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Ok, we bought my DD a Cuttlekids for Christmas and she can't use it!! What I mean to say is,we can't!!! The handle is WAY too hard to turn!!! When you put the die and plates thru it, it is SO hard to turn the handle. She stands up and really pushes down on it and I can BARely even turn it, when standing. She is SO upset!! Does ANYONE have any suggestions?? My DH seems to think that maybe it is just the particular unit we got. He says why whould they make it, if kids couldn't use it?? I kind of agree, but, it's still on the market. I don't know what to do. Has anyone else had this issue?? Do you think it's just THIS one?? Thank you SO much for your help! I really appreciate it and I KNOW my DD does too!!
My son's CK was very hard to crank at first, but it's gotten easier. It helps that he used it constantly over the holidays!
I had given him a few of the Little Sizzles blocks of paper, which are cut to the perfect size for the CK. That paper is pretty thick, so I cut up a bunch of the Michaels Value Pak cardstock and it's much better. Regular paper is even easier to crank through, but DS prefers cardstock.
If your DD's machine continues to be very difficult to crank, try exchanging it. I think the difficulty in cranking is why the CK never really took off. (The dies have been on clearance at WalMart & other places for months.) The first reviews pretty much all said the same thing, that it was hard for the younger age range (I think it's recommended for ages 7 & up) to crank.
In hindsight, I should have just gotten DS his own Cuttlebug with a Michaels 50% off coupon. The CK dies work great in a CB; I've snagged a few and used them! He could also use the small embossing folders (most of the designs on the small ones are childish anyway, IMO) if he had a CB. He has used mine and it's easier for him than his CK.
I bought the CK over the summer and held it till Christmas, though, and even with the receipt I can't take it back now (there's a 90 day policy).
Thank you all SO much for your input!! I am just so undecided on what to do! Do I exchange it for another one? Do I just break down and use a coupon and the money from the Cuttlekids to get her a Cuttlebug?? Oh my, who knows! I knew you all would be able to help me!! You guys are great!
You can use CK dies in the CB, but you shouldn't use CB dies in the CK.
Java, if it's in the budget, I'd get your DD a CB. I wish I had gotten my DS one, but it's too late (though I know he'll end up with one eventually). He loves his CK right now so that's fine, but I know he could handle a CB and they're better machines all the way around.
I bought my granddaughter a Cuttlekid and she couldn't turn the handle. I thought if I ran a lot through it that it would get easier, but it really hasn't. It's stuck on a shelf right now.
Janet
__________________ (My Avatar is my son in Iraq and his dog, Bodie -- note Bodie's haircut!)
I bought a CK as a practice machine before I bought a "big die cut" machine... and I hated it. I could never get the plates to go through... then a few nights ago I decided to try it one more time............couldn't get it to work, then I read the little sticker on the plates and it says to place the die right above the sticker and push through to engage the handle.... ever since then it was a breeze...I actually like it now, and some of those dies are just too stinkin' cute.
My daughter's CK is very hard to turn also. It does get "broken in" a little with use, but it's still hard to turn. She's 9, and I bought it for her last year for her 8th birthday. She's gotten the hang of it. I wouldn't recommend it for a very young child, though. The QuicKutz dies work in the CK machine also, and I've let my daughter use those along with her CK dies.
**Please help with Cuttlekids**
question about cuttle kids
