Dahle 403 Paper Guillotine (Dahle) A quick look at the Dahle website suggests that the company’s flagship guillotine is no longer available. These are sad times for people interested in cutting paper in half, or other sizes come to that, and although there are other options available, the 403 will be missed. I’ve had my own model for many years. Originally purchased for the cutting down of flyers and tidying fanzine pages, even now, it’s rare that a day goes by without it being used. If the propaganda is to be believed and we’re all working in paperless offices, why does the 403 remain an essential office tool? Perhaps it’s because the Dahle is such a delightful model to use. The adjustable back stop can be moved to any position along the scale bar which is measured in both metric and DIN paper sizes. Place ten sheets of 80g paper under its blade, rest the paper’s edge against the back stop, take a firm grip of the handle and then bring the quality steel blade slowly but firmly down. It makes the most perfect crunchy cutting sound as it separates the single sheets into two and provides flawlessly straight lines. As for build quality, the combination of the heavy duty moulded plastic body together with the sturdy steel components imply reliability and a long working life. The opaque plastic guard provides maximum safety with minimal user inconvenience, though is responsible for one of the few weaknesses in the design and they’re prone to snapping if mistreated. They’re expensive to replace so best be careful, and NEVER pick up your guillotine by the guard.