Cricut vs. a die cutter like Sizzix

I am new at all this so I don't know if these two really can be compared. I know they are totally different in how they opperate but I thought I would put this out there to get some of your feedback.

I know I will ultimately end up with a cutting machine of some sort. Be it a manual die cutter like a Sizzix/Big shot/Wizard or a electronic ccutter like a Cricut. I was just wondering what are the advantages or disadvantages of having one over the other. I know some of you have both kinds but I really don't want to do that.

One minute I want a Cricut because it requires less space with regards to storing dies. I guess all you need are cartridges. And it seems the possibilities are endless as long as you want to buy a lot of cartridges. On the down side it is expensive initially and if you keep buying the cartridges. I think once the novelty wears off maybe those will become cheaper. But what are the Cricut's week points? I assume it can only cut cardsctok and other thinner papers.

I like the manual machines like the Sizzix because they seem heafty and can cut many kinds of materials for many other projects other than Scrapbooking. I have some small children so I know there will be projects in the future where that may come in handy. I particularly love the 101 uses for a Sizzix that someone posted here the other day. It almost made me buy one. Even though it is a less expensive initial cost I feel down the road I could end up spending hundreds on the use of it with buying so many dies/sets. And then having to store all those dies seems like a chore. As my husband said too, how many times are you really going to use a die before you are sick of it?

Anyway....If some of you could pipe in and tell me your thoughts I would love it. I have about $250 from my birthday that is burning a hole in my pocket. Then again I might wait until Christmas so DH has a gift idea for me. I just want it all NOW!! HA HA!

Thanks,

Nikki

Personally, I don't have the cricut and love the sizzix sidekick. My bf got me the sidekick for my bday last month and 2 sets of alphas and some sets of sizzlets. I use them all the time. Right now, the sizzix website is having a huge sale (alphas as low as $45 and 60). If you're interested check it out soon, quantities are limited. Plus, like you said, you can cut out way more materials with the sizzix than the cricut. And, a great place to buy packs of sizzlets, dies and alphas is ebay. They always have big lots of them for a great price. As soon as I save up enough, I'm going to buy myself some new ones! Well, hope this helps. Oh yeah, one more thing. You can use Coupon s for sizzix and the dies at the stores. I heard you can't with the cricut!

I have the Cricut, the Sizzix, the Sidekick, and the Xyron PCS. I have to say that the Cricut is the best hands down. Of course I still do use my Sizzix to do certain things like shakers but more often than not I turn to the Cricut.

Wholy Moly! You have them all??? I now bow down to you

I don't have the Cricut because I can't justify the initial expense. I love my Sizzix and have been taking advantage of all the sales. I also like that it can cut more than just paper, although I haven't used that feature yet!

I also like that it isn't electronic (because I am "electronic equipment challenged") -- and I can let my kids use it without much fear (except that they might knock it off the table and break their feet or something).

All that being said, I am pretty "low-tech" when it comes to scrappin'...

I got ya beat! I have those AND The Big Shot.

I totally agree with this statement--The Cricut reigns supreme. With as many choices you have, I think its MORE cost effective than any other machine.

However, I wouldn't get rid of ANY of my sizzix for the simple fact it cuts chipboard. Plus, products made by Sizzix are getting a makeover--can't wait to see what they come up with.

If I were just starting out--GET THE CRICUT!

Man! You people are hard core!!

One thing that is killing me is that JoAnn's has the Sidekick on sale for $20. Part of me wants to get it because it is so cheap. This way I can test the die cutting waters at a fairly low cost.

Nikki

I have a sizzix, but I would like a cricut. Cutiing out letters for multiple projects is very tedious on the sizzix. I have heard bad things about the cricut tearing paper. Is this true??

One thing that concerns me about the Cricut (amnd mabe i will feel better about it if I can use it at a ACM or Michael's crop) is that it looks like the paper sticks to the cuttin pad. Well, when cutting out thinner fonts, or intricut cuts, isn't it hard to get the design off the sticky pad?

