. I found it on sale for an unbeatable price at my local Aaron Brothers ($60). I'm very happy with it - the first matte I cut was error free.

It does go through blades, though...I have best results using a fresh one for each matte.