Review of Scrapbooking Die Cut Machines

I am in the market for a new die cut machine and need to do some research to see which one as they can get really expensive. I used to have a Cricut Personal Electronic Cutting Machine but got tired of having to cut my paper down to use it (I regularly buy 12x12). My sister-in-law has the bigger Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter that allows for you to use the 12x12 paper and she seems to really like it.

I have been leaning towards buying the Sizzix Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine

I researched the  4 machines and here is what I found:


Product: Sizzix Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine
Rating: 5 stars
Price: $77.39
Pros: Cuts through just about anything
          Cuts other brands of dies

Cons: Can only cut through one layer of fabric at a time so not good for quilters

Read all reviews here: Reviews


Product: Cuttlebug Machine V2 (Pretty new product so not a lot of reviews yet)
Price: $66.90
Pros: Compact for storage
         Easy to use
Cons: Handle doesn't turn as smoothly as the first version

Read all reviews here: Reviews


Product: Cricut Expression 290300 Personal Electronic Cutter
Rating: 3 1/4 stars
Price: $168.01
Pros: Cuts at 1/4 where most other machines start at 1/2
          Very intricate shaped catridges, other machines seem to have basic shape
          Layering options available


Cons: The price of the cartridges are expensive ($60-$90)
          The cutting mat loses it's "sticky" quickly
          Does not cut chipboard or fabric as the video suggests

Read all reviews here: Reviews






Brand new machine that has 5 stars is Vagabond Machine Inspired By Tim Holtz
Price: $199.00

The machine cuts dies from other companies and so far the customers are raving about this product, there were only 3 reviews so not enough to get any cons