I started out with the Manual Crank Go and upgraded a couple of yrs ago to Electric. Depending on the no. Of fabrics you are trying to cut at one time the Manual is hard on your wrist/shoulders but I used it on/off for 10 yrs. I have used my mats over/over again if you keep turning them in all directions with each cut they last longer. Never had any crack. My dies are still sharp you just have to make sure you pick out threads/fabric bits that may get caught. They supply the pick so you can maintain your dies.
My suggestion is if your going to buy go for the Electric it’s so much easier...Mindless work...
Note...Don’t buy dies your only going to use once or twice. Stick to dies that you will get the most use out of. How do I know I bought dies that sit or haven’t been unwrapped.