Sizzix 656850 Vagabond Die-Cut Machine

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $149.99
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

This die cutting machine is worth every penny, after owning a Cuttlebug for the last year, and it did a fine job as long as you were willing to work and force and manipulate things to get it to work. I am a fairly serious card maker who loves the precision of die cuts. This machine allows me to love dies even more because it is now effortless. This machine is strong and fast and does a much better job of working with all my dies from many different manufactures. I wonder why I hesitated at all to buy this machine. It has a permanent location and is in the ready with my dies in a file (type) box just ready to be pulled out and used. I also started a sample file of every die shape I own so that I can see if that is the one that will work. I have always thought this would be a nice thing to have but the effort of doing it held me back till I got the Vagabond. Within two days the plastic cutting pads were scarred from stem to stern. I had put a months worth of cutting in two days on them, having a blast and loving the ease. It has never faultered and cuts everything more thoroughly and I have the ability to cut more variety of products. I love my Vagabond!!!!! If they are out on Amazon try Ellenhutson.com.

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Cricut 29-0002 Replacement Cutting Blades for Cricut Cutting

Customer Ratings:

Not sure if it's just in my head, but the sharpness of the replacement blade seems duller than the original blade that came with the machine???!?

I've debated getting the deep blade to replace the standard (that has more settings this only goes up to 6). Still debating because I'm not impressed with the replacement blades i do have the deep cutting blade which is great for thicker items like felt, and foam. For the price, I'd expect more than 2 I've just replaced my blade after having the machine for 2 months (I'm not a scrap-booker), I can't imagine how often a scrap-booker will go through a blade.

Amazon has great prices for them it's been hard using the store coupons for the Cricut accessories. So far only Hobby Lobby will accept them. Michael's refuses to because it violates their agreement with Cricut.

You HAVE to use their blades to make your cricut work so the real debate would be where to buy them, and how to get them at the best price keep checking out Amazon, I've noticed the pricing has fluctuated in the last 2 months by a few dollars.

Edited:

I've since ordered replacement blades over the last few years that I've had the machine and it really is luck of the draw! The latest set I got are insanely precise and cuts like a dream. Maybe it was just a faulty batch. If they are horrible Amazon will let you return it which has helped me take less of a gamble!

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Alumilite Super Plastic Casting Resin 28 oz.

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $30.19
Sale Price: $29.99
Today's Bonus: 1% Off

This Alumilite casting resin is a great product with many possible uses and applications. We use it for casting parts for model trains, but the real limit on possible uses of this product is only your imagination.

It is a two part urethane resin, part A and part B come in two separate bottles. These are combined in equal parts, mixed and poured into molds. This type of urethane is used mostly with silicone molds, but other molds can be used as well. The most common products for making molds are Alumilite's Alumilite Quick-Set Mold Rubber Kit mold-making kit or Alumilite High Strength 3 RTV Mold Making Rubber 1 lb. HSIII RTV. Once parts A and B are combined, you have 90 seconds to mix and pour before the liquid starts hardening right before your eyes. The mixture heats up a bit but nothing that you can't hold in a plastic cup. The little heat is just a byproduct of a chemical reaction. In less then 5 minutes you can demold your casting and either paint or otherwise work it, i.e. machine it, polish it, cut it, etc.

The fact that you can machine it is really cool. We've done some machining on some of our castings and it can be worked very easily. It is soft enough and workable, yet firm and unbend-able. You can use some basic Dremel tools to work this stuff -no need for a heavy duty machine shop. On the other hand, if you have even a small machine shop, you can use this for creating prototypes of metal castings and machine it to whatever final shape you want. Think of custom auto parts for car restorations, for example. Instead of first creating an expensive mold and going through aluminum or iron/steel casting, you can create a prototype with Alumilite and machine it, send it to the client to check it and see if it meets their requirements.

When this particular version of urethane hardens, it's a yellowish or a bit darker tan color. Other versions of this base product are also available -Alumilite Rigid Urethane kit 28oz White by Alumilite Corp that hardens into pure white; and Alumilite Water Clear Casting Resin Kit 16 oz that hardens water clear. In addition, you can buy small bottles of tint or dye to create castings of just about any color. When the dyes are added to the urethane, it will harden to whatever color you add to it. We've done quite a bit of mixing of colors and had good results making our own colors (only about 6 or 7 basic/primary colors are available for purchase). And a very small drop of dye goes a long way. The dyes can be added to this or the white urethane with the same results, i.e. what type of urethane you use does not affect how the colors turn out.

