Just One Major Flaw... (25 September 2007)
First, I should say that I don't have the DC-210; I have the RT-200, which I believe is one step down. My only real beef with the Carl trimmer is that the rotary arm is stationary - it doesn't lift, like on most trimmers. It may not seem like a big deal, but it can be a real problem at times.
First, it makes it very difficult to cut small items - there is just no good way to really position them for the cut, since you can't get under that arm. To make small cuts even more difficult, the rotary arm on mine is not transparent, like almost all rotary trimmers are. (It looks like maybe Carl learned from that mistake, since it appears that the DC-210 does have a transparent arm. Keep this in mind, though, if you are considering other Carl models.)
Second, there are times when I'll need to trim something that might already have a little bit of adhesive on the backside. Even just a teeny bit of adhesive can cause the item to stick to either the cutting mat or the underside of the rotary arm. Since the arm is stationary, I've actually had to use tweezers and little tools like that to try to pry out my paper. By the time I finally get it out, it's often just ruined anyway.
Also, in situations like that, if the paper leaves any residue of adhesive under the arm, it is a real pain to try to clean it out. On most trimmers, you could just lift up the arm, and wipe the adhesive off. With the stationary arm, though, I've had to just do cut after cut after cut on scrap paper until the residue was finally worn off.
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