lindawmn

Never thought of starching! Great idea. LOVE mine, especially the specialty dies. Just bought the mariners one with the mat bundled as they were selling for the same price as the die itself. I can't imagine cutting out those individual pieces.

sewbizgirl

I have a Go cutter. It hasn't held up very well.

Murphy224

I have had the accuquilt go since 2012 and have had no problems with it. The mats do wear out but it takes a hundreds of cuts before they do. They are relatively inexpensive to replace. My dies are still as sharp as when they were new. I mainly use my cutter to cut the shapes that are hard to do by hand and impossible by rotary cutter: circles, stars, hexagons, hearts, feathers,flowers, stems,etc.
I have had only one issue with a die I bought last year.....the "2 1/2 multiples" it cuts 9 2 1/2 inch squares at once and is perfect for cutting scraps into 2 1/2 squares. The die when it was new had several places that just didn't cut all the way through. Returned it to the dealer and she replaced it with a new one that cuts perfectly. I think it was just a manufacturing defect.

Mkotch

I have had a Go Baby (which is manual) for several years and can't tell you if the dies lose their sharpness because I haven't used it in over a year. The dies are very expensive so I don't have many of them. If you can afford to purchase a wide variety of dies and if your space allows you to keep your machine at the ready all the time, I would say go for it.

Onebyone

The die that came with my Go in 2006 is as sharp now as it was then It is the value die for fat quarters and I have used it probably 500 times. I have had to re glue the foam down on it though but I think that was because water was spilled on it. I haven't babied it at all. The Go fell off the top of the car and hit the pavement once (got a little crack in the housing, glued it over), fell down the stairs, and survived play dough flattening, thank goodness no dies were involved in that. Just put between two mats. LOL Worked great.

SusieQOH

Your Go has 9 lives haha!!

Dolphyngyrl

I have a sizzix big shot, hardly use it. Dies to me are very expensive. The caveat is they are only one size too.getting the smaller system with gift card help me really discover that I would rather spend my hard earned money on fabric and other tools that will get more use like my stripology ruler from creative grids a way better investment to me, can cut multiple size straps fast without investing in multiple dies. If my arthritis gets bad somewhere down the line I will invest in an electric go but as of now, not needed, save the money unless you have endless funds IMHO

juliasb

I love my Accuquilt Go! I have had at close to a year. So my mats are is great shape still. I figure at least another year before I will replacing mats and yes you do pay for them each time you need a new one. I use my accuquilt almost daily. There is always a new quilt at hand for me to be making. The dies are made to last a very very long time. I have become use to buying used dies as after a quilt or 2 many people feel they no longer want a certain die and sell them for a discounted price. I have never had a problem with a used die either. Buying from Accuquilt there is a 1 yr warrantee on dies. I hemmed and hawed buying different systems and finally decided on Accuquilt and have no regrets. It is perfect for my quilting needs. No regrets. I would strongly suggest looking on Market Place and buying used to save some money. If not buy from LQS or Accuquilt is also a go choice. I even bought my system used and saved a bundle. The learning curve is so easy. I was able to jump right in and make a fantastic Apple Core quilt the first day and master the curves so easily I couldn't believe it at all!
It is a perfect cutting system for my tired hands. I only rarely use a rotary cutter any more and that is to just trim pieces to fit the Accuquilt and make way for perfect cut pieces. Enjoy!!

Maire

I 2nd this, love my Sizzix! Cut out 200 Dresden plate shapes this week. I never thought of using a cutting mat though, sounds like a good idea.
I recently saw where Sizzix has an electric Big Shot model out (not the Vagabond) , it was on sale this week, regular price $229. on sale on Amazon $158, and since it is my birthday next week, I ordered it. When it arrives I'll do a review.
I actually haven't had a problem with the manual crank but I'm 81, had one shoulder replacement surgery (not because of the Sizzix) and want to avoid any extra strain.

hobbykat1955

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.