Matcutter question for all.

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J

Jason Maranto

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Posts
147
Loc
Tampa, FL
If money was no object and quality of the final cut mat your only consideration - which manual matcutter would you reccomend?

Also what are your size preferences?

Thanks,
Jason
 
Gunnart C-55
No longer has representation on the North American continent, but you didn't stipulate whether or not it was a PIA to get parts for.
Swiss precision (about sums it up).
 
I am not a framer I am a supplier so I am not an end user of mat cutters so take that into account. However, I have been impressed by the comments I am hearing about Pheadra's Chronomat cutter. We have sold them for about a year with great success. The customers who have purchased them have given us very positive reviews. I even watched a guy cut a mat with his eyes closed and it came out perfect (he was able to do this because of the machines cool and quite useful magnetic production stops). I believe that Phaedra said that it took them three years to design the cutter. They purchased and disected as many cutters as possible looking for good and bad design elements and then they talked to framers who use the machines for their input. The result is a machine that is user friendly and that I believe will last longer than any other I am aware of. The Chronomat comes in a 48" and 60" and has production stops and a squaring arm included. I am offering a special on the 60" through the end of November of $1200.00 (only four cutters are available at that price). Feel free to email me at djframers@hotmail.com. I would be interested in any comments from Chronomat owners as well. Wherever you buy it I think that it would be worth your while to investigate this cutter.
 
I went looking to get a Fletcher last Jan. at Orlando, but Fletcher was nowhere to be seen.

I happened on American Engineering's Chronomat 60" and grabbed it up. They do the Phaedra cutter (which I've had for 6 years) and I couldn't pass this up. I've used C&H, and Fletcher but after seeing this I couldn't not get it.

It's almost a year and I would recommend this to anyone.
 
I've been using a Fletcher for 15 years and I would highly recommend it. However, looking at the pictures of the American Engineering's Chronomat I have to say I would like to give it a whirl. It's kind of like a Fletcher with a different head. The board, hinges, and bar look like they're from the same supplier that Fletcher uses. I would have to check the "feel" of the head to see if I like it better than the Fletcher. As far as size goes I would stick with the 48". It's large enough for 99% of what I cut and I don't like the extra curve of the 60" nor the extra weight of the bar. When I'm cutting 50-60 mats my wrist gets sore enough, I don't need any extra mass to flip up and down.
 
I know not many people have the Keen Cut, but I've been using mine for ten years and have never had a single problem. I have both the 48" and the 60". I prefer the 60".
 
I have a Fletcher, and it is a fine piece of equiptment. You will have a hard time going wrong with the BEST! Although I have never used any other straight-line cutter, the Fletcher speaks for itself!

I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for, but if you can get a better product, then, more power to you!!
 
Two features grabbed me when I looked at the Chronomat. The magnetic top stop was one, and I now use all the stops regularly.
The other feature I'm rather attached to is the lifting lever that you flip to raise the bar just enough to move mats around. I might not have gotten the 60" if not for that little innovation.I think part of my back problems have gone away since I started using the new cutter.

Sometimes it's in the little things...
 
OK, this is just my personal observations so please correct me if I'm wrong but in researching these diverse matcutters I've noticed some trends:

Logan Framers Edge: Seems like a good choice for cost per performance but cost really isn't an issue for this survey.

Fletcher 2100: The basic standard... doesn't come complete with all the extras like the others.

Chronomat: Hybrid of the Fletcher and Vailani matcutters...

Keencut Ultimat: Fairly similar to the others listed so far except in the fact that it has a track/ball bearing head system unlike the rod/ball bearing sytem of the others.

Gunnar 55: Has a more advanced track/ball bearing system than the Ultimat among its many features.

Looking at all these systems I think I like the track/ball bearing system better than the old rod system, which I know from experience to be prone to head play over long term use... I do however like the magnetic stops -- and the lifters are pretty much a standard feature on everyhting but the fletcher where they are an extra expense.

Judging by this information it seems the Gunnar is the way to go except for the difficulty in getting parts and support in the states... which make the Keencut a attractive second choice.

Are my observations missing something crucial?

Jason.
 
Fletcher again, but we have 3 cmc's an Eclipse and 2 Gunnar's so we are using our manual mat cutter less and less.
Still going strong though - a real workhorse!
 
After much deliberation and discussion with various suppliers I decided to buy the Vailani matcutter...

I was going to purchase a Gunnar but the cost of shipping was too much and they don't currently have a USA distributor for manual models so I had to go back to the more "normal" cutters. I actually got down to the point of looking at exploded parts lists for each of my finalists to see exactly what each cutter was made from, and while my knowledge of engineering isn't massive I was able to divine which features mattered most to me in day to day use.

I've used it and can say I'm happy with my purchase -- thanks for all the suggestions.

Jason.
 
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