Soap wire cutter

[sbence93]

Hey everyone,

I've been into soap making for more than 2 years now and now I feel that I am ready to take it to the next level. For that, I would like to buy a soap wire cutter to cut my loaves into bars. Do you have any advice on this? What are the main aspects to consider in such cases? Do you think that regular items sold on Etsy/Amazon are fair enough in quality? Thanks in advance

 

[Ekuzo]

Hi! I'm using one cheese cutter and one similar wire cutter for soap in particular. Both of them relatively cheap, from Aliexpress. So far I'm satisfied. Look around on the platform, I'm sure you'll find something to your liking.

Attached, you will find the 2 types I have and use

 

[MelissaG]

For early start, just a cheese cutter will work fine. Provided you don't leave the soap for too long before cutting. Eventually you'll want a single bar cutter and then a multibar cutter. Prices go up as you upgrade so keep that in mind. My single bar cutter was about $100. My multibar cutter was about $180. Worth every penny.

The wooden cutters are cheapest but I also find them hardest to clean. Then the ones made with plastic/wood. And finally the metal ones. My multibar is a metal cutter and I wish I had gotten it first but it's not cheap. The company I bought it from went out of business but I did get it on Etsy.

You'll find most people recommend Bud's cutters. My single bar cutter came from Workshop Heritage. There are others so, if you're looking at one, you might like to come here and ask before buying. I say this because someone tried to scam me out of $150 when I tried to buy one on Etsy. Luckily Etsy was aware of what happened so instantly gave me my money back when I reported it. Apparently, they had done it to others. Both Buds and Workshop are on Etsy though, and they are trustworthy.

 

[MasterGiff]

So I went ahead and purchased a metal cheese slicer to start and found that it would not cut the bars evenly. The soap loaf just slips all over. It would need a block on one side to keep the loaf in place. But the blade also bent and caused a moon shaped cut in the bar. So I guess I'm looking for something much more heavy duty. Something that is made specifically for cutting bars from loaves. However the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of just using molds. With molds, you can eliminate the need for cutting completely.

 

[AliOop]

So I went ahead and purchased a metal cheese slicer to start and found that it would not cut the bars evenly. The soap loaf just slips all over. It would need a block on one side to keep the loaf in place. But the blade also bent and caused a moon shaped cut in the bar. So I guess I'm looking for something much more heavy duty. Something that is made specifically for cutting bars from loaves. However the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of just using molds. With molds, you can eliminate the need for cutting completely.

True, but you are pretty limited on the quantity you can make at one time, unless you buy a whole bunch of cavity molds that take up lots of storage room and require lots of wash time to clean all of them after each batch. The other issue is that soaps in cavity molds won't gel on their own, so if you want to gel your recipe, you have to figure out how to gel them without ruining the molds with the applied heat. The cheaper silicone molds are very prone to getting silicone rash after they have been heated; once that happens, all your bars will have pock-marked sides.

For those who make lots of soap, it's more cost effective, takes up less storage space, and saves working time to buy a nice single bar cutter or multi-bar cutter. The prices have come down a lot over the last few years.

 

[MasterGiff]

True, but you are pretty limited on the quantity you can make at one time, unless you buy a whole bunch of cavity molds that take up lots of storage room and require lots of wash time to clean all of them after each batch. The other issue is that soaps in cavity molds won't gel on their own, so if you want to gel your recipe, you have to figure out how to gel them without ruining the molds with the applied heat. The cheaper silicone molds are very prone to getting silicone rash after they have been heated; once that happens, all your bars will have pock-marked sides.

For those who make lots of soap, it's more cost effective, takes up less storage space, and saves working time to buy a nice single bar cutter or multi-bar cutter. The prices have come down a lot over the last few years.

Do you have any good recommendations for a high quality cutter? I'm not looking to break the bank, but the $20 slicer I bought will simply not be effective unless I make massive modifications to it. Lol

 

[AliOop]

Do you have any good recommendations for a high quality cutter? I'm not looking to break the bank, but the $20 slicer I bought will simply not be effective unless I make massive modifications to it. Lol

I definitely went through the same thing, and was so disappointed when it didn't work for me, either. I'd rather have saved that $20 towards a good cutter.

I agree with all of @MelissaG's recommendations, above. If you want a multi-bar cutter, I'd go with this one from Bud Hafner. For a single-bar cutter, this one by him would be a great choice.

 

[MasterGiff]

I definitely went through the same thing, and was so disappointed when it didn't work for me, either. I'd rather have saved that $20 towards a good cutter.

