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If you want to make a variety of crafts and do artistic projects, a die cutting machine is always a good tool to have in your arsenal. Of course, choosing the right one for you can be a challenge, but that is what we are here for today.
Let’s get right to it and help you examine the best die cutting machines for beginners of 2019.
Comparison Table - Best Die Cutting Machines For Beginners
| PRODUCT | FEATURES | LATEST PRICE |
|---|---|---|
  | 1. Silhouette CAMEO-3-4T
| Check Price |
  | 2. Brother CM350 Electronic Cutting Machine
| Check Price |
  | 3. Sizzix Eclips2Electronic Electronic Cutter Starter Kit
| Check Price |
  | 4. Sizzix 660425 Big Shot Machine
| Check Price |
  | 5. Cricut Cuttlebug Die Cutting & Embossing Machine
| Check Price |
Best Die Cutting Machines For Beginners: Reviews
1. Silhouette SILHOUETTE-CAMEO-3-4T
This is a moderately priced cutting machine that comes with a number of accessories and is designed to handle a fairly wide array of jobs. It’s definitely a user-friendly machine for beginners.
Review
Something that is really great about the Silhouette SILHOUETTE-CAMEO-3-4T is that it features a dual-carriage design, so you can use 2 tools at once, to either cut and score or cut and write at the same time.
Moreover, it can cut a variety of materials including paper, vinyl, cardstock, some fabrics, and more.
The only things it cannot handle are tough materials like leather, but it can cut decent-sized materials up to 12 inches wide and 10 feet long. You can use the Silhouette studio to create designs, or choose from the many included designs as well.
What is also neat is that the Silhouette SILHOUETTE-CAMEO-3-4T is compatible with the self-adjusting autoblade, which adjusts itself depending on the materials being cut. It also features Bluetooth compatibility.
Pros
Cons
2. Brother CM350 Electronic Cutting Machine
Here we have a very high-quality die cutting machine, that comes at a pretty high price considering that the only other thing included is the cutting mat.
Review
The Brother CM350 Electronic Cutting Machine features an LCD touchscreen color display, which can be used to make quick adjustments and edits to design, and to adjust the cutting machine itself.
It is a big time convenience. Moreover, you can also connect it to your computer via wireless connection, so you can upload, create, and design your own projects.
Next, this machine also comes complete with an onboard scanner so you can easily upload your own images to it.
The Brother CM350 Electronic Cutting Machine can cut a variety of materials including cardstock, paper, vinyl, fabric, and more, really everything but super thick and tough materials like leather.
What’s also quite about this item is that the cuts it makes are really precise and high quality.
Pros
Cons
3. Sizzix Eclips 2 Electronic Electronic Cutter Starter Kit
Here is an all-in-one starter kit die cutting machine, that comes complete with everything you need to get started. It is a bit expensive, but it does include many things, and is quite high quality in itself.
Review
The Sizzix Eclips2Electronic Electronic Cutter Starter Kit comes with the machine itself, a power supply, 2 cutting blades, a blade holder, a 6 inch USB cable, a 12 x 12 inch cutting mat, and design software.
The included design software is not the best in the world, but it works just fine for basic tasks.
What is great about the Sizzix Eclips2Electronic Electronic Cutter Starter Kit is that it can cut a variety of materials including paper, vellum, cardstock, and light chipboard too. It’s versatile enough for basic tasks, but cannot handle very large or thick materials.
Keep in mind that your computer does need to have pretty good specs in order to properly run this thing without issue.
Pros
Cons
4. Sizzix 660425 Big Shot Machine
This is something slightly different. Instead of a die cutting machine, this is actually a dual embossing and die cutting machine, so if you need to emboss anything, this is a good option.
Review
The Sizzix 660425 Big Shot Machine can emboss many different material types, really everything but the thickest and toughest of materials, and at the same time, it can cut them too.
Now, in terms of size, it’s not the biggest machine out there, as it can only handle materials up to 6 inches wide, which is not great, but it works fine for small needs.
It comes with an extended multi-purpose platform, as well as 2 cutting pads.Enter your text here...
Keep in mind that this is a totally manual machine, which means that it does not have software and cannot connect to any devices. It’s fairly old school, which you may or may not like.
Pros
Cons
5. Cricut Cuttlebug Die Cutting & Embossing Machine
If you are looking for a high-quality embossing and die cutting machine, and are willing to spend a few extra bucks for it, the Cricut Cuttlebug is a good option.
Review
Something you might like is that machine thing comes complete with a 6x8 A plate, 2 6x8 B plates, and a 6x8 rubber embossing mat.
As you can see, the Cricut Cuttlebug Die Cutting & Embossing Machine cannot handle huge tasks, but pretty decent size ones nonetheless, plus it will give you high-quality results.
This machine can die cut and emboss a fairly wide array of material types. Keep in mind that at this time, this is the only Cricut machine that can both die cut and emboss.
Something else to note is that you can use other leading embossing folders and dies, although it is recommended to use Cricut brand name materials.
Pros
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Final Verdict
So whichever die cutting machine you go with really depends on your needs.
Do you want a pure die cutting machine, something that is technologically advanced, or one that is old school, or do you want something that can handle embossing too? Once you have figured this out, you can then go ahead and make your decision.