Nikki

I have both the Cricut & the Sizzix. When I got my Cricut I used a 40% Coupon . Same with all the cartrides. I was really excited to use it. However after a few times I started realizing how often I'm gonna have to replace the sticky mats. That was a bummer. But it has some really cool fonts & stuff. My Sizzix. It took me a few times to get used to getting the whole die to cut out. It is a pain to store everything but if I had to chose I would chose the Sizzix. And you should check around before buying anything cause once you know how much everything usaully sells for you can check for the good deals on ebay, etc. I often find sales for 50% off Sizzix items. The one machine I've been wanting to look at buying is the Wizzard. Can anyone tell us about how it works? I'm curios about embossing. I want to be able to emboss on a large peice of paper but with the Sizzix folders you can't do that. Can you with the wizzard?

I think if I do buy a manual die cutter i will end of with the Wizard. Mainly because it can use so many kinds of dies (Sizzix/Big shot brands, Quick cuts, etc..) . I want to make sure I get the most bang for my buck. I don't know about the embossing question though. From what I can see, it looks like their embossing dies are bigger and I heard you can run the Fiskars embossing plates through it too.

Nikki

"Blades are easy to replace and the cutting mats seem to last longer than cricut suggests. You'll get more life out of them by rotating the mat each time you cut and also storing it with the plastic sheet to keep dust from accumulating on the sticky surface."

I saw this on a review of the Cricut. It may help some with you stickymat probelm.

If you just play with the pressure, speed, etc and find the perfect setting depending on your paper you should get very little tearing. As far as paper sticking to the mat, there is a tool kit or you can use other things to get the paper off the mat.

By the way, the Cricut does cut chipboard and foam.

When I first started scrapbooking, which wasn't all that long ago, I was checking out the Wizzard. It was the one I was definately going to buy. But then out came the Cricut & I decided to get it without looking into it first. I wish I had stuck with getting the Wizzard.

I went out & bought more mats & tried the rotation idea and I always put the plastic sheeting back over it as soon as I was finished but mine still never lasted very long. After 4 or 5 times of using it, the paper wouldn't stay on the mat & it would crinkle as the blade tried to cut????????????

The Wizzard is AWESOME! My LSS has one, and it is definitely the best deal as far as die cut machines go because it does everything. And the dry embossing Fiskars plates are WAY cool and SO worth the money. The owner of our store has all three of those sets, and she bought them each with a Coupon . She uses her Wizzard EVERY day, she says.

Personally, I'm going to go with the Wishblade . It's a bit more expensive than both of them, but you don't have to buy any extras. You just use the fonts that are on your computer. That way, the possibilities are endless. With the other machines, you can only cut out what they sell extra.

I have a Sizzix and a Wishblade . I like that the Sizzix can cut other things besides paper. The Wishblade initially has a higher cost than the Cricut and it connects to your computer. Both of these are seen as a faut with the Wishblade . However, because you attach it to your computer, you don't need to buy cartridges. It can print any true type font out there, and there are 1000s! You can also make your own designs. So in the end, it will be cheaper than a Cricut. You can check out more on the Wishblade here.

http://www.scrapbook.com/forums/showforum.php?fid/50/

It is an entire forum here at SB.com discussing the Wishblade .

I would definately go with a cutting machine over a die cutting system. In the long run it is going to be so much cheaper. I actually wouldn't recommend the cricuit. I have the pazzles model and love it! It is a little more expensive but you can cut any font on your computer at any size. It'll cut all the letters out at once instead of running them individually through the sizzix. The pazzles mats last me forever! (40+ cuts easily) I use a rolling pin to help the paper stay on the mats after they start getting a little less sticky. It works great!

I have the Cricut and the Sizzix and I love them both. With the Cricut, you have many different cuts and sizes with one cartridge. The Sizzix cuts only 1 size. The Cricut only cuts paper (sometimes chipboard?) Haven't tried that yet.
The Sizzix cuts card stock, magnet sheets, cork board, foam sheets, metal sheets and other things. You should just buy them both