Sunday 6 January 2013

DIE CUTTING ...YOUR VIEWS

Another discussion for you to get your teeth in to on Die cutting . It is around 10 years now since we brought Spellbinder products to the UK for the first time launching them to everyones surprise ...those were the days . Here we are all those years later and now look at Spellbinders , the range of dies is enormous and growing once again . There are of course many small companies springing up trying to copy what spellbinders have achieved , some good and some bad , very bad indeed.
The dies are getting more expensive all the time , it really is not cheap to produce these dies , i have looked in to this myself. One thing about spellbinder dies is the quality , they cannot b matched on the high quality of there manufacture and they are way ahead on the design front . Many similar dies do not cut or emboss well at all . If you wonder why you see other dies for sale elsewhere and we dont have them this is generally because they are no where as good as spellbinder dies in my opinion and i will not sell dies that give customers problems . However this is your chance to give me your opinion on this matter and i am always open to your views. I am off to CHA in the USA once again to have a look at whats on offer . Help us to help you !
I look forward to your opinions.

Gordon

31 comments:

  1. I still love Spellbinders for the basic shapes (with variations) but for 'illustrative' dies no one can match Memory Box. The designs are superb and so is the quality - never ever have a problem using them.

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    1. Thank you , good to get feedback on how these dies perform. Gordon

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  2. In terms of quality and variety, I agree that Spellbinders are definitely the best. But I do like the fine detail in Memory Box dies.

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  3. Hi Again, I've been die cutting for about 10 years now and I have had various machines including, sizzix, cuttlebug, xcut, ellison, craftrobo, cricut, cricut expression, grand calibur and now ebosser.


    My dies are mainly spellbinders, Marianne and a few others memory box, cottage cutz, nellie snellen, cheery lynn and joy crafts.

    Spellbinders are the best quality and give the best results for cutting and embossing - but they are expensive.

    I love marrianne dies, they have some beautiful dies that are perfect for cardmaking, I've never had an issue with the quality or cut and they are very reasonably priced.

    My Nellie Snellen dies cut well and they are versatile and Cheap in price - the down side is there is only a small range.

    I have found memory box dies to be sturdy, lovely designs and reasonably priced - I sometimes have to pass through the machine twice on more detailed dies.

    I only have a few joy crafts, they cut well and give good results and they are cheap, but I find their range a bit boring and limited.

    Cottage Cutz - love the release foam idea, cut ok, some nice designs - but they are expensive.

    Finally Cheery Lynn - some truly beautiful detailed designs, thick sturdy metal, but I find these the hardest to cut, I have one that I have never been able to use, and they are expensive.


    So my favorites are Spellbinders, Marianne, Nellie Snellen and Memory Box.

    Helen x

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    1. Thank you Helen .I doubt if anyone will ever be able to match the range and variety from spellbinders . We must also remember , it was spellbinders who first invented this type of die , without them maybe we would all still be using the thick sizzix dies or suchlike.I am looking at Memory box . Cheery lynn are definately to be avoided by everyone. They are simply terrible .Again we had our fingers badly burnt by Cottage Cutz and the amount of complaints we received . Cant fault Marianne , but we also found them hard to sell even after taking them on Create and Craft TV.Gordon

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  4. I would love to get back into die cutting but the price is just too much for me as I am on a restricted budget. My mum bought me a cuttlebug years ago and I have a few sizzex dies so if you could find good quality dies at a reasonable price and not that you have to buy them in bulk to get a reduction I would be so greatful.thanks

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    1. Hi. I fully understand what you say . You have to look at what you get in a pack from spellbinders and select what you think you can use . Overall however the value of dies in each pack is good value for money and the quality is the very best .On the new web site you will also be able to acrue loyalty points which give you more value as you collect them. Gordon

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  5. I am a regular customer at the shop I Love Spellbinders I have in the past purchased other named dies and find them wanting, I always go back to Spellbinders. You Once upon a stamp are the most competitive priced I have found by fare, keep up the good work, your range is the largest I have found and I have been all over the place. I would love to see the Just Rite Cling stamp products on sale at your shop these are a lovely addition to the Spellbinder collection also the American wax paper would be useful.I have purchase things from C&C in the past they are more expensive and they have items missing from the parcel it takes an age to get this sorted out its not worth the hassle I am looking forward to the new web site.

