OLFA 9911 CMP-1 Compass Circle Cutter

I needed something to put holes a little less than 1/2" in diameter in the middle of large sheets of heavy paper (less than 1/4" radius.) I had been doing it with pencil marks and an Xacto knife and it was a real pain, and very time consuming, and the results were never perfect. This little tool does a far better job, and is super fast and easy to use. I saw a comment where someone said they could do a 1/8" hole, but I don't see how this is possible. The smallest hole it can make, from what I can tell, is about 7/16" in diameter, or a little less than 1/4" radius. Lucky for me, that's just what I needed. The tool comes with a blade installed, plus five spare blades stored in the safety cover (a separate plastic guard not shown in the photo.) Probably *not* going to work very well on something thick like corrugated cardboard, but would certainly work on heavy flat (non-corrugated) cardstock -- you might just need to run the blade around a few times, no big deal. Oh, and they even give you a little circular thing (about the size of a thumbtack head, with a non-skid bottom) that you can put in the center of your circle, and put the tool center on top of, so that you don't put a pinhole in your paper if you are going to keep (rather than discard) the round piece of paper after it's been cut out. This thing also fits neatly in the blade guard. For best results, I recommend using this with a cutting mat such as the DAHLE Vantage cutting mat (also a great product.) If you need to make perfect, small, round holes in paper or cardstock, I can't imagine a better tool, and a screaming bargain.

I have a stack of 50 I cut out of 6-7oz. leather which is fairly thick for a craft project. I needed a round cutter without purchasing a premade die. This works great although I was very skeptical the first time I tried it. I would recommend doing multiple passes without digging in too hard to try and cut it once. Also, in this application it's almost better to not have a super sharp lade due to it digging in too deep and bogging down the process. I was able to cut this state of 50 in about 1 hours. I use a piece of plexiglass below but a cutting mat would be better. This leather is not a uniform thickness so I do about 4 passes and then movr on to the next one. When the sheet is complete, I go back with a pair of scissors and cut out remaining edges. Doesn't take much time and allows me to not cut my plexiglass trying to get ever edge. Lastly, this is my second Olfa Knife. I have a rotary cutter that is my favorite. Quality products indeed.

I bought 2 reasonably priced circle cutters to use mainly on cardstock. The “JEF” HD-01, and the closely priced OLFA circle cutter. I am reviewing both together. The “JEF” is obviously larger and can do larger holes/circles. This model is easier to use than the OLFA and should be able to cut any circle you would need. My only issue is that it uses a Cricut like blade, and includes 2 extra. The blade works great, it’s replacing it if needed that concerns me. You may just have to buy another whole cutter (although at under$10 not a real problem). The OLFA can cut up to a 6” circle, which covers most card crafting. The OLFA is much more compact and made in Japan instead of China. The OLFA has 6 extra blades and can probably be bought from OLFA. Summary: I really wanted to like the OLFA, but the “JEF” is just so much easier to use. The OLFA has a learning curve and could be difficult for many. I think if you just want to cut circles, get the “JEF”.

This is what Ive been hunting for forever. It actually can cut a smaller diameter than all others ive found and it comes with spare blades! And even has the parts number from a reliable brand to buy even more replacements in the future. While it is a plastic build, theres next to zero flex or bendability unless i use an unreasonable level and angle of force that would not be standard in its use. The adjustability screws tight and holds throughout use without needing to be readjusted.

When I opened the package and saw this circle cutter, my immediate reaction was, "Oh my God, this is some little kid's toy." For such a small, lightweight tool, this circle cutter is amazing. As soon as I received it, I used it to cut out 15 X 44.7 mm circles in a sheet of translucent vellum on which I had printed colored circles (for my microscope). I simply set the radius of the circle cutter to 22.35 mm using a caliper, and I used a self-healing cutting mat under the vellum. I found an easy way to make sure that the needle point of the cutter was in the exact center of each colored circle that I had to cut. I was genuinely surprised at how well this circle cutter worked. I used three sheets of plain paper between the vellum and the cutting mat, and the circle cutter only cut the vellum--it didn't even cut the paper more than just a bit of scratching. Amazing. I ended up with 15 very accurate, clean-cut plastic circles of various colors. I don't know how long each cutting blade will last, but it doesn't seem to be getting any duller since I started using it. I just used a light pressure, and went around each circle three or four times until the vellum circle popped out. I wasn't trying to make the cut in one or two passes. I'm very pleased with this circle cutter. I have four more sheets of vellum circles to cut (I'm making Rheinberg filters) and I don't think this circle cutter is going to have the slightest problem getting the job done. I bought the circle cutter, cutting mat, translucent vellum, caliper, and even the microscope from Amazon. Talk about one-stop shopping!

Say what you will but I needed to cut perfect circles in some paper, photos and nylon stock and it worked great for all of them. Works just like a circle compass, you just have to remember not to push down too hard on the blade while making the cut. Use it on a wood surface, hold the material with your left hand while slowly turning the compass with your right. Don't try to gouge your way through the first time around. start off gentle to get a grove then go around a couple times pressing a little harder each time. I had no problems with the blade drifting while making the 2nd, 3rd or 10th pass around the circle. You just need a steady hand. I've done hundreds of cuts and I'm still on the 2nd blade cutting heavy inkjet cardstock. If you take your time, this thing works great. I can see how it would be hard to cut fabric with this but if you pin the material around the area where you're cutting to keep it from sliding, you should be able to cut it. Stretchy fabrics maybe not so much.

Better paper cutter but for fabric was useless

I don't write a lot of reviews but I was moved to rate this great little circle cutter because it makes my work as an artist so much easier! I lost the first one I bought and immediately purchased a second one to replace it. A simple, inexpensive tool that does exactly what it is supposed to.