Years ago I used a the 60" version of the Logan 650 line. Threw away all the rulers and guides except for the two matte width guides which were pretty accurate. Cut all my mattes by making pencil marks on the back. Was able to make visibly perfect mattes every time, without the slightest over/under cutting. The rigid guide rail barely put it on the happy side of usability, and was the only mechanically commendable part of that contraption. In general matte cutters have always struck me as needlessly complicated for the task, and they depend on precision but highly vulnerable stick-out thingies that can be easily bent by massive cosmic particles.
Nice equipment can be a joy, but mediocre stuff can be made great with sprinkles of pixie dust from a skilled operator. Can philosophize at length on this subject. In the early 70's I shot motion graphic logos for all three major US TV networks using stuff assembled in one afternoon from stuff bought at the hardware store, and costing about $200. Duct tape and small clamps and display case bulbs were central to the design. And an antique rackover Mitchell camera with bipack magazine that cost $400. My competitors spent $1,500,000 to do the same, and I killed 'em on every bid. So count your pennies, if it's not actually good for you then at least it's bad for your competitors. Sometimes. I bet nobody here remembers what a "streak" was, not the naked kind.
