making an embossing machine choice

hi folks.
i want an embossing machine, but have almost ruled out the sizzix boutique just because if i WANTED to die-cut with the others, i could.
(i have a silhouette digital cutter so i wouldn't be doing a lot of die-cutting, at least i don't think so yet.)
my question primarily is whether one machine stands out from the rest - and also whether the embossing folders are the main 'way to go' with embossing.
my thought at first is whether the embossing folders will be too small for any particular project i might want to work on.. have any of you found that to be the case, or is a machine the size of the cuttlebug or something like it (and if so, which one?) and embossing folders the way to go? (i don't want to use a rolling pin )
Thanks for your input!

Yes, embossing folders are very fun, and you can make your own, too, in any size that your machine can take. I have a Sizzix Texture Boutique and it's great. I also have a Gazelle die-cutter so I technically don't NEED to own a manual die-cutting machine ..... but I do want a Sizzix Big Shot or Big Kick (they're the same machine), it seems to be the biggest and most versatile machine out there.

I've actually started using some cutting dies in my Texture Boutique, on the theory that it's a cheap machine and if it should happen to break well then I'd just have to replace it and it would be smarter to replace it with a machine that would work better - i.e. a Big Shot Sizzix Embosslits actually do cut well in it. Other thin dies cut kinda okay if I do a couple of passthroughs and a little trimming with an exacto, or with a single passthrough it's more of an interesting detailed debossing than an actual cut. Haven't broken it yet

Thank you! Great input.

I have a silhouette and a cuttlebug. I have seen people say they only want to emboss and get a texture boutique and then try to cut with it as well (I love nestabilities) so I would spend a bit extra and get a machine like the cuttlebug or bigshot. The other thing is that the texture boutique will not take the larger 5x7 embossing folders out there.

I had the Sizzix texture boutique and really liked it, but also thought it would be nice to be able to die cut too. I ended up getting the Epic6 which does both. Love it!

I have the texture boutique-and I love it! I bought the Big Shot (which I also love) first but mainly for the die cutting not embossing. Usually when I emboss I also die cut and I am just to impatient to put in the platform of the Big Shot when I want to emboss-so I bought the texture boutique a few months later. I got the hot pink exclusive machine at A's with my coupon so I only paid $20 plus tax and it came with a great border folder!

Thanks everybody!!!!

I got the Pazzles Inspiration which does emboss up to 12x12 but sometimes found I just wanted a quickie emboss for a card. So after a little research, I went with the BigShot. I mostly emboss A2 card fronts (which is about the size of most embossing folders) so I ended up getting the Texture Boutique when it was released a few months later on a Black Friday. It sits to my right so I can get to it quickly and I have my BigShot in a cabinet for when I do larger jobs. More and more various companies are releasing 5x7 embossing folders which don't fit in the Texture Boutique so you may want to consider that as well. I do love my BigShot. I find it to be more sturdy than the Cuttlebug which I used at a friend's house. If I were to do it over again, I would have gotten the Epic 6 just because of space issues in my small apartment. (The Epic 6 was released a year after I got my BigShot so it wasn't an option at the time). Plus, that Letterpress is soooo cool. Good thing it works in my BigShot!

Love the Cuttlebug! You can use dies if you want (which you can't do with the Texture Boutique) AND you can use the larger 5x7 Cuttlebug folders (which again you can't do with the Texture Boutique.) Cuttlebug has tons of folders already, is coming out with 5x7 and longer folders, and is really easy to use! I have a Cricut but I still like the option of using dies (which I've still only done a few times.) If you're only interested in embossing, the Texture Boutique is pretty inexpensive (I've seen it for between $20 and $25.) The Cuttlebug is around $40 if you use a coupon at J's or M's.

I have an Epic 6. I love that you can emboss, die cut and use the Letterpress if you get into that. Plus if they ever made a 6x12 embossing folder it works with their platform

I also have a creatopia, which they make 12x1111111111111111111111 embossing rollers you can use for an entire page. However storing them is a PITA.

What is "Texture Boutique"? Is it a machine that embosses? I have a Revoluation and the Epic 6. So, what is the difference? I don't do much embossing because I guess, All the things I have will only emboss about 5x4 or whatever fits in a revoluation or epic6. Do you mainly emboss on cards? That's the only thing I have ever embossed.

Oh Okay, I just look and found the texture boutique. That looks to small to do much of anything.

thanks for the great thoughts. I have been back and forth on wanting one of these. you have all made that decision easy.