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What is the difference between these machines? And if you already owned the original sizzix would you sell it to purchase either one of these? I also own the sidekick and the adapter to use the dies in the original machine. Thanks for your help.
Mechanically, they are the same machine. The only differences are cosmetic.
I own the original Big Shot (teal and black, the new version is a hip and swanky pink and black. I have BS *envy* now . . . LOL!). I love my BS, tho. I've never owned the Sizzix, but, if I had, I would have upgraded to the BS or BK; they have a wider feed--6" and will accommodate a wider range of die sizes.
HTH,
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Thanks Julie! The fact that the original is soooo heavy is one of the reasons I want to rid my craft room of it however .............. don't tell hubby the other reason is because of the new pink and black color
Also would I need the sizzix converter for the Big Shot? I already own it.
Thanks Julie! The fact that the original is soooo heavy is one of the reasons I want to rid my craft room of it however .............. don't tell hubby the other reason is because of the new pink and black color
Also would I need the sizzix converter for the Big Shot? I already own it.
OK. It's been so long since we were all buzzin' about die cutting machines that I can't even remember what exactly the converter is. :p
BUT, I can tell you that I don't have one and haven't needed one at all for my BS! I DID however, invest in the BS Multi-Purpose Platform, which contains various "shim" layers to accommodate working with not only the BK/BS/Sizzix Original dies, but, also wafer dies of various brands, and embossing stencils/texture plates, etc.
HTH,
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Thanks! The shim sounds like the replacement for the large clunky black converter that you need for the Original Sizzix. I just researched the Big Shot and I am impressed! Thanks for the advice.
You won't need the Sizzix convertor with the Big Shot. Once you get the MPP and the Texturz Starter Kit you won't need anything else to use all other dies in your Big Shot. You'll love your new die cut machine. I made Christmas Ornaments using Fun Foam and my BS. You love all things it will cut and it is so much easier than the original Sizzix machine and also light weight, too!
I just looked at both machines on the Sizzix website. It looks like the starter kit for the Big Shot includes the multipurpose platform now.
Last winter when I was thinking about getting one of these, the Big Shot did not include the MPP, but the Big Kick did. That's what sold me on the Big Kick (along with the great deal I got on it from Costco.com... not sure if it's still available there, though). I've been very pleased with the Big Kick's performance, and should you opt for it over the Big Shot, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Funny, but I still love my original Sizzix. I have a Big Kick and love that as well, but still use the good old reliable original machine for my original (large) Sizzix dies because it is so easy to just pull a lever rather than make a sandwich and crank. I have also found that the original Sizzix seems to be a lot easier to use with my Nestabilities. Sometimes the Nestabilities dies would move around in the "sandwich" required on the Big Kick while the old machine just cuts and embosses without the die moving on my cardstock. And to think that I almost got rid of my old Sizzix machine. It still comes in handy for a quick die cut without pulling out all the "sandwich fixings." LOL
As far as I can tell it seems that it is newly released so I won't hold my breath to find it soon. As silly as this may seem I like the look of the Big Shot better than the side kick. I do agree that the old sizzix machine is solid but I never liked the fact that you had to put soooo much pressure on it to make the cut come out. Plus you could never move it from place to place.
The Pink/Black Sizzix Big Shot is now readily available and does come with the Multipurpose Platform. (No converter is required) It has a better price too! This machine works with pretty much all brands and is really outstanding. I recommend adding the Texturz Starter Kit so that you can do texturing and embossing too! (Very cool)
To the best of my knowledge, there is no difference between these two machines. It used to be that the BK came with the MPP, but a previous poster said that now the BS comes with it too. I have the BK and a Cricut, and I love them both. I would NEVER give up my Big Kick.
They are exactly the same machine. I actually called sizzix and asked before I made the plunge.
I love their dies, check out the sizzix websight to see the new XL dies!
They have actulaly finally made some usable boxes, treat boxes, etc. They are terrific. I bought a few and even sprang for the new doctor's bag. It is as cool and functional as the picture and ad depects.
I love my sizzix! There websight has lots of new and fun ideas for all your paper crafting needs. No I don't work for them, but that would be a sweet gig!
I love their dies, check out the sizzix websight to see the new XL dies!
They have actulaly finally made some usable boxes, treat boxes, etc. They are terrific. I bought a few and even sprang for the new doctor's bag. It is as cool and functional as the picture and ad depects.
I almost got one at ACMoore the other day, but then balked when I added up the cost of the die AND the XL platforms. Are you saying I should bite the bullet? :mrgreen:
I just bouth a big kick from Micheals last week and used a 50% off coupon--- the black and pink one you can get in a little pkg type thing from qvc I really wanted that one LOve the color scheme but using my coupons I got soooo much more than what I would have gotten from qvc.... Also another site hallmark I believe had the black and pink one for 59.00 of course plus shipping
BTW - converter and shims are not the same thing. The converter for the old Sizzex was to allow you to cut the thin dies. A shim is just pieces of paper that you add to slightly increase the thickness if you are not getting a clean cut.