    Jane

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    1. Hi Jane . Thank you for your comments .We fully intend to keep our position as the number one supplier of Spellbinder dies . We will be speaking to the Just Rite people shortly , but i must admit to being a little wary after the problems we had selling the last range of stamps from them . We all loved them and there idea , but they proved difficult to sell. Gordon

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  6. i do love my spellbinders. I am putting off my pre-order with another company to see what your deals are when you publish them in february. You are right about all the other dies on the market but i am very selective of what I buy and don't usually have any problems.
    Can I just thank you Gordon for all your hard work that you seem to be putting in for all of us crafters. Robert would be very proud of you. keep your chin up and I'm looking forward to your new website. Love Teresa X

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    1. Thank you Teresa .It is still very strange not having Rob around any more , but we are pushing ahead with many new plans for the year ahead. Gordon

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  7. Hi Gordon,

    Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. You and Robert both have help Spellbinders grow up from the beginning! xxoo travel safe and see you soon!

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    1. Thank you Stacey , that means a lot to me . I will come and see you at CHA . Good luck with the show and best regards to you all. Gordon

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  8. Apart from Spellbinders my other favourite is Memory Box dies. I also like Marianne. I have some Cottage cuts dies because I just loved some of their designs, but I find them by far the worst at cutting. I also love the Sizzix bigz and Alterations dies because they cut through thicker substrates than the thinner dies.

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    1. Thank you. We brought cottage cutz to the uk for the first time and took them to create and craft . Im afraid they were a big disappointment which is a great pity as there designs are wonderful. We have also struggled with sizzix dies unless we give them away . Looks like Memory Box dies are proving popular . Gordon

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  9. I love my spellbinders and always buy at least one when visiting the shop but have to say I also love my Memory box, I have a few marriane which cut fine but not really impressed with the others. So spellbinders and Memory box on my list!

    Mol x

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  10. Thank you . Memory box seem to be proving popular. Gordon

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  11. As to die quality I have found that Memory box, Die-namics, Impression Obsession and other silver dies perform the same (I suspect they are made by the same manufacturer in the US) and compare favourably to Spellbinders dies. Generally if there is a problem cutting with a die it is more to do with how detailed it is, which is why I now avoid overly detailed dies (that’s why I have stayed away from Cheery Lynn dies), although I may love the design, because I don’t want to spend my crafting time rolling my die this way and that way, shimming etc.. I have only ever had a quality problem once, with a Marianne die and I will never buy another one.
    Memory box has fantastic designs but then Spellbinders has now the D-Lites. With over 100 new designs coming out this January it is a lot to stock! The only way to know which design will be popular is to have a pre-order offer, as some other retailers do.
    I have a few Sizzix Bigz because I needed to cut some leather; otherwise the dies are expensive “per design” since unlike with thin dies they can’t nest the designs in the package! It also means the designs I can use are very few and far between… I wouldn’t use frames, borders, words, Pop ‘n Cut. In addition I don’t buy any Movers & Shapers because I would need the tray (exorbitant).
    The growth of the dies market has been incredible over the last few years, following the rise in die-cutting machine ownership, but I wonder will that continue at the same rate? I have now a good collection of dies, at least adequate for my needs, so although I will inevitably buy new “must have” dies, I will not spend anywhere close to the money I have spent over the last 3 years, as I was “investing” in dies after buying the Wizard first and then the Grand Calibur.

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    1. Hi. Thank you for your input. One thing i agree on is that everyone should avoid Cheery Lynn dies , they are just awful and i have met Lynn..she is not very Cheery...lol

      We were the first to bring spellbinders to the uk and the first to offer pre orders on there dies . We have been much copied by others jumping on our bandwagon , but that was always going to happen.

