die cutters

[EmeraldWellspring]

i'm thinking about buying a die cutter to cut felt shapes and i'm curious about what the best ones are. not wanting to spend more than $100 for one.
what kind do you use?

[Former_Member]

I bought the Big Shot and I am also using it to cut felt circles. I got mine on Amazon and bought the dies at Joann's Fabric.

[EmeraldWellspring]

nice. i was just looking at the big shot, too! do you like it so far?

[EmeraldWellspring]

i thought the dies came with the machine.... ? guess i'm confused.

[Former_Member]

Here are two threads on this topic.

This one I created when I was starting to shop around.
http://www.etsy.com/teams/6460/etsy-paper/discuss/11198384/

This one was just the other day and has some helpful info too.
http://www.etsy.com/teams/5002/etsy-success/discuss/11692486/

I went with the Cricut Mini. and LOVE it!

I chose it for the following reasons:
small and lightweight
easy to use
saves paper (you set up all "cuts" on the computer)
inexpensive
able to sell items
electric
customer service (super helpful)

[EmeraldWellspring]

great! thanks so much, jenni!

[Former_Member]

Does anyone know if they can cut something as thick as foam...like the foam you use for kids crafts?

[EmeraldWellspring]

i don't know, but i'll give you a bump in case anyone else does. :)

[Former_Member]

Allison, some of them do cut foam. You have to check the model itself. There are some great side-by-side comparisons you can do on several sites.

[bstudio]

I found this comparison page,
http://die-cutting-machines-review.toptenreviews.com/

[FabulouslyHomemade]

I have the Silhouette Cameo, and love it. If you purchase shapes for personal use, most are $.99 on their website, and you can also purchase many of the images for commercial use, but those you will pay more (approx. $8.00-50.00, depending on quantity produced). I love that I can make my own shapes free with their software. That being said, most of the garlands I sell in my shop are made with the hand punches instead of my machine. I just use it for special projects.

[FabulouslyHomemade]

...oh, and I also own a Big Shot, which I use less often, but it's a great machine that cuts and embosses. You have to purchase embossing folders or dies to use in this machine.