Product Review: Sullivan's The Cutting Edge Frosted Ruler

Every now and then a product comes along that makes you think, "Shit!  That's a great idea!  Why didn't I think of that?!"  Sullivan's The Cutting Edge Frosted Ruler was one of those products.  This ruler promises to sharpen your rotary cutter blade while you do your normal cutting.

So, I gave it a whack, so to speak, back in 2011 and reviewed it in my old blog pretty quickly after starting to use it.  Mistakes.  Were.  Made.  I got sucked up into the gimmick!  Here is a more realistic review after more use for your reading pleasure.

Specs

• Frosted acrylic
• 6.5" x 24.5" but comes in other sizes too
• $34.49

Pros

• The measurements and angles are well marked
• The frosted texture prevents slippage while cutting
• The half inch marks are a different color than the whole inch marks, so it's good for a quick reference

Cons

• The promise to sharpen your blade while cutting falls very, very short.  I actually nicked more blades with this thing than anything!  The metal piece on the side is EXTREMELY easy to catch at the beginning of a cut, unless you're cutting in the middle of the ruler at all times.  
• THE NOISE MAKES ME WANT TO JUMP OFF A BRIDGE.
• The metal piece actually came off entirely after nicking it one too many times
• The sharpening action actually created a very fine, dark "dust" that was rather annoying
• The frosting is so thick it is very difficult to see your fabric underneath if it isn't a dark fabric....makes lining up cuts a real bitch especially if lighting isn't jusssssst right. 
• The half inch marks and whole inch marks are difficult to distinguish from the sides of the ruler (there isn't a clear half inch side and whole inch side like other rulers)

Conclusion

★☆☆☆☆

If this isn't a case of "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," then I don't know what is.  The premise is great, but there is a LOT of room for improvement.  If they could fix the frosting so it is easier to see fabric and improve the metal piece so it didn't nick and catch on blades, then I might give it another try.  But for the cost, it's not worth it.  I can get the same size ruler from Creative Grids (which I LOVE by the way) for nearly $10 less ad it doesn't f@ck up my blades.  Sullivan's had a great idea here, but I think they need to go back to the ol' drawing board.