Advise please

[liandra]

I have a CR which i love to bits but sometimes i just want to cut out the odd hearts or flowers etc maybe in lots of different patterned papers. So do i nvest in a sizzix little machine - sizzix big machine - lots of punches- or are there any other options out there.
Your suggestions would be gratefully received.
as i said before my CR is great for titles and cutting shapes from sheet of paper but if you want lots of different papers it can be a bit tiring sometimes.
hope this all makes sense.

[The Scraplab]

I've just sold my big sizzix as I hardly used it. If you havent got somewhere where you can keep it out all the time, then it is too heavy to be truely portable. I put it away and never got it back out again! So I wouldn't reccommend a big one, not sure about the sidekick. never tried it.

[Scrappy Mad]

All I do is put the different papers on the sticky backing sheet. So it looks like a patchwork IYKWM.

I only put then in a row down the right hand side (never need to do aore than that but also don't want to chance it gong wrong!) and make sure that they are pressed down firmly.

My tip is to measure your paper to the image on the screen (which is a true size) ~ that way you know your spacing is correct.
CR are quite expensive so it seams a shame not to make it work as hard as it can for you. That is unless you really want a die cutter.

I also had a sizzx machine... it was too big and heavy....and the few dies had took up loads of room also. I never really used it as I only wanted the die shape about once then it was redundant. So then had to store items never used.

Hope it makes sence!

[samsq]

I have a Sizzix, Side Kick/Tag a long and a Craft Robo. I've found I use my Tag a long more than the big Sizzix since I have had the Robo, I think this is because of the weight issue of getting the big one out.

Sometimes I just want to do something manual and this seems to work for me.

[Z&N]

I have my craft robo and I use my big shot quite a bit, especially as I help out with cubs etc and do stuff for them - its heavy, but def more portable than the craft robo.
Also it will cut non paper materials - felt, foam, chipboard etc....

[passionflower]

A big shot,a Big kick,or a cuttlebug would be your best,they are light enough and work with all dies on the market

[PinkLady]

i have a cuttlebug and would recomend one to anyone

[cantstopstampin]

I love my cuttlebug but as I've only had it for just over a week and I haven't tried any other machines, I can't really do any comparisons.

I hope I'm not going to start thinking 'I think I neeeeeeeeeeeedddddddddd'.,

[newbielou]

i've had the sidekick, big sizzix and now have the big shot, and i would say the big shot is worth the extra money, but you have to work out if its worth the outlay of dies for the use you would get out of them.

[liandra]

Thanks ladies all these are really helpful but now another couple of questions
does a sidekick use the same dies as the big sizzix
are the sizzix - bigshot - cuttlebug all the same but made by different people and if that is so can you use dies interchangeably

My Blog Please Have a Look http://lyns-kool-krafty.blogspot.com/

[cw18]

No the Sidekick won't take the same dies as the other machines - you can't use the Sizzix Originals or the Ellison Thick Cuts in it, and you can't cut anything thicker than cardstock.

I use the Originals/Thick Cuts/Cuttlebug dies in my Big Shot, and can cut framers mountboard with them. So it's worth considering a machine that will take these -- the Cuttlebug alphas are much cheaper than others, and you can make your own 'chipboard' letters from them (which is something I can't do with my CR, so would in part justift the expense of the machine if you use a lot of chipboard).

The Big Shot (Ellison) and Big Kick (Sizzix) are basically identical machines, but the Cuttlebug is different (made by Provocraft).

ETA: I wouldn't recommend the original red Sizzix -- extremely heavy compared to the others, and mine won't cut Sizzlets/Thin Cuts even with the converter