picking a die cut machine

I"ve been trying to research die cut machines. it's kinda overwhelming. there are so many out there and everyone will tell you why theylove their particular one. What factors did you consider when buying yours? why is it best? I"m getting so sick of trying to figure out which one is right for me. I"m close to throwing up my hands and saying bah humbug I don't need one anyway. I can keep cutting everything out by hand.

I am now on my second electronic cutter and my second manual die cutter. I have found this chart to be very handy.

http://www.paperthreads.com/bonus/paperthreads_machine_compare_112008.html

I don't dislike any of the die cutters out there. I only own a Silhouette though. I wanted an electronic cutter so I didn't have to constantly buy expensive dies for everything I wanted to cut. I kept that in mind while looking at electric cutters too which is why I didn't buy a Cricut. I like my Silhouette because everything is on my laptop. I don't have to buy cartridges and store those. My subscription to the Silhouette Store lets me download everything that I want. Without the subscription, the downloads are only 99cents apiece. Plus, there are tons of free downloads all over the internet! The biggest drawback to the Silhouette is that it doesn't cut 12x12. I wish it did but I don't find myself with that wish too often. I also wish it cut chipboard but, again, don't have that wish often either. I think it's a great machine with a lot of users online creating cutting files all the time.

I came here after reading the OP preview and was going to post the same chart that Nancy posted!

I've been researching too. I only have a cuttlebug and I LOVE IT! But I keep hoping to save up for one of the electronic cutters.

Some day!!!

• LilacGal Said:

I agree with this, except my cutter is the Wishblade. I have had it less than a month and have been using it like crazy. I was on the verge of buying a cricut but all those carts and SCAL etc...extra expense....turned me off. I love scrapbooking and doing custom paper projects for my clients but do not want to go broke or be limited because I do not have a 50 dollar cart (or however much they are). With the Wishblade, I just search through the free files on the net, DL, click on "cut" and there I have it. Again, I have had it less than a month so my opinion might change...LOL. I got a good deal on it, if I had to pay retail, I might have went another way...it is a little pricey without a good deal.

It does not cut 12x12 or chipboard, but I do not miss those options, so far.

I have never used anyother machines, so this is my experience with the Wishblade ONLY. Go to a few crops where they let you use different machines, if you can. That is what I was going to do when I was looking for one...but I found my Wishblade attuesday Morning and grabbed it.

Have fun!!!!

Tiffany

I have a cricut, a cuttlebug and an original sizzix. I am hoping to get the new motorized Tim Holtz sizzix that looks like a vintage suitcase when it comes out in July. Then I will get rid of my cuttlebug and old sizzix.

I have a KNK Element, which I bought over 2 years ago and I love it. It was expensive, but I don't need to buy any cartridges and it will cut lightweight chipboard, though I haven't done much with that. I can convert many kinds of file types into the KNK format and cut them. I've successfully cut over 70 different fonts for titling. Accugraphics, the company that makes the KNK has a very high end model that does cut 12x12 if you're looking for that.

I think that the main considerations when shopping for your machine are:
How much are you able to spend now?
How much are willing to spend in the future?
How computer literate are you?
How much storage space do you have (for dies)?

Good luck! You'll love having a die cutter if you find the one for you.

I would look at the designs and styles of the cuts available for the cutter. I LOVE the designs available for the Slice, but I already own the Cricut.

When looking at die cut machines, it's useful to consider a couple of factors: your budget (short term and long term, as all machines require some form of ongoing expenses, be it cartridges, dies or cutting mats and blades), and whether you want a manual or electronic machine. Call your LSS or local library to check if they have any die cutting systems available for public use, and try as many different systems as possible before you buy. If you're looking at electronic machines, consider checking the auction sites for new machines priced lower that retail. HTH

I got the Epic 6. Manual is a lot les money and I already had a bunch of QK dies. However the cutting mat got all cut up and now makes marks on the back of my cuts, meaning I can't flip them over which I sometimes would want to do. otherwise, I've been happy with it.

On Joann's website I found a comparison that helped me make my decision on a die cutting machine. It asks you how much do you want to spend and what types of material are you going to cut. It is very helpful! I have a cricut create and a cuttlebug. I chose the create because it has many of the features of the expression but smaller like the original. I chose the cuttlebug because it is affordable, it uses dies from other systems and I like the option to emboss. Check out that web site; I hope it helps you too.

I love my Expression and SCAL. I have a few cartridges but for the price of a cartridge, I purchased SCAL2 and I don't regret it. If I can't find something I want online in free files, I find coloring pages and quickly make my own files to use. I can cut chipboard with it easily, although I don't very often; it cuts 12 x 12 and 12 x 24; and with the new embossing apparatus available, which I hope to get for Mother's Day, I can emboss any file I can cut. Also, I have over 200 fonts on my computer that I can cut with it and have found many files online that match the cartridges. I have seen several cartridges that I liked the font or a few cuts on it but didn't want to buy the cartridge for just a few diecuts. With SCAL I can just save the ones I like to my harddrive.

