Follow Up on IHAN Product Review for Sizzix/Westminster Big Shot, Big Shot Pro and Big Shot Express

Since my  last post I've received several e-mails asking lots of questions.  Instead of answering each person I'm going to write a post and do my best to answer everyone's questions.  I'm sure there will be more over time, feel free to either leave a comment or e-mail IHAN. (IHaveANotion@yahoo.com)

1.  Which do I like better, my GO! Fabric Cutter by AccuQuilt or my Big Shot by Sizzix/Westminster?

I like them both and I don't think one is better than the other, just different.  I tried to point out the differences I noticed in my previous post : size, weight, storage, effectiveness, tips etc. 

2.  Why did you buy the Big Shot if you already have a GO! Fabric Cutter?

Because that is what I do....I test sewing, quilting and needle art notions and supplies and report my experience here on the IHAN blog.  I probably own 20 plus pair of scissors....many different manufactures....do they all cut?  Yes.  Why do I have so many pair.....because many are different and are good for specific projects, I like to have them at my sewing area and in project bags....and because I love scissors.  Yes, Brint - The Scissor Man- still loves me even though I own scissors made by others. 

I might consider bringing my Big Shot to a stitch-in because it is smaller.  By the time I've taken my machine and all my other necessary supplies I'm not likely to bring the GO! Fabric Cutter.  Just my way of doing things.  Everybody has their way of doing things and that needs to be taken into account here. 

4. Are Sizzix/Westminster and AccuQuilt coming out with more dies?

I was told that there will be 16 new Sizzix Dies in October (probably won't be available until Jan. 2011...in my experience).   My best guess is they will be shown in Houston for Quilt Market and they will take orders for shipping in the new year.  After all, that is what Market is intended for, shop owners to purchase for the next season.  I just happen to be impatient and when I see it, I want it and I want it right then and there....LOL.

I know AccuQuilt is coming out with some great new dies soon as well.  Click here to see the latest (and there is one that is not listed here too....oh the suspense is building!!) I'm very excited and can't wait to get the Dresden Plate and the 3.5" Drunkards Path. 

3.  Are the dies from both companies interchangeable?

The GO! Dies are slimmer than the Sizzix Dies so by themselves they will not go through my Big Shot Machine.  However, you can see below,  I made a shim and then put the GO! Hearts Die through the Big Shot and it worked just fine. Let me explain a bit further: the Sizzix acrylic cutting mat was on the bottom of the sandwich, then my personally made shim (3 pieces of slim hard cardboard taped together) the GO! Hearts Die and on top I used the GO! Cutting Mat.  I found with the shim I had made I could not get the Sizzix acrylic mat to fit through the machine.   

( I could have taken more or better photos-but I just didn't and it is late and night when I do my posts typically and I'm just too ready to go to bed to be re-taking all the pix so they look "professional.")

Then I tried a Sizzix Die with the GO! Fabric Cutting Machine.  It did go through the machine but look at the cutting mat bowing up in the air.  It was a very tight fit and the cutting mat curled up because of the pressure.  I was very cautious because I obviously did not want to break my GO! Fabric Cutter!!!  I have to say I would not likely do this again because there is not really enough clearance to continue doing this without serious risk of breaking my GO! Fabric Cutter.  

 

That was my experience.  I have been told by Sizzix that the Big Shot, Big Shot Pro and the Big Shot Express will all take the GO! Dies (keep in mind the width of some of the GO! Dies clearly would not fit into the Big Shot or Big Shot Express...they are just too wide....the narrower ones work just fine.  The wider GO! Dies will fit into the Big Shot Pro because of it's wider bed).  I have not tried them all myself, just the GO! Hearts Die with the Big Shot and then the Sizzix Bigz Sunflower and Poinsettia Petals Die in the GO! Fabric Cutter).  I have been told by Sizzix that their machines work with the GO! and Studio Dies but that their Dies do not work in the GO! Fabric Cutter.  I don't own a Studio Fabric Cutter nor any of those Dies so I can not personally say I've done it or have seen it done. 

The Sizzix website says that the Big Shot, Big Shot Pro and Big Shot Express works with every Sizzix Die ever made.  So I'm concluding that really opens up the applique shapes quite a bit and would include the Sizzix Alphabet Dies as well. 

There are also differences in how each machine is made and the materials used(metal, plastic, rubber etc.) in making each of the machines.  I don't plan on going into all those details.  If you are interested in that information I would suggest you contact each company and inquire.

