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Little Jan
28-07-2011, 12:21 PM
I have my little green bug which I love, and being a bit tecno phobic and short on the dosh(as well as hight) LOL have never looked into getting a electronic machine

But after sitting the last few nights cutting out numbers, letters and shapes that my daughter had printed and lamidated for her class I thought maybe a electric machine like a cricut my be a good investment, I saw the little one they had on ideal world the other day, well hubby pointed it out, and as I was just off to bed I looked and said oh thats the old one they do a better one but its a lot more expensive, hubbie went oh ok,, he does not normally look at craft shows but now and again he will treat me to something out of the blue, but I suspect seeing what my daughter does for her class it was more for her then me.But I think I might have just missed out there:doh:

so can anyone help me decide what to get,I don't want anything too expensive, or complicated or one that colours , just an easy to use machine,that will cut various sized numbers shapes and letters .all in one go,daughter did ask if I could get large dies for my bug but I explained that ( A) they don't do them large enough for her needs and they would be too big for my bug and if they did it would cost a small fortune.

So your experiances with cricut ect would be useful , as I may well use the trump card that my daughter need one or stick it on my wish list

keiko1
28-07-2011, 12:37 PM
Jan it would depend on what is the biggest size you want it to cut.
I have the Craft Robo which is fine for me as I very rarely make large cards.
Brother has the Black Cat Cougar, mostly because he doesn't like the idea of keeping within the boundaries of a cartridge and likes to design and cut, emboss etc all his own work. It works out a little more then the Cricuts of this world, but in the long run is cheaper as he doesn't need to buy cartridges and the gypsy...
Best way is to write down everything you want the electronic machine to do......
Hope that helps :)

Ribbons
28-07-2011, 12:48 PM
I have the Cricut Expression which I got mainly as it also does the 12 x 12 size. I think it would be excellent for your daughter because there are so many different cartridges available she could produce lovely wall displays with it ideal for open evenings and inspiring the children. You would also get a lot of use from it too, I've recently bought the Elegant Edges cartridge, the machine cuts out lovely shaped cards. Your daughter could use the machine to make awards/rosettes, end of year cards etc.

The customer service is good too and with Ideal World demonstrating it regularly you can continue to get more out of it.

I think the Cricut would be put to good use by both of you and would highly recommend it.

....and if OH is feeling generous then I would strike now while the iron's hot!

spainjane
28-07-2011, 01:20 PM
I treated myself to the Sizzix Eclips a while back - due to the circumstances called life and health I haven't played with it nearly as much as I would like, but what I have done I am very pleased with.

Without buying the extra cutting mat, you can cut out any size of letter that will fit on a 12" paper, or else fill the page with all the same letter. It does loads more, but this is just a taster - if you are interested I will happily expound on its capabilities.

It does take cartridges, but there are quite a few about.

JanTheNan
28-07-2011, 01:58 PM
Pazzles for me for big and thick stuff, Robo Silhouette for thinner card and paper.

Little Jan
28-07-2011, 03:33 PM
Thank you all for your response, I will have a good look around and watch more demos on tv, maybe if I am extra nice :wink:to hubby while we are on our hols he might treat me LOL if all fails I will sell his fishing gear that would pay for every machine out there

Granny Penny
28-07-2011, 04:25 PM
Little Jan, you may or may not remember the problems I had with the Craft Robo (more me than the Robo I think) but I tried again and got the Personal Electronic Cutter (Cricuit Baby Bug) when it was on double discount. I have had no problems at all and am already discussing classroom stuff with my DD. It is small but it will do all I currently want and didn't cost too much for something I wanted to try out. I will keep my Cuttlebug; in fact I have just treated it to a new "B" plate, but I see it becoming my embossing machine and the Baby Bug my cutting machine.

angela
28-07-2011, 04:28 PM
I have the small cricut Jan and I love it but if I were to go back 8 months and buy again I would definatley go for the expression as you then have the choice to do bigger hth

morgana123
28-07-2011, 10:24 PM
I have both the robo and the expression and while I love the versitility of the robo I am not all that creative so have never got around to designing my own creations. That said, there are many, many free gsd templates for the robo and I have never been stuck for something. But I love making large cards and scrapbooking and so last year got the expression and I love the simplicity the cartridges give you. it really is simple to use, I love the fact you can autofill a page with the same design and just leave it cutting while you carry on crafting. Yes the cartridges can be expensive but I choose carefully using the provocraft website library to check out exactly what is on a cartridge and boy do they hold a lot. I regularly buy from the auction site and have yet to be disappointed with the versitility.

So I too would suggest making a list of what you want from a cutting machine, see which ticks more boxes then search because there are some really good deals to be had.

Good luck choosing and when you get it, have fun experimenting.