      Our new web site coming in february will have pre order section as well as a new loyalty points gathering system for everyone . There will be special double points events and things like that . By gathering your points you accumulate more money to spend on the web site . Points will be awarded for all products. Coming February . Thank you. Gordon

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  12. I have been using spellbinder dies a long time and still have loads of their dies that came in the cd cases including their fabulous alphabets like Vintage, which I still use. I still have my original purple wizard and was lucky enough to attend a workshop with Stacey and the rest of the Lucy McGoo team where i saw firsthand their fantastic vision and creativity. I still use sizzix dies when I want to cut a number of layers of the same die or when using thicker materials however, I think personal electronic die cutting machines are serious competition for dies that only cut. I have used quikcutz, memory box, joy, marianne and heartfelt creation dies. I like the intricacy of the dies although they can be expensive and I have never had an issue cutting any of those ones. I love the Spellbinder Die D-Lites and have them all. I think that Justrite stamps have come a long way since their word and border ones which were small and fiddly. I mostly like stamps that co-ordinate with Spellbinder dies but particularly the Heartfelt Creation stamps. I have looked at other manufacturers of dies that are springing up lately but wouldn't purchase most of them.

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  13. Very interesting , thank you . Those were the days when we had the large spellbinder events with Stacey and the team . The wizard is still one of my favourite machines . Gordon

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  14. I have been using die cutting since I had an original Sizzix many years ago. Since then I have had a Wizard, Big Shot, Grand Calibur and am planning on an ebosser now my hands are affected by arthritis. I just love Spellbinders and have purchased many from you, your prices are always excellent so I am looking forward to your new web site and being able to order the new dies which I have been looking up on the Spellbinders blog preview.
    I also love the Dutch dies and I have some Memory Box dies which cut well. Some of the Cheery Lynn dies are lovely but take quite an effort to cut.
    It would be good if you could carry wax paper, I have tried greaseproof, it helps but have not found it to be the answer. I have had to give in and order from Create and Craft but I don't like their prices!
    Enjoy your time at CHA and looking forward to the launch of your new web site.
    Sue

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    1. Hi. I am not a fan of the electronic ebosser im afraid . I can see big problems with this machine having tried it out in the USA . I dont think it will last the test of time as others have found out with there electronic machines .Motor technology needs to improve substantially . As previously stated we will shortly be bringing you our SPRAY M BOSS to aid all of your die cutting . Gordon

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  15. Thank you sue. A couple of things to look out for. Electroniic machines have there problems and im not satisfied they are not good enough to justify the price , everyone should be very carful about buying them until motor technology improves . Both Sizzix and Spellbinders have found this out . The Spellbinder machine was stopped as no motor exists which can do all that is required without the problem of strain and the possibility of burning out .

    Everyone will be pleased to learn that we are bringing back one of our most popular products called SPRAY M BOSS . This is better than using the paper you mention and makes die cutting with the most intricate of dies so easy with deeper embossing too...COMING VERY SOON !

    Gordon

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  16. Hi Gordon. I bought a Grand Calibur from C & C when it was on offer a few months ago and to be honest I was really frustrated with some of the Spellbinder dies, as I had to put them through several times to get a good cut. I had hoped to save time and possibly get the bigger dies, but I find I still use my little Cuttlebug for most die cutting. I would love to see more Marianne, Nellie Snellen & Joy dies as they always cut well. Wishing you all the very best and looking forward to seeing you at this year's craft shows

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    1. Im afraid i have always been very disappointed by the grand calibur and we took a decision not to stock it as far too many were breaking . As much as i love spellbinders i think they could have done much better than this and i wish they and others would return production back to the USA instead of China . They really should listen to there wonderful president when he begs them to do so. People will always pay more for good quality products if they know they are not going to break ! Some dies are getting very complicated in detail and this means more effort cutting them. We will shortly be bringing back our product SPRAY M BOSS which will solve all of these problems .

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  17. I love Spellbinder dies and have over 100, most bought from you, but do own some Marianne dies as well as sizzex ones. The spellbinder ones are great for embossing as well as cutting and are well made dies. I would not buy a 'copy' of any die as do not think the quality would be as good'

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    1. Spellbinders are well ahead of the game as they invented this type of die . As usual you py for what you get .

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    2. I am totally addicted to die-cutting and love the Spellbinder dies but there are lots of others that I also like. Memory Box are beautiful and I have some lovely Marianne dies. I do agree that the quality of Spellbinders is fantastic but I don't have too many problems with other dies. Cheery Lynn can be a bit of a pain to get the bits out of the die after you have extracted the actual die-cut but they have some very intricate designs.

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  18. I use spellbinders ,marianne and memory box dies. I notice you say the cost of producing dies is increaseing and I'm just curious how dies are made? are they made in moulds or are they laser cut from thick steel? Linda

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