Accuquilt - Big Shot - do I really need one or do I just want one

Hi everyone,

For some reason, I keep hunting for reviews of the fabric cutters that a lot of people say are great time savers.

I would like some honest opinions on whether to buy one of these machines - if they are worth it and which one is the best one?
Accuquilt and Sizzix Big Shot seem to be the two brands that are most prolific online.

I have my rotary cutter and rulers etc. Just not too accurate with them as yet and don't want to become disheartened so I guess I am looking for any easy way out. But then the fabric wastage?

Any thoughts?

Cheers
Lee

I have the Accuquilt Go. I thought I would use it more than I do but I also don't have a lot of time right now to make many quilts (full time student in accelerated program). I like the accuracy of the cuts, that's for sure! I have the strip dies and many others such as 2" squares, 3" squares, 5" squares. I have the large Rag die and I don't think I would make a rag quilt any other way! I have the apple core die and just purchased the Drunkard's path for future projects. If you place your fabric wisely, there is little waste. I'm glad I bought mine and I know that when my life has settled down, I will use it to it's full potential.

I love my Accuquilt Go...I use it mostly for cutting 5" squares and 2 1/2" strips. I have some of the other dies but I'm fairly new to quilting so I'll wait awhile before getting some of the other dies. As she said above, place the fabric wisely and you won't have a lot of waste. I also save my waste fabric for the spiderweb quilt I'm doing.

Does anyone have an Altos Quilt Cut 2? It does so much for me that I can't imagine needing this Accuquilt. I have no interest in applique, so the cutsie shapes don't interest me. I can cut strips on the AQC2 in nothing flat. And there is minimal waste.

I love love love my go baby. Use it for every quilt

I've been looking at the accuquilt go and the go baby one. Price-wise it makes sense to go with the baby one but I was wondering if there was any advantage to pay more for the accuquilt go over the baby? And does any one know if you can use the cutters on both the go and the baby? Or do they exclusively make them for the baby?

I've looked at the big shot and I'm not really a fan of their patterns for appliqué but if you're just cutting strips and blocks it looks like a better investment.

you can use all go baby dies in the Go. Any Go dies that are 6inches wide or less can be used in the go baby. On the website it will tell you if a die is baby compatable. My Baby does everything I need except for the 1 1/4 inch strip which I really could use but as there are 6 strips in a row on the die it is too wide for the Baby............so I will just have to continue to cut those by hand sighssssssssss

I have the accuquilt go and love it. I use it mainly for my 2 1/2 in binding strips and my charm packs but I also have other go dies too. I just purchased and received the 6 1/2 in tumbler die that I'm going to try out this weekend. I'm a person that don't use the accuquilt go every day, but I do use it occasionally and feel it really is worth purchasing. I purchased the go over the baby because I wanted the rag quilt die for making rag quilts and I feel I made the right choice for me.

Hancocks has an online deal this week for $100 off, it is $219. Is that a good price for it?

You can get it at allbrands.com for $199 - have to pay shipping though - for Texas, the shipping would be $13.81

I have the "Go".... and I love it. I originally bought the "Baby" and the 5 inch die..... tried and liked it but the choice of dies were limited.... I took it back and got the "Go".... and I use it alot.... I have just cut 100 plus rectangles in about 25 mins. for a brick pattern and still have a 100 plus to cut but I know it will go fast with the "Go"
I would say "yes" invest in one if you can. The "Baby" dies work on both . I have a few of the dies and hope to get a few more....what a time saver, accurate and if you watch your fabric placement, not too much waste. Hope all these comments help you decide.... but most of all "Enjoy"

I can get the accuquilt studio for $386.00 incl is is that good? from Accuquilt themselves

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Originally Posted by Jean Sewing Machine

Hancocks has an online deal this week for $100 off, it is $219. Is that a good price for it?

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Yes, this is what I paid for mine from sewvacdirect.com

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Originally Posted by Kizzie

I can get the accuquilt studio for $386.00 incl is is that good? from Accuquilt themselves

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I would check around, the accuquilt site is pretty high. I purchased my accuquilt go from Sewvacdirect.com and all my dies from there are about 1/2 the price of the accuquilt site.