I agree with all of @MelissaG's recommendations, above. If you want a multi-bar cutter, I'd go with this one from Bud Hafner. For a single-bar cutter, this one by him would be a great choice.

I feel like if I'm going to go with a cutter, I can't imagine I would have a need for a single bar cutter vs cutting a whole loaf at a time. So it may be beneficial to just buy the multi bar cutter. I love that someone reviewed it with a video! Looks like it cuts great! Thanks!

 

[Cindy D.]

If you want a single cutter that can also be a log splitter and you aren't trying to cut a whole loaf as fast as possible customcraft tools had a couple great ones. It's nice to have both options if you are going to be advancing your skills. Some soap require a horizontal cut to see the pattern.
I absolutely love my caterpillar cutter!

https://customcrafttools.com/collec...-stock/products/hercules-soap-cutting-station

 

[AliOop]

If you want a single cutter that can also be a log splitter and you aren't trying to cut a whole loaf as fast as possible customcraft tools had a couple great ones. It's nice to have both options if you are going to be advancing your skills. Some soap require a horizontal cut to see the pattern.
I absolutely love my caterpillar cutter!

https://customcrafttools.com/collec...-stock/products/hercules-soap-cutting-station

Me, too - along with my multi-bar cutter from Nurture (which sadly isn't offered any longer).

 

[MasterGiff]

I went ahead and ordered the multi bar cutter from Bud Hafner. It looks really good. I also want the Herc from Custom Crafts. But that one will have to wait. Budget cuts and all that. Lol Thank you all for helping me decide.

 

[Cindy D.]

Not sure if you noticed but for

I went ahead and ordered the multi bar cutter from Bud Hafner. It looks really good. I also want the Herc from Custom Crafts. But that one will have to wait. Budget cuts and all that. Lol Thank you all for helping me decide.

Not sure if you noticed but, your loaf needs to fit on that cutter, it can't be longer. Some multi bar cutters have a raised bar on the sides so longer loaves can still be cut while extending past the end of the cutter.

 

[MasterGiff]

Not sure if you noticed but for

Not sure if you noticed but, your loaf needs to fit on that cutter, it can't be longer. Some multi bar cutters have a raised bar on the sides so longer loaves can still be cut while extending past the end of the cutter.

I think I have generally small loaf molds. I've seen some others that people use. I'm pretty sure mine should fit.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

For @MasterGiff and anyone else reading this thread, I also love my Caterpillar/Hercules cutter, purchased on @AliOop’s recommendation. If you are cutting home crafted quantities of soap instead of prolific business quantities, I can’t recommend it highly enough. The log splitting feature turned out to be a godsend. I can now split slab molds into even bars! The log splitting feature can be used to clear off the top of soap with ash for those of us who like our bars without decorated tops. I used the log splitting feature to cut birch tree trunks for this soap.

Reposting the link from @Cindy D.
https://customcrafttools.com/collec...-stock/products/hercules-soap-cutting-station

 

[AliOop]

For @MasterGiff and anyone else reading this thread, I also love my Caterpillar/Hercules cutter, purchased on @AliOop’s recommendation. If you are cutting home crafted quantities of soap instead of prolific business quantities, I can’t recommend it highly enough. The log splitting feature turned out to be a godsend. I can now split slab molds into even bars! The log splitting feature can be used to clear off the top of soap with ash for those of us who like our bars without decorated tops. I used the log splitting feature to cut birch tree trunks for this soap. View attachment 79783
Reposting the link from @Cindy D.
https://customcrafttools.com/collec...-stock/products/hercules-soap-cutting-station

Oh my, those bars are gorgeous!!

 

[MelissaG]

Not sure if you noticed but for

Not sure if you noticed but, your loaf needs to fit on that cutter, it can't be longer. Some multi bar cutters have a raised bar on the sides so longer loaves can still be cut while extending past the end of the cutter.

Mine is a 12 bar cutter but I always cut 18 bars on it. It's actually quite easy but maybe it's just me.

 

[dibbles]

I used the log splitting feature to cut birch tree trunks for this soap.

First of all, that soap is gorgeous And thank you for mentioning how you cut your tree trunks - I'm sure my mind would not have thought of that and I would have somehow made a lot of work for myself. I will have to remember this, as I have some frosted birch and juniper fragrance that I am hoping to use soon!

 

[Zing]

Hobbyist here and I've had my single wire cutter for several years and love it. It's no longer available on Amazon. Others here rave about Bud's from Etsy and mine looks like his.