The GO! Dies come with a free pattern printed on the packaging and there were no patterns on the Sizzix Dies Packaging that I purchased.  Both companies Dies did have instructions for use and tips for use printed on their packaging which I found very helpful.  They also print their warranty information in the product manuals.

Warranty Comparison:
According to the AccuQuilt website the Studio Fabric Cutting Machine comes with a Lifetime warranty. 
The GO! Fabric Cutter Machine have a One Year Limited Warranty .   The warranty says if you experience a manufacturing defect within one year of purchase, AccuQuilt will repair or replace the cutter at no charge.  It also says to return the cutter to the place you purchased it.

 

As a consumer, you would have to return your GO! Fabric Cutter  or GO! Dies to the place where you purchased they are defective. If you purchased your GO! Fabric Cutting Machine from an on-line store like IHAN, their warranty says you would have to return it to that store and thus you would have to pay the shipping to return it.  I see this as an obvious drawback because if there is a manufactures defect and you have already paid once to have it shipped to you, I would not want to pay again to get a replacement.  On my part, I don't want to have to pay shipping back to a distributor and be charged again to have a replacement sent to me and then I would have to send it to my customer.   

I did have a situation where a customer paid to send their defective GO! Die back to me for replacement.  I compensated the customer for their shipping expenses.  I contacted AccuQuilt and they were very accommodating in getting my customer's defective die replaced without further expenses being incurred by myself or my customer which I greatly appreciated.  

According to the Sizzix website the Big Shot Express has a One Year Limited Warranty  and the Big Shot has a 3 year Limited Warranty.  The Big Shot Pro has a 5 Year Limited Warranty.  The photo below is of the manual that was enclosed when I purchased the Big Shot.



The Sizzix Warranty indicates that you contact the Sizzix Customer Relations and they will pay for the return and replacement of your product.  That is only the case if they determine there was a manufactures defect.  If Sizzix finds that you have misused the machine or used it commercially the customer will be responsible for the return postage. 

As a consumer and as a business owner, I must say I prefer the Sizzix Warranty.  I own the Big Shot and the warranty is 3 yrs vs the 1 year I have on my GO! Fabric Cutting Machine. 

Note: The warranties take effect from the date of purchase so save your receipt!!  I typically keep my boxes too just in case I need to send something back to a company so I can safely package it for shipping. 
That is what I know today.  When I learn more, I'll let you know.

Smiles,
Kelly

Sizzix & Westminster Partner for a New Fabric Cutting System - IHAN Product Review

Quilting By Design

Sizzix partners with Westminster Fibers

 The new Quilting By Design Fabric Cutting System also embosses, cuts tin, foam, paper, card stock, and of course fabric.  You may remember my previous post (click here).   These photos belong to IHAN and were taken at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis, Checker Distributors in Maumee, OH, and here at IHAN World Headquarters :)  

 

My first opportunity to get my hands on the New Quilting by Design came in Minneapolis at Spring Quilt Market.  I had heard it cut so many different mediums I was very interested to see for myself how it worked.  You probably want to know there is more than one option for Cutting Machines.  There is the Big Shot and Big Shot Pro.  Both of those are hand cranked.  For those of you can not or do not want to use the hand crank there is the Big Shot Express that simply plugs into your electrical outlet.  (The word on the street is there is another new one on the horizon.....The Sizzix Vagabond Machine - inspired by Tim Holtz) Click here for the You Tube Video- I've seen it and it is definitely worth looking at.  For those of you who are interested in cutting fabric you will want to know the Cutting Dies work in both machines.

 

Cheryl Adam is the designer of the quilt behind her.  You will see her pictured below because she also attended the Checker Distributor 62 Anniversary Open House.

 

Meet the Big Shot Pro!!! 

The Big Shot Pro has a cutting bed and comes with two acrylic cutting pads.  It also comes with an adapter pad that is used for embossing....see below.

 

Depending on how you fold your fabric you can also make the above designs without using a special die.  It is all in how you fold your fabric :)

Here Sizzix had cut some rubber foam to make a rubber stamp.  I like the variety of things these machines can be used for because I'm also a scrapbooker. (Yes, I have an obsession with paper....I've had it since I was a young child...shhhh our secret!)