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Originally Posted by Kizzie

I can get the accuquilt studio for $386.00 incl is is that good? from Accuquilt themselves

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I have checked on prices here in Aus and they are quite high. But when you get the good price online the postage kills you....

I love my Go.....the original...not the Studio...wouldn't give it up for anything....had the Alto Cut 1 and it broke shortly after the warranty ran out and wouldn't buy another...

BIG QUESTION: I just bought the Accuquilt Go Baby.. now I am reading the reviews. Some are good and others are bad. I tried it a couple of times and the handle does seam to be a bit stiff at certain portions of the cut. I read that the handle sometimes binds and breaks after a lot of use, and I plan on giving it a lot of use.

Joann's has the Sizzix Big Shot on sale for 10 dollars less than the Go Baby and it does the scrapbooking arts as well.

It looks like a heavier machine but it does not fold up as the Go Baby does, not a big deal to me, but my question to all of you is this....
Has anyone ever used the Accuquilt dies with the Big Shot? It says that it will accept all competitors dies and they do make a series of dies for fabric, but do you have to do anything special such as a spacer to make the accuquilt dies work with the Big Shot Cutter?

I still have lots of time to return it, but don't know how much longer the Big Shot will be on sale.

Thanks

A lot of times Joann's will have it on sale for $199 and usually they have free shipping on items that big. Also, Amazon has deals on the Go.

Hi Susan and Lee,

Looks like I'm the only one responding so far who uses the Sizzix Big Shot. I have had mine for 1 year now and love it. It is certainly more economical than the Accuquilt and the individual dies are cheaper also. Because I like to do applique I find the Big Shot very helpful for adding, flowers, vines and all kinds of unusual shapes that would be very difficult to cut out by hand. I also like to use it for adding applique detail to my quilt labels. I am just now getting interested in some of the Westminster brand dies which have been developed specifically for quilting projects using the Big Shot. I'm not sure I see the benefit in using a die cut machine for cutting basic strips of fabric because I can easily cut strips with my June Tailor Shape Cut Plus ruler. But I do think some of the classic quilt shapes like Dresden plates, Drunkards Path, and maybe even triangles would be fun to try with a die cut machine.

I wrote a detailed post about the Big Shot shortly after I got it, you may want to check out the information in my post here:

forum.missouriquiltco.com/showthread.php?3930-I-LOVE-MY-BIG-SHOT!

Some of the links I had in that old post are no longer accurate but you can always go to the Sizzix website to see what types of machines, dies and accessories they carry. I try to shop only the sales and clearance items for the best pricing. Yes, you CAN use Accuquilt dies in a Big Shot if they are not wider than 6 inches so they will fit through the machine opening. You WILL need a small shim (either a piece of cardboard or USPS mailing envelope ) underneath the Accuquilt die since they are slightly thinner than the Big Shot dies. Of course, you could buy the Sizzix Big Shot PRO but that is quite a bit more expensive and I don't believe it adds that much more capability...at least not for how I use my dies.

I recommend you watch the Patsy Thompson videos on how she uses her Sizzix die machines. She now creates her own custom dies which she sells on her website but they are too pricy for my liking. She has great tips and info though on how to use your Big Shot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok4DR1d3UUc

Here is the Sizzix website filtered to show the quilting and applique type dies:

http://www.sizzix.com/catalog?submit.x=0&submit.y=0&w=westminster+dies&p er_page=24#facets=theme~quilting-applique&page=1&per_page=96

The current pricing for the Big Shot on Amazon.com is $59.88 and free shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Sizzix-655268-...g+shot+machine

Remember that not ALL the Sizzix products are designed to cut fabric. Some of their dies and accessories are exclusively for scrapbooking and paper crafts. I give details on which is for fabric in the first link above to my original post on the Big Shot last year. You can use the Original Sizzix Dies, the BigZ Dies and the BigZ XL dies (which require the extended length cutting pads).

Here are some quilt projects that I used the Big Shot for cutting my appliques. Some of these are works still in progress:

I am thinking I would like to get the GO, the cheapest online price I have found in Aust was $350 and that was a couple of months ago, I have never seen one, only heard about them, there is a large quilt show at the end of the year in Adelaide I am hoping to get to that and I hope someone as one to demonstrate that I can actually see.

