Oregon Lamination Deluxe Corner Rounder Punch 2mm Radius (6/64") Hand Tool Cutter

After clipping the corners of game counters for fifty years I decided to try this tool. It does a great job and much more consistent than the way I have always done it. There are videos on YouTube that show this much better than I can describe it.

I used this tool for punching a couple thousand pieces and it sufficed for what I wanted to do but then the top grip (plastic) broke off making the tool useless. I have replaced it with a simpler tool which does the same job but the handles are steel and won't snap off as easily.

I collect and play many different board games but mostly wargames. The playing pieces that come in these games are usually printed on cardboard sheets and then die cut to facilitate removing the pieces from the sheet. However, these sheets are usually not fully die cut all around the playing pieces so that they'll hold together for collating, shipping, etc., so it's up to the game buyer to punch out these counters before the game can be played. Unfortunately, this punching process creates little nibs on the corners of the pieces that are unsightly and they can also interfere with the handling of the playing pieces by snagging adjacent playing pieces or making the pieces difficult to stack.While many boardgamers aren't bothered by such things, there are some of us who will take the time to trim off the nibs to enhance the playing piece's look and improve the way it handles. (This is no small task; some games can have hundreds of playing pieces!) Over the years, I've tried many different methods for trimming using various knives and nail clippers, etc. After doing some research, I came across this set of clippers by Oregon Lamination and I thought I'd give it a try. Granted, these clippers are not inexpensive and I did have some second thoughts about splashing out that kind of money for something that may not be any better than a cheap set of nail clippers. Well, long story short, I needn't have worried because this tool was worth every penny.In the few short weeks I've had it, I've already trimmed well over 2,000 counters and they all look great. The corners of the counters are nicely rounded and very uniform with a clean perpendicular cut. When I first started using the cutter it felt somewhat stiff so I lubricated the guide posts and this seemed to help. By the time I had cut my first 1,000 counters or so, it seemed like the cutter had become more limber so perhaps the spring needed some time to soften a bit and become easier to compress. (It's entirely possible that the muscles in my right hand and arm became stronger, too!)For me, the 2mm radius of the cutter is ideal as it removes the least amount of cardboard so I don't have to worry about trimming off some printed information on the playing piece.I should mention that this is not a light piece of equipment. You'll definitely want to rest it against some surface while using it during an extended trimming session. It took me a little while, but I finally worked out a comfortable method using an old beverage serving tray that I can rest in my lap and then rest the cutter on the tray. I can have a pile of untrimmed pieces right there on the tray that I can grab and trim fairly quickly and all the little trimmed off bits stay on the tray. (The last time I timed myself, I was doing about 5 or 6 counters a minute and that was without really hurrying.) It's the kind of (almost) mindless task you can do while watching something or listening to music, etc. In a short while you can have a big pile of beautifully trimmed pieces and there's a certain satisfaction in that.So, to sum it all up, the cutter is a great piece of kit that seems well-built and works just the way I want it to. I recommend it to all the other crazy counter clippers out there.

One of the big problems with label printers is the 90 degree corners that 1) look rather DIY and 2) will often lift up over time. Using this tool to snip those corners round makes the label look more finished and keeps it stuck better. It also cuts thick enough material that you can use it to make magnets as well, get some magnetic strip/tape (non-adhesive type is best) put labels onto the strip, round the corners and stick em on your fridge, tool box, etc. Make stacks of common reminders or grocery items, what's in a tool cabinet or file cabinet drawer. If things change move it. They will also snip soft plastics and fairly thick card stock, even hard felt for the bottom of furniture legs. They come in a bunch of different diameters as well.I bought the smallest one (2mm radius) for a very specific purpose, to make tiny labels for hard disk drive carriers. The labels that fit would only be 5mm x 9mm, and even a little smaller if there were square corners, and they'd just peel off if you caught the corner, even just trying to dust them. Now I almost never make a label without snipping the corners. This tool made labels so much better, and turns out I started using them for lots of other things, so I got another larger one, then another, then all 5 sizes (2, 2.5, 3, 5, and 10mm radius). I use them all the time, for all kinds of things, way more than I ever thought I would.

After reading so much high praise of these on the forums for trimming game counters, and seeing photos of peoples' results, I was sadly disappointed with both of the units I received. The praise was SO glowing, in fact, that I didn't even bother reading the negative reviews here before purchasing the 2mm unit.I first bought the 2mm to find that the left side had just enough of a lip that it roughed up the back side edges. This isn't noticeable on white or light colored counter backs, but it is on dark colored ones. If the back side of the token isn't used for hidden information, and they are always face up, then it probably isn't a big deal.From recent comments here, it sounds like others are having this issue now too.Even after this, and reading the negative reviews here, I decide to try the 2.5mm model to see if I would get lucky. The machining on it is worse. It doesn't have the side holes that the 2mm unit does, but the cut isn't as clean as the 2mm, and it takes off ZERO more material than the 2mm. If I put a 2mm cut token on a 2.5mm cut token, the corners look identical except the 2.5mm corner isn't as smooth. If I run a counter through the 2.5mm after running it through the 2mm first, absolutely nothing is trimmed off.Either the earlier models were better made, or the people using these for clipping game counters and giving them high praise just got lucky and didn't receive a model that someone else returned.EDIT: The lever broke after two weeks, making it completely useless. Unit is garbage. Switched to one star.

Product is easy to use and gives a consistent cut. I have heard that they break after a large number of uses but only time will tell. It would be nice if they made one with variable cut sizes but I'm sure that would require a lot more engineering and possibly a large price hike. I plan on ordering another one with a larger cut size for my 5/8 counters.