I have a Sizzix die cutter and love it. I bought mine used from ebay. I have replaced the cutting pad but the dies are still accurate and sharp. I have the XL strip cut dies which have been used numerous times. I belong to a sewing group and all the girls use it. You might read on the mfg website and see if you can get an idea of how many cuts to expect for a die. Most of my dies are old, used beyond regularly, and still going strong.