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Originally Posted by Sewbee

Hi Susan and Lee,

I'm not sure I see the benefit in using a die cut machine for cutting basic strips of fabric because I can easily cut strips with my June Tailor Shape Cut Plus ruler. But I do think some of the classic quilt shapes like Dresden plates, Drunkards Path, and maybe even triangles would be fun to try with a die cut machine.

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Yea!! Someone else likes the June Tailor Shape Cut Plus ruler besides me! It cuts so quick and accurately. I don't have a cutting machine, but I would see it best used for cutting strange shapes and applique patterns. I think the AccuQuilt is a more familiar brand, and I wonder if that means the dies will be plentiful in the future plus new ones developed.

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Originally Posted by Winniesfriend

I am thinking I would like to get the GO, the cheapest online price I have found in Aust was $350 and that was a couple of months ago, I have never seen one, only heard about them, there is a large quilt show at the end of the year in Adelaide I am hoping to get to that and I hope someone as one to demonstrate that I can actually see.

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Leonie, Joanns has them on sale right now for $189! That is the GO the Go Baby is $89!

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Originally Posted by madampolo

Yea!! Someone else likes the June Tailor Shape Cut Plus ruler besides me! It cuts so quick and accurately. I don't have a cutting machine, but I would see it best used for cutting strange shapes and applique patterns. I think the AccuQuilt is a more familiar brand, and I wonder if that means the dies will be plentiful in the future plus new ones developed.

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I also use the Jun Tailor Shape Cut, but I got mine when it was called the Short Cut.. same ruler, same stock number, different name. I have been quilting for about 30 years and have almost every gadget and ruler that is made out there, some are wonderful and some never see the light of day! LOL

I bought the Go Baby.. why, I don't know, now I am thinking that I should have bought the Big Shot, but the die area is no bigger than the baby. The Accuquilt does not have to use a shim, the Sizzix does and it uses a sandwhich.. more pieces. the Go folds up, the sizzix does not. I have not tried the sizzix dies in the go, but I would think that if one fit the other, it would stand to reason that it would work both ways.. or am I off on that thought path?

Well I have it and unless someone can tell me a few good reasons why I should take it back and get the sizzix, I guess I will keep it and go on from here.. <sigh>

Thanks for the info Linda, I will check out the links :)

You can get the accuquilt Go at sewvacdirect .com for around $200. Don't know what your shipping would be.

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Originally Posted by Fabriclovr

The Accuquilt does not have to use a shim, the Sizzix does and it uses a sandwhich.. more pieces. the Go folds up, the sizzix does not. I have not tried the sizzix dies in the go, but I would think that if one fit the other, it would stand to reason that it would work both ways.. or am I off on that thought path?

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Susan the Big Shot does not have to use a shim for its own dies, only for the thinner Accuquilt dies. Big Shot dies can NOT be used in the Accuquilt Go because the Sizzix dies are thicker and will not fit into the opening of the GO. The Big Shot CAN use its own dies PLUS the Accuquilt dies as long as the dies are no wider than 6 inches. If you want to use Accuquilt dies in the Big Shot a shim is no big deal at all. The "sandwich" or cutting pads used in the Big Shot is what makes it easier to use multiple layers of fabric and keep everything positioned correctly before cutting.

I am sure the Accuquilt is a good system, but I have never used it. If you are looking more to cut long strips, large squares, triangles etc for quilt piecing you are better off going with the Accuquilt GO or the Sizzix Big Shot PRO since they have wider beds and are designed for cutting larger fabric pieces. If you like a die machine more for cutting unique shapes and decorative accents for applique, plus have the option of cutting smaller quilt pieces like circles, stars, squares and triangles the Big Shot is a well made machine with plenty of dies at a reasonable cost.

Different strokes for different folks as they say. I'm sure both systems work well. The Big Shot works great for me. If I ever want to try some of the Accuquilt dies I have the option to do that using the Big Shot. Doesn't work the other way around though. Also I keep my Big Shot sitting out on my sewing counter all the time so I don't need it to fold up, but it is solidly made with a strong handle that can easily be picked up and moved anywhere you like.

