What inspired you to buy a Cricut?

[labdogs42]

Explain please! I've been faithfully saving for a Wishblade. I know another poster asked this same question, but I need to hear an answer! Is the learning curve just too difficult? I had myself convinced that it was Wishblade or nothing, but since I saw a friend's Cricut in action, I have been second guessing my decision. What are the negatives with the Wishblade? I would be SICK if I spent that much money and didn't like it/didn't use it. ..............P

Sorry I didn't check back here sooner! Here is what I experienced with the Wishblade (mind you, I had the blue one, with the Wishblade software. I think the software is better now, but I never used it).

Not particularly intuitive or user-friendly
Confusing system for changing blade depth and pressure, caps, o-rings, etc. I wasted a LOT of paper trying to get that thing to cut clean
Had to use THREE software programs (Inkscape, Craft Robo, and WB) to weld a title!! AAAGH!
Mats were expensive and not readily available
System HAD to be hooked to a computer to work. Not very portable.
Replacement blades also incredibly expensive and seemed less durable than Cricut blades (to me)
Hard to figure out if your design was going to run off the paper or mat. I messed up a blade and cutting strip because of this.

So, that's my story. I literally tried to like the darn thing for a year. DH bought it as a surprise for me for Christmas, so I really felt like I had to make it work. It killed me to give up, but the learning curve was too steep. I have heard good things about the new software they have for it (I forget the name), but I wasn't willing to sink any more money into the WB after the struggle I had with it. I decided to invest in a Cricut instead and I couldn't be happier! (and now I have both Cricuts!, CDS, and 17 cartridges!)

ETA, Why I love the Cricut:

mats and blades can be picked up at my local AC Moore or Michael's, sometimes on sale
EASY to figure out blade depth changes, speed, and pressure settings (HUGE difference here)
Adorable fonts and shape cartridges
Now you can cut any TTF with the Sure Cuts A Lot software -- search for it online!
You can now weld titles with Cricut fonts using their Design Studio software
Don't HAVE to take your laptop with you to crops to cut letters and shapes
Option to hook to computer for more technical designs
I KNOW where it will cut on the page and it never goes off the paper

 

[UP Disney]

I went to an annual scrapbooking week-end. I'm not a regular scrapbooker (I am trying to get better at that). The cricut made it so much easier for me to make nice looking pages in a fairly short time frame. I just had to have one. Normally, I only scrap at this week-end, the cricut inspired me to do a couple more pages. I still need to do more at home but my cricut continuously calls to me so I think that I'll have more pages before the next yearly week-end.

 

[rlovew]

I have a craftrobo Pro that I bought before the cricuts were available and I love it. It is in use working on a piglet pp for the completed page swap while I type- I bought an expression because sometimes I don't want to have to do the work of setting up a file to cut a couple of letters and i wanted the Disney carts without having to trace everything myself. I love my craftrobo and use both of the machines- if fact on large swap cutting times I usually have both of them working overtime. I would give up my expression before my craftrobo but I love each of them for different reasons.

Rebecca