When casting, it is best to preheat your molds before casting the urethane into them. While the urethane has a low viscosity and flows quite well, it's better to have a preheated mold. It simply flows and fills up better and you end up with a better casting. But either way, Alumilite will fill just about any crack and will perfectly fill your mold. Also, combining and mixing the urethane adds bubbles to which may create flaws in your castings. But this can be eliminated if you have a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump and if not, you can minimize it by careful mixing and pouring. We've had very few issues with bubbles, which we mostly mitigated with careful mixing. If you have a vacuum chamber, be aware that the pot-life of this urethane is about 90 seconds. So once you pour part A into B you have 90 seconds to mix, de-air and pour. This is probably the only drawback of the urethane -I wish it was a bit longer but so far we haven't had any problems. There are urethanes on the market with longer pot life from other manufacturers, though they have longer cure and de-mold times. If this one does not fit you need you need to do some research and you'll most certainly find one that will.

In summary, this is a great product and if you like making molds and casting models or whatever you'll not only find this product very useful but also have a lot of fun working with it.

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TCPglobal Brand Hobby Paint Spray Booth Tabletop Airbrush Spray

Customer Ratings:

Surprisingly, in Japan this unit is sold under the Tamiya label at a much higher price than what I paid. However, it wasn't worth half of what I paid for it. Tamiya's reputation is such that it demands and gets a premium for its products, which made this units' lack of performance a surprise.

In photos it appears to be a solid and substantial unit. In fact, the translucent projection on the front of it AND the black fold-out front portion of it which the booth comprises are both made of a thin, insubstantial vinyl substance not much thicker than a file folder. The vent motor will only move a very small amount of air, and would not even begin to remove the fumes and excess spray from even a moderately-operated airbrush in this booth. Since almost any paint is an unhealthy substance to breathe into your lungs, its weakly-worded disclaimer stating that it was not to be used with any flammable fumes or dangerous substance would seem to invalidate the device for any purpose except maybe watering small potted plants.

Spray paint booths have, as a rule, some sort of filter and an extraction fan; this unit had a tiny piece of foam for a "filter" and an anemic fan motor. The exhaust, which ought to connect to some standard size of piping such as a 4" or larger piece of dryer vent for venting to an area outside of the working area, is a flattened, non-standard ... thing ... of no particular use and of very short length. No points for that.

In short, this product can't safely be used for the purpose for which it is sold, and if it WERE usable, it couldn't do the job for which it was bought. Just keep saving your money a little longer and buy one that actually works.

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Crystal Clay 2-Part Epoxy Clay Kit W/ #1028 SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $17.49
Sale Price: $14.99
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

This product exceeded my expectations! Easy to use, not really any mess and the results are stunning! I would definitely recommend to anyone who like crafts.

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Dritz(R) Bra Back Repair 1-1/2" Inch Wide-White 2 Hooks

Customer Ratings:

My wife's favorite bra had a broken strap, so I went to work on the web and found this repair piece. After some simple sewing she now has a functional bra again. Bad for me good for her.... j/k :)

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Janome Resin Sewing Machine Case with Storage for Models DC2010

Customer Ratings:

This is solid and attractive but the big surprise is that it's a cover only. It slips over the machine and you reach through the top to pull through the sewing machine's own handle. There's no base at all. This would be fine for giving your machine some protection when taking it to a class, but it wouldn't keep out dust in storage. Also, it fits so snugly (a good feature) on my Janome DC2010 that it's not practical to put even a thin plastic sewing machine cover under it for dust protection--plus that would block the handle and the dust could still get in from the open bottom. If you want this strictly for transporting your machine, the storage compartment that flips out is a nice feature.

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(TRADEMARKED) STACK S12 Professional Guillotine DeskTop Paper

Customer Ratings:

This low priced cutter does the job. It can easily handle an inch high stack of paper, thin or thick stock. It has adequate safety features with an auto locking lever (the handle points up the back (29") when locked so you cannot store the unit under a shelf. I managed to cut my finger on the very sharp blade while cleaning the shipping oil off with a baby wipe. The paper-holder is very secure but requires cranking down. This is not a problem but is time consuming so this unit is not for mass production use. The base is very sturdy and operating the unit is easy. It is made in China and the instruction manual reflects this. Luckily, you wont need an instruction manual. Practice on some scrap paper to learn how tight to set the paper holder and how to place the width block. My only disappointment was the lack of metric measurements on the base plate. The picture and write-up on Amazon indicated English and Metric measures but the unit only has inches. Good for cutting paper down and for trimming the ragged edge after binding. Best for low volume use. Very sturdy.

