cuttlebug or grand calibur?

[Erin in Okc]

I've decided to upgrade my wish from a texture boutique to something I could use nesties in. But which one? I love that the grand calibur can cut larger things. LOVE that. But there was a reason I got rid of my big shot. It was too BIG. Will storing the grand calibur and all of it's accessories be cumbersome? I saw the picture of the size comparison, and it seems easier to move around and such.

All of you people with a working cuttlebug...are you tempted to go with the grand calibur to cut larger items?

[jeanstamping2]

Erin, It would depend on what size Spellbinder dies you have an would be buying.

The Cuttlebug you can't use the larger Spellbinder dies in. So if you were going to be buying any of the larger set's. I would go with the Grand Caliber.


This way You could use both sizes.

[Erin in Okc]

Hi Jean! It's good to see you!!

[ebeechy]

I vote for the Grand Calibur. I own both of them and I love, love the Grand Calibur and use it all the time, (my Cuttlebug is feeling left out and is crying). Obviously the Cuttlebug is more compact, but since the actual plates that run through the Grand Calibur are not attached, it is a pretty compact machine for the size plates you run through. I cut a lot of dies at one time and also use the Grand Nestabilities, so this has been a win win machine for me!

[Erin in Okc]

thanks beechy!

[Lavandula]

I ordered a Grand Calibur because I was tired of keeping track of shims and trying to remember which plates to swap just to do the embossing. To be able to simply remove one plate, put on the mat, and put on the embossing plate without lifting off the dies and rearranging the whole stack will be great. Also I don't get a very crisp embossing with the Cuttlebug, because of the shim issue I think, so I'm looking forward to having my diecuts look better. The Cuttlebug I'll keep for the Sizzix Bigz dies I have and embossing folders.

[Erin in Okc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lavandula

I ordered a Grand Calibur because I was tired of keeping track of shims and trying to remember which plates to swap just to do the embossing. To be able to simply remove one plate, put on the mat, and put on the embossing plate without lifting off the dies and rearranging the whole stack will be great. Also I don't get a very crisp embossing with the Cuttlebug, because of the shim issue I think, so I'm looking forward to having my diecuts look better. The Cuttlebug I'll keep for the Sizzix Bigz dies I have and embossing folders.

That's what I noticed from the video. I liked that a lot! I also liked that the plates were marked.

[Paige]

I'm really leaning towards getting one of these. Where is the best place to get one, price and shipping wise? ;)
TIA
Paige

[TheOtherMeg]

If you know you're going to want the Grand dies, you'd better get the Calibur. Many of the Grands won't fit through a CB/BS/BK.

The drawback to the Calibur is that it does not accommodate the thick Sizzix dies, the ones that cut a million materials.

I have a CB, a BK, a BS (inherited), a Big Shot Pro, and a Calibur. Strictly speaking, I only need the BSP, as it handles everything out there.

However, I justify the others because the Calibur eliminates fiddling with sandwiches when using the wafer-thin dies (Spellbinders, Quickutz, Boss Kuts, etc.). The plates are labeled AND color-coded; even I can't mess it up. I was very happy using my Nesties in a BK, but the emboss with the Calibur is beautiful and oh-so-easy.

The BK lets me use the thick Sizzix dies, even the BigzXLs, and all my embossing folders and embossing plates.

(The CB and BS truly are unnecessary, but I use them when I have friends/kids crafting with me.)

The BSP can do it all, but it's huge, heavy, and really overkill for 90% of my needs. I love being able to put a die anywhere on a sheet of 12x12 paper, and using border dies & the QK border embossing folders along the edge of a sheet of 12x12. And I thought I wouldn't need the 12x12 dies, but they are as addicting as all this other crafting stuff and I now have a lot of them for bags, boxes, cards, and envelopes. Ellison has some neat card dies that work in the BSP, and Ellison has one or two huge clearance sales per year. Last year I bought about 20 12x12 dies for under $20 each. They're wood & steel, not the cleaner-looking black plastic & steel like the BSP dies, but they work exactly the same.