Thanks Linda for telling about the Big Shot....I actually had never heard of it. I was going to ask for the Accuquilt Go for Christmas but after reading about the Big Shot and watching the video and looking at the prices, maybe it is the one I should ask for. Happy quilting :icon_exclaim::icon_exclaim::icon_exclaim::icon_ex claim::icon_exclaim::icon_exclaim::icon_exclaim::i con_exclaim::icon_exclaim::icon_exclaim::icon_wooh oo::icon_woohoo::icon_woohoo::icon_woohoo::icon_wo ohoo:

Where can I find the AQC2... I've looked on ebay and no luck?

@ Linda

Thanks for the explination, now maybe I will take back the go and get the big shot. something more to think about, on the other hand, I may just take it back and get the larger GO... Agggg what to do what to do LOL

You can buy the Sizzix systems (Big Shot, Big Kick) at Michaels. I've only seen the Big Kick here in Canada so far at Michael's selling for $129. They often have coupons for 40% or 50% off one item. This makes if much more affordable and as mentioned you can use dies for the Accuquilt systems with it.

I'm so glad to see this discussion, it's something I've been pondering. The Sizzix Big Shot, is new to me, but the priceline has me intrigued, especially the coupon!
Accuquilt products are exempted on JoAnn's coupons... :(

I've had my Big Shot for just over a year now and in the past have purchased Sizzix dies at Joanns with a 40-50% off coupon since they never specifically excluded Sizzix like they do Accuquilt. HOWEVER, they have recently changed the wording on their coupons to state they also exclude "all papercrafting machines, cartridges and dies" so I'm not sure you can use their standard coupons for the Sizzix anymore at Joann's. Joann's does occasionally have their papercrafting items on discount though not requiring a coupon. Currently, Amazon continues to have the lowest price for the Big Shot I have found anywhere at $59.88 no shipping and no sales tax.

Well, I'm ticked! I bought the Go Baby, thinking now maybe I was the Go instead. Called Joann's to see if they would honor the sale price from a week ago as it has been less than 7 days since I purchased the Go Baby. Said I was going to bring it back and upgrade to the larger one and pay the difference. They said no. I talked to a manager and she said no. I called customer service and she said no, so I am ticked at myself because I had the larger one in the cart and put it back on the shelf, now the price is $100 more than it was last week! The Big Shot and Big Kick have the same cutting width as the Go Baby, so there is really no reason to trade it in for that machine other than I can't use the Sizzix dies in the Go machines but I can use the go dies in the Kick and Shot. I don't do paper crafting and the cutting dies are about the same price... AGGG I guess I am stuck with the Go till they have a sale in the next 90 days that is like the one they had last week.. good luck on that one.. right?

I've only ever used a Big Shot for scrapbooking and card making - never seen quilt cutting dies. Wonder if they have ones up to 6" that work in my Cuttlebug (a baby BigShot) They would be great for applique. I'll have to see if I've already got some that might work with fabric!

Ooh, that one looks interesting to me!

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Originally Posted by Jean Sewing Machine

Does anyone have an Altos Quilt Cut 2? It does so much for me that I can't imagine needing this Accuquilt. I have no interest in applique, so the cutsie shapes don't interest me. I can cut strips on the AQC2 in nothing flat. And there is minimal waste.

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Fabriclovr, I found it at this site for $182.79 but don't know how much shipping would be:

http://store.quilting-warehouse.com/...FcpeTAodpCe4-w

Allbrands has it for $199.99.

Check out Quilters Warehouse also - they have a really good bundled price if you can fit it into your budget. Hubby got me the Accuquilt bundle for Christmas. While I don't use it all the time, I really love it. I have learned though, that it may be a good idea to either starch your fabric or put paper between the layers so that the material doesn't shift. I have a little problem with that when cutting some of the shapes.

If you like fusible applique, the Accuquilt is the bee's knees! Just iron your fusible on, run the fused fabric through the cutter, and Voila! You're ready to fuse it to your larger piece and stitch!