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I'm looking to buy one but I hesitate to spend the $300-$400 until I know that I'll absolutely love it and wonder how I ever lived w/o it. I'm looking at the Expressions model because I want to be able to run 12X12 through it. All of you with a Cricut, chirp up and let me hear your feedback!
__________________ I am me, I am just me. I'm a little like other cats but mostly I'm just me.
I'd like to hear too. I am not a scrapbooker but a card and gift box maker so I am not sure I would use the larger format. And I have a Sizzix Big Kick which works for everything, even Nesties.
If you live close to a scrapbooking shop see if you can use theirs. The shop near me lets one use it when you purchase the paper. After using theirs, I bought one myself. If you decide to purchase one, check the threads to find the best buy. Some places have it for $299 (expression) with two carts and free shipping. HTH
I bought the original machine when it first came out from QVC.. then they came out with the Expressions and I bought it directly from ProvoCraft when they had a consultant/demo special. I LOVE mine. I make lots of things for my children's classmates nearly each month and am always cutting things out and the Cricut makes it super easy for me to do this. Me and my son used the Locker Talk cartridge and made a school sign that his teacher has hanging in the hallway at school. The others at the school seen it and started asking how I made it.. the school ended up buying a machine and a bunch of cartridges. My daughter's teacher asked me to make some circle signs for the classroom that he had really large circles and wanted the sayings put onto smaller circles.. I cut the circles and all the lettering out and glued them on.. he laminated them and hung them in the classroom.
I have used the Cricut on occasion to cut out things for my cards.. and really should use it more often then I do.. I just forget about it.. I am moving soon and am hoping that I can have it right on top of the dining room table that I have in the stamping room. I found a deal on a table/chair set and bought it for my stamp room.. but where the machine had to be plugged in, made it a bit unsafe for the kids walking through... when I move, I am going to cut a hole in the carpet under the table and feed an extension cord under it to the wall and keep the Cricut out for use at all times.
Sorry for the novel.. bottom line is it all depends on what you are going to use the machine for, you can make your own envelopes with the cricut.. the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge is my FAV!! I love the font, the shapes and especially the envelope.
Pam
**ADDED... check out this site for a great deal on the Cricut Expression machine with 4 cartrdiges and free shipping via fedex ground.. http://www.hallmarkscrapbook.com/
click on Expression machine down the left hand side.. I have heard a lot of great things from them.. I have never ordered rom them, but have never heard anything bad at all.
__________________ "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."
I have the baby bug cricut and I would not give it up for anything!! I am not interested in the expressions as the biggest I usually make is 8x8, I mosly make cards.
I love how easy it is to use, just click a button. I am not interested in making my own files and cutting them, thats why I picked cricut over something like the wishblade. There is a program called Sure Cuts a Lot which you can buy which allows you to cut any thing off of the net. And Cricut also makes Design Studio where you can weld fonts from the cartridges you have etc.
I have 6 cartridges and I find they are enough for me. If I find a good sale I will often buy another if one catches my eye!
One thing I do not like is Provo Craft angel policy, its pretty bad so if you want to use Cricut to make and sell items it may not be the best option.
But before you get one, check out the Silhoutte, Wishblade, and Craft Robo (same machines sold by different companies with different warranties etc) or the Pazzle/Klik and Kut.
The Cricut is cartridge based and the others are machines attached to your computer and you can print any font and different images from your computer.
I'm saving up for a Pazzle/KnK. I'm figuring that by the time I get all the Cricut cartridges the $$ will be more than the Pazzle/KnK. I already have hundreds of fonts on my computer!
So just check them out first. The only part that you might not like is that the others do need to be attached to a computer.
The Cricut is cartridge based and the others are machines attached to your computer and you can print any font and different images from your computer.
Some ingenious person made a program called Sure Cuts A Lot that works with the Cricut to use your fonts on your computer. While I have not personally invested in the program (is like $60), I have several friends that have and they LOVE it.
PC has said they will void your warranty if you use it (because it is a non-PC product) but a lot of people have it and are extremely happy with it.
This option lets you use the cartridges or have it hooked up to your computer, which makes it even more versatile.
I love my Cricut, but I scrapbook. Rarely do I use it for cards.
I got mine original Cricut through hallmark scrapbooking and was really happy about the transaction.
The regular size would probably be sufficient for cards if you don't do 12 x 12 scrapbooking. However, if you have a big investment in other die cut and embossing supplies, I might think harder about the investment. It doesn't emboss, and you can sink a lot into the cartridges. Depends on your pocketbook.
