thanks to all who've put a heads up on these shenanigans.
originally i'd ordered some samples from molding, but after initially seeing the thread title, thought i'd look at mold to check it out. but after reading the thread, shot that thought down immediately.
if you're having trouble finding slot cutters, i found mine here.
http://www.cheyennesales.com/catalog/cmtslot.htm although they charge a bit too much on shipping (8-9 bucks between FL and OH,) nowadays, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find one that doesn't gouge at least somewhat on the shipping. especially on ebay. my total was around 31 bucks after all was said and done. (they discuss a usps option, but it's not a choice in the pulldown menu when checking out. maybe an email to them would open up that option?)
received the cutter in about 4 days too, so a decent experience, but i'm sure you can find a slightly cheaper vendor if you wish to spend the extra time.