Silbertschnitt vs Fletcher-Terry circle cutter - experiences?

[chrisk]

I want to buy a circle cutter. I've never used one but it seems the Silbertschnitt (6 wheel) & Fletcher-Terry(3wheel) are good ones. I read a carbide head is available for the Fletcher is that true of the Silbertschnitt also.
Thank you,
Chris

[Brad Walker]

Get the Silberschnitt with the ball bearing head (not the turret). Mine is nearly 20 years old and still has original head despite heavy use.

[jim burchett]

Love my Fletcher_Terry have had it for many years

[Tony Smith]

What Brad said. The Silberschnitt is the standard circle cutter across the commercial glass industry for a reason.

Tony

[jim simmons]

What Brad and Tony said in spades

[Kevin Midgley]

You might also look far away online and find a 'well designed' circle cutter but you could wait a while for the delivery.
What you won't know about is the quality of the wheel or the thickness of the glass it was designed to cut.

From Asia, if you know your sources, a 'similar design of circle cutter' to those being discussed is $15 US plus maybe $5 postage and perhaps 3 weeks shipping.
Note I said similar.

Canadian source: http://www.hitechglazing.com/search

[JestersBaubles]

I love my Silberschnitt. I joke that every time I use it, I want to kiss a German (my husband is German ).

Dana W.

[Barbel]

Silberschnitt truly is the Best!
....my rather prejudiced opinion ( yes, I am German!)

[Bert Weiss]

The Silberschnitt with a single carbide wheel is good. The cheap one with the 6 wheel turret is horrible. Think about it. How do you know it is time to change wheels? That would be after a piece of glass breaks. Maybe cheap float glass guys can afford to lose some glass. Expensive glass cutting is a different story. Once you factor in the cost of 6 pieces of broken glass to the cost of your circle cutter, a carbide wheel cutter pays for itself.

I use the Toyo, and love it. http://www.fusionheadquarters.com/Toyo_ ... toycir.htm
Be careful, if you drop the cutting head on to the glass, the wheel will break. They are replaceable if you can see the tiny wheel and are dextrous enough to handle it. I've gotten good at it.

As to Fletcher cutters, the day I got control over glass cutting was the day I got my first Toyo carbide wheel cutter. I started out using Fletcher, both steel and carbide wheels. I have never turned back. I have been using Toyo cutters since the early 80's. I've tried some others but never like them.

[JestersBaubles]

I love my turret head cutter .

I will ask the same question back... with any cutter, how do you know it's time to change the wheel, other than you start having issues with cutting/breaking glass.

Dana W.

[Brad Walker]

how do you know it's time to change the wheel, other than you start having issues with cutting/breaking glass.

That's how I know.

[Bert Weiss]

A steel wheel might be good for 10 or 20 circles. A Toyo or Silberschnitt carbide wheel might be good for 10 or 20 years.

[JestersBaubles]

I have cut many, many more than 20 circles with my Silberschnitt since I've had it. I am only on my second cutter head on the "turret".

Dana W.