I own many craft tools and yet I cannot resist buying more. I was very intrigued seeing the Gyro-Cut® tool in action at a London craft show and decided to purchase it along with the Sticky Mat® adhesive. What instantly caught my eye was how easily it cut waves and circular shapes. If you ever tried to cut a circle using a regular craft knife you probably wanted to chuck it by the end of your attempt. This is where the Gyro-Cut®Tool comes in and is a total game changer. Cutting circular shapes smoothly and easily is possible entirely due to its 360˚ rotating cutting blade.

It took some getting used to. At first, I would slip into the old habit of angling the tool down as you pull. Wrong! It is very important to keep the cutting blade in a vertical position and use your hand as if you were drawing with a pen instead. It took some practice, but more I cut, easier and more natural it got for me. I didn’t have my Silhouette CAMEO 3 at the time, but desperately wanted to use cut files in my scrapbooking and this was a brilliant alternative. I tackled the most intricate designs with ease. Don’t get me wrong, it took time and effort, but it was so much easier and faster than using a regular craft knife, mainly due to the fact that I could go around the round edges fast.

I created a few cards cutting different materials to show you what can be achieved. However, there are more to experiment with. The tool is designed to cut through thinner materials so try sticking to thinner cardstock, paper, acetate, vinyl and vellum. You might experience a difficulty cutting through a very thick cardstock and a lot of pressure would need to be applied which would result in unsightly ridges. It is important to test it on various types of card to get to know it and to get the hang of it.

I find this tool is a brilliant addition to my craft tool stash, reach for it often and having had this tool for about a year and so far, I haven’t had a need to replace the cutting blade. Replacement blades are available to purchase, should you need to. I do believe my cutting wouldn’t be as successful without the Sticky Mat®adhesive and I am very glad I purchased it with the tool. The tacky cutting mat keeps your paper in place whilst cutting which allows you to go around the design precisely and fast without the paper moving and folding as you drag the tool over it. I simply wouldn’t use the tool without it. You only need to apply a tiny amount to make any cutting mat tacky so it will last for a long time. I like to run my hands over the newly applied dried tacky surface of the mat as I find it is a bit too tacky for certain lighter materials. It is similar to ‘de-stickifying’ a Silhouette cutting mat before using it first time. Once you get the hang of it, there will be no stopping you! And for those who love to create with fabric you’ll be pleased to know that there is a Gyro-Cut® tool for Fabric too!