My auntie has the Cricut Expression Machine she jus bought the fabric blade for it for quilting, she uses it for scrapbooking with the paper blade. She loves it and told me to buy it as well so we can always borrow each others dyes and blades. I don't do scrapbooking though and don't want to. It is cheaper than the studio machine by AccuQuilt. The Cricut Expression Machine only is $349 where as the AccuQuilt Studio Machine only is $595.

Does anyone have either of theses machines? Opinions needed please. Thanks, HUGS! :)

I've got the Studio. There are a lot of threads about this if you use the search feature. I would check to see what quilting dies are available for the Cricut. Accuquilt has a huge amount of dies for the Studio and I don't think any other system has the same quality or amount of dies. Also, you can buy a kit to use with the Studio that allows you to use other companies dies. I'm not sure Cricut would work though, so do some research on that.

You can get the AccuQuilt Go for less than $250 if you look around online. Try Ebay.

We've got the Studio Cutter by Accuquilt and love it for production work.

If you're going to use a die cutter for home purposes, the Accuquilt Go cutter works really well, is a lot cheaper, and folds up to travel or store away. The studio cutter requires a separate space and needs to be set up all the time, and it's considerably larger.

The advantage I think of the Accuquilt system over the Cricut is that it's specifically made for fabric cutting. They're coming out with new dyes all the time and they have really good customer support.

I haven't seen a Cricut in action, but looking at the design it seems like it would be a lot slower to set up and use, since it's essentially a plotter that cuts. It would seem that you'd have to spend time stabilizing the fabric on the cutting mat, and the fact that fabric is flexible (where heavy scrapbooking paper is not) would seem to be problematic in getting accurate cuts.

On Amazon you can get the AccuQuilt cheap. I bought the Mix n Match set for something like $200 less than than retail

From what little knowledge I have acquired, it seems to me that the Cricut would be better for applique shapes (endless possibilities) but that the Accuquilt is better for geometric piecing shapes (strips, triangles, etc.).

Both machines can do fusible applique shapes, but the Cricut has infinite possibilities for the shapes. Also, it seems to me the Cricut would be very handy for freezer-paper applique because you could cut one size for the fabric and a smaller size for the freezer paper. It would be worth the set-up time only for repeating shapes, though.

I have the Go Accucutt and my neighbor has the Cricut Expressions the older one and the brand new model just out. The Cricut can't compete with the Go for fabric cutting. Sounds like the scrapbooker will get the most benefit from a shared arrangement with a quilter. A brand new Go is $218. Don't pay more for a used one then this without dies.

If I buy the AccuQuilt go from Ebay does it still have waranty on it?

No- you are buying it "as is"

so is that a bad idea then?

I have used the Cricut a lot for scrapbooking. It does have the capability of producing a wide variety of shapes and letters depending on what cartridges you buy. That and each shape can be made in sizes up to 6" high in half inch increments. The problem I have with it is that it is very fiddley. You have to set the speed, pressure, depth etc. Each different fabric would need a tweaking of the settings. The advantage that I see for the Accuquilt Go over the Cricut is that you can do several layers at a time. With the Cricut, each layer has to be "stuck" to the carrying "sticky mat." You can't do more than one layer at a time. And when using fabric, I would think the sticky mat would pick up lint quickly and need replacing often. They're about $5 each. So it would depend on what you need it for. If you want to be able to make single pieces in various sizes, then the Cricut might be your choice. If you want to make large quantities of a certain shape, then the Accuquilt Go would be a better choice.
I am not familiar with the Accuquilt Studio.

They're pretty reliable machines. Many people have purchased from other than the website or authorized dealers with no problems.

I personally think that warranties are often over-rated and under-understood. Many things come with 10-year/20-year/30-year "warranties"; except that after a certain period of time you are responsible for labor and the parts become prohitively expensive to replace.

For the Accuquilt Go!, you could almost buy a replacement machine and have two machines on hand for the price of one plus shipping from the Accuquilt website.

Did you know life time warranty means for the life of the product? Not a human life. It could be 90 days or 90 years. Always check what life time refers to in years. I think that is consumer trickery and it's been around too long to not be changed by now.

I can't believe the price diferences in theses machines on Ebay. You can get them for way under cost. I found a cricut expression machine for $50 and $56 for shipping which includes:
A brand new Cricut Expression machine
* Brand new Sesame Street Font cartridge
* Brand new Tinkerbell and Friends cartridge
* Brand new Wall Decor and More cartridge
* Brand new Serenade cartridge
* Brand new Accent Essentials cartridge
* Brand new Plantin SchoolBook cartidge
* Brand new Black and Green 12 piece CGull Tool Kit

I also found an Accuquilt for $ 150 plus $100 for shipping. I gonna go to the craft fair this weekend and see it in action and see if there price is cheaper and if not I will order it from Ebay.

I may have to eventually order the cricut too especially if it is cheaper at Ebay. :)

I believe it would depend upon who you purchased the Accuquilt from on e-bay as to if the warranty applies. Some e-bay sellers sell used stuff where as other sellers have a free standing store somewhere and also sell on e-bay. Those Accuquilt dies , base etc. etc. would have the same warranty as purchasing it from any other free standing store as they are brand new, still in original package etc. I may be wrong on this but really think this is right. Homework, homework, homework before one buys is the key to knowing all the particulars of either product I believe. Good luck in making the right decision. P.S. I have the Accuquilt Go and really love it.
Sue

Beware of high shipping costs on eBay ($100 is excessive). If you want to return the item, the refund does not include the shipping cost; you are automatically out $100 if you want to return the item to the seller.

They don't accept returns for it. It comes with so much though.

The person I bought my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter and 90% of my dies from gives free shipping and it was a BUY NOW! OR Make Me an Offer! As always on e-bay one must shop and compare and compare and compare! I am very satisfied with the person I have been buying from, I always buy from the same person so you know them and they know you. Sue

Who is the person you buy from? I am looking to purchase an Accuquilt GO and pricing is from bids starting at $50 to $500. I am really not wanting to spend the $300 that is advertised for a new one.