This is such a personal choice it’s difficult to answer however there are a few things to think about that might help:

Are you left handed? If so be sure that the rotary cutter works for you – most work both both right and left handed people but not all.

What about the ruler?

Well this should be a companion piece to your board – make sure that the ruler works across your board  in both directions (i.e. is long enough)to give you the most use.

If you are left handed – make sure that the ruler counts from both sides for you so that it’s useable by you.

Rulers come in different colours – does it matter?

No check out the colour that works best for you;  the yellow markings tend to be made by Olfa;  the red markings can be Janome or Sew Easy and the black/white markings from Creative Grids (who also have built in non-slip bits on the reverse as well as being marked in 1/2’s for easy cutting

 

What About the board:

Again think about this in conjunction with your board but also what sort of things you are going to cut;  the smaller boards work well for fat 1/4’s but if you are using longer pieces of fabric then the bigger board will work best.

Metric or Imperial?
Well the UK and the USA patterns are invariably in imperial measurements;  if you are in EUrope then the Metric equipment will work well for you.

Which Brand is best?

All the equipment designed for the quilting industry is pretty much of the same high standard (Olfa and Fiskars) – there are some cheaper options on the market though.

New designs are coming onto the market all the time – check out the newer, ergonomically designed handles and instant safety features on some;  there are other new kids on the block such as Tru-Cut and a new ruler/cutter combination from Fiskars which has taken it’s design course from that of  a paper guillotine.

What size cutter is best?

Again personal choice and which is most comfortable for you to hold;  the smaller cutters tend to have replacement blades packed in two’s;  while for the bigger versions (45mm and up) you only get one blade in the pack. (unless you are purchasing the multipacks).