Product Review - Corner Rounders

Good day, paper loving peeps! I thought I'd do a product review for you today. I don't do these often because I feel that most of my blog posts are "product reviews" for the companies and products for which I design. I don't want to always be "selling" you stuff. But once in a while, I come across something that I like, and want to tell you all about it. {smile} 

Let's talk corner rounders. I have three corner rounders in my stash, each with its own use. Each with its own issues! My favorite corner rounder is not working well these days, so I went in search of a replacement. {oh joy, not}

These are the three punches in my stash. Let's talk about these first, then I will share the replacement I recently purchased.

1. Round it All by Zutter: This punch is the one I use for very THICK items such as chipboard, plastic, and so forth. It does not work very well on cardstock or paper, unless you punch a few sheets at a time. I find that it jams often and does not cut very cleanly on thinner items. It also has a 1/2" angle, which is quite large for my needs. 

2. EK Success Corner Adorner, Medium: I have had this punch for a long time, and it works fairly well. It is easy to use with the thumb lever and it punches cleanly, most of the time. My only complaint with this punch is that the angle is very large, bigger than 1/2". I rarely need to use such a large corner angle. I have also noticed it sticking and cutting a bit ragged lately. It is quite old, so I am not surprised that it is failing. I don't want to re-purchase this one because the corner is just too big for my needs. 

3. Creative Memories Corner Rounder: This is the first corner rounder I ever purchased, way back in 1996!!! If you are good at math, you know that this baby is 22 years old! This is the PERFECT sized corner to match up with the Graphic 45 tags, approximately 8mm, so you know I use it a TON! The downside is that it is very hard to use. I have to use my hand rather than my thumb, and even then, the mechanism is stiff and can result in my having a very sore hand! And, recently, it has been sticking and becoming even more difficult to punch through thicker cardstock. I think it is time to give this guy his retirement!

I was prepared to purchase several punches because I need one that is 8mm, and I also wanted to find one that can punch the tiny corners for playing cards, business cards, ATC cards, and so forth. I looked at a lot of tools, watched a bunch of videos, and finally settled on this rounder...

This punch is the Sunstar Kadomoru Pro Corner Cutter. I found it on Amazon for under $9 and free shipping. It arrived in about two days with Prime, so even if it is a stinker in the long run, it was pretty cheap! It can punch three sizes of corners, 8mm, 5mm, and 3mm. Each size corner has its own space and the paper lines up easily. (This product was NOT FREE, nor am I getting anything out of reviewing it.)

I know that I will use the 8mm (Large) corner the most, because it matches the Graphic 45 tag corners. But it's nice to have those smaller sizes for some things. The smaller sizes are good for ATCs and playing cards. The medium and large sizes both match up to various Project Life cards in my stash! 

The best thing about this one so far is that it is so EASY to punch things. I can use my thumb or my hand, and it punches cleanly with very little effort. It also has a removable plastic cover on the bottom to catch all those pesky snipped corners! I tried it out with printed paper, thick cardstock, computer paper, and even the cover of a catalog. It can cut through everything that other corner rounders can manage, but it's so smooth to operate.  

The one downside I see is that there is a lot of plastic on the inside, and it has springs and screws holding everything together. There are a lot of metal and plastic parts, so I fear that it may not last as long as my older rounders. But, since this one is clear, I can SEE all those moving parts, which may be why I feel it is not as sturdy! I use a corner rounder more than the average crafter, and I am not sure the quality of this guy can stand up to my abuse! But for under $9, I am willing to keep it and see how things go!  

As for where this punch comes from, my first guess is Japan, as I think Sunstar is a Japanese stationery outlet/store. At any rate, it was cheap, came to me in two days, and seems to fit the bill. I figure if the Japanese can bring us Copics, I guess they can bring us corner rounders, too. {smile}