LynneH
29-07-2011, 06:51 PM
I've not replied earlier as I couldn't decide how to answer your question. I have the Expression, which I love, but I'm considering getting a Silhouette as well. The Expression is fab and really easy to use but after the SCAL kerfuffle you are tied to the cartridges. These are so easy to use but not exactly cheap if you want a few of them. Once you have the Silhouette you can get lots of fonts for free. I guess it all depends on how you are going to use it.

Anyway why I am replying now is I had to show you this. It may amuse your daughter. Does she have any students that it would be suitable for?

DH has been on an academic course (war studies) this week. It finished today and he came home really pleased with how well he'd done on it. I popped upstairs and in a couple of minutes I came down with this. His very own gold :star: :grin:

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o59/LynneH_photos/Cricut2011-07-29at18-21-32.jpg

Winspiration
29-07-2011, 07:58 PM
Lol, Lynne!

Dax
30-07-2011, 02:08 AM
I first bought the Slice from QVC, but found it limited with the maximum size of just under 4 inches and having to buy cartridges makes it expensive. I do like that it is portable and am keeping it. DH did treat me to quite a few cartridges in Hobbycrafts sale a while ago. None were over £10. :clapping:

I then bought a Craft Robo and love what it can do and no cartridges to buy. :up: Loads of free templates on the net which is what I used when I first had my Robo. Extended warranty to two years if you register with the Crafty-Club and discount on the Graphtec site. It will cut from any true font on your computer and the print and cut is brilliant. It does beautiful intricate lattice work. Yes making my own simple templates has taken time with learning the software, made easier now with the new Studio software.

Just finished this card for Ben my 6 year old grandson's birthday. Found the image online and used the Studio software for the print & cut. Can not see very well from the photo but it is decoupaged.
1922

jenty
30-07-2011, 08:36 AM
If you want a machine that is easy to use, go for the cricut. The small personal cricut is good value for money but, if affordable, go for the expression. If you are happy to spend time with the robo (as that is more of a learning curve IMHO) then that is also good value.

JanTheNan
30-07-2011, 10:23 AM
Pazzles has it's own software so the only limit is the imagination.

It will cut chipboard, engrave, emboss (although not as deeply as hand embossing), pierce (haven't tried that yet), write. You do need extra bits to do those things though.
Fantastic online classes a couple of times a week which are interactive. Classes are from the US so the Sunday night one/Monday morning one is a bit of a no go as the time but Tuesday evening at 7.00 p.m. is great. All are welcome even those who don't own a Pazzles.

If you'd like to see it in action go to Pazzles.net > Community > Klo's Classroom there are a lot of archived lessons there.

Lioness
30-07-2011, 11:18 AM
Pazzles has it's own software so the only limit is the imagination.

It will cut chipboard, engrave, emboss (although not as deeply as hand embossing), pierce (haven't tried that yet), write. You do need extra bits to do those things though.
Fantastic online classes a couple of times a week which are interactive. Classes are from the US so the Sunday night one/Monday morning one is a bit of a no go as the time but Tuesday evening at 7.00 p.m. is great. All are welcome even those who don't own a Pazzles.

If you'd like to see it in action go to Pazzles.net > Community > Klo's Classroom there are a lot of archived lessons there.

Thanks for this info. I have been looking longingly at one of these for ages, but scared to commit as I want to be sure that whatever I do buy, will be the only machine that I will need. Knowing my luck when I eventually do get one (Pazzles or another cutting machine), something better will come out soon after that.

Are the classes on the Pazzles site?

JanTheNan
30-07-2011, 11:46 AM
Hopefully this link will work:

http://www.pazzles.net/wordpress/klos-classroom

Hope you find it helpful Lioness.

Lioness
30-07-2011, 02:36 PM
Hopefully this link will work:

http://www.pazzles.net/wordpress/klos-classroom

Hope you find it helpful Lioness.

Had a quick look - there seems to be quite a lot there. Will try to make some time to check it out properly.

Thank you!
xx

Faeriescraps
02-08-2011, 05:51 PM
I have both a black cat cougar and a craft robo. I am going to part with the craft robo as I don't need two electronic machines and now that I have mastered the print and cut on the cougar it is the obvious choice to keep as it cuts so many types of media.
I love the craft robo and would recommend it in a heartbeat as it is so easy to use and is small and fairly lightweight.
My cougar is very heavy and has to stay in one place but it can cut wood, metal, fabric, mountboard and so is very versatile.
If you just need to cut paper and card up to around 150gsm then you can't go wrong with the craft robo as you are not limited to cartridges and can use any image you already have or can find. There are also hundreds if not thousands of files available for the craft robo including some print and cut designs.
Hope this helps.

Little Jan
07-08-2011, 04:42 PM
Wow that’s great Lynne might be good for the little S..ts LOL as a some kind of encouragement, this year she has 50% of the class with some kind of need, mainly behavior problems due to lack of parental disapline,she said she can just about cope with those with special needs but when it’s just bad behavior its a thankless task