Blew $120 on a guillotine paper cutter from a garage sale. Big mistake.

Turns out the blade was dull as a butter knife and those things cost more to sharpen than a new one. Has anyone had luck resharpening one or am I stuck eating the loss?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jake7d ago

This is one of those situations where people forget that some tools are designed to be disposable, not maintained. I see it all the time with kitchen knives, saw blades, and now apparently paper cutters. The garage sale deal felt like a steal but you're really just buying someone else's problem. Most people don't think about the hidden costs of sharpening or repairing stuff, they just see the low price tag. If the blade is that far gone, you're probably better off cutting your losses and getting a new one from an office supply store. Sometimes the lesson is that cheap upfront cost doesn't always mean cheap in the long run.

oscarthompson7d ago

Wait, did you try honing it with a stone or just try to use it right away? I did the same thing with an old bandsaw blade from a flea market. Paid $80 for the whole saw, got it home, and the blade was basically a rusty hunk of metal. Like @the_jake said, you're buying someone else's headache. I wasted two weekends trying to sharpen it myself and the blade still chattered like crazy. Cut your losses, man. That $120 is a sunk cost.