Proxxon 37080 THERMOCUT 115/E Hot Wire Cutter - Precision Foam Cutting Tool for DIY, Model Making & Craft Projects

Easy to use and easy to set up. My only complaint is the same as the others, the angle fence does not stay locked. So, be careful with it. I went to Etsy and found an MDF Fence that makes it soooooooo much better to use.I like this product overall. It was easy to set up and has a nice spool of wire. When it breaks, it can be replaced in less than a minute, which is a great feature. You can also slide the top mount to create an angled vertical cut. As reported in many places on the web, the miter gauge angle adjustment does not lock down and can move during a cut as much as 5mm at the end of the gauge arm. This appears to be a design defect. Clamp down the free end if you need accuracy. There are also amazing third-party miter gauges and jigs available, search for Gerard Boom. I found that drawing a line on the foam, taping a metal ruler along the line, and gently following the ruler edge a pretty good technique. Push smoothly and steadily, any pause will result in a melted divot in the cut face. Easy to use.This is a great product and it well made. This is a great tool if you are into making things with foam. Only real downside is that the instructions are a little lacking. Just to have a better if understanding of how to put it together and any tips on how to use had to go to Youtube. Lots of good videos there fortunately.Easy assembly, the instructions are well written and I appreciated the pictures included that take any guesswork out of the assembly.Love the machine, setup is simple instructions could use some work. The angle/edge tool is mostly plastic leaving the "straight" loose and lacking trust to make a straight cut. The inlay is off center and not true to the hole, no where close to the wire. Overall the price and value of the machine is spot on and basic carpentry skills will get you a good cut.In trying to assemble the device, it was pretty confusing. The way they have it packaged, you have to unscrew the sliding wire spool holder and reposition it before installing the overarm bar. This took me a solid 20 minutes of looking at the diagrams and reading the instructions to figure out, and I feel like the instructions and or packaging could have been better.Other than that, I’ve made a few cuts with it after finally getting it assembled, and it works like a charm.It's great when something works as well as this does. Good solid design with a great finish: quality materials, sturdy base, adjustable current through the wire, with measurement markings in place on the base, including different angles for the sliding fence (the bar against which you slide the foam as you cut it). They've even provided ample spare wire, so no need to get extra when you buy this.My suggestions would be for a higher fence which could be useful for extra stability as you cut thinner upright pieces of foam. There are third-party products available, but making the guide a little bit higher would go a long way. 5 stars nonetheless: pleasure to work with.Cutting fence is not the best. But all in all a great product and super easy to use.…. But if you’re cutting styrofoam or XPS or what have you this thing IS.THE.BOMB.I had one of those stupid Woodland Scenics cutter that only worked about 27% of the time and was stupidly hard to hold and maneuver. This thing is loads better — it just works so freaking well. It does have a bit of an evil hummmmmmmm when it works — sort of gives off a dangerous vibe — but I’m sure it’s entirely safe. Unless you’re a pool noodle.Yes it’s expensive but this thing is so cool and, really, if you’re reading reviews you probably just want justification to buy it… so buy it already. You will 100% not regret it. Unless you’re trying to cut frozen elk (or bread, or carrots), that is.Overall, this is a very useful tool and I recommend it for architectural models - it's fast, efficient, and allows you to make forms you wouldn't otherwise attempt with an olfa. It's well built [well, almost - more below] and simple to use.However, the fence is completely garbage. Like... just terrible. No matter how much you tighten it down, it doesn't stay aligned and will slip / deflect with very slight pressure. It's supposed to work in both x and y axis, but it's too delicate to use as an effective miter gauge and doesn't produce a straight cut worth a damn. The clamping mechanism is also counter intuitive and doesn't really let you use it as a miter gauge [to tighten it down enough to take out the play locks it in position]. Really frustrating to use with any attempt at precision.If the fence was better this would be a 5 star review, and if you're using it in an application where you don't need perfectly straight cuts it would be an awesome tool. I'll probably end up fabricating a better fence / miter gauge system.Beautiful product and I use it constantly for tabletop gaming terrain building. I will say that the one and only drawback to the design of it is the fence. It’s a little shaky and if you push a touch too hard while cutting, even if the fence is as tightened as humanly possible, it still wants to slip from its position. It would be great to have an anchor on the top side of the fence so that your measurements stay true right to the end of the edge of the cutter. Otherwise, it’s excellent.Seriously, if you cut foam for crafting... and you think you need this... you do. I didnt buy it for a long time and regret it. This thing is amazing, it makes cuts so much easier and faster. This thing is easy to operate ... the wire is easy to fasten, and if you break it which you will do at first, its not hard to fix. Just open the dial feed some wire in make sure its tight, and than turn the dial to tighten... done.Get one on your bench! One of THE tools to own. Whether you're a modeler, train modelling, car modeler, or general crafts. Amazing for the war games or role playing game. Effortlessly create your own terrains, figure bases, buildings, walls, rubble, whatever you can imagine to cut from insulation foam. Right from the box it's ready to go with miniscule steps of assembly. Bravo Zulu Proxxon!