What is the difference?
 

I'm looking Deep into my budget and trying to find room to purchase a fabric cutter. Can the dies from Sizzix, Sihouette, Go! Cutters, or Any of the other main name-brand cutters be used interchangeably? Trying to figure out what works best for my limited budget. They're all So tempting! Thank you for your info.

I am not tempted since you lose any control over the size you cut. I prefer when possible to oversize my blocks and you can't do that. It is an expensive quilting item. Too rich for my blood.

Good for you! I have the Go and it's become as important to me as my sewing machine. There is no need to have the cuts oversized, they sew together perfectly. I don't know about interchanging the dies but I think most different cutters and die will have to use an adaptor.

The Go cutter only takes Go dies. I have the GO because I do like the dies and was able to get a good deal at the Road to CA show a few years ago. Also, you cannot use coupons at Joann's for the dies - but I buy mine when they go on sale at the Accuquilt Website and want enough to get the free shipping.

It is true that the block sizes are set - but when it comes to cutting out the Double Wedding Ring and the Apple Core quilts, anything with curves it is fantastic and way easier than using templates. I have several circles, triangles and tumblers. I like that all the pieces come out the same size. For best results using the cutters it is best to starch the fabric before cutting.

Here is a tip. I put the dies I want in my online cart at Walmart and Amazon. When the price changes on one of them I get an email notice. I have gotten several dies 50% off doing this. I buy the cutting mats for the dies this way too. And anything else I think I may want to buy if the price drops. LOL

Go and accuquilt studio dies can be used on the sizzlx big shot pro but sizzlx dies cannot be used on the go. Sizzlx dies tend to be cheaper than go dies. There isn't an electric version of the sizzix, at least as far as I know, so if you want to go that way it'll have to be the go big.
I love my sizzix but you want to consider whether there are dies that you will use often enough to warrant the cost. Look into both and then make your choice.

Thank you and from what you are commenting, I'm feeling more inclined into looking at the GO system. And you are correct, whenever I get my coupons from JA its a no go on the GO dies, too bad! What other great suggestions do you have?

This is a great idea. I'm going to give this one a try!
Thanks for sharing.

Accuquilt Studio dies are not likely to work in the sizzix because they are very thick. I haven't tried to do that, so I could be wrong. Go dies would probably need adaptors to make them work in the sizzix.

I have the Sizzix Big Shot Pro. I use regular Go dies in it. I did a little experimenting when I got the first Go die to determine how to configure my adaptors and shims to get the best cuts. The thing I like about the Sizzix that I've got is that I can use just about any dies on the market with it--which means I can use the machine for cutting more than just fabric. Someone else mentioned that they have used the Studio dies in their Big Shot Pro as well. The Big Shot Pro does take up a fair amount of space. I have a dedicated space in my studio for it since it is too big to be easily storable.

The small size Big Shot would not be able to use the thicker dies, but it takes up less space. Some of the Go machines fold, though I think the Studio does not--it's comparable in size to the Sizzix Big Shot Pro.

If you only want to use the Go dies, then any of the Go machines would work for you, unless you want to use the Studio dies--I'm pretty sure they are too thick for the regular Go cutters.

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Honest to God, I just sold my Sizzix Big Shot Pro Westminster last night. I liked it and used both Go and Studio dies in it. I never bought Sizzix dies because they were never available when I was at stores that carry them - sold out - so I always bought Go dies. I eventually bought a Studio Tumbler die when I accidentally ruined my Go Tumbler die in the BSP. The first pass through the BSP machine and I was in love with Studio dies! Accuquilt was having a 50% off sale in February this year. I bought a 17" block Studio double wedding ring die set. The middle of the rings is 10.5 inches so I thought "Great! The BSP will take up to 12 inch wide dies!" Well, this huge box shows up with the set. I looked at the middle die board and knew I had screwed up. Bad. That sucker is 15 inches wide! I caught a Studio sale in July and bit the bullet. I am happier with everything I have being from the same company. I bought the correct adapters to use Go dies with the Studio cutter (No more crushed dies from over shimming ; RIP Go Tumbler die :( ) which work perfectly. Accuquilt is all about quilts, quilting and educating you about their products. I would go with a Go, or if you can wait for a sale, get the Studio and never look back.

P.S. I sold the Big Shot Pro to a lady very into scrap booking.

