Tips for Choosing a Soap Cutter

No doubt about it - making soap is both fun and rewarding. Whether you are making soap for fun or profit the type of cutter that you use can significantly impact the final look of the finished bars. Here are some guidelines and tips for choosing a soap cutter that will give you the style you are looking for and make your final soaps look great.

Although there are a number of ways that you can go about cutting soap, there are three basic styles of commercial cutters on the market - wavy blade cutters, straight blade cutters and loaf cutters. Let's take a look at how each of these cutters will affect the appearance of your soap.

Wavy Blade Soap Cutters

As the name suggests, a wavy blade cutter has a blade with "waves" or small ridges in it. These blades cut soap with a more uneven surface than other styles and can really give your soap a great natural look. One of the biggest selling points for home made soap is that it is more natural than commercial soap, so giving your bars a natural look can help to enhance the idea that it is a natural product. The wavy blade is one of the most popular with many soap makers.

Straight Blade Soap Cutters

A straight blade cutter has a sharp, straight blade that cuts soap with a smooth, polished finish. This can give your soap a finished, professional look that is a bit sleeker than cutting with a wavy blade.

Soap Loaf Cutters

If you produce a lot of soap or plan to sell it you probably will want to think of investing in a loaf cutter. These cutters allow you to place the entire loaf of soap in a frame and then use a large cutter with evenly spaced blades to cut multiple bars at the same time. This can really speed up production and also keeps the bars uniform in size and appearance. Both these factors are important if you are creating products that require either consistency or a relatively large volume of bars.

It is a good idea to spend the extra money and invest in a high quality soap cutter if you plan to make a lot of soap. Cheaper cutters can give poorer results or even break with a lot of use, so spending a little more up front is a good idea. The blades on quality cutters tend to be sturdier and cut much easier making your job of cutting go much more smoothly.