Are you considering to purchase a personal cutter to enhance your paper crafts projects? If you are, you may have noticed the huge variety of machines available on the market. But how do you decide which is the best for you?
Below you will find a selection of well known brands, along with a short description of each one and links to reviews of their most popular products.
If you don’t know what a die cutting machine is, make sure to read the article “Scrapbooking Cutter Machines Overview” before you continue.
Provo Craft
Provo Craft is the manufacturer of the Cuttlebug and Cuttlekids. These are manual cutters, that allow you to cut and emboss shapes in a variety of sizes and styles, using individual dies designed by industry-leading artists.
Provo Craft is also the leading creator and distributor of the most popular electronic cutting machines. The innovative Cricut machines feature specialized blades which can easily cut through a huge variety of materials, including any kind of card stock paper, vellum, vinyl and some types of fabric, giving you a nice clean cut every time. You though the Cricut machines are electronic cutters, you don’t need a computer to use them. Simply insert one of the many available cartridges and you are ready to go. Cartridges cost usually between $50.00 and $80.00 and each one comes with hundreds of different shapes.
Read more about the differences between the Cricut machines or click the product names below to learn more about each model and read customer reviews and ratings.
- Cricut Create Machine
- Cricut Expression
- Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter Machine
- Cuttlebug
- Cuttlekids
Sizzix
The Sizzix are manual, die-cutting, embossing and texturizing machines. They cut through chipboard and other thicker materials, but are heavier and less versatile than the cutters from Provo Craft. You can probably get one a lot cheaper since so many scrapbookers are off to buy the latest Cricut. Instead of cartridges, they use dies that you can buy starting at $8 dollars each. So, if you are on a budget, this may be something to consider. Also, unlike the Cricut, they can cut up to 3 sheets of paper, the cutting pads last very long, they use no electricity (except the new Big Shot Express) and there are no blades to replace. If the die-cut gets dull, simply use foil to sharpen it.
Learn more about the different Sizzix cutters by clicking the links below.
- Big Shot Express (motorized)
- Big Shot Machine
- BIGkick Machine
- Original Sizzix Machine
- Sidekick Machine
Xyron
In order to provide their customers with more choice, the Xyron manufacturers have two cutting systems available on the market, with significant differences between them. They are the Xyron Wishblade Media Cutter and the Xyron Personal Cutting System (XPCS).
The XPCS cuts heavy card-stock and has a lower initial price than the Cricut and the Wishblade, but offers less functionality. It is also cartridge-based, whereas the Wishblade is not.
Unlike the Cricut and the XPCS, the Wishblade is a computer-driven electronic cutter, meaning it must be connected to a PC in order to work. It can use any font or clip art you have in your computer or you can load the Wishblade software and create your own designs. You can also download and swap files with other users trough a number of online forums and websites.
The Wishblade has another great feature, which is the ability to print an image on your normal printer, then send that image through the Wishblade machine so it will cut out the image you just printed. You can also replace the cutting blade with an ink pen and let the machine draw instead of cut.
Even though the initial cost for the Wishblade is higher than for a stand alone die-cutting machine, it can be worth the investment since you have no additional font cartridges or dies to purchase.
Click the links below to read the individual reviews for the Xyron products.
- Xyron Personal Cutting Machine
- Xyron Wishblade
Other Brands
- QuickKutz
- Silhouette SD Digital Cutting System
- Revolution Tabletop Die-Cutting Tool
- Epic Six
- Pazzles
- Creative Cutter
- BossKut Gazelle
- Making Memories
- SLICE™ Cordless Design Cutter
- Klic-N-Kut
- CraftRobo