I have the BS and still love it (the turquoise one). I won't upgrade for color since it works just fine especially since I'm not much into pink (Whew, dodged that bullet!).
I've been buing other dies and they all work just great in the BS. I think it's one of the better purchases I made and I like that I can get dies with coupons at Mike's and the Sizzex web site has some pretty good sales.
Yes, is is the except the Big Shot is one piece and the Big Kick is three. It does everything the Big shot does! BUY the SU1 dies from your local SU! demo!!
Here is a post from a knowledgeable member from another board. Nancy Ward
Ellison has been a favorite die cutting machine in schools and institutions for a long, long time...these machines are large and intended for heavy-duty use. No surprise, they're expensive and many dies are very large. If a school doesn't have an Ellison, it has an AccuCut (another brand) die cutting machine.
About '98 (can't remember exactly when) Provo Craft and Ellison formed a limited partnership for the production and marketing of the Sizzix Machine (the one now called, the Original). Ellison would handle manufacturing and PC would handle sales and marketing. The machine was an immediate success.
Provo Craft had been a family owned company; the company was sold to a holding company four or five years ago. The Ellison/Sizzix partnership was disolved at that time. Ellison acquired all rights to the Sizzix name and products. The big sales we saw (and enjoyed) then were of products with the original Sizzix logo...the new Sizzix logo is the one we see now. A few of the dies were discontinued, but not too many.
Although each brand has its own logo and staff, Ellison and Sizzix are in the same corporation (think Clearsnap and SU...two companies, one corporation).
Many of the products have interchanable logos...some are labeled Sizzix, some are labeled Ellison. The offices for both brands are in the same building in Lake Forrest, CA.
Big Kick was an Ellison product; Ellison was responsible for all aspects of the machine and accessories (manufacture, sales, marketing). BigShot was a PC/Ellison product. Big Kick has been phased out of the market by Ellison.
Other than cosmetic features, the Big Kick and BigShot are (were)identical...the same is true for the SU BigShot which is a Ellison/SU product (Ellison handles manufacturing; SU handles sales and marketing.
I would have to disagree about the Big Kick being an Ellison brand. The Big Shot was originally marketed under Ellison. The Big Kick was developed under the Sizzix label. When I bought my Big Shot it is was on a separate website at Ellison.com. All the first dies for it were blue, green or purple. When the legal stuff with Provo Craft was settled then the items at the Ellison site were discontinued and names for the products changed. The Big Kick came out just after the Big Shot but on Sizzix.com. Then dies went to the black color they are now. The Big Shot is now a Sizzix product.The Big Kick is still on the Sizzix website, too. I used to visit the Ellison almost twice a week for a while. This is how I remember things to have happened I could be wrong but I don't think so.
I have been a big fan of Sixxiz and have followed it's progress closely.
The videos on the Sizzix website show that the Big Kick and Big Shot are interchangeable! I don't understand why there is so much confusion about this. Big Kick and Big Shot are essentially the SAME MACHINE. The difference is cosmetic only. So, if you are in a chain craft store like ACMoore, Joann or Michaels, they will most likely carry the Big Kick. And you can use coupons to purchase them. They are also on sale for 40% or 50% off from time to time. The Big Shot is found more often in LSSs and a few other chainsand usually you have to pay full price.
So I would suggest to anyone who isn't a demo and wants to use the SU Big Shot for demo purposes that you take your coupons and run, don't walk, to your nearest craft store and get yourself a Big Kick! You can also get extra cutting platforms and other accessories for the Big Kick that will work in the Big Shot with your coupons.
Thank you! I am a demo... but I dont need to spend $100 on a machine... in order to help sell a product. I love SU! and all... but if I can get the same thing (essentially) for so much cheaper, I will opt for the cheaper! (and I will pass that on to the customer as well.... they can always buy the exclusive dies from SU!... and probably be more likely b/c of the savings)
This is what I needed to hear... I did not order the bigshot... because I knew that the Big Kick could, or so I wondered... do the same thing.
Thanks again for the clarification.
Happy Stamping.... and cutting ;o)
Quote:
Originally Posted by annebarc
The videos on the Sizzix website show that the Big Kick and Big Shot are interchangeable! I don't understand why there is so much confusion about this. Big Kick and Big Shot are essentially the SAME MACHINE. The difference is cosmetic only. So, if you are in a chain craft store like ACMoore, Joann or Michaels, they will most likely carry the Big Kick. And you can use coupons to purchase them. They are also on sale for 40% or 50% off from time to time. The Big Shot is found more often in LSSs and a few other chainsand usually you have to pay full price.
