Yes, the Studio and Grand are the same machine. I've had the grand mark for about 15 years. If you want to do strips, you will need the bigger (Super Giant) tray as the Accucut just comes with the "Giant", so that's an additional $45. You would have to buy it with the Studio too. Looks like the only difference is the Studios come with more cutting mats, but you can buy those as needed. They are real workhorse machines. I have hundreds of dies and literally cut tens of thousands of items. Regarding the ease of cranking. The more layers of fabric you try and cut, the harder it will be to crank, especially when starting the cut. The machine will physically cut 10 layers as advertised, but that amount of fabric can shift. I would recommend 4 to 6 as a good number. It takes so little time to cut that it's better to make additional runs than try and crank it thru all at once. Also, I would recommend you treat your fabric the same way you would prior to rotary cutting. I press and use starch.
There is a good forum on accuquilt products on Yahoo.
Edited to add: the Studio will accept all dies. Studio, Ellison, commercial printer's dies, Sizzix, GO! etc. You need an appropriate shim for the thinner dies.
Last edited by PaperPrincess; 05-27-2012 at 04:04 AM.