I just recently went through all the research (and angst) to pick my fabric cutter system. I eventually settled on the accuquilt go! Big, bought the 12" qube, a couple of the drunkards path dies and some strip dies. What finally tipped the balance was the electric and that I wouldn't need to crank the dies through. I can sit with the cutter on a table at perfect sitting height and run the dies through without needing to stand for leverage while turning the handle. Standing for any length of time is very painful for me and really limits my mobility, and I didn't want to add shoulder problems to the train wreck that is my lower back and legs.
This was not a cheap purchase (no kidding right?) and I will be selling my bernina 430 to pay for it as soon as it comes back from its tune up, but I have already cut out my first quilt top (in 3 hours!) and have the next 3 projects already planned with fabric purchased and ready to go. I really love how easy it is to use 🙂

Personally speaking, I'm not one for expensive cutters, and their equally expensive dies, I'll just stick to my rulers, I'll use the money for fabrics or batting, sorry I can't help with your decision.

sizzix can use the go dies but not the other way round due to the thickness of dies. silhouette is a electronic cutter so there are no dies. The only qualm I have with dies is they cost a lot and only do one size so you spend a fortune and are limited. Mine collects dust to be honest and there can be fabric waste. I would say if you have a lot of money to invest in dies of different sizes go ahead but if you don't you will find it very expensive. luckily I didn't buy my machine so not a lot invested

The fabric waste part of using any system really concerns me. It's the other half of the reason I've held off. Thank you for your candid answers. I'm going to continue thinking & saving up for it. Any more great tips on minimizing fabric waste or cutting price on dies?

If I were to buy one, it would be electric (I tried to turn the handle of the Go and it was just too painful for my hands and arms), but price is a concern as is fabric waste so I am saving and waiting.

I bought the Silhouette Cameo basically to cut non-fabric and to use with creating applique. I have had it for about 18 months and used a number of times, but frankly use it more often for non-fabric purposes (admittedly I don't do a lot of applique!). Last Thanksgiving, when Accuquilt was having a significant sale on their machines, I bought my own Christmas present and got a GoBig--the electric one. My shoulder thanks me everytime I cut out a quilt. While I still use my rulers and rotary cutter for trimming,single cuts, etc. I find the few dies I have do a great job in giving me lots of options--I bought the strip bundle with the machine (plus you get a FG die with your machine purchase), with the strip bundle you can do strips, squares, rectangles, diamonds, bias binding. I also purchased the log cabin "block on board" (complete block), 2 sizes of triangles in squares (like you cut with Tri Recs rulers), and a half square rectangle. I plan to purchase a drunkard's path, just trying to decide size. Also want a Cube (bundle of several dies that all make specific size of block--6" or 9" or 12"--can't decide on which size to buy.
I don't really understand the concern about fabric waste--I don't find that I have any more waste than when I use the rulers and have to keep squaring up the yardage. If you watch the videos on the Accuquilt website they show you how to lay the fabric out so there is minimal waste. I'm going to try OnebyOne's idea on dies. I find the Go Big is well worth the cost for me-due to my shoulder issues, the quickness, the accuracy and ease of use. definitely check their website.

I bought a Go! Accuquilt set up on Craigslist. It was during the time when there were a lot of problems with Craigslist and the couple selling it were scared spitless. But I am a little old lady in a minivan that was fairly new. I looked ok and had cash and they let me in. I got a good deal and have added to my die collection every chance I get.

Thanks for the tip on email notification. Accuquilt also has a page for inventory so that you don't get confused and get two of the same die. The latest one is the butterfly quilt by Edytna (sp?). I cut it out of 10 inch batik squares. Then after about 5 butterflies, I figured out how to judiciously cut them and have enough left over for a half hexie. My cutting was so bad I know I am saving $$ and fabric by having the Go!

There is very little waste using the Go. I have 1/4" waste around the outside cuts. Those that cover the whole die with fabric have lots of fabric waste. That is done for demo purposes when time is more important then fabric waste.
Die cutting machines are not gadgets, they are machines and all I have used are very well made. They are so nice that my guild has several for the members to use. Members have to supply their own mats and dies if they want different ones then what the guild has. All the donation quilts we can finish in a year can be cut in just a few hours.

Have you considered purchasing a used Go? I did that and it came with several dies. Found out it was harder on my hands (arthritis) to crank it than to use a rotary cutter. So I sold it and all my dies (about 15) for around $200. I know a few other people that sold theirs with all their dies at very reasonable prices. You might want to check with local guilds, and online places like EBay. Just a thought.

Silhouette Cameo has just come out with the Cameo 3. Maybe you can find a new or gently used Cameo 2 at a reasonable price.

I have the Go and I bought it used. (Sew its for Sale yahoo group) I am saving up to get the Go Big so I can cut 10 inch squares. I bought mine specifically to cut scraps into useable sizes for scrap quilts. I love mine. I have a sweet quilting friend that has arthritis and her Go system enables her to continue to enjoy her quilting passion.

What great suggestions! Thank you

O.M.G.
I never knew you could do this!!
Now, I'm heading to the sewing room to make a list of the dies I Do have, so I won't put it on my Walmart or Amazon list.
thank you so much, Onebyone!!

I have the original AccuQuilt GO cutter, and quite a few dies. I love mine!!

So, some thoughts here about this particular system...

