Pazzles

Welcome to the group Mona. I'm sorry I don't know anything about the Pazzle cutter. I use a Sizzix myself. though if I were going to purchase a new one it would be one with a roller system lilke the Zip'eMate by AccuCut or the new Big Shot by Ellison. Sandy

Hi Mona and welcome. I haven't heard of Pazzle either, but looked it up on the internet. It seems one needs to pick a diecut system that fits their needs and budget since there are so many out there in many price ranges. Looking forward to seeing some of your work.

Here it is for anyone who wants to get an idea of what it is.

Hi Mona. Welcome to the group. I don't know much about pazzles, I have the sizzix and sidekick machines and really like them. The sidekick is small so it is easy to take to crops.

I think the most important thing in choosing a die-cut system is how easy are the dies to get and what's available. You can pay next to nothing for one and if you can't get the dies or there is a very poor selection then it isn't a good deal. I think Sizzix is probably the best know with the most dies available. I have also seen the dies in every craft store I have been in. Now if you can find a different brand cheaper that is compatible with the Sizzix dies then I think you are ok. I would also be concerned about the build quality of the machine. You want something that is going to last not break on your fourth or fifth use.

Robert

Well the pazzles mini runs about $600. I probably spent at least that much on sizzix, quikutz and zip'ecuts over the years.........just not all at once. The cds at $150 each sure add quite a bit to the cost considering I just picked up 20 new sizzix dies for less than a $100 online this week. The way I see it is I am willing to blow 6 or 7 bucks on a sizzix die that I may use only once or twice but not $150 on a pazzles cd if there is only one of

I am thinking about the cricut ($249)and I'll probably break down and buy the Big Shot provided that they come out with some new dies that are very different from what I already have with my sizzix.

Welcome to RCS Mona! I haven't heard of Pazzles, but I do have a Sizzix myself.

Thanks so much for the imput! I had no idea the pazzles was going to be so expensive! I'm in college and I definately don't have $600 to spend on it. I also didn't know how it worked, so the cd thing is interesting. Anyway, it sounds like everyone is a big supporter of sizzix, so I will have to check that out! Thanks! Mona

At least there is a range of Sizzix machines with different price ranges.

Robert

I was very interested in the Pazzles before I knew more about it. I had hoped you could use your own fonts with it, but you have to buy theirs. I just don't need to get into a whole new product line like this. Also the initial cost for the machine is about $600. Then you still have to buy the fonts and shapes.

I would suggest Sizzix, because you can use your 40% off coupons at Micheals and Joann's. I have a nice collection of them and never paid full price for any of them. They are coming out with some new ones, finally Michaels and Joann's are getting something different in. They have some nice 4 die sets that are themed too for about $20 each (minus 40% with a coupon). They have quite a few alphabets too, and you can usually find about 6 different ones at Micheals or Joanns.

Be sure to sign up for the mailing list for Joann's and you will get extra coupons in the mail. Then subscribe to or buy the Sunday local (big city) newspaper to be sure to get the Michaels and Joann coupons that come with that. It is worth it. And did you know you can use Michaels coupons at Joann's and Joann's coupons at Michaels? Even the alphabets can be had for

I would try to get at least one somewhat plain Sizzix alphabet to start. Kind of generic. The nice thing about Sizzix is an alphabet set also has the numbers and punctuation in it. Many of the other sets by other companies, the upper, lower case, numbers and punctuation (and sometimes shadow) are all separate. You could easily spend $300-$400 just getting the whole set of one alphabet! Although Quickutz is my favorite die cutting set, their alphabets could easily run way over $150 or so for the smaller ones and $300-$400 for the larger whole sets or more. You also don't have the availability of the coupons with other companies.

My favorite tool though is the Quickutz. I have been careful to only get somewhat generic dies, meaning tags, leaves, frames, photo corners, etc. only because I don't want to get into specialty things with it, like a Christmas collection or other holidays. A single die is about $6.99-$12.99. It is hard to find here, a few scrapbook stores carry a small line of them and one carries a larger line. Of course it is the furthest one away. I look on line and keep a running list of the dies I want. This way I can keep track of what I have and know what to look for when I am at the big store. I always try to buy at least one each time I go. I live 50 miles from it so it is not like I get there weekly or even monthly sometimes.

Good bargains can be had on line for these too. But you have to be careful of postage, as you can loose your whole savings with that.

Hope I have helped.

Autumn

It is a shame someone like Ellison (Sizzix) doesn't come out with a machine that connects to your computer by USB that allows you to die-cut almost anything (black and white) you can shove at it. Clipart, fonts, etc. If they could keep it affordable ($300 or less) it would be a killer product.

Otherwise all of these die-cut machines seem to be a bit expensive considering most are plastic with plastic dies. But, then I think a lot of things are that way. And, their value is probably more based on what you can get out of the unit and the dies in creative expression. Maybe then the price isn't so bad.

Robert

I have the Wishblade and the Pazzles software. You can cut thicker materials, but only with the Creative Cutter Pro that goes for 3,000. The Creative Cutter Mini basically is for crafting. It does cut any true type font that you use without purchasing anything additional. I have the Pazzle software, so I know this to be true. In fact, anything you can trace you can cut. That's why I purchased the Pazzle software. I make a ton of files for my Wishblade and I much prefer using the Pazzle software to do it :0). If you are looking for a personal cutter I'd recommend the Wishblade. It's much more reasonable around 435.00 or so depending on where you get it. I sold all my dies, punches, templates, etc. because with the Wishblade I can make and cut any shape that I want. To me it's worth the investment in the long run. You can also cut vellum and transparencies with it. It will not work with thick items though some Wishblade owners have found ways to get their machines to cut it. There are quite a few Yahoo Groups specifically devoted to Wishblade. You can join and learn all about the Wishblade. HTH

Hugz, Jo

Thanks. I will take a look.

Robert