I'm hoping to pick up a used laptop somewhere that I can put SCAL on and nothing else so it becomes more portable.

I got started with the QK Squeeze about 4.5 years ago--I didn't know what else was really out there, but I got to try it at Archivers and really liked it. I upgraded to the Revolution shortly after it came out, and was very happy with QK for a long time (and became quite heavily invested in it too!). Although I liked the idea of being able to adjust sizes by using a Cricut, I just couldn't see myself being able to buy lots of cartridges (or wanting too) so I never got one.

Last November I happened to come across a website that had the Silhouette SD on sale and with a coupon that came to $130...couldn't pass that up, especially since I had gotten a laptop for myself just a month before and would really be able to use it effectively----LOVE IT!!!! In fact I think I've used my QK only a handful of times since I got the Sil. It certainly helps that I was able to get an incredible deal for an unlimited subscription to online store so I can download whatever I want. But like PPs, the only downside is that it can't cut 12x12 (but it will cut 12" one way, up to 8" the other way).

Budget, what you want it to cut, how you want to use it, how big a cut you want, and variety of dies or versatility of software. For me, the overwhelmingly single biggest facor was versatility of software: I think I have used a pre-made cutting file exactly once, I prefer to make my own.

And in the end, they all have something to recommend themselves, and you will find yourself just drawn to onee. I narrowed my choice down to a Silhouette or a Gazelle, and for no real reason at all something about the Gazelle just sounded better to me. And I love it even more after a poster here said it looks like a Barbie tanning bed

I still would kinda like a Wizard or a Big Shot because I really enjoy tactile manual processes, too - but ultimately the limitations of pre-made dies would bug me, so I shall resist.

On price alone I just eliminated most of those. I really like the slice except for one thing. I want to be able to make some of my own designs. I do worry that with a die cut machine I"m not going to feel as much like it's my creation. Maybe this seems silly but I currently hand cut everything. I print my font out cut out the letters then trace them on my paper and cut them out.

I love my Cricut Expression. I had the smaller one and upgraded to the Expression. I also have a Big Shot.

I like the Cricut because of the sizes available. I invested in SureCutsALot (there is also make the cut)and I have found a lot of files you can get for free. So that has really been a life saver.

I can use just about any die in my Big shot (cuttlebug, quick kut, spellbinders, etc). So I like that. I don't want an electric machine that works with dies because sometimes I may be where there isn't a plug handy.

Good luck with your decision.

I've got a Spellbinder and Expression. I use them both for different things, but I definitely get more use out of my Expression-- ESPECIALLY for fonts. With the Expression, I can make my letters and designs ANY size. I just bought SCAL2 and now I won't need to buy anymore cartridges.

I have a QK revolution and just purchased a Slice... Best of both worlds.

I got a Pazzles Inspiration. I wasn't interested in a machine that required expensive cartridges or all sorts of additional accessories to do what my Pazzles does right out of the box. It cuts 12x12 (or 12x24), any true type fonts on my computer, fabric, light chipboard, and balsa wood. With the optional accessories I can draw with a pen or marker I already own, emboss up to 12x12, and engrave on acrylic. I can create my own images, but if I want to buy them, the cd's only cost about $20-$25.

I have a Cricut Personal and a Sizzix BigKick (same as the Big Shot). Some thoughts on both:

- My mom and I had shared her original Sizzix for several years, and I really liked it. Just after Christmas 2007, Sizzix went hardcore with clearancing out a ton of older stuff, including the last of the Ellison stuff (aside from on their eBay outlet). I didn't even have a machine yet, but I bought a bunch of stuff because I knew I'd get one eventually. My husband bought me my BigKick for our first anniversary (the paper anniversary!), and I've kept adding to my collection, mostly at clearance prices. At this point I don't feel there's anything more for the Sizzix I would like to get, but I still use it and still love it. I love my alphabets and shapes, and I like doing paper-piecing with some of them, and I've recently started using Quickutz and Cottage Cuts with it, and I like being able to use up tiny scraps.

- I was never that interested in the Cricut, but when Thanksgiving '09 dropped it to a price point I was willing to consider ($70 at Michael's), I did it - but I would never have bought it at full price, and I did it only after having spent some time earlier in the week going through all the cartridge previews on the website and making a careful list of the ones I would really use. I keep my collection small, and I don't expect I'll buy many more for it. None of my cartridges have cost me over $36. There are a couple other cartridges I like, but I don't know that I would use them enough to justify the cost, so I haven't gotten them yet. (In total I've spent about $270 on about $750 worth of product.) That isn't to say I don't use the machine - I do, and I love it! But I'm satisfied with the cartridges I have, and I feel no need to upgrade to the Create or Expression. The size and features I have available with my Personal fit my needs just fine.

I like having both of these machines, and truth be told I've probably spent more on the Sizzix than the Cricut, but if I were going to choose only one of them, it'd be my Sizzix - I can make an impulse buy for one shape much more cheaply than if I want a Cricut cart for a single shape.