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Attributes: |
Easy to use |
Simplifies cutting |
Durable |
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Reduces hand fatigue |
Hard to find |
Frequently misunderstood |
Good Value |
The Thomas grip cutter, from Toyo is our favorite glass cutter, and these days the only one we use at Dodge Studio. (I may as well tell you right up front that we don't use it quite the way they show in the manufacturers illustrations, though...but more on that later.)
ADVANTAGES-
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Unique design rests against the ball of your hand and eliminates muscle strain from squeezing on standard cutters so that they don't slip through your hand. | |
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Swiveling barrel,
when gripped as described below, allows cutting full circle, without lifting
the cutter or even turning your wrist! (I've got carpel tunnel syndrome and
probably couldn't cut anymore without it.) | |
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Long lasting carbide steel wheel in a replaceable cartridge. Lasts many times longer than a standard steel wheel, and when it's time for a new wheel, you still get to keep your cutter. | |
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Self oiling...(if you feel you must.) We never fill our cutters with oil though. All oil filled cutters leave too much oil on the glass and can cause tiny chips to stick to your fingers and give you glass splinters. After every few scores we just press the cutter head into a rag soaked in cutter oil and blot it dry. | |
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Comes in neat new neon colors! We cannot guarantee your choice of color, but if you tell us what you want, we'll try to oblige. | |
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Head has a second swivel, (which we usually lock up for pattern cutting), in addition to the barrel swivel. If you cut against rulers a lot this second swivel makes tracking against the ruler easier. | |
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Gives you control you never believed possible! |
And now, the promised "more on that"...
We'll start with the
two illustrations from Toyo showing their suggested ways to hold the Thomas
Grip. (It has long been my suspicion that the guy who did the illustrations
never spoke to the guy who invented the cutter though.)


Next I'll try to describe the way we use it.
We hold the cutter in a vertical position, (straight up and down as in the photo
below), but with the swiveling "saddle" piece on top placed so that
the flat end of it rests on the ball of the hand, and the curved part of the
saddle comes up between the pointer and middle fingers. The thumb, pointer and
middle finger wrap around the barrel just above the wheel cartridge.
Holding the cutter like this allows you to have great control because no muscle
power is exerted holding the cutter. All downward force is exerted by the ball
of your hand, not your fingers. But the real trick here is that the saddle part
has a swivel built in. You can turn the barrel of the cutter, making curves
on
the glass, without turning your hand. You can turn the barrel with the tips of
the thumb and two fingers while the saddle rests still in your hand. It makes it
possible to cut a circle without lifting the cutter off the glass if you want
to...without even turning your wrist!
For added control I often hold onto the head of the
cutter with two fingers of my other hand and guide it along.
Only $26.95
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Toyo Custom Grip Cutter
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O.K., if you pressed us to make a second choice in the
cutter pageant, this is the one. While I truly prefer the grip of the Thomas to this one, it is not at all bad, and it is convertible! It comes with two different hand rests that you can swap or turn upside down and a spacer that can be moved above or below the protruding rest. This gives you many possible combinations. The best part about this cutter, however is that it represents the first real advance in actual glass cutting technology in as long as I've been in the business! The "Tap Wheel" cutter uses a new technology that causes the cutter wheel to vibrate driving the score deeper into the glass improving your chances of success.
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Toyo Pistol Grip Cutter(Oil fillable) |
The pistol grip is probably my least favorite cutter, but we
get people in here who swear by them. If you read the description of the
Thomas Grip Cutter at the top of this page, it includes an abbreviated
version of my little tirade about the pistol grip. That said, if you've been using pistols and are happy with them, we won't think any the less of you if you order one!
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Toy Brass Supercutter(Oil fillable) |
If you just plain like the feeling of something
substantial in your hand, this one's for you. The brass
supercutter uses the same great long lasting head as the other Toyo
offerings (with the exception of the Tap Wheel), and is made of heavy
brass.
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Toyo Acrylic Supercutter(Oil fillable) |
This one us just like the brass supercutter, but it
lightweight acrylic.
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Fletcher Ball End Cutter |
This is the "old standby. In the "olden days" it was
pretty much the only show in town. It's a bit hard on your wrist if you work a lot, but still gets the job done!
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