Keep this or return it?

[TeresaT]

OK, sorry to beat a dead horse. I opened the "missing" box and pulled out the soap cutter. It's very nice and extremely well made. However, it is ever so slightly crooked. The knife guides are slightly off by a few mm and will make a crooked bar. I don't know if I should keep it or return it. I'm not sure if they'll be able to do a perfect match, since it is hand made and not machine made. However, I'd think that since it is hand made, they would have taken special care to make sure the guides lined up perfectly. Here are some photos of the way it lines up. Does anyone have a hand made cutter similar to this? Do your guides line up perfectly?

 

[snappyllama]

I'd contact them and possibly return it. If I wanted wonky bars, I'd freehand cut them. Okay, that made incredibly wonky bars for me - but still.

I really cannot throw enough praise at the Bud Cutters. His are handmade and absolutely perfect.

 

[Obsidian]

Yep, I'd ask for a replacement/refund. The whole idea of a cutter is to get perfect bars every time.

 

[TeresaT]

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. I just wanted confirmation that it wasn't my OCD talking.

 

[earlene]

I agree, send it back after you first contact them. Hopefully they will pay return shipping like with Amazon.

 

[cmzaha]

I cannot cut a straight bar with any of those type cutters let alone one that is already wonky. I was lucky enough that my hubby built me a multi bar cutter. It may not be perfect or pretty, due to lack of tools not inability to build one, but at least I get uniform cuts, which I find important when selling. I would contact the seller

 

[IrishLass]

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. I just wanted confirmation that it wasn't my OCD talking.

Just adding my confirmation into the "definitely not OCD talking" pile.


IrishLass

 

[Steve85569]

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. I just wanted confirmation that it wasn't my OCD talking.

Post is much too short for it to be your OCD.
Add my name to the list confirming the return/refund. You did not get what you paid for.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Chiming in to say that I wouldn`t be happy with that cutter either. A cutter ain`t cheap, it`d better be straight, especially where it counts!

 

[TeresaT]

Post is much too short for it to be your OCD.
Add my name to the list confirming the return/refund. You did not get what you paid for.

So glad I wasn't drinking anything. It woulda come out my nose!!

 

[DeeAnna]

Teresa -- is there a link to the product so I can see the sides of this item? I can't quite wrap my mind around the inaccuracy of the cutter slots and fence vs. what looks like some nice workmanship. Makes me wonder if a bump during shipping caused the misalignment and if the maker provided a way to fine-tune the guides. But I can't tell from your photos. At the very least, I'd ask the maker kindly about the problem -- send him/her the photos and see what response you get. This might be an honest mistake rather than shoddy workmanship.

 

[TeresaT]

Teresa -- is there a link to the product so I can see the sides of this item? I can't quite wrap my mind around the inaccuracy of the cutter slots and fence vs. what looks like some nice workmanship. Makes me wonder if a bump during shipping caused the misalignment and if the maker provided a way to fine-tune the guides. But I can't tell from your photos. At the very least, I'd ask the maker kindly about the problem -- send him/her the photos and see what response you get. This might be an honest mistake rather than shoddy workmanship.

I don't think it's shoddy workmanship at all. It's actually a lovely, sturdy, well built cutter. It just happens to be slightly off. Anyone can make that mistake. Unfortunately, it seems they didn't verify the thing was square before it was sent out. It was "only" $43. That's not extremely expensive, but it's not cheap, either. It doesn't show the sides of the item. However, here's the link; they've got a video on there, too. Unfortunately, the sides are attached with recessed brads. If it had been screws or nails, I could have taken it to work with me and had my coworker, who is a woodworker, fix it for me. I'll take some photos of the sides and adjust the size then post them.

I already have a wooden cutter similar to this and the guides line up perfectly. The problem with that cutter is it only has a block on one side to act as a bumper/guide for the loaf. So, I'm always cutting crooked even though I try really hard to keep it straight. I might bring that to work and have my coworker rig it somehow to have that block go across the width of the cutter instead of just parallel to it. I'll post a few photos of that one, too. I really thought this cutter from SMR would the perfect solution and I could have used the old one as a back up.

http://www.soap-making-resource.com/guided-soap-cutter.html

 

[TeresaT]

These are photos of the Soap Making Resource cutter. I didn't pay any attention to it other than to notice the guides were not lined up. This looks like it was glued together and brads added for stability. Anyway, if it was squared, the way it should be, I would be happy to have this. It's wider than the one I have now, which would probably be good for TS molds. I would be able to put the loaf on its side to cut the bars.

 

[TeresaT]

These are photos of my older cutter. Except for the stop thing, it's a great cutter. The craftsmanship is amazing.

 

[DeeAnna]

Okay, I have a better idea about how it works now. Thanks, Teresa, for sharing the pictures. Either the slots for the cutter are not cut on a line perpendicular to the centerline of the bed or the end of the guide isn't perpendicular. Definitely not fixable without taking things apart and reworking, as you already have figured out. It's really odd that the maker didn't see that. Yep, I'd send it back. Again, my thanks for taking the time to answer my question!

 

[shunt2011]

I would send it back. I happen to have one of those and they are aligned. I haven't used it in years as I still couldn't get it to cut straight. I think it's in a box somewhere. My husband made a multi bar cutter that saved my sanity. I have since gotten a Metal Bid Cutter.

 

[Soapsense]

I have worked with Steve on a mold I bought that cracked on me, and they are very reasonable to work with when returning.
I also have that exact cutter and mine is straight, I love it for cutting individual bars.

 

[TeresaT]

They contacted me today and it's being replaced. They're going to send a UPS label so I don't have to pay to ship this back. I was dealing with Monica at SMR and she was very nice. They saw the photos and checked to make sure the replacement was lined up and square. I guess I should be getting it by the end of the week. She said it will be sent out tomorrow. So far, it was a positive experience. Hopefully, the replacement won't have any issues. Thanks for all of the help, everyone.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Yay, so happy for you!