HFS(R) 17" Blade A3 Heavy Duty Guillotine Paper Cutter (A3-17'' Paper Cutter)

Received the package, everything seems to be in order. The guillotine is BIG and HEAVY. I picked this specific product because of the guide rulers are really helpful, i also like the clamp to keep the papers from slipping during the cut. Since i didnt have any projects to test i took one of my nieces sketchbooks and tested the blade. It was precise and sharp, no jagged edges or slipped cuts.

I bought this to replace the second hand one I got on FB. I love it because it was easy to cut when it worked. I decided it was time to get a NEW one. (my review of how the old one is, is below)My thoughts on my brand new one is that its so amazing out of the box. I LOVE IT! I make a lot of notepads and stationery items and from 1 pages to 300 pages it cuts great! Never had any issues with my new one so far... Other than MY mistake was trying to clean the blade BARE handed with a paper towel... I sliced my finger... BUT THIS WAS USER ERROR. I wasn't thinking.The second-hand one I bought online was great! I bought it because I saw that the parts are VERY EASILY available!I LOVED it, BUT it looked like she dropped it... It was also old, so I bought a replacement blade. It wouldn't hold onto my adjustments, so it wasn't cutting SQUARE anymore. I had to adjust it CONSISTENTLY, and I couldn't find any information on how to fix the fact that it wasn't cutting square. I finally got frustrated with the amount of mistakes I was making, put it away, and bought a new one.I still have it somewhere for the day I have the time to restore it or just for parts for the new one but if someone has suggestions on fixing this SQUARE cutting issue then please let me know!

The HFS 17" A3 Heavy Duty Guillotine from Hardware Factory Store is built like a battleship - and it weighs nearly as much: This cutter is constructed of solid and thick heavy steel where it counts - and a bit of plastic where it's appropriate. There's been no compromise with construction of this cutter. Be prepared to have some help when lifting this monster cutter around so that you don't get a hernia or pull a muscle in your back - it's that heavy !The unit I received came completely assembled and basically was ready to go. The long lever you grip to bring down the blade does not permanently attach to the unit; To use the unit you just insert the long lever into the base and you can begin to use the unit immediately. When not in use you can remove the lever and store the entire unit if desired.Because this unit is so heavy, it does require a solid and sturdy table to mount it on. Don't place it on a rickety table because it is heavy and your table just might collapse when bringing down the blade because you will be applying downward force in addition to the weight of the cutter. This is probably a bit over emphasis but just be sure you use a solid and sturdy table.The blade can be adjusted (and/or removed for replacement) though I did not adjust the blade on my unit. There is a plastic guard that protects casual access to the exposed blade as well.Be especially careful of not running your fingers across the cutter's blade - it is extremely sharp.There's also a tool that that comes with the cutter which is used to hold the sharp blade when replacing or adjusting it so that you don't cut your fingers, also included is an extra set of screws that are used to secure the blade to the unit should you ever need them.I was told by Hardware Factory Store that they have replacement parts and blades for this unit.I tested the unit by cutting the spines off of a number of thick magazines varying from 50 to over 100 or more pages.In general, It takes a bit of trying out to get a feel for properly cutting a stack but it's very easy once you get the hang of it. Also be sure that you do not stop mid-way in your cut as this can cause an irregularity with the final cut. Your downward action on the lever should be consistent, firm, and with one steady - but not fast - stroke being sure to put sufficient pressure when you bottom the lever so that there are no pages still attached at the very bottom of the pile. If you find you've got a couple of pages still attached and you're sure you're applying good pressure at the bottom of your stroke you may need to adjust your blade, in which case refer to the videos below I found that walks you through the process.My only criticism at this point is with packing of the unit for shipment:My unit came shipped in a large 2-piece Styrofoam protective housing inside a cardboard box; the bottom Styrofoam piece is about 1.5 inches in height which the unit rests on and slightly larger than the full width and length of the unit, the top Styrofoam piece which is about 10 inches high rests on top of the base Styrofoam piece and covers the entire unit. The entire 2-piece Styrofoam housing came in a corrugated cardboard box.Considering the weight and size of this cutter my personal opinion is that the shipping container should be of a much heavier weight. And although the unit is solidly built, still it can be damaged if hit by something equally heavy or heavier than the cutter, or dropped as a result of it's weight.You will not want to receive this cutter damaged and have to return it because it was poorly packaged so my personal opinion is that this cutter should be shipped in a wooden pallet because of its heft, size and weight to better protect it during shipping. While shipping in a small wooden pallet will add additional cost for shipping, it's worth it considering it will better protect the unit you get and should you have to return it you'll have a sturdy container.Lastly, the unit I received had absolutely no instructions or information about parts replacement. The only printed matter was a card with a picture of the unit - not very useful. I contacted Hardware Factory Store and asked about instructions on adjusting the blade, etc. and was told there is a Youtube video that goes through the proceedure. I was able to find the following videos for the HFS cutter:(Note: The cutter in the videos might not look exactly like the one you receive but they gives you a very good idea of what's involved. If you have any doubts after watching the videos, contact the Hardware Factory Shop for assistance.)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EkWKfaIi-ghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9DxIkkWxW0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxyhKKO1uEUConsidering that a similar cutter can cost multiple the price of this cutter, it does a good job at a reasonable price.Overall, operation of the cutter is straightforward once you understand how to use it.

The media could not be loaded. I called hardware factory supply in California on August 15th to ask about getting their 17 inch guietine cutter warrantied. The platen or the piece that you crank down to hold the paper tight has bent as it will not hold paper tight or flat. This is a solid piece of metal bolted together it should not warp or bend, but it has done both and in doing so stripped the bolts from being able to hold securely. Upon calling multiple different extensions as no one would answer, I was finally greeted by a women named Vicky who once I explained my issue to she asked me if she could have a different sales person call me back. Strange, possibly deflection but I agreed as possibly she may not have known the answer. So I called back to a different extension and she (Vicky) answered again. I asked ok so who could I speak with then. She exclaimed “geez you didn’t even give me a minute,” and put me on hold. Horrible customer service example one. She came back on and gave me an email to a women named Shirley and asked me to send her my order number, date purchased, and the item number. I went a few steps above and provided a picture of the issue as well as my invoice. No response from this Shirley person instead someone named Zora Hong from China intercepted the email and began the whole thing all over. First asking for everything I already provided. In my first email I explained that I had already tried trouble shooting to see if it was something to be fixed. The next email from Zora 24 hours later was asking me to try trouble shooting from the guides provided online. I already had and had just told them this. The next email which was the next day 24 hours later asked if I really needed to be using it where it was loose and if I could cut further down. What?? No I want to use the product how it was intended. Now after pictures and asking if they will uphold their warranty a full 24 hours later they are wanting a video to send to their factory to confirm. This is the video I provided in this review. The reason this is going on like this is because they have a 1 year warranty which I purchased the cutter on September 7th, 2023 it is August 19th 2024, so as you can see they are purposely dragging this on by responding to one email every 24 hours to try and go past the warranty date. My advice do not buy anything from this company as they are a complete joke and the products they sell match the customer service I am receiving. I Have had to buy 4 of these in the last 5 years, this year I noticed they had the warranty and wanted to use it since the problem occurred within the warranty time frame. the unfortunate part is of all the cutters available on amazon they are all the same, just with different company logos. I went with HFS because I assumed them having a US presence and being in many other sectors it would be a better customer experience. Boy was I wrong, learn from my mistake and do not buy anything from HFS. Horrible value horrible customer service and absolutely zero accountability for their customers who keep them in business.