So, it depends upon your needs. I prefer the BK/BS to a CB, though, for basic diecutting and embossing.

[pjnusslein]

I have decided to go to the larger format for my dies and machine. I cannot decide between the BS-Pro or th. Grand Calibur. I'm an SU Dem and feel I need to stick with SIzzix brand. However, I do feel this should not sway my decision because I plan to hang onto my SU BS. I also have a raspberry Wizzard. 99% of all my dies are split between SIzzix (3D projects) and spellbinders (shapes layering).

I have just started my research. my goal is to buy one machine for the larger die formats. Any thoughts about which way to go and/or other considerations?

[TheOtherMeg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjnusslein

I have decided to go to the larger format for my dies and machine. I cannot decide between the BS-Pro or th. Grand Calibur. I'm an SU Dem and feel I need to stick with SIzzix brand. However, I do feel this should not sway my decision because I plan to hang onto my SU BS. I also have a raspberry Wizzard. 99% of all my dies are split between SIzzix (3D projects) and spellbinders (shapes layering).

I have just started my research. my goal is to buy one machine for the larger die formats. Any thoughts about which way to go and/or other considerations?

Since the Calibur cannot accommodate the thick Sizzix dies, nor dies wider than 8.5 inches, I would go with the Big Shot Pro.

I have and LOVE the Calibur (it gives a fabulous emboss and the sandwiching is so easy and straightforward), but if I could only have one large-format machine, it would be the BSP.

[eyelike2cook]

I just don't understand why Spellbinders didn't take it to the 12" why stop short at 11.5? I make 5 x 7 cards and I have Raspberry Wizard. Problem is I can't position a card to go through the 7" wide side on the raspberry. I also feel left out I can't buy any of the Tim Holtz dies. I don't think I can swing the price on the BS Pro. Might as well buy an Accucut for that money.

[debbiemom23cs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtherMeg

Since the Calibur cannot accommodate the thick Sizzix dies, nor dies wider than 8.5 inches, I would go with the Big Shot Pro.

I have and LOVE the Calibur (it gives a fabulous emboss and the sandwiching is so easy and straightforward), but if I could only have one large-format machine, it would be the BSP.

The cost difference is what made up my mind for me. The Big Shot Pro is over $350 and the Grand Caliber is $129 (retail)........of course, I used a 40% coupon at Hobby Lobby (paid about $90 w/tax) for my Grand Caliber. I haven't seen the the Big Shot Pro in any store except online at Sizzix.com. But I am not a SU demo and don't have very many Bigz dies either.

[NancyK.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by debbiemom23cs

The cost difference is what made up my mind for me. The Big Shot Pro is over $350 and the Grand Caliber is $129 (retail)........of course, I used a 40% coupon at Hobby Lobby (paid about $90 w/tax) for my Grand Caliber. I haven't seen the the Big Shot Pro in any store except online at Sizzix.com. But I am not a SU demo and don't have very many Bigz dies either.

I decided on the BSP because I wanted to be able to accomodate the larger dies as well as the thicker dies.
The price was high, but JoAnn's had it on sale over the holiday season for $200!!! When I saw that sale (I think it was a one day only thing) I grabbed it. As much as I like the look of the Grand Calibur, it won't take the thick dies - I have a bunch of those - and I imagine there will be more 12" dies coming out in the future.

[Erin in Okc]

Well, I made my decision when somebody found me a blue cuttlebug! I had a Big Shot a couple of years ago, but sold it because it took up too much space. I'd love to have something that cuts bigger dies, but I think I'll be happy with my bug. Thanks for all of your help!

[Jodi&jade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin in Okc

Well, I made my decision when somebody found me a blue cuttlebug! I had a Big Shot a couple of years ago, but sold it because it took up too much space. I'd love to have something that cuts bigger dies, but I think I'll be happy with my bug. Thanks for all of your help!

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