Scrapbooking is a wonderful form of art and memory preservation, practised the world over by both young and old. A lot of self satisfaction is achieved by scrapbookers who put pages together of one or more photos, along with a story, to preserve a memory of an event, or capture a unique moment in time.

The company Making Memories is synonymous with scrapbooking embellishments. They have a unique collection of metal embellishments that will create a unique and artistic look to any scrapbooking page. Along with embellishments, they now also have a range of tools that are loved by scrapbookers for making life easier, like the silent eyelet setter, a tag maker and dies for stamping.

However the question here is, with the popularity of die cutting machines for scrapbooking and the massive competition in the market from the two big brands of Die Cutting Machines... the electronic Provo Craft Cricut range of machines and the manually operated Sizzix range of machines, can Making Memories make a Die Cutting Machine that is comparable with these two big brand names?

The Making Memories SLICE hasn't been around for long, but it is making its name well known in the market for die cutting machines for scrapbooking. When compared to its competitors, it is much cheaper than the basic model of Cricut machines, which is an electronic cutter, however around the same price as a manual Sizzix machine like the Big Shot.

Where the Making Memories SLICE stands out though, is that it does not require a power cord to be operated. So it markets itself as being more portable than the Provo Craft Cricut, but with the same advantages, and as equally portable as the manual version of die cutting machines like the Sizzix. However since it is an electronic die cutter, it does not really compete with the Sizzix range of manual machines.

The Making Memories SLICE has similar features to the other electronic die cutters on the market like being able to plug in cartridges (known as design cards) and cutting shapes and letters at varying sizes. It does not need to be connected to a computer to function.

When being compared to the Cricut though, the SLICE attempts to go one better by having the ability to cut thicker pieces of material. While the Cricut range of machines can only cut cardstock and the Sizzix though can pretty much cut through anything (although it is a manually operated machined), the SLICE attempts to merge the gap by allowing material up to 0.5mm thick to be cut. So you get the benefits of a manual machine, on an electronic die cutter.

Given that the SLICE is competing with the Cricut and other electronic cutters, it is very well priced. It also takes up a lot less room than the other electronic cutters. From all reports, it also cuts very well and can cut sheets up to 0.5mm thick.

One of the SLICE's disadvantages though over the Cricut range of machines, is that you have to hold the card while it is cutting, as it does not have a sticky mat or other means of automatically cutting. This makes it a little time consuming, compared to the Cricut which you can set and forget. However at half the price, with the same advantages including the added bonus of no power cord, it is a definite player in the scrapbooking die cut machine market.