[Oa] [FWD: paper cutters on review]

[Andrew Crawford]

Subject: paper cutters on review
From: "Sandy Wong" <email.sandywong at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:54:48 +0800

Good Morning OA'ers!

Wow - I love activity about OA and paper cutters, great to see the
discussion.
I'm sorry for not responding earlier, I have been travelling in Asia
(and still am) and don't always have access to the internet.

I have been a long time OA'er, since at least the 1990's
and my travels have included Japan and New York in search of OA books
(it was a little more difficult back in the 90's without Amazon) and to
meet endeared OA designers and friends.

As much as I loved it, I've always had difficulty hand cutting a card on
demand as it would often take me hours and hours... days if I was
actually trying to design something.
Then along came a bright sun - the digital die cutter (for me the
discovery happened in 2006).

Yes, I was so super excited, I wanted to become a reseller and share
these amazing cutting abilities with my OA friends.  However, I've yet
to make a penny off my recommendations as my love for sharing the
insights exceed my time available to set up shop.  Instead, I'm
travelling quite a bit (practically every month - gotta do it before the
kiddies come along) and dream of setting up an online OA community of
info on all the cutters, all the cuts, and all the amazing people behind
them.

I currently own and use the AC-60 (industrial model for the pazzles
creative cutter pro branded machine), KNK (original larger bed), and the
Craft Robo.
And I know that it is difficult to compare each model and software
side-by-side.  There's currently no website dedicted to this. And as
with most things (tv's, cars, kitchen knives, books, glue, etc..) with
multiple options, what's best for you depends on YOU.
I won't lie to you, there is absolutely a learning curve.  But you get
what you give into it.  I can now cut on all my machines, but I can't
burn something I've taped on my TV to a disk for the life of me:)

For me, each machine has a different purpose.
I love my ac-60 because it has the largest cutting surface so I can cut
multiple pages on one pass. It is probably the fastest and most precise
but the price is highest to show it's value.

The KNK is my mid-range machine. Portable, same cutting force as my
ac-60. Fast and cute - catering to home crafters.  I love love love the
fact that I can talk directly with the manufacturer who provides great
service (this is another reason to purchase one comparable item over
another.  After all, as a crafter/artist, don't we do all of this for
the love of art, giving joy and receiving appreciation?)
I really like the KNK suite, the software is simple and gives you so
much control.  I really really enjoy being able to call up Chad or Gary
and gain personalized insight as to software specialities and technical
how to's for MY specific project.  Anyways, I've watched these line of
products from www.scrapbookdiecutter.com evolve to meet crafter demands.
 They are actually manufacturing new machines and building in new
features in response to their customers.  It helps to know who you're
buying from and trusting their expertise and history.  Cutters are not
new to the sign industry, and these guys have been doing it for decades.
 It's just newer to us and the paper industry.  Because of these varied
reasons, they have earned my top recommendations.  Especially with the
new KNK Element which is letter size, even cuter and such great value
with it's cutting pressure and service.  By the way, with the KNK suite,
you can absolutely cut score lines or use a dry pen to emboss/draw score
lines.

There was a time when the Craft Robo was my favorite.  It absolutely has
the shortest learning curve. Has probably been on the market the
longest.  And smallest (though I'm more comfortable picking up my larger
KNK with it's strap than my smaller Craft Robo - it's all in the
design.) It works good ... but not for MY OA crafting needs.

Until I or someone does come up with a good place to compare digital
cutters, I recommend asking questions, and being open-minded with
people's answers.  A digital cutter is an investment and it makes sense
that someone would be biased towards the machine they purchased for
their specific uses.

The best place to gain insight is to hit the online forums.  Though know
that they are often moderated by resellers - but what's wrong with
someone making money/covering costs selling something they love to use?
 There's costs in servicing forums and sharing information - time is
valuable... I know, I'm often a few time-zones behind.

Here are some links to some forums:
Klic-N-Kut  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Klic-N-Kut/
Craft Robo  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Craftrobo/
Pazzles Machines (the creative cutter pro is the branded name for the
AC-line of machines sold by the manufacturer www.scrapbookdiecutter.com)
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/creativcutters/
Creative Cutter Group (This should be the one set up by cutter owners
for more of an unbiased commentary)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mycuttergroup/

Have fun OA'ng!
Sandy, writing to you from Seoul, South Korea