Sizzix vs Accuquilt - My humble opinion
For Christmas Santa offered to buy me a fabric die cutting system. I did a bunch of research between Sizzix and Accuquilt. I decided on the Sizzix Big Shot Plus for the following reasons:
1) Sizzix dies are cheaper than Accuquilt dies 2) Sizzix machine was cheaper than the equivalent Accuquilt machine 3) I could use both Accuquilt and Sizzix dies on the Sizzix machine However...I have since returned my Sizzix Big Shot Plus machine and ordered an Accuquilt Go Big Electric for the following reasons: 1) Sizzix does not specialize in quilting so it is very difficult to find the "right" dies on their site. The Accuquilt site is easy peasy since they do specialize in quilting. 2) In general I think Accuquilt dies are more thoughtfully designed.
3) The Accuquilt dies seem to cut cleaner and better than the Sizzix dies. I have been cutting a bunch of clamshells with my Accuquilt die and have not had to pick fabric out of the die yet. I have a Sizzix 1.5" square die....every time I use it (6 layers of fabric stacked) I have to pick fabric out of the die. Same results when I only cut 5 layers of fabric at a time with it. 4) The Sizzix cutting mats are some sort of plasticy thing. Every time you cut a die it etches the die shape into the cutting mat. You are supposed to keep flipping and turning the cutting mat. I have been trying to do this but dislike it for a few reasons. A) Little fabric bits keep getting stuck in the grooves etched into the cutting mat and B) I am having some difficulty utilizing all parts of the cutting mat so the same spots on the cutting mat keep getting etched. Accuquilt cutting mats are a rubbery kind of thing. I like them MUCH better. Also some of the individual Accuquilt dies I purchased have included their own cutting mat. Individual Sizzix dies do not come with their own cutting mat....at least not the two dies that I purchased. I have not actually received the Accuquilt machine yet but am expecting huge success. Hope this helps someone. |
Thanks for posting such a thorough review! I have sometimes wondered if I should have purchased a Sizzix instead of my manual Accuquilt Go! I have heard raves about the electric Go Big! If I ever develop physical issues that make cranking difficult, I will have my reason to get one.
I will mention that some of my Accuquilt dies are not perfect. Some will leave a thread or two uncut where the metal die ends meet. I can't remember which one now, but one of my dies did seem to get threads stuck. And my older dies do not have the 2-color foam. However, I still love my Go! In my case it was not love at first sight; took me awhile to get used to it. Helped a lot when I realized I did not have to pre-cut all of the fabric (the way most Youtube demos show). Now I just let excess fabric run under the roller and trail behind. Wish I had known I could do that when I first got it! |
Prism- I have a new Go and didn't know that. Thanks for the tip!!!
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Great customer review. I haven't considered this purchase yet. What keeps me from purchasing one is that you have to buy so many dies for the different shapes/sizes etc. But, then again, I haven't done a lot of research yet so I may be wrong and have no clue what I'm talking about since I'm not entirely sure what these machines can actually do.
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Just wanted to say that with the Big Shot Pro- I use Accuquilt cutting pads with Accuquilt Dies rather than the Sizzix cutting pads
Also, my experience is that it doesn't matter whether I'm using Sizzix Dies or Go Dies I still have to pick fabric out and sometimes don't get a clean cut. Keep in mind that all cutting pads will wear out and need to be replaced at some point, so while it's nice that the Go dies come with a cutting pad, you will eventually have to buy a replacement cutting pad. I've got several Go pads that are getting to that point. Dies also wear out eventually. Rob |
Originally Posted by Prism99
(Post 7984825)
Helped a lot when I realized I did not have to pre-cut all of the fabric (the way most Youtube demos show). Now I just let excess fabric run under the roller and trail behind. Wish I had known I could do that when I first got it!
I started with a Go! Baby off of eBay and was able to cut many things with just that. Sure it took some effort to get it through the device, but I was much more comfortable spending $60 than $500. When I got my Big, I sold the Baby on eBay and got about three quarters of what I originally spent back, which I think was a fair rental price for two years. It is nice to read this review also, because I always worry there is some better thing out there, and I'm so very invested in Accuquilt right not. |
Originally Posted by Teen
(Post 7984901)
What keeps me from purchasing one is that you have to buy so many dies for the different shapes/sizes etc.
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Originally Posted by lmanna
(Post 7984755)
2) In general I think Accuquilt dies are more thoughtfully designed.
3) The Accuquilt dies seem to cut cleaner and better than the Sizzix dies. I have been cutting a bunch of clamshells with my Accuquilt die and have not had to pick fabric out of the die yet. I have a Sizzix 1.5" square die....every time I use it (6 layers of fabric stacked) I have to pick fabric out of the die. Same results when I only cut 5 layers of fabric at a time with it. As a tip, if you have older dies with just one colour of foam, you can trace over the lines of the blade with a metallic Sharpie. I know a couple people that have done this, and it worked well. I will warn you, just so you aren't disappointed: The difference in cleaning between your clamshell and square dies is the shape, not the manufacturer. When cutting shapes along the straight of grain, you are more likely to end up with threads stuck in the die than with curved shapes. Regarding cutting mats, they will all (even AccuQuilt) last longer if you flip and turn the mats, like the Sizzix suggests. I do prefer the feel of the AccuQuilt mats, though. I think you will love your new machine! I know I love mine. :) |
Accuquilt Studio owner here - love the thing!
I find I use the strip dies, square dies and triangle dies most. |
Accuquilt Go big for me is the one thing I couldn’t give up, started with Go and moved up, I recently cut the Go big Snails trail blocks for a quilt 84” by 96” in about 30-40 mins every piece perfectly accurate this would have taken my hours by hand.