So I would suggest to anyone who isn't a demo and wants to use the SU Big Shot for demo purposes that you take your coupons and run, don't walk, to your nearest craft store and get yourself a Big Kick! You can also get extra cutting platforms and other accessories for the Big Kick that will work in the Big Shot with your coupons.
Location: Strasburg Virginia, in the heart of the Sheanandoah Valley
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Cuttlebug vs Sizzix
I also know that the SU dies will work in cuttlebug with the two B plates.
I love my cuttlebug to take to crops because of the fact it is light weight and more travel friendly. I keep my Sizzix at home. . . . along with my CRICUT. Yep I am into the die cut thingies....
Kitty Miller
Strasburg Virginia
This thread TOTALLY answered my questions. I will definitely take my store coupons and get the Big Kick instead of purchasing the more expensive Big Shot. I will support my demo, though, and buy some of the SU dies from her.
__________________ Suzanne "With God, all things are possible." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I almost got one at ACMoore the other day, but then balked when I added up the cost of the die AND the XL platforms. Are you saying I should bite the bullet? :mrgreen:
YES!!! I have the original, the SK & the Big Shot!!! I love them all. I just ordered the texturz from the Sizzix website. They are having a great sale that either ends today (Sun) or tomorrow. I went ahead & ordered the MPP also since my machine has the plain white one. Just ordered my first nesties yesterday using my 40% off coupon from cut@home. I can't wait to get all my new stuff!!!!! Too bad I have to work everyday to pay for all my play toys! I'd never leave my craft room otherwise.
Maybe someone else has mentioned this but I saw the black & pink BS in the Costco catalogue for $99. The bundle includes an alphabet set, can't remember which. The alphabet sets usually cost $79+ on their own so this might be an option a crafter might consider. I have a CB so am not in the market for another die cutting machine right now.
Just in case anyone is still wanting the Big Shot and are on the fence because of the price...AC Moore.com has the black and pink one on sale right now for $67 and free shipping. Cannot beat that! I just got mine today and it is soooooo cute!!!!
If you are interested in the Ellison machine or the accucut machine, you should check with your local public library. Most libraries have one or the other. We use them for bulletin boards, story hours, craft programs, etc. All the libraries I know will let you use their machines and their dies for free. Just bring your own paper.
Yes!!!! It is the same as the pink & Black one and the black one with the SU! logo. There is no difference except the color, BYW I have the teal one and have about 6 Bigz XL dies and use them all the time!
I bought the Stampin Up black Big Shot because only the Big Kick is available where I live. I wanted the taller top handle for grip, I didn't want the deep white feed path of the Big Kick because I felt it would look dirty faster and catch bits of glitter etc, and honestly, I thought the SU Big Shot was a lot prettier and when I ordered a couple of dies I got free stuff that made up for not being able to use a coupon like I could have with the Big Kick.
It is my first machine but I researched thoroughly before buying, have used it a lot, and love it. It is so easy to use. I use Sizzix, Bigz, Cuttlebug, and Nesties in it with no problem. A friend tonight told me she is buying one too, just because she likes mine so much!
I think you will like either machine, though, and mostly the cosmetic difference was what sold me.
Hello - I am very intersted in purchasing an embossing machine. I have a Cricut for cutting, so the machine would be used primarily for embossing. I have looked at emails about the different machines and I'm totally confused now. I do not know weather to purchase the one of the Sizzix machines or the Cuttlebug. Please help.
Hello - I am very intersted in purchasing an embossing machine. I have a Cricut for cutting, so the machine would be used primarily for embossing. I have looked at emails about the different machines and I'm totally confused now. I do not know weather to purchase the one of the Sizzix machines or the Cuttlebug. Please help.
Machine choice is one of personal preference and what best meets your needs.
I chose a Big Shot (came out before the Big Kick, but they're basically the same machine, just cosmetic differences).
I have the Big Kick and for some things I need a thin shim to get the good impression or cut. My friend said that she two came with her maching, but I did not get them. Does anyone know where they can be purchased or did they come with your machine?
I have the Big Kick and for some things I need a thin shim to get the good impression or cut. My friend said that she two came with her maching, but I did not get them. Does anyone know where they can be purchased or did they come with your machine?
Thanks.
Linda D.
The "shim" that came with my BS was a piece of pink printer paper with the word "shim" printed on it.
When you need just a wee bit more thickness to your layer to get a better cut or impression, you add the shim(s).
Just use your own printer paper or cardstock cut to fit in the BS to add extra thickness.
Difference between Sizzix Big Kick and Big Shot?
Cuttlebug vs Sizzix
