Pros and Cons of new Cutter for V3

[wvcathy]

Does anyone know of the Pros and Cons on the compatable Cutters for SCAL Version 3 - I own 3 cricuts keep one at home in Michigan and 2 ( 1 E ) at home in West Virginia and so disappointed with PC - I will run them until they die but might get a new machine after 3 is up and running for a while. Just starting to investigate which machine I might want to use to run it.

Thanks for any input you might have.

Regards,

Cathy

[sstehman]

Here is one site to check out. I know there was another posting on this topic. If you do a search of cutter comparisons there are a few more links.
http://thatsscrapinc.com/ComparisonCha ... ackCat.htm

[scrappindeb]

The one I'm really interested in when my E dies is Ecraft by Craftwell. It's not on that comparison list but I did a lot of research on it. What I like is no mat and its price is more affordable. I hope it is a good choice.

[Rachell]

The Black Cat Cougars are awesome Machines and the support is awesome, There are many Machines on the Market and so the best advice is to do all your research carefully.
Some have said the ecrafts not mat idea drew them in but the little chads that hold things together til you remove them from tha paper drives them nuts since it gives the finished products a rough spot on the edges and having to trim each and everyone smooth is very time consuming.

[AnnK]

I just got an ecraft (set it up a day ago). I was up & cutting within 30 minutes using SCAL 3! (PRO) It works well with scal3, but (CON)I'm finding issues with cutting paper without a mat. It only cuts heavy cardstock and larger svgs well without tearing. Although you need to bear in mind, I'm still on the learning curve... (CON)The pressure & tabs settings are different for each sheet (brand) of paper. It sounds a lot like R2D2...but not so noisy that it bothers me. I've been playing around with the different paper I have and learning what works, keeping a log of the paper brand, settings and notes.

I went to the dollar store (after seeing a video by Purple Paper Paradise) and bought the flimsy plastic cutting mats (cheap 2/$1.00), since then, I've been having much more success cutting without tearing. (PRO)I can now cut intricate images out without too many problems. I tack the cornerns of the paper down with a small amount of adhesive. Purple Paper Paradise has a lot of good info on the ecraft.

I haven't the ecraft pro software yet as I have the program installed on a computer without internet access and I haven't found a way to transfer their program. I did call customer service with a couple of non-related questions and recieved fast, efficient service (PRO).

So far I'm 50/50...but I'm hoping its just the learning curve.

[pennsylvaniakate]

I just sold mine today. I didn't care for it much... more of an Ecrap. But each to their own. There are plenty of people who like it, so I hope you enjoy yours! i know the mats helped me cut better, too.

[momof5littlewomen]

I am sitting here with my eCraft in a box ready to be returned to Amazon where I bought it 2 months ago. I have had continuous problems with the blade dragging and the pen not working correctly. I sent it to Craftwell who had it about 3 weeks but they couldn't duplicate the problem. They even contacted SCAL to see if it was a communication error even though the problems began trying to cut an image off their SD card. It was returned last week and I finally had a chance to mess with it tonight. First thing out of the box, the blade dragged across the paper as I was getting it set up. I was not able to cut one thing right tonight both with and without a stabilizer. All that to say, I will be trying another machine. Perhaps mine was just a defective machine because plenty of other people are having success but I will say I was disappointed it didn't cut without a mat like it is advertised to. Looking at the Silhouette SD next because it is the only other machine that SCAL will work on, in my price range, and compatible with my Mac. Tell me quick if you know of any major problems with it!

[ruth]

I bought e-craft for the "no mat" fact. Had a bit of trouble until I decided to cut everything on a spare piece of cardstock with the no tab setting. Now can cut anything - even really intricate designs. provo was losing me with their mat replacements and all the other stuff, but now I use e-craft without a problem. Need to update to scal e-craft but worried when I do I wont be able to use my cricut .... aahh decisions!

[AnointedHands]

The SCAL2 and SCAL3 installs in different folders so you should be able to use both versions.
HTH
Althea