I have the Expression. I started out with the small Cricut machine shortly after it was released, and quickly upgraded to the Expression as soon as it was available. I haven't regretted it for a second - I love being able to make cuts as big as I need to, which sometimes can be 11 1/2 x 11 1/2.
Until I started school again, I was selling the Cricut and Cricut Expression machines on Ebay. Some were used and some were new. This could be a good place to pick one up for cheaper, but be careful. I have bought many used machines and had them shipped to me with no padding. They would always arrive broken! I got to the point that I would only buy new/unopened machines, so as to avoid this problem.
I have about 40 cartridges, but I have owned many more than that, and sold them on Ebay as I got tired of them. Ebay is a GREAT place to buy cartridges from. Even the newest ones have been really cheap lately!
You can do more than scrapbooking and cardmaking with the Cricut. You can also cut vinyl to be used for car decals and home decor, you can do glass etching, and many other paper crafts as well.
You said you wanted the good, the bad, and the ugly, so now I am going to tell you the bad and the ugly. Provo Craft's customer service is absolutely horrible! If you can actually get a live person on the phone, and your problem is a very easy fix, then consider yourself very lucky. But there have been times you can sit on hold for over an hour, and then they are not able to help you with your problem.
Also, they have computer software called Design Studio, so you can design stuff on your computer to be cut with your Cricut. You still have to own any cartridge you want to cut with, as it doesn't work without the cartridge.
It's good for certain things, but overall, the software has been outdated from the first day, problematic for many people, and PC doesn't know how to fix it. They have relied on us message board members to work out the bugs for them, but some things just can't be fixed. I recently got a new computer, and my design studio won't work with it. PC wasn't able to help me with a fix, so it's useless to me on that computer (which sucks, because this was to be my crafting computer). Thankfully, I do have it on my laptop as well, so I am not doing without.
This leads me to a couple other points. The software is only licensed for one computer, so if you want it installed on two computers, you have to buy two copies. Also, it doesn't work with Macs at all.
Ok, now back to the good. A third-party developed their own software for using with the Cricut, called Sure Cuts a Lot. This software doesn't work with the cartridges, instead it works with any True Type Font you have installed on your computer. There are literally thousands of free fonts and dingbats (think silhouettes) to download and cut with SCAL. This program works SO MUCH better than Design Studio - which is precisely why Provo Craft is threatened by it and invests a lot of money into trying to block it with firmware updates. SCAL has come up with ways around it so far, and SCAL has been almost flawless in design. They have released several updates, each one better than the last. they are VERY popular with Cricut users. Many people have said if they had to choose one software or the other, they would choose SCAL (including myself). SCAL works with both PCs and Macs.
I hope this info helps - I have never regretted my purchase, even though I don't have much time to use it lately. I still love it!
, and want to get a "puffier" type font eventually as well. (Suggestions welcome.)
