REVIEW – I’m always on the hunt for toys and activities for our growing toddler that will encourage creativity and using his hands, so the ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutter was already on my radar when the offer to do a review on it came into my inbox. I eagerly agreed, as he’s just starting to get into art and building toys like Duplos and magnet-based tiles. As an added bonus, we have an unlimited supply of cardboard constantly filling our recycling bins every week from Gadgeteer reviews and my ever-increasing 3D print farm business, so a tool/toy that uses cardboard as the source material is excellent.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $249
Where to buy: Chompshop
What is it?
The ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutter is a tabletop cardboard cutter. The user pushes pieces of cardboard across the working surface, and the cutter in the center cleanly cuts the cardboard. It has a variety of safety features that Chompsaw touts on their website and through their marketing videos, like a metal guard that keeps fingers from getting cut and a design that won’t pull hair or clothes into the cutter.
What’s included?
- ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutter
- Manual
- Hole punch
- Scoring tool
- The product box itself – has shapes and a first project ready to cut out
Design and features
The working surface of the ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutter has the cutter located right in the center. The work surface feels and looks like it’s made from machined aluminum and has measuring guidelines that would be very useful for getting precise cuts and angles. The white line on the disc-shaped metal guard indicates where the cutter cuts the cardboard.
This top cover can be lifted up to reveal the storage compartment, which can hold the AC adapter and included tools. The entire build feels high quality, with little to no flex or cheap plastic (everything seems sturdy and rugged from top to bottom).
In the photo above, you can see the small gap between the protective guard and the actual cutter on the Chompsaw. This is small enough that 3-year-olds can’t get their fingers into it. The cutter design also won’t pull in hair or clothes. Having nearly lost a thumb this week from a stupid mistake with a miter saw, I appreciate these safety fingers for my little one.
A clear sliding tray catches most of the cardboard shavings (I don’t think I’ve ever typed or spoken the words “cardboard shavings” in a sentence before).
The left side of the Chompsaw has some ventilation with a unique design.
Around back we also have the same ventilation design and the power jack.
The right side has a large kid-friendly on/off button.
The bottom has safety and technical info, as well as a rubber strip running all the way around. On a flat hard surface this works great to keep the Chompsaw from sliding around while being used.
The included tools work great on standard cardboard. Our three-year-old struggled with pushing cardboard through the Chompsaw itself but he could punch holes and draw lines in the cardboard with the tools, which I could then cut out for him.
Performance
From the first cut, I could tell that this tool was not some flimsy toy that will break after a few hours of use (like so many motorized kids toys these days). It feels as well built as my better power tools in my garage, and cleanly cuts right through cardboard. With two hands, you can easily spin and angle the cardboard around as you cut to make pretty intricate shapes. The measuring and angle lines on the work surface are excellent for precise work, and the whole thing remains relatively clean by collecting those cardboard shavings in the tray below.
Final thoughts
While our toddler is just a little young (the box for the ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutter says recommended age is 5+), I’ll definitely be storing this for him and letting him use it with my assistance until he’s strong enough to do it on his own. I would have killed for something like this as a younger kid, the creativity this unlocks with cardboard boxes is limitless! It’s one of those special deceptively simple toys that could be the gateway to a lifetime of making, inventing, and crafting for a young person.
What I like about the ChompSaw kid-safe cardboard cutter
- Seems to be very safe
- Cuts cardboard effectively
- Waste catcher and internal storage compartment are clever
What needs to be improved?
- Main website says safe for 3+, but box says best for 5+ (and it’s hard for our 3 year old to push cardboard through it)
Price: $249
Where to buy: Chompshop
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Chompshop. Chompshop did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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