One, it IS a hand-crank, so if you have wrist/arm/shoulder issues, don't get it. It advertises that you can cut 8 layers... well, you can, but it's very difficult. I usually do a maximum of 6 layers. When cutting with the rotary cutter, I can seldom accurately cut six layers (something always slides/moves/jiggles) .

Two, if you don't have any health issues, but you DO want to use up your scraps, or make your own "jelly rolls" out of your scraps/yardage, then it's well worth the money. I think, (but not certain) that Bonnie Hunter uses AccuQuilt for cutting her scraps for her scrap system.

Three - If you like some of the "vintage" cuts that have curves (SunBonnet Sue, Dresden Plate, Double Wedding Ring, etc), AccuQuilt has them, and doing "vintage" is easier than ever. I really had a blast doing my Dresden Plate - those petals came out SO fast!!

As far as interchangeability goes, some of them CAN use each other's dies - but you need an adapter.
I would NOT get the GO BABY cutter, as it's the smallest one out there and has a limited amount of dies that it will accept, even from its own manufacturer.

Personally, if I could have afforded the Studio cutter, I would have bought it, along with the adapter, as it can utilize all of the AccuQuilt dies.

If you are on Facebook, go to Accuquilt and Beyond and ask to join. You will get a lot of ideas from the other members to help you with your decision.

I started with the regular Go! last summer from a Craigslist purchase. I really liked it but I upgraded to a Go!Big earlier this year.

It really depends on your reason for wanting a die cutter and how much room you have to use it. I make charity quilts from scraps so I am happy with my Go! Cutters plus both are portable. I know Studio owners love their machines especially because they can cut up to 10 layers at a time, are easy to crank, and can use all of the Go! dies.

Good luck with your decision.

Connie

I went from a Go to a Studio. I use mine for cutting out pieces for large projects ( I tend to make large quilts) and I also cut binding and pieces for QOVs. I can use almost any die in it with an adapter (when necessary). As others have said, it depends on how much you will use it, how much space you have (though the Studio 2 [new version] folds up into a smaller footprint for easier storage.

You can find a lot of useful information from Ebony Love's website (http://lovebugstudios.com/). She is the main die cutting expert. She has written books about the various dies.

Thanks for this hint, I'm going to try this too.

If it is a financial concern, Sewing Machines Plus does free financing. The length of your 0% interest depends on how much you finance. I got my go big there when they were on sale last Christmas time and got 6 months to pay it off. If you wanted to add dies to make it more usable I'm sure you could add up to enough for the 12 months no interest. I got my long arm there on the same financing. I've had no complaints with anything I've gotten from them.

I'm considering buying a Scan 2 Cut. No templates to buy and several designs built in to the machine. Can only cut through only one layer of fabric at a time but looks like it has a larger cutting surface. Looks like you can, for example, cut 8 or 9 2 1/2 inch squares at once. I believe the machine even marks the seam allowance. I've never seen a demo for one in person, only a video on Utube. Anyone on this board use one for quilting? Would you recommend?

My Go was getting harder to crank and was making a noise. DH took the rollers out (very easy to do) and replaced the bearings. There are four bearing. Cost about $8. The Go turns like butter with six layers. DH was impressed with the quality of the Go, all inside parts are metal. I ordered the Go Big while he was working on the Go. I had my doubts. LOL It took him about an hour to have the Go good as new after buying the bearings.

Just not in my budget and I don't do enough to warrant it for a budget.

think you need to seriously consider what you might use the cutter for: if you want multiple cuts of same (or in case of Accuquilt a whole block) shape, then a die cutter is what you want. If you want to either use downloadable shapes or design your own, then a Scan & Cut or Silhouette is the way to go--but you will be limited to just one lay at a time.

Applique can be done with either type, although you would not be able to do multiple cuts at same time with the programable cutter. Both are significant cost so do consider carefully!

That is a great question - one I have wondered about. I do not have one and doubt if I'll ever get one. Maybe you could talk to people in different shops and find out why they carry a particular brand.

You are in the same position I was in just a short time ago. Couldn't decide/thought the prices were ridiculous etc. Well I finally bought the Accuquilt Go and LOVE it!
Mine is the hand crank which for me is no big deal. It was a lot cheaper than the electric but if I needed it I would have bought it.
I don't know why people say there is a lot of wasted fabric- there isn't !!! Very little, in fact.
What I love most about it is the precision when piecing- the blocks are the perfect cut.
I'm telling my husband and kids to get me gift cards for dies when they feel like buying me something (the dies are expensive but worth it, I now see)
Oh and it's so much fun to use!!! Just push it through and voila! Nice strips and blocks.
I'm really happy I bought it.

I had the Go but it aggravated my back, etc. So I didn't use it very often but had 24 dies. Sold the crank one to a friend and bought the electric Go Big. I'm looking forward to more piecing. Using the regular rulers limits my cutting due to physical activity and I can still be involved in quilting.