Advice Needed

[Chalet School Fan]

I have been given a sizeable Hobbycraft gift card as a birthday present and have also won some money in a raffle at a local fete. Since I sorted out my craft room I have decided not to buy new stuff, but enjoy what I already have. And TBH when I go into Hobbycraft I really don't see anything I actually want, let alone need. But the people who gave me the voucher will want to know what I've bought and I really don't want to fritter their money away!

The only thing I would like is the Cricut Air Explore. I decided not to get one a few months ago when it was on C&C as I already have a Cricut Expression, a Big Shot and XCut Xpress as well as a Silhouette Portrait - all of which I am very happy with. But reviews on the Explore say how good it is for lots of materials and that does attract me. My voucher and raffle win would cover half the price in Hobbycraft.

So my question is, has anyone used this machine? Is it as good as the reviews say? Does it work well with an IPad for designing? I have loads of Cricut cartridges, but a lot of the pre-loved ones have already been linked to the Cricut design area, so if I want to use them I'll need to keep my Expession, which is stand alone.

Any comments greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[jube]

If you join the Hobbtcraft club you get a discount with your first purchase. The only problem I have is that you can't use the explore without the internet being on. It might be worth looking to see how long the gift card lasts so you can see how long you have to make up your mind. On a positive note I have seen on a lot of comparison blogs that the explore has the best cutting rating.