I love mine, but confess that I don't use it all the time.
I have never regretted buying my cricut. I have the smaller one that runs 6x12 paper. I have used for everything...cards, scrapbooking, birthday party favors...I even used it in my Sunday School class when my kids learned about the creation. We used the animals cartridge and made a mural with all the animals. It was great fun to see there little faces as the machine chirped away and cut out the animals. Watch out for a sale and take the plunge.
I'm looking to buy one but I hesitate to spend the $300-$400 until I know that I'll absolutely love it and wonder how I ever lived w/o it. I'm looking at the Expressions model because I want to be able to run 12X12 through it. All of you with a Cricut, chirp up and let me hear your feedback!
One word for you - eBay! I got the baby Cricut for $169 (including 2 cartridges) and the Mutant Cricut for around $199 (including 3 cartridges). Both new, in factory sealed boxes and I haven't had a bit of trouble. I love, love, LOVE both Cricuts! I would not trade it for any other system out there. And I don't have it, but they do have software that allows you to design and send from your computer. I scrap and make cards and I use the Cricut for both. You can make 12x12 scalloped borders - how cool is that?! You will not regret getting a Cricut at any price, but please check out eBay first!
__________________ It's all fun & games until someone gets a paper cut.
I had posted this special over at the Cricut Chatter thread too...
Cutters Creek has a special for $260 including shipping. This is with two cartridges (Plantin Schoolbook and Accent Essentials). (The smaller Cricut machine is also on sale for $150 including shipping.)
Once you've signed up at both places, then email customer service for the coupon code to use during checkout to adjust the prices. :smile:
I'm one of the moderators for the Yahoo Group and I'm a very satisfied customer at Cutters Creek.
Also... There's another software program called Sure Cuts A Lot that lets you cut any True Type font and dingbat with your Cricut machine. Their website is http://www.craftedge.com. It's $74.99 for download only or $90 for download and CD. Cutters Creek has the CD for $55.99 with free shipping.
To me, Sure Cuts A Lot makes the Cricut machine so much more valuable. (I also have Design Studio and LOVE it.) You won't need any of those other electric cutter machines with the SCAL software. (Note that I said electric because the Cuttlebug is still cool!)
So... Is the Cricut worth it? Totally. 100%. No regrets.
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
Kimberly, did you update your DSS? I thought I read that updating it made SCAL not work?
I have the most recent version of Design Studio [March 2008] as well as the latest firmware update on the Cricut machine and everything works just fine!
The latest update of SCAL is pretty cool as it shows what the fonts look like in the Fonts Library. You see the name of the font and then a sample next to it.
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
The firmware update can be found under Help on the menu bar. Once you've updated the firmware (the software on the Cricut machine), you can uninstall Design Studio.
Kimberly
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
Wow, you ladies ROCK! Look at how much advice I just got from one simple question!! Now, it looks like I have some shopping around to do... I"ll probably turn my DH loose on it this weekend, he's much more efficient on the PC than I am. Looks like there are some good offers out there if I can get to them. (The 2 that we'd found previous to this thread were ebay and Cricut Outlet.) I've only just recently heard about the Cricut and didn't know that there were more than 2 models - looks like I need to educate myself. (Isn't that what SCS is for??) Thank you , thank you!
__________________ I am me, I am just me. I'm a little like other cats but mostly I'm just me.
But before you get one, check out the Silhoutte, Wishblade, and Craft Robo (same machines sold by different companies with different warranties etc) or the Pazzle/Klik and Kut.
The Cricut is cartridge based and the others are machines attached to your computer and you can print any font and different images from your computer.
I'm saving up for a Pazzle/KnK. I'm figuring that by the time I get all the Cricut cartridges the $$ will be more than the Pazzle/KnK. I already have hundreds of fonts on my computer!
So just check them out first. The only part that you might not like is that the others do need to be attached to a computer.
I've never even heard of most of these others; just found out about Cricut about 2 weeks ago. I appriciate the options you're sharing with me!
__________________ I am me, I am just me. I'm a little like other cats but mostly I'm just me.
Ok...I am going to be one of those not very helpful comments, but I have to put in my two cents...
I bought the original Cricut on Black Friday last fall because it was CHEAP, $129 with the tool kit, etc. I tried it a little, bought about 6 cartridges when CreativeXpress had their $27 sale...and then sold it all on Craigslist right before Christmas for almost double what I paid for everthing. I used it about 3 times, only when my friends came over, and it wasn't worth keeping.
