Die-Cutter Review: Boss Kut
I invited five women to try out the Boss Kut die-cutting system and review it based on the ease of use, price, size, versatility and die selection. The following is our evaluation of the Boss Kut:
Ease of Use
The Boss Kut works with a lever system. To make a cut, put your paper and the die facedown in between two notches on the cutting mat. Then, center the cutting mat (with the die and paper on top of it) underneath the pressure point, and push the lever down to apply pressure to the die, which cuts through the paper.
Positives
- The instructions were simple and it was easy to jump right in and give it a try.
- The leverage design is easy to handle.
- The extra weight of the tool makes it sturdy and prevents it from moving while you cut.
- It doesn’t require any additional adapters to make each cut.
Negatives
- It needed two copy-paper shims to cut through cardstock.
- The lever needs to be pressed twice for a good cut.
- It can be difficult to center dies beneath the pressure point.
- Some alphabet dies required shifting and several cutting attempts to cut out the letters along the edge of the die.
- You have to replace the cutting mat periodically.
*edited to add the following*
After this review was published, Boss Kut began including an instructional diagram with the tool showing how the dies should be centered on the cutting mat and entered into the machine. For our original review, we did not line the dies up correctly. By following these new instructions, we had no trouble getting dies to cut through heavy cardstock with just one press of the lever and no shims. More specific instructions greatly improved this tool's ease-of-use.
Price
The Boss Kut tool comes with one cutting mat that should be replaced periodically.
- Boss Kut Tool - $129.99
- Alphabet Sets - $29.99 - $209.99
- Shapes - $5.99 - $15.49
The Boss Kut is currently available only at select scrapbook stores. Call 1-800-874-7120 to find a retailer near you.
Size
This cute little tool has a low-profile, compact design. Since it does not require additional adapters, various cutting mats, or specialty accessories, storage is simple. The tool and the dies are all you need to consider. While the cutting area is rather small, the combination of a relatively small tool and compact die storage makes it fare well in the size category. It is quite heavy, which does make it a little more difficult to tote around.
- Footprint - 11” long x 7 ˝” wide x 4” high
- Cutting Area - 3” x 3”
- Dies - wafer thin, stored in 3-ring binder
Versatility
The Boss Kut is designed to work with any of the chemically etched dies such as those from Boss Kut, QuicKutz, Spellbinders™ and Zip’eMate’s™, Zip’eCuts™, and Zip’eSnaps™ dies. Since the design of the tool allows you to move the cutting mat back and forth underneath the pressure area, you can cut longer images by shifting the cutting mat and pressing the handle after each shift to cover the entire image. There are not currently any embossing options for the Boss Kut tool.
Alphabet & Shape Die Selection
Summary
Overall, our reviewers agreed that the Boss Kut had a simple design that was easy to use, but it was a little heavy to carry to crops. We felt the price was high compared to other tools like it, and we would like to see improvements made in how you line up the dies on the cutting mat to ensure a complete cut each time (such as colored notches). We were pleased with the size of the dies, the selection of fonts and the storage method available.
Adore Alphabet by Boss Kut
Fancy Hinge #0540 by Boss Kut
Patterned Paper by Lazar StudoWERX
Patterned Paper by Pebbles, Inc.
Cardstock by Bazzill
Ribbon by Offray
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