This was Mrs. IHAN (very tired) in Minneapolis using the Big Shot to see how it worked.  I also used the Big Shot Pro but I decided I have so many photos here that you don't need to see all of them.  If you want to....just ask :)

Now these are the photos I took at Checker Distributor after returning from Spring Quilt Market.  One thing I noticed when I used the Sizzix Bigz 2in Hexagon was that there seemed to be threads that did not cut through.  I called it the "dangling chad."  I was curious why this was happening.  I have since learned that this can happen with all die cutting systems and if it should occur, put a piece of paper on top of the fabric and that will eliminate the issue.

 

You will probably recall me posting this before.  I figured if I got threads hanging from the Sizzix Bigz 2in Hexagon  I would most definitely get the same result with the more intricate Sizzix Bigz Flower with Leaves and Stem die.

NOPE....it was a clean cut. 

Now fast forward to the recent Checker Distributor 62 Anniversary Open House (that is a long phrase and I'm about to just refer to it as "the CH-OH")*

Dennis Horcher from Sizzix and designer Cheryl Adam gave demonstrations of the Big Shot and the Big Shot Pro.

Here is the Sizzix Bigz Pro 25 - 3-1/2in Strips die.  Cheryl gave me a great tip, she suggested that when the acrylic mat is removed to slide it off as pictured below.  This cuts down on static cling. 

During the CD -OH* I purchased the Big Shot and brought it back to IHAN Headquarters to give it a whirl.

 

The Big Shot comes with The Big Shot Machine, 1 Pair Standard Cutting Pads and the Instruction Booklet.

Some assembly required.  I actually read the directions, aren't you proud of me?  The handle has to be attached and I found that to be quite easy.  The instructions are clear easy for me to understand.  The Big Shot Machine itself weights apx. 7lbs 9oz and it stands on 6 small rubber feet.  It is very sturdy and does not move when I put the dies through the machine.  The instruction booklet does have Tips for using Fabric and it says to use paper on top of the fabric as well as other tips.

My first die, Sizzix Bigz Sunflower and Poinsettia Petals, because I am in love with Sunflowers. 

 

I sandwiched one mat, the die, fabric and the other mat together and put it on the bed of the Big Shot Machine.  I laid it down and with one hand held it in place while I used the handle to move the die sandwich through the Big Shot Machine.

 

No I did not iron my fabric, I could have but for the demo I did not bother.  This is what I got the first time.

 

I now know the remedy to this so I took another scrap of fabric and put some of my used paper (I only use recycled/used/junk mail etc for the paper).

 

The results.....perfect Poinsettia and Daisy petals :)  No "dangling chads."  The only problem is I used green....had I been actually thinking I would have used yellows and golds.  Next time :)  I was a Gal on a Mission.

Both cutting Machines worked as advertised and I liked them both very much.  The Big Shot Pro weighs 44 lbs (per their website)  and the Big Shot weighs 7 lbs 9 oz in on my scale, their website says 7lbs 5 oz.  Both machines have open flat beds and do not fold up for storage.   The Big Shot Express weighs 9lbs 6 oz (as per Sizzix website).  The machines are heavy. I chose the Big Shot because of it's size and I keep it on the floor under my cutting table when not in use.

The machine's I used did not move when I was cranking the handle to get the die through the machine.  The weight and the rubber feet seemed to keep them in place.  I was able to cut (using the Sizzix Bigz Sunflower and Poinsettia Petals) up to 10 layers of cotton fabrics and still get precise cuts.  It also cut 4 layers of denim without a problem.  Once the fabric becomes too high the "die sandwich" will not go through the Big Shot any longer.  So there is a limit on the layers of fabric it will cut.  I cut one layer of woof felt and up to 4 layers of card stock.  I liked the price of the Cutting Machines.  The prices of the dies vary from 19.99 all the way up to 89.99.

I really like the repeating dies that cut one shape in the same size several times.

If using your hands has become difficult you can get the Big Shot Express that simply plugs into the wall.

Although I have not done any embossing in my scrapbooking or fiber life both of these machines have embossing plates.  I like that I can cut paper, cardstock as well as a variety of fabrics.  The machines are compatible with most everything Sizzix makes, I don't own any of those other items so I can't give them a review at this time.

I"m sure I will learn more as time goes by and I use my Big Shot more.  None of the items I reviewed were given to me, I purchased everything and was not asked by anyone to do this review. 

Smiles,
Kelly