Accuquilt Go, Your Experience?
 

Hi all, I'm considering getting an Accuquilt Go. I have tons and tons of scraps and really think I will use it. It's harder to cut with my rotary blade, my hands and joints hurt after I've done it. My big question to you is: how fast do the blades wear out? Do you feel that it dulls too quickly or maybe about as frequently as you have to replace a rotary blade? I know it's expensive to replace the cutter part.

Thanks for you input!

I think the blades will last forever. I can't imagine them not cutting material. I've had my Go for several years and have never had a problem.

I love my GO. I've had it for about 4 years. I have several favorite dies that I use over and over and I have not had any issues with their not cutting.

I really like mine - once you cut all the binding you need in one pass thru, you are hooked. And I cut out over 200 5 inch blocks in about an hour but that was because I had about 75 different fabrics and was putting them back on comic book boards after I cut. The dies don't seem to wear out - it is the plastic pieces you put over the fabric before rolling it thru the machine that does wear out - but those are fairly inexpensive and with a little thought they will have a second purpose too. The one that I did wear out was after a long time - put the die is still going strong. Also, you do need to watch the video and put the fabric on the die going the right direction to get the maximum result.

The cutting part is in the dies, not the Go itself. The Go has a roller that the die is driven through by your cranking or the Go Big electric pulls it through for you. I have never heard of anyone having a die wear out, but I guess if I keep going the way I have been, I will find out! I was lucky enough to have a sweet Hubby get me the Go Big electric for Christmas. I had it going all last night, cutting almost all of my RWB fabric and scraps for QOV. I've done two quilts since Christmas with my Go......LOVE it!!!!!

I have a GO, but I'm assuming(I know never assume) that the dies are like the dies used in paper crafting and they never seem to wear out, most of the cutting is actually the pressure of the rollers in the machine and not blades in the dies x ( had paper crafting dies that I've been using for at least 10 years with no deterioration in the cutting)

Can you handle the crank of the GO?? You might want to find someone close to you that has one that you can test drive before you purchase one.

Thanks for all the info. I'm sure I can handle the crank, but yes, there is someone willing to let me try hers out before I buy. I'm excited to think about how fast I can cut all the scraps I've been saving for years and years!

I have a Go Baby and can use most all of the Go dies. I really like mine and like you, my hands don't work sometimes but I can still crank. Also one of our quilt shops, Minding My P&Q's, has them to use at no charge. I am sure you will be very happy with one.

I bought the Go but I had trouble cranking it. I think they've improved that. I ended up selling it, not so much because of that, but because i wanted more freedom with dies. I got the Big Shot Pro which can take almost every die on the market. It's a lot easier to crank too. But it's a lot more expensive and it's huge and heavy.

One time while talking with the people at AccuQuilt, I did ask if the blades eventually became dull in the dies; they assured me that they didn't. I have really enjoyed using mine; it's a hand crank, but I don't think I will be upgrading to a larger one; the Go! is heavy enough for me to handle.

I have the manual GO, have had it for 3/4 yrs now and use it a lot.....not sorry I bought if, or any of the dies I've accumulated....recently picked up a Sizzix Big Shot....less than $100... Along with some Sizzix dies...hobby lobby, less expensive, and have found that it does "crank" easier........but now I have a choice and use both....I can use the smaller GO dies on Sizzix, but not vise-versa.........

I have had my ACQ cutter since 2009 and it is still going strong. It's wonderful for cutting a bunch of scraps all at the same time. I line up the scraps, for example, on the 2.5 strip die, cut them, turn them around and cut again into 2.5 perfect squares.

I think the GO is fun and the crank isn't hard to use. My experience is that the mats take a beating and need to be flipped over and over. I try to have the blades hit different areas of the mats so they last longer. It's wonderful for quickly cutting accurate pieces.

I have the Go Baby Accuquilt, and I love it. I only have 2 dies so far, but they have worked great - the 2 1/2 strip cutter helped me cut more accurate binding strips today.

I have one but for the cost of dies and machine it has been a poor investment.

I really like mine, have had no problem with cutting. You could always buy, try, and if you didn't like it, return it.

I wanted the go for years because I have a disability in my shoulder. I was afraid it would be useless because I'd have to crank it. For Christmas my husband purchased a go big for me. No cranking is necessary. It is wonderful I'm so glad I waited. It is costly but so is paying someone to cut your fabric. I would definitely recommend it.

I love my GO and can't imagine quilting without it. I am in the process of making a quilt that needed forty-two 1 1/2" strips. It only took 5 cuts on my GO, and less than 5 minutes to get the forty-two strips. And the strips are perfect. The fabric type and how careful you are about cutting determines how perfect your cuts will be. Sometimes my cuts are not absolutely perfect, but they are still more perfect than I can cut them with my rotary cutter. I use my strip cutters the most - for bindings, sashings, borders and squares. I also love the applique dies which I use with my embroidery machine.

If my Go broke today I'd have another one by tonight. I use it for all my cutting.

I love my Go. It's been a positive investment for me. It makes cutting so much easier.

Accuquilt go
 

I have moved from the "Go" to the "Go big electric" Accuquilt cutter and it's so much easier to use, plus twice as fast. It cost about twice what the Go does, but well worth it. All my go dies work on it so far. My go machine would move when I cracked it and I didn't care for that. I don't think you have to worry about the blades wearing out as I'm sure the whole machine will go before that.

The Go is great to use on scraps. I now have the go big and that is wonderful...no turning a crank and you can cut hundreds of shapes in just minutes!! The blades will never wear out just the mats so if you have trouble with it not cutting through your layers replace the mat and remember don't cut more layers than what is recommemded! Have fun!

I have one and have never had to replace the blades. I love it...