Do you own a Sizzix?

[Disney Ontario]

Hi. I was just wandering if a Sizzix machine would make a good purchase. I just read this weeks Michaels sales flyer and they have them on sale for 40% off. What is the average price of just the machine for starts?

 

[DisneyMSF]

I love my Sizzix machine! I bought it a few years ago, so I don't know what a "good" price for it is these days, but 40% off sounds like a good deal. You can go to the sizzix web site to see what the "retail" price is. I find that usually the craft stores (i.e. Michaels, AC Moore, etc) are usually selling them for the retail price when they are not on sale.

I also have the Sidekick (used for the sizzlets) which I also love. It's small so it's easy for me to bring along when I get together with friends to scrapbook. I've become a bit obsessed with the sizzlits (especially the alphabet sets), and I scrapbook a lot at other people's houses, so I find I use my Sidekick a bit more than the "original" Sizzix machine, (but I still use the Sizzix machine - and when I'm at home, I often use the sizzlets in the big machine with the adapter).

Of course, once you buy the machine, then you have to start buying the dies. Those 40% coupons in the circulars sure are handy

The sizzix products are probably my favorite scrapping tools.

 

[party of 3]

I love my sizzix!!!! it's my favorite! i also have the sidekick too, but i prefer the original one. so the one they are advertising, is it the original or the new big one? (i forget it's name.) because they don't sell the original dies anymore. most places have them on clearance. just a thought. you might want to make sure it's the new one and not the old one.

 

[piratesmate]

Even if you'd find the original Sizzix machine for less than $10 (some places had it at that price during the huge clearance recently) I'd say get one of the roller machines: BigKick or BigShot I think they're called. The new, thick dies look like they'll fit in the old machine, but they're too big. Besides, they're not nearly as heavy as the old kind! :eeek: I believe our local ACM has the BigKick for $129 as their regular price.

I started with the original machine & really liked it, but back in the spring a very kind person sent me a Sidekick when I was having trouble with one of my very intricate dies. (The new version is called the Tag-along.) I have to say that I actually like this better than my original!! I think I may be going through the cutting pads quicker than with the original, but it's really much easier & I've yet to find something that didn't cut! (knock on wood )

 

[bigbabyblues]

I have one! the only dies I have are two different alphabet sets. I use them quite a bit, and I'm glad to have them. Mine is the original one, and I got my last alpha set in August on Ebay.

 

[KerTggr]

I got the cuttlebog (provo craft's version of a sizzix big shot). It has instructions on how to use other manufacturer die cuts, which is nice. But what really pushed me to the cuttlebug is the disney embossing & die cuts coming out in Oct & Nov. (see provo craft's site for pics) It's always about the mouse with me

 

[TinkerKat]

Those who have the original , I have em both
Sizzix has "listened to the cries" cause a lot of the dies are now in two sizes,
Original & Big.

All the clearance was of the original packaging. And discontinued styles. I don't see many original machines around unless they plan on changing the packaging on them as well.
Anything that cuts paper is FUN!
Kathy

 

[TiggerFamily]

I have the Sizzix and NEVER use it. Well that is since I got my Cricut. The Cricut is soooo much easier and fast then the Sizzix. I can get a whole word but out in 30 seconds, you don't have to cut a lot of words out letter by letter it will cut a whole word at a time. You can get the orginal Cricuts now pretty cheap since they came out with the new big one. I would rethink the whole Sizzix thing and check into the Cricut. This is just IMO.

 

[Faerie]

I didn't think I'd want any of them until I saw the cuttlebug embossing folders. That did it for me. Got mine with a 50% coupon and love the embossing! I do make a lot of cards so they're great for that

 

[ksbean]

I have the original sizzix, the Ellison Big Shot and the sizzix sidekick. Sizzix retired the original machine and released the Big Kick. The Ellison Big Shot is similiar to the Sizzix Bick Kick but the chain stores don't carry them. The Big Kick usually retails around $99.99 with the kit being around $129.99. On the sizzix website in the Savings Zone you can get the Ellison Big Shot Kit with the Ellison Tag-a-long for $89.99 right now. Sizzix is currently running a 77% off sale in the Savings Zone thru Oct 1. Some people prefer the Provo Craft Cuttlebug which retails between $79.99-$89.99. I've used both and went with the Ellison Big Shot for it's design and handle. The size wasn't a factor for what I was looking for. Most of my stamp club went the cuttlebug way. It's all a matter of preference.

Have fun spending your coupon! Karen

 

[Stephres]

I have the original sizzix and I use it some, mostly for titles. I dislike that they only have a few large alphabets and I hate using the same two over and over. I think I would like one of the ones that you can download different alphabets from the computer if I were to make a purchase in the future.

 

[ddavis860]

I have the original, and I still use it for elements like slide mounts. I love my Cuttlebug though, and can't wait for the Disney embossing folders.

I did crack a plate trying to use a sizzix die in the cuttlebug. I had too much paper (I think quarter folded bazzil), and the plate cracked in half. So I pulled out my old sizzix and it did fine.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Oh yes! I have the Sizzix Big Shot and it has paid for itself many times over.

I bought it to use for scrapbooking but it has been used for so many more things...

every time my kids need a gift for someone, we use it to make a gift card or a tag. They use it to make posters and signs for school (mainly the alphabets) and it has been fabulous!

I would buy one in a minute.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I forgot to say to all of you who have a sizzix, a big shot, or the big kick....

my Michael's just started carrying the cutting pads for those and this week they are 40% off -- makes them less than $6 for a pair of two. Never hurts to have a spare set on hand.



They also now carry the big kick in the store and the new die cuts -- all 40% off this week as well.

Happy Scrapping!!

 

[MazdaUK]

Big shot or cuttlebug? What should I go for?


Is cuttlebug the only one to do embossing? And, maybe silly question, but can you get embossing plates and just rub the paper by and to get the effect?

 

[KerTggr]

Big shot or cuttlebug? What should I go for?

I have never used a Big shot, so can't compare - sorry

Is cuttlebug the only one to do embossing? And, maybe silly question, but can you get embossing plates and just rub the paper by and to get the effect?

Cuttlebug isn't the only one that does embossing, the Wizard does this too, but I don't really like the Wizard - different ways to feed the die plates. I imagine there is a way to make the embossing folders work on the Big Shot too, but not positive as I haven't used one prior. As far as rubbing the paper - I don't think this is very effective as the embossing folder is both the concave and converse versions of the image, so you get a really strong emboss. I imagine you could do it, but don't know that it would come out as nice or as clean as they are just plastic (rather than the regular metal ones that most people are used to using on a lightbox).

 

[Faerie]

I've heard you can use the Cuttlebug embossing folders with a rolling pin

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

the big shot does embossing

 

[ksbean]

The Big Shot and Big Kick can use the cuttlebug folders with no extras needed. Sizzix has their own Texture plates out that you need to buy the kit first (around $20) that includes a set of plates. After that you can then use it with other Sizzix texture plates plus regular brass dies and the Fiskars texture plates.

My preference is the Ellison Big Shot.

 

[rlcook]

I have the original and the sidekick. Although I don't like the sidekick as well, it is portable enough for crops. I just went to Michael's today and got the sisslets classic alphabet set which retails for $150 for $19. I have the Cricut also, but am still figuring it out. SSSOOO I'll flip between both.