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Silhouette SD- I love the Print & Cut feature of this machine. You can print out an image and then cut it accurately on the Silhouette. The Silhouette has this "magical" laser registration that makes this possible. I also adore the store. I think the trace function for tracing your own images is the most dot on I have ever seen in all the software I have used. Trust me I have used them all from MTC to Funtime. The cuts are so perfectly accurate it's amazing.
Cricut- I know a bit surprising with all the hoopla going on. I honestly do love my cartridges and not being tied to my computer. Silhouette also has a SD card reader so you don't have to be tied to your computer. Where my crafting is going at the moment being away from my computer is important to me now.
Manual Machines:
Big Shot- She is sturdy and powerful. Can take all sorts of mediums from thin leather to metals. That is important to me as a mixed media artist.
Cuttlebug- I don't need the Cuttlebug. It's not very sturdy and you have to suction it constantly. I get better embossing results with her than my BS. Other crafters have better results with their Big Shot. Each machine is calibrated differently. What works for one does not work for another. That's why you see so many sandwich combo's for these machines. The other reasons I love my CB I can trash her. I have the Black & Pink Big Shot so I don't like to run inks and paint through her. I can do that with my Cuttlebug. That's my quirk, lol. Which is probably a silly quirk since my CB looks brand new & she is going into her elderly years.
I also own a Gazelle. I think my machine has a short. I have highly recommended her in the past. I am a little mad at her right now, lol.
I love my Silhouette! It's easy to use and I love not having to buy cartridges for it. Some people don't like that it won't cut 12x12 but I'm mostly a card maker and I haven't found that I need anything that large yet. I do wish it cut thicker material like chipboard but it will cut fabric, which is cool. Also I can easliy convert SVG files using Inkscape and my Silhouette will cut those too.
I'm a loyal Cuttlebug user. I got the Cuttlebug at Michaels with a coupon when it first came out. I think I paid about $40 for it. I was so excited and thrilled when I got it several years ago, and the love affair is still going strong.
I keep my craft supplies in a spare bedroom that occasionally doubles as a guest room. There is only a sofa in there - not a bed - so our guests don't usually stay too long, lol. I have bookshelves in there filled with supplies and stamps, and my Cuttlebug lives there with all its folders in a sturdy file box.
When I make cards I gather what I need and bring it to a game table in my living room. I like the small size of the Cuttlebug for that reason.
I use it with all brands of embossing folders and dies, Spellbinders, Papertrey, Sizzix, etc. I get crisp embossing and good clean cuts with them all using my trusty Cuttlebug.
I don't like electric gadgets that tend to be complicated and malfunction, so the fact that it is a simple manual process suits me.
So far it is working as well as the day I took it out of the box. But if it broke for any reason, I would buy another Cuttlebug.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I have a CB which is my most used cutter. I also have a BS that doesnt get used and a Grand Caliber which I got in February and have never used. I also have a Slice Elite which I do use and love.
blessings.
I love my Big Shot. It is so versatile and the reason I really like it is because not matter what I do, I cannot kill it. As it is manual, it can be used anywhere although I have it in the same place.
It works with so many different types of dies. I have not interest in an electric one or one that needs a computer or is just too complicated. It is a hobby for me, not a difficult assignment.
Electronic: I love my Silhouette. I do wish the would come out with a 12x12 machine. If they don't soon I may just have to find a new cutter. Probably a Pazzle or gazelle.
Manual: My Big Shot. I use it alot when I only need 1 cut or I want to emboss.
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
Location: Where the weather seems to change every 2 days!
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I have the big shot and cricut e. Love my big shot, I use it more than the E. Altho- since I have SCAL I use the E a lot more. But when It dies I think I will go for a black cat.
Hi!
I started with the Big Red Sizzix Die cut machine, and got almost 300 dies in the process. Arthritis is kicking in and I gifted my Red Sizzix and 1/2 my dies to a Kindergarten teacher who loves it.
I did get a Cuttlebug to run the Embossing folders through, and the occasional Sizzix die, works great, and I crank the handle instead of pressing down which is better for my hands.
I have the Cricut Expression (4 years now), 146 cartridges (sale, free or gifts is how I got that many), and I love it. I use the Gypsy (hand held, portable design program that contains the memory of the cartridges, and you can only cut with cartridges you own).
The Cricut is better on my hands, I love that I can size it to fit cards or pages or projects. The Gypsy allows me to save and repeat designs and manipulate images to make new things.
I also teach Cricut classes now and there is still a real passion for this type of machine, along with the other machines that were mentioned. I'm sure I'd love them too, if I ever saw one.
If you're unsure, try and watch You-Tube videos, that should help you decide. Good Luck with your decision.
I have a cricut and a silhouette both. I truly prefer the cricut. I know a lot of people don't but I find the ease of not having the computer hooked up to my machine all the time saves me some space when crafting. I do love them both but prefer the cricut for the 12x12 as well.
Manual I have had the original sizzix from way back when as well as the big shot and cuttlebug. I truly like the cuttlebug the best. I liked my bigshot but the space that it took up was just too much for my small area. I can cut just about all the same dies in the cuttlebug as I can in the bigshot so really I was only out the price of the machine.
Good luck on your search. Be sure to compare the differences in each machine as well as size if you are space challenged as I am
Cuttlebug was too unstable, tipsy, bulky for my storage. . . .
Big Shot - huge improvement! Very stable, and for some unknown reason it was a lot more fun to use. It was also easier to store for me. . .
Then I moved on to the Vagabond. Love it! It's fun and easy and I don't have to store it -- it takes up little space and looks cool sitting out. There are lots of thoughts on it in this thread!
I have a cuttlebug and a Big Shot pro.
I love the bug because it is small and very handy to use. I don't have the stability issues that some people have mentioned here.
I love my Big Shot Pro because it is big and will cut thru just about anything.
die cut machine
