Genesis Paper Trimmer Product Review

When I was asked to review the Genesis Paper Trimmer recently, I was hesitant only because of its price point. I wasn’t convinced that it was an item most of my readers would consider purchasing as it does come with a hefty price tag of $390. But I am certain that all my blog readers appreciate good information, honest reviews and that in the case of a paper craft product, many of you may well work with paper on a professional level and would love to know about the very best equipment out there.The Genesis Paper Trimmer is a high-end precision paper trimmer originally designed for professional photographers. However, it is now also used by invitation makers, scrapbookers, and other paper crafters, all of who’s work requires a straight, precision cut- precision being the optimal word here.  The 16″ Genesis Taper Trimmer is available with and without a sidebar edgelight light that attaches under the trimmer and shines through paper or card stock to illuminate the entire cutting line. (16″ cutter price without light is $295 and the 12″ is $265.) The edgelight, however, is an incredible feature in my opinion. You can also purchase the edge guide (or jig as I call it) which rocks for making repetitive cuts like I do when trimming down orders of hundreds of business cards.I brought the trimmer to last weekend’s scrapbookers retreat, showed everyone how it worked and set it up on my table for all to use. Our hostess stated how awesome it was but couldn’t see paying close to $400 dollars for a paper cutter. By her 6th time to the cutter she was expressing how this was definitely going on her Christmas wish list. It takes only a few slices to see how incredible this cutter is and how you may find it hard to live without if you are a paper crafter at any level. Just the sound of the sharp precision blade against the cutting edge as you run it down your paper can literally give you goosebumps. But, did I mention the awesome shine-through light fixture? Well, I’ll mention it again: Brilliant. AND the electrical cord is extra long, which matters a lot to me as I often craft in different rooms of my house and am not always right up and close to an outlet.Another scrapper at the retreat loved how she barely had to put pressure on her paper to hold it in place as she cut. She was used to doing that with her trimmer to keep it from shifting as she moved the cutting blade up or down -it tended to pull the paper with it just a bit causing an inaccurate cut. You’re not going to get that with this trimmer as the blade is incredibly sharp and heavy duty, (and with excellent safety finger-guards!)

The Genesis Paper Trimmer is made of steel and aluminum (no plastic, except two small parts including a hard plastic handle), and it has been designed to last a lifetime. It’s a moderately heavy piece of equipment that comes packaged with the light separate for you to assemble. My daughter and I put it together in about 5 minutes with one screwdriver. Genesis Paper Trimmers are made one at a time by hand in the USA- Atlanta, Georgia to be exact. Each is hand-tested and adjusted until the alignment and cut meet the highest of standards. The production of the Genesis Paper Trimmer supports American workers in many fields: steel production and fabricating, metal plating, anodizing, laser etching, and more. Even their packing boxes are manufactured in the USA. You gotta love that.

But let’s get back to the price, because that may be the only thing at this point keeping you from heading over to Bonnie’s Best to purchase one right now. The Genesis Paper trimmer is the Cadillac of paper trimmers. And it holds very true in this case that you get what you pay for. And, yes, I did receive mine for free, so that may sound like a contradiction, but I’ll leave that to trust. If you are a regular reader of my blog, I am sure you know I would never steer you wrong. And with Christmas around the corner, maybe it’s reasonable to put this on your wish list.

Here is a video of Bonnie demonstrating the Genesis Paper Trimmer.

I understand there used to be waiting lists for the Genesis for over a year, but currently, orders are being shipped within 24-36 hours. All replacement parts can also be purchased through Bonnie’s Best Art Tools, should you be one of those that uses a paper trimmer on a daily basis, this may be good to know.

If you live in my area (I’m in Sonoma County, CA) and just want to test run it before purchasing, drop me an email and I’ll be happy to bring mine by or welcome you to my studio to try it out!