Since Die Cutting Machines are all the rage at the moment in Scrapbooking, I thought I should review the Xyron Wishblade to see how it stacks up compared to some of its other popular electronic die cut machines, like the Cricut Expression and the Making Memories Slice. It is easy to see why scrapbooking die cut machines are so popular at the moment. They make a scrapbooker's life so easy and can produce amazing results on your scrapbook pages. The Cricut Machine, at the moment I would have to say is the leader in the computerized die cutting machine market. However there are other brands on the market, like the Xyron Wishblade, that I honestly think need to be considered as well.
However with the popularity of the the Cricut range of die cutting machines, like the Cricut Create, Cricut Expression and Cricut Personal, many people don't both looking twice at other brands. However some of the lesser known brand names, like the Xyron, do have some wonderful features to offer, as long as you can handle not having the designer brand name.
The main issue with the Cricut range of die cut machines is that you have to be constantly buying new cartridges to have a good collection of fonts and shapes available to cut for your scrapbooking project. The initial outlay for the Cricut machine is reasonable, however each cricut cartridge costs around US$80, which adds up very quickly to become a costly scrapbooking addiction. Most likely you will get bored with one or two cricut cartridges of the same shapes and fonts, so you most likely would want to own around 10 cartridges. This is unfortunately out of the budget of many scrapbooking enthusiasts.
Now enter the Xyron Wishblade Cutter. The upfront cost of Xyron's computerized die cutting machine is a touch more than the Cricut Die Cut Machine, however you can cut any freely downloadable true type font or clip art image that you can lay your hands on, from the internet. You are also able to swap files with other Wishblade users. Anything that is on your computer is also able to be cut. Due to this great feature, a big community of online wishblade users has sprung up, to take advantage of this useful machine.
So if you are serious about building a collection of fonts and shapes and you want lots of variety without the expense, then perhaps this is the better machine for you, as the ongoing costs of the wishblade for the wonderful variety it offers, is much less than the Cricut Die Cutting Machine.
However like all products in the scrapbooking market, there really is no perfect solution of course. The Xyron Wishblade is wonderful, as it cuts the same as the Cricut Machine in most cases, and is also much cheaper in the long run. However, it does have a major disadvantage. If you like to share your die cutting machine with your friends, or often attend large scrapbooking events and scrapbook days... the Xyron Wishblade unfortunately isn't as portable as the Cricut Die Cut Machines. The Wishblade has to be hooked up to a computer to be used, as it relies on your computer memory storage for the range of fonts and shapes it can cut. So if you want to take your Wishblade with you, your computer has to come along too. Lets hope you have a laptop handy!
The Cricut Die Cut Machines on the other hand, do not need a computer, only the cartridges. So if it is portability you are after, perhaps the Xyron Wishblade won't be your best choice for a scrapbooking die cutting machine. If it is variety at the right price you want, then take a serious look at the Xyron Wishblade.
Jenny James is a scrapbooking addict who bought her first machine, the Sizzix Original Die Cutting Machine many moons ago. Now she takes her passion for scrapbooking die cut machines to her review website die-cutting-machines.com. Here you can also purchase the Xyron Wishblade.
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