Then I kinda missed it...so I watched for a deal...and 2 weeks ago bought a never-used Expression off of Craigslist with 5 unopened carts for $250.
And this time I have been using it...I only do cards, boxes, gifts, etc, so the smaller one would work, however most of my paper is 12x12...so even if you only do little stuff, the Expression is worth it in my opinion to save the hassle of cutting all the paper first.
The bottom line if you are on the fence...try to find a deal...like CL or Ebay, and that way you know if you decide it's not for you, you can get your money back!
Hope this helps!
__________________ Cher No longer stamping...on to bigger things.
If your like me you look at all the possibilities that are slightly similar like the Craft Robo, Wishblade and Klik N Kut, but I think the advantage of the Cricut is the ability to use those little cartridges.
You can download Inkscape for free at inkscape.org and then create weld and draw and then save as svg and import into Sure Cuts A Lot.
I have started offering all my designs in SCUT format as well which works with the Sure Cuts A Lot is a very simplistic program and you can't do lots of major editing in it to a file. However, the creators of it keep updating it regularly.
I borrowed a friends Cricut to test cut my files and see how they would work. I own a Klik N Kut and a Craft Robo. I think my husband woulda killed me if I bought another machine. I really liked the ease of the machine and hers was compact so I could see myself grabbing it and going.
Good luck on your search. I think they are awesome little machines.
This would probably interest some... a list of possible uses for a personal die-cutter and I know there are moereeeee
scrapbooking
journaling with a pen
cutting valentines
ribbon sliders
gift tags
small boxes for gifts
cake boxes for wedding
cutting vinyl for a wall, car, window, glass blocks, tile
glass etching
cutting the trips for quilling
to make refrigerator magnets
paper toys
Party Napkin Rings with Shape
To cut out business cards
Confetti that is shapped
Party decorations, hats, banners, etc.
Pieces to decorate tins
invitations
cards
stencils
cut recipe card, library pockets, bookmarks or
doorknob hangers
Cut word books
tree ornaments
index tabs
punch cards for sewing fiber.
and the list goes on....
Can you tell I love my machines!
Enjoy!
Chris
Ok I bought the original Cricut, 18 cartridges, the nice wheeled case all the accessories and Design Studio and I have only used it TWO times. What a waste of $$$$ for me. I am sure others use theirs a lot...for some reason I just dont. I am more of a cardmaker instead of a scrapper but I guess it isnt out all the time so I just dont use it.
Blessings.
I have started offering all my designs in SCUT format as well which works with the Sure Cuts A Lot is a very simplistic program and you can't do lots of major editing in it to a file. However, the creators of it keep updating it regularly.
Enjoy!
Chris
Chris- I used the link in your signature and found a whole new world of help and files for my Silhouette. THANK YOU!!! When you see how long it is between the two posts from me, you will know I was fascinated- I have been reading the ENTIRE TIME.!!!!!!!!
Your work is gorgeous and I will be buying a LOT of your files as soon as I get more practice on my Silhouette.
Thank you so much. I run a membership that might interest you most because the files are super super cheap, but there are a ton of files to download at Paperthreads so you might just be covered. If you ever have any questions, just let me know. I'd be happy to help. Your Silhouette is the same as my Craft Robo I believe. Just repackaged. Don't quote me on that, but they all run on the same principal.
Chris's files are the BEST! You might also want to check out the files section at the Paperthreads Forum for a bunch more free files you could convert.
Jan
__________________ Jan Bryson
Check out my blog for digital die-cutting fun and general silliness!
Cutter files in AI, GSD, KNK, and FS formats
Jan your the best. To bad we just can't seem to find the time to run into eachother more often in person instead of on forums. :-) We live what 10 minutes from eachother. Someday someday.
LOL! I know Chris! If our cyber-friends knew how little we see each other they'd be mad! When you get back in town it's going to happen though! It's this darn computer we're tied to all day long that does it to us.... hmm... I probably should go feed my kids... :p
Jan
__________________ Jan Bryson
Check out my blog for digital die-cutting fun and general silliness!
Cutter files in AI, GSD, KNK, and FS formats
I too am decideing weather to buy the cricut and which size I am subscribing so I can come back to this and read some more. This has been helpful, I think I am sold my sizzix seems a bit out dated for me! Tryingt o convince my husband otherwise as well. I am off to school shop, son is starting kindergarten on thursday!
If you live near a JoAnn's they have the original on clearance for $149.97 plus an extra 10% off that price. Today is the last day. Plus you get 2 cartridges with it.
Is a Cricut worth the investment?