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Beadalon Pinch Bail Pendent Varity Pack Nickel Free Silver

Customer Ratings:

I used these bails with my swarovski elements beads and was able to easily make professional looking necklaces, relatively inexpensively. See the user contributed photos for my results.

I also have an allergy to some metals, especially around my neck and these bails were great and have not given me any issue.

I'd highly recommend these to anyone, especially given the price.

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Grace Frame Sure Stitch Sewing/Quilting Regulator for Long Arm

Customer Ratings:

The Grace Little Gracie 2 quilt frame with brother 1500S machine and Stitch regulator and Bungees. She is beginning her practice. The Grace was easy to assemble With excellent instructions and parts list; but make sure you request the stitch regulator for your brand and model machine as they require different regulators as we found out too late. Grace did send us free of change the correct one in exchange for the wrong one we had. Excellent service with prompt delivery through Amazon.com for the best prices, SewVacdirect.com and of course Graceframe.com.Grace Sure Stitch Dual Function Stitch Regulator for Juki

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Blazer GB2001 Self-Igniting Butane Micro-Torch

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $79.95
Sale Price: $49.44
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

I have been using this torch in my business for fine silver soldering for many years. Tried several others, but this is the best--and now they have improved the adjustment system for better flame control. I just bought 2 new ones to add to the 3 older ones that are still working after YEARS of use.

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SINGER 2932 Sewing Machine

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $169.99
Sale Price: $149.00
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

I haven't been overly impressed with this machine. Unless you have a death grip on the starting threads, they will be pulled into the machine and lock it up. I found the foot patel very difficult to get use to. When I press down and it either sounds like the machine is having trouble starting up or goes 90mph and is hard to control. I've given it almost a month and just can't take it anymore. I'm taking this machine back tonight.

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Logan 301 Compact Mat Cutter

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $119.95
Sale Price: $98.96
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

I bought this about a year ago to save on framing our wedding pictures. I knew less than nothing about mat cutting, but the directions were clear and the process was fairly intuitive.

The good:

Simple to operate, good instructions. Great for smaller, pre-sized pieces. Offers the opportunity to save money and be more flexible with mat designs.

The Bad:

No squaring arm for cutting down full mat sheets. This is a real drag as full sheets are the most economical way to go. Since it has the straight cutting head, I assumed it would make provisions for cutting large pieces. In addition, the straight cutting head pivots somewhat on the guide rail, leading to slightly wavy cuts. I became aware of this and am now careful to try and avoid it, but its been a consistent problem. If one cut is off, especially when making complex or multi layered mats, the whole thing will be off. Finally, the mat width is limited to 4.5 inches. Yes, its plainly noted on the box. I thought that would be plenty. It isn't. This isn't a flaw in the product, more of a heads up to potential buyers.

Overall it is a decent product. I understand its more of an introductory model, but the manufacturer seems to have skimped in some areas that in my opinion are crucial to the success of the eventual user.

If I had it to do over again, I'd spend the extra money and go for a slightly larger model with a squaring arm and more professional features.

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Fiskars Desktop Rotary Trimmer Replacement Strip-

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $14.89
Sale Price: $13.97
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

I was expecting to receive a new replacement strip for my Fiskars rotary trimmer oddly, because that is the description of the item. What I received instead is a 4-sided Cut Bar (Fiskars 195820-1001 12-Inch Replacement Cutting Bar for Fiskars 12-Inch 45mm Rotary Pa, which is designed for a different Fiscars rotary trimmer than I have. The seller insisted that I received what I ordered based on the UPC. Amazon's A-Z guarantee to the rescue!

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Spellbinders LF-019 Nestabilities Grand Stately Circles Die

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $35.38
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

Through no fault of Amazon it was not what I wanted. The magazine I saw it in posted the wrong product number. The product its self is excellent. Tho' too large for the project I had in mind I will keep it.

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Midwest Products 980 Radio Control Accessories Model VI Steam

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $77.61
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

This little oscillating steam engine and boiler combination may seem a bit pricey. The parts are basically stock materials but they are machined precisely and assemble without trouble. Only simple hand tools are required. The boiler requires soldering with a torch. The instructions are complete and throrough.