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I love my Go too. The dies are not cheap but they do have sales and I order them from Accuquilt when they have free shipping or when I intend to make the quilt and need the die. It is the same price no matter where you buy it and when I order it from Accuquilt they don't charge me the CA state tax.
My friend and I cut out a DWR quilt for a King size bed in about an hour. She was making it with the arches as one piece so that made it a bit faster but all those curves it would be a royal pain to use templates. And those little notches are very helpful. |
I have the Sizzix Big Shot(not the pro - and have had it for years, and was delighted when they came out with their dies.,and added quilting to their group. I purchased almost every one of the quilting dies,using my 40 % off at Hobby Lobby. They have discontinued many of the dies that I'm glad I have.
I cut 120 5.5 " squares in about 5 minutes. I also do some scrap booking ,too. so I get double duty with mine.The clear plates will cut many times, I've had mine about 14 years and have only had to replace once and I use it a lot.Yes, it does leave the markings, but doesn't effect the cutting. |
I have both a Sizzix and a GO....GO was first, then big shot (Sizzix) on sale when local hobby lobby discontinued in their inventory...picked up dies that I did not have w/GO. I use both, depending which dies I need....each has good/bad, but still better than rotary cutting...
BTW- to delineate die design from background, I use a silver sharpie....just run it along the blade and you have the outline. I also mark lines about 1/4" away from cut so I know where to place fabric piece.....I have even marked.some with cutting size .... Just for my own info... |
Thanks for the review. I've been thinking about getting one for some time.
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Personally, I found that the Sizzix dies don't seem to be as robust. I had bought some Sizzix dies because they were a shape I wanted and were less expensive. I accidentally overloaded them and bent the cutting surfaces. I have overloaded Accuquilt dies and usually I just can't cut because there is not enough room.
I do recommend visiting Ebony Love's website if you want more info (https://lovebugstudios.com/). She is an authority on the different dies and has written a book about the different dies. |
I pre ordered the Go as soon as I saw it announced by Accucut. It's years old and still going strong. It's as important to me as my sewing machine. I have had a few dies that didn't cut all the way through but I have learned to go back and forth over them before the die discharges to get the clean cut. I seldom pick out the threads in a die until they stack up and easy to get out. I stock up mats when I find them on sale. I've never gotten a mat included with a die unless I ordered it separately. I have cut everything that can be cut on it but I can get another anytime so I don't mind trying out new things with it. I spray Static Guard on the mat and die and that stops the fabric from clinging. I have used the Sizzix and other models but like the Go the best. None of the home die cut machines are perfect.
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Sewitsforsale is a yahoo group that is all people who sew unlike eBay they sell all kinds of sewing stuff and they aren’t liquidators. I’ve bought sewing machines and small accessories no problem. I bought my accuquilt from a quilter who was downsizing. Her daughter sold me the accuquilt and all the dies, some unopened, for a song.
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I bought a Go in September or October. So far I've only bought general dies like 2 inch squares, 2 inch strips but a few others like Lemoyne Star and Drunkard's Path.
That's good for me because I usually go overboard when I have a new toy.:) I like the Go a lot! |
I have a Sizzix Big Shot Plus now and while it's brand new to me, I'm very happy with it, got a great deal on Amazon saved $70 over buying from Sizzix, I looked at Accuquilt but money is a big factor, I wanted something that was heavy and wouldn't move around on me and I had no problems finding Sizzix dies that I like, it took me about 5 min to put 20 on my Amazon wishlist (I need help :D) I also like many of the Accuquilt dies and I can use them on my machine, those are on my wishlist too! Time will tell, I'm a crazed newbie playing with my new toy, I wanted a Big Shot Pro but I don't have the space right now, hope to upgrade one of these days (I told my husband someday the entire living room will be all mine! :D) I think none of the die cutters are perfect, tools and machines are very personal. I've thought about a Baby Go for taking on trips... I'm just enjoying cutting shapes for kiddo I Spy quilts without dying!
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Thanks everyone for your comments. I have wanted a cutter for a long time but couldn't justify it and didn't have a clue which one was the right one for me. Now I can go shopping!
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Originally Posted by wellphooey
(Post 7985419)
Thanks everyone for your comments. I have wanted a cutter for a long time but couldn't justify it and didn't have a clue which one was the right one for me. Now I can go shopping!
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I appreciated this thread as I always second guess myself. :( I got the Go Big after selling the regular Go cause I couldn't turn the handle. It was my wrist and arm strength.......... My friend has no problem with it, so we both Won.
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Great post. Very helpful information. Thanks for all the input.
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Love my Go! Don't forget that you can share dies with a friend. There are embroidery designs available to go with some dies too.. Fun projects!
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I have the Studio 2 and love it. I have mine set up on a rolling cart and store my dies and cutting plastics below the machine in the cart. I do not regret the money I have invested in my Studio 2 and dies. I am able to cut my quilts perfectly with minimum effort. I have never regretted buying the commercial grade machine. Dies go on sale. I pick the dies I want and put them on my Wish List on the Accuquilt site. When the sales come along, I am always ready to take advantage of them. I absolutely love piecing with PERFECTLY cut pieces.
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I love the Sizzix, no problems. I bought it because they started making the quilting dies for Jenny Doan's projects, of Missouri Star Quilt Company and I am a huge fan. Friends that have Accuquilt also bought the Sizzix for the quilting dies & were impressed with the lower cost and large variety of quilting dies.
Accuquilt dies can also be used on the Sizzix, so I did buy a couple of them when I saw a sale at Quilt in a Day site, haven't had a chance to use them though. |
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