Newbie to die cutting

Hi traym,

I own the Vagabond die cutter made by Tim Holtz. It’s electric and can cut those big steel rule dies and something as small and delicate as the Thinlints.
At a price point of 200+ it was the best choice for me. I had a Cricut but that was when they were using cartridges and that was price so I sold it and bought the Vagabond.
I would LOVE to have the Cricut Maker 3…it’s supposed to be the best one on the market and very easy to use.
I am having a hard time convincing my hubby due to being partially disabled and not being physically able to craft as much. I see his point but ….boy, would I love that machine!
If you go on youtube you can see the die cut machines in action and find out what dies they accept. I found the machine die sizes are pretty much universal for all dies EXCEPT the big steel ruled dies.
You have many to choose from and if you get one from HSN they usually have bundles to go with them,
Good Luck and come back and let us know if you get one!

Thank you for telling me this because I tried to get any answer from Anna’s company and crafter companion company and Anna’s company really wouldn’t tell me and the other I haven’t heard from. So I guess I can go either way!

The Anna Griffin Empress can cut thin metal dies of various brands, so any thin metal dies from Sara’s Crafter’s Companion line should be able to be cut by it as well. Sarah’s large machine is the Gemini and it can also cut thin metal dies from Anna Griffin. There are only a few kinds of dies that need special machines, such as thick “steel ruled” dies that need to have a larger “mouth” in the opening of the machine, but those are not very common and you’ll recognize them by their bulk. If you are looking for an electric machine, for larger dies the Empress and the Gemini are both pretty good. I own the large Gemini. There are smaller versions of both machines, and I own the Empress Mini. You will want a larger machine if you wish to do die cuts on a larger scale, like many 3D items like gift boxes or large cards. About 80% of dies will go through a smaller machine, so some people like to start with a smaller machine and then decide what they want for a larger machine as they learn more.