Cuttlebug vs. Big Shot

Hi Peeps,

I resisted the whole die cut / embossing folder fad for a long time.  Like years.  Turns out it was here to stay.  My stamping friend, Donna, who is usually the more cautious of the two of us, got a Cuttlebug.  She loaned it to me with some of her embossing folders about a year ago.  I ran off 300 a few papers in different colors and thanked her.  She warned me that I would be getting one for myself.

 

She was right.  As it happens, about that time I started my blog and began visiting numerous other blogs.  I was amazed by all the crafters out there making creations which often used embossing folders or dies, or both.  Well, hold the phone.  I'm off to see Joann.  That was in February of this year.

 

In the ensuing months, I've spent more time ordering and organizing dies and embossing folders than I have actually using them.  Anyone?

 

Still, I did use it and today I'm writing about how I fell out of love with my Cuttlebug after a few short months, particularly after I fell IN love with each and every Memory Box die and discovered that my Cuttlebug bucked and win kneed like a wild stallion as soon as an MB die came within six inches of it. 

Hereafter, I'm going to call the Cuttlebug, um, well, I guess some people might object if I call it that ... I'll call it CB. So I found I was having trouble cutting dies with the CB.  I bought the recommended thin steel shim for it.  I tried using silly cone mats. I tried adding pieces of cardstock, one on top of another, and small posties right in those hard-to-cut places.   Some of these shenanigans worked, some didn't.

But what did happen every time was physical injury.

 

I don't know if the CB needs to get new feeties every six weeks or what, but that thing hops around on my table like Mrs. Rabbit trying to avoid Mr. Rabbit.  It seems like now the CB has trouble with even the simplest dies and embossing folders.  The more delicate the die, the hoppier it gets.  This results in me struggling to crank 'er forward and reverse and reverse and forward while keeping 'er still. I haven't cranked that hard since I helped Mama do the washing on the ancient used 1932 wringer washer. But back then I was young, with mally able bones and mussels. 

I put up with this until I needed to use the CB just about every day for my holiday cards.  And a lot of my holiday dies are made by MB.  I was heck bent to make a card with a particularly intricate MB die and, well, let's just say I went through some gyerations.  First off, I put all my considerable weight on the top of the CB with my left hand and being as how I'm still pretty agile for my age (yes, okay, thanks to Lyrica), I am able to also put my left foot up on top, along with my left hand, only slightly squishing my pinkie finger. 

Even with that, and even pressing my substantial bazooms into it (risky business, being careful not to pinch the saggy bits), I still struggled to turn the handle with my right hand.  Slowly it turned, ever so slowly forward and back and back and foward and forward ... I lost count until, Ureeka, I could hear the CB crunching and crackling and I knew I was finely cutting through the entire die!! 

Too late, I realized that the crunching and crackling was my L4 and L5 discs and the potato cuff in my right shoulder had given way.

Enough!

I can't remember which beautiful card of hers made me start a dialogue with my friend, Kelly Griglione of Notable Nest about how she liked using the Big Shot for her die cutting and embossing. Her cards almost always include some die cutting and/or embossing and they always look crispy and delicious.

So I ordered the BS.  Hmm.  I'm guessing that's not the accepted abbreviation for the Big Shot, right?  Somebody will have to clue me on that.

I showed enormous self-restraint not opening up the package from Joann until after I had finished my calendars.  (I told you I'm simple-minded and can only do ONE thing at a time!)  Finally, I could give her a whirl. 
 

 

I took a photo sort of diary of my "findings." (I'm not allowed to use a video camera after what happened to my granddaughter Kim that time.) 

First, here are the steps necessary for me to cut a MB snowflake die with the Cuttlebug.



If you click on the following photo, you can see the recommended sandwich I used and that it barely cut through.

Next, in the following photo, you can see how well it cut after I added a metal shim.  Not so well.

 

In the following photo, I've used the recommended sandwich, the metal shim, and a piece of cardstock.

And another piece of cardstock, and so on and so forth.  Seriously, speaking just on my own behalf, that's too much trouble and the risk of injury made me decide it's not worth it.

So I did the same spearmint with the Big Shot.  In the following photo, you can see the cut I got using their recommended sandwich.  To be fair, it did not cut through.  Also, to be fair, however, I should point out that I find the Big Shot to be lighter and yet it hugs the table effortlessly without hopping, and I feel like I'm simply turning a handle, not churning butter. 

In the following photo, you can see that the entire die cut through when I added a "Solo Thin Die Adapter" and a piece of cardstock just big enough to cover the die.  If you buy the Big Shot, I recommend you get the Adapter, but you should not need the extra piece of cardstock except on the most intricate of your dies.

I don't know why I wrote "heavy" piece of cardstock on my note below. It was just a normal (for me) piece of cardstock, visible in the upper right of the photo above.

It is a pretty die cut!

 

I still had to use my needle to poke out a few of the teeniest pieces, but it was nothing compared to the work involved with the CB.  

 

So I found the CB is just fine for embossing folders or doing very simple die cuts.  But for more intricate dies, I prefer the Big Shot.  Fortunately, Joann likes a sale and everything I got was half off, plus free shipping. 

 

Who knows, I may evolve into something else down the road, but for now, I'm delighted I made the switch.  I'm back to having fun at my hobby, not working at my hobby.  Thank you, Kelly!

 

Maybe this will help someone else going through the decision-making process.

~~~

Edited to add: 

The consensus of comments is that there is no consensus.  People like them both, or prefer one over the other, or like entirely different machines.  I do want to pass on some great tips, in the event you don't want to read all the comments:

 

1.  From Michelle Lupton:  I use a tip from Jennifer McGuire - stick some masking tape (or washi tape or eclipse tape or some such) onto the smooth surface of the die, but only covering the bits that don't die cut well (usually the middle) - and leave them there as a permanent shim! You may need multiple layers of masking tape, and you may still need a metal shim, but it works really well!

 

2.  From Caz:  Have you heard the tip of using a sheet of grease proof or wax paper next to the cutting surface of the intricate dies before putting your cardstock on?  You end up with a second die cut but it makes it soooo much easier to get the die cut out of the die if it's really intricate.  

 

3.  Similarly, from Karen:  When you use the really intricate dies, I would suggest using a piece of freezer paper on top of the die before you add your card to be cut - that way most of the little itty bits just fall out.

 

Thank you, everyone!

 

~~~

Enjoy your day!   No, seriously, enjoy your day.