The boiler uses Sterno for fuel, heats quickly, and is relatively reliable.

While not as pretty as some, it may be just the ticket for someone without access to a machine shop and a tenth the price. I have had mine for 11 years.

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Making Memories Paper Trimmer, 12 Inch-by-12 Inch, Black

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $30.00
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

It's rare for someone to go against the scrapbooking grain so I'm hopeful you'll read this review with an open mind.

When my previous trimmer cut one too many crooked lines, I bit the bullet and started the search for a new one. After extensive research, I decided to go ahead and buy the Making Memories trimmer. I gasped at the price, but pulled out my discount coupon and sorta justified it. I haven't worked in 13 months, so this was a major decision for me!

Great trimmer, I thought, when I first pulled it out of the box. Looks gorgeous, sturdy ... which it must be considering its really heavy weight. (This is not a trimmer for those with comprised strength in their hands/wrists. Not only is it very heavy, the ruler they want you to use to hold paper in place -kind of stupid since it's only a sheet at a time -is SUPER strong, VERY difficult to pry off.) So I was a bit surprised to find it could only cut up to cardstock, and only one or two sheets at a time. But the other trimmers were like that, right? And this one's blade self-sharpens, so I'd never, ever need to worry about the blade.

So I put it to work, making Christmas surprise boxes for my year's cards. It was incredibly difficult at first to pull the blade back and forth ... but I figured it was breaking in or something, and eventually it did ease up. What did NOT ease up was the horrible squealing noise! It's what others have described, and it truly is ear-piercing, fingers-on-the-chalkboard bad. I saw some posts that talked about a couple of drops of sewing machine oil, but this is a paper cutter!!

OK. Holidays pass, it's busy, have a couple of birthdays and use the trimmer pretty sparsely till about a week and a half ago. Pulled it out and brought it to a class at a local scrapbook store. Used it, and it actually jaggedy-edge ripped my paper. I tried blowing out the bits of paper dust I could see inside the groove, but no improvement. So I called Making Memories the next business day.

The woman who answered was pleasant, but very, very rushed. She threw out a couple of answers to my questions but obviously was in a hurry to move on. Turns out, my blade was out of alignment and she'd e-mail me an instruction sheet to realign it. That horrible noise? It's the arm where the blade slides along ... just a couple of drops of oil, she said. I couldn't even get a "Thank you" out before the phone was hung up. The e-mail arrived seconds later.

Wow, I thought. Kinda scary that this is such a big problem they have an insta-e-mail response. So I followed the instructions and it turned out that yes, indeed, my blade was out of alignment. It's not suppose to be in the groove where all the paper dust has been trapped. It's suppose to be OUTSIDE the edge. (OK. WHY is there a groove there in the first place? It's not like something slides along there. Design flaw for sure.)

SO I moved it back into place and pulled the blade back and forth a few times to resharpen it, as instructed. WOW! Not only was the horrible squealing noise gone, the blade zipped along the track like butter ... just like all the reviews said!! Only ... my paper was not being evenly cut. Still. I tred a few more times, and no luck. Decided to call MM back.

Go to the Web site and request a replacement product, I was told. I did, and then was told I needed to furnish a receipt. Well, after I'd had the trimmer for a few weeks, I recycled the receipt and the box. With so many glowing reviews, why would I need to keep it? After much back and forth, I got absolutely nowhere. And guess what? They don't bother to sell the blade or blade compartment by itself. So now I have a piece of landfill-er.

I don't understand, 1. WHY isn't there a warranty card to return? 2. WHY are there NO instructions to indicate such a problem exists? Apparently if people try to cut inappropriate amounts of paper, it's going to throw the blade out of alignment. I never did this, and in fact am certain that my blade was out of alignment the entire time I had the trimmer. How would I have known? But it's a big enough problem they have a ready-to-send e-mail.

I went around and around and around, pointing out how much money has been invested in this company by the scrapping community, and every other sentence in response was, "I'm really so very sorry."

Well, I'm really so very sorry I ever bought this product, and I sincerely hope that after reading my story you will reconsider your purchase. This was a major thing for me, and now I feel like I was selfish in taking money from my family to buy something for myself. I was hopeful I could sell some crafts this summer to bring in a little bit of money, but I won't have a trimmer to help in this.

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