Hubby said I could get a fabric cutter for Mother's Day. Budget $500.
After three days of researching here (thank you so much) and on YouTube this is how I made my decision (all prices are Amazon they were lowest).
Brother Scanncut ($399): The big plus to the ScannCut is no dies needed. I like the rolling machines that do not need starch to use but with this computer system has 600 built in designs and the ability to scan in anything. A huge plus for me because I design scrapbook kits and already access have 500 digital kits. But I can't cut strips. And I cut a lot of strips. The main reason I wanted a cutter is to not have to cut strips (I lopped off part of my index finger with a rottery cutter and had several stitches.)
Sizzix Big Shot Pro($389): I love the Sizzix Big Shot Pro for quilters (looks amazing!). Its big and bulky but I wouldn't mind. But with this budget I only have $120 left over for dies and could only get a 2.5 and square die. ($90).
Accuquilt ($219) I originally wanted the Accuquilt but the dies and system are just too much compared to Sizzix. Once I reaslise Sizzix can use Accuquilt and other dies Sizzix won out.
Sizzix Big Shot ($72): Since the Big Shot is such a super low price (compared to Accuquilt) I can get the dies for 2.5 inch, squares, rectangles, flowers, birds and more. But I am limited to 6" width. But it is great for cutting strips. (Kudos to Sizzix for keeping the price low enough to draw us in because I will be buying HST and other dies in the future)
Was it obvious to you? It took me a while the light bulb to go on.
……drum roll……...
I'm getting Both ScannCut for appliqué and Sizzix Big Shot for strip quilting. OK, I'm at $580 but I have some egg money I can throw in.
But I will have no limit to the appliqués I can make!
I just can't bring myself to pay $15 to $40 for dies like flower and butterflies I might only use once. (And I have all this digital art I can use)
If I had a bigger budget I would get the Big Shot Pro and ScanNCut. But I am very grateful I can get two machines. Thank you hubby.
So what are using and how did you decide?