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Accuquilt or Sizzix? Pro's/Con's?


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Bonnie:

I agree with Sharon that the dies cut more thoroughly (with less stray connecting threads) when you cut more layers.  When I have only a few layers to cut, I put a piece or two of construction paper between the fabric and the plastic.  That seems to help push the fabric layers onto the die & gives me a better cut.  (And lots of fun paper shapes for the grandkids ;-)

Nancy in Tucson

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I have a Go that I bought about three and a half years ago.  I found if impossible to use as I couldn't turn the handle and the fabric would just pleat up between the die and the cutting mat.  Long story short I sent it back to Accuquilt and they repaired it.  It sat at the back of a closet unused until recently when I finally decided to give it a try again.  It is now easier to use but I still have to hold the machine down on the table while turning the handle.  Mine clearly isn't one of the machines with the new easier to turn rollers.

 

I am considering getting a Studio version as everyone seems to be pleased with theirs.  I wonder if anyone knows if the Go dies using the adaptor work as well with the Studio cutter as the Studio dies?  I also wonder if I need to buy both adaptors or if I can get by with just the larger one?

 

I received an e-mail last week from an online store alerting customers to the fact that Accuquilt have informed their resellers that effective May 15 they are no longer allowed to sell Accuquilt products for less than the MSRP.  The store had a twenty four hour sale while they were still allowed!  Accuquilt have threatened to stop doing business with any reseller that puts their products on sale.  It is going to be interesting to see what happens and which side wins.  

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Sharon...I have the Go and have noticed that some of my dies do cut better than others...my 1 inch strip is very hard to turn...I think the blades are for some reason set higher than the others...on the free die I got with the Go...it does not cut as clean as the others and I have to snip the threads....some of my dies do seem to cut better with more layers and others do not...on the triangles...I have found I get some distortion....It will improves the cutting if the fabric is aligned so the lengthwise grain goes into the rollers so there is less stretch...my triangle cutter seems to work best with four layers....I also outlined my blades with a permanent marker on the ones that aren't two toned and also added extra lines about 1/4 of an inch on all sides of the blades to make lining up the fabric easier and usually cut my fabric 1/2 inch larger than the width of the blades...so not much waste...but cleaner cuts...Lin

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Bonnie, what is the condition of your mat? You might want to try a new mat and see if that makes a difference. If you are using the same mat over and over and the blades are hitting the mat in the same location each time, you need to reposition the mat or get a new one. You can also use warm soapy water (use a mild soap) and a gentle scrubber to wash the mat getting any lodged threads out of the grooves. My favorite dies to use is my 3" finished half square triangle. This is one of my original dies and it still works great.

 

Sue, you can use the larger adapter and you don't necessarily need the smaller one. Just make sure you have the proper size tray so it fits in properly. I use all my Go! dies in my Studio and they work just fine. I have never had a problem other than I want to be able to cut up to 10 layers and with the Go! dies, six layers is the maximum - it has to do with the size of the blades which are shorter in the Go! dies. the other thing you have to remember is that you MUST use the Studio plastic, not the Go! cutting mats.

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Sue, you can use the larger adapter and you don't necessarily need the smaller one. Just make sure you have the proper size tray so it fits in properly. I use all my Go! dies in my Studio and they work just fine. I have never had a problem other than I want to be able to cut up to 10 layers and with the Go! dies, six layers is the maximum - it has to do with the size of the blades which are shorter in the Go! dies. the other thing you have to remember is that you MUST use the Studio plastic, not the Go! cutting mats.

 

Thanks Sue for the information!

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You all give me soo much to think about - thank you!!!  I am out of likes but I have read all of your comments.  :)

 

I think the best thing for me for now will be the Accuquilt Go! - it will allow me to use larger dies without a huge investment.  If I find I use it all the time then maybe in a few years I'll upgrade, but I think that's all I really need for now.  We are looking at the possibility of major home renovations in the next couple of years and I don't know how that might play into my quilting.  I don't suspect I'll stop but I may find myself with significantly less free time on my hands in the not so far off future!  :)  Thank you all SO much for helping me make my decision, I cannot tell you what  big help this thread has been!!  :)

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Val, I also have the GO and although I have to press down on the "roller" part of the head while turning the handle to make sure it stays in place it cuts cleanly and accurately. I find more layers helps also.  So I usually pick some extra coordinating fabrics and cut extra pieces  for stash.  I love my strip cutter dies so much!  Also, Sue mentioned that Accuquilt will no longer allow resellers to mark down or 'sale' their products - pooo! I have always waited for Hancocks 50% off sales and purchased dies then.  JoAnn stores won't 'sale' them out at that % so I always used Hancocks.  Now I'll have to see what they do with their next big sale!

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Valerie, AccuQuilt just had a big sale before Mother's Day. They will another big sale in the fall before Christmas. They seem to put things on sale - not everything - periodically during the year so keep checking their website. You never really know when they will have a sale.

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I saw a video where a woman, cutting triangles on the GO, put a page from a catalog on top of the fabric, and she said it helped with the accuracy.  She used a thin piece of catalog paper, making sure the ink was not "smeary,"  and took out the staples.   She had designed the die, and she said it helped to keep the fabric from shifting.  I tried this and was not sure if it helped, but I may experiment a bit with it.  And you can get a lot of use out of your mats by alternating them.  Example:  if you have cut a lot of rag blocks, and that square area is worn out, use the center of the square, where the mat is still good, to cut out some small applique pieces.

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Sharon, Kath, Nancy, Sue, and Peggy

 

Thank you for the tips! I got a chance this morning to try cutting some triangles using more layers (4 and 6), paper, and a new mat. The new mat didn't work much better than my older mat, but adding a piece of copy paper next to the foam of the mat, then I put the fabric on top of that, then the mat, with 6 layers of fabric worked pretty good. There was still there was one little spot where the fabric got pushed down into the grooves between the foam and the cutting blade, which is the biggest problem I've had with the triangles. So then I tried two layers of paper at that problem spot and it cut almost flawlessly. Both with an old mat and a new mat. I didn't try all my triangle dies but at least now I have an idea of how I might get the fabric to stop getting lodged in there. 

 

As for Accuquilt not distributing to those who put their products on sale, well that really stinks. I hope they rethink their decision as I probably won't buy many dies in the future if this is the case.

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As for Accuquilt not distributing to those who put their products on sale, well that really stinks. I hope they rethink their decision as I probably won't by many dies in the future if this is the case.

 

 

I think that their attempt to control/fix prices may be backfiring on them.  I checked several sites this morning and the only one that didn't have reduced prices was the company that had sent me the e-mail.   All of the others it was business as usual!

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I don't know how I missed Quiltguy's post about the sales - but I went back reading through this thread and OH!  I see there ARE sales on these things directly through Accuquilt.  Thank you!!

 

Kind of stinks that there is no hope to save much on these and I run a small business so I understand marketing and there is no shame in making a profit.  It does stink that the product is SO highly priced though - it's hard to spend hundreds of dollars on dies and cutters that I might make a few quilts from.  I'm sort of looking more to the possibility of using it for small gift type projects like runners and placements and likely some quilts too.  Gahh!  Oh there are so many  more gadgets that I need than I will ever have money for!!!  LOL!  :)

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I just quilt for myself...for that reason...I just got the Go...and also, I have been trying to be really selective in which dies I buy....I do like the strip cutters especially the 2 1/2 inch one....and some of the square dies...I got the 5 inch, 3 1/2 inch, and 2 1/2 inch ones....just getting the ones that I will use over and over unless I can pick it up on sale...got some circle ones that way....Lin

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