Die Cutting Machines are all the rage at the moment in Scrapbooking and it is easy to see why. They make life so easy and can produce amazing results on your scrapbook pages. Cricut, at the moment I would have to say is the leader in the computerized die cutting machine market. However there are other brands on the market, like the Xyron Wishblade that should be considered too.

However with the popularity of the Cricut, many people don't both looking twice at other brands? However some of the lesser known brands, do have some great features to offer, as long as you can handle not having the designer brand name.

The main issue with the Cricut range of machines is that you constantly have to be buying new cartridges to have the different fonts and shapes available to cut. The initial outlay for the Cricut machine is reasonable, however each cartridge costs around US$80 each, give or take. And most likely you will get bored with one or two cartridges of the same shapes and fonts, so you most likely want to own around 10 cartridges, which adds up very quickly indeed.

Now enter the Xyron Wishblade. The upfront cost of Xyrons computerized die cutting machine is a touch more than the Cricut, however you can cut any freely downloadable true type font or clip art image that you can find on the net. You can also swap files with other Wishblade users. Anything that is on your computer is able to be cut. Hence a big community of online wishblade users has sprung up, to take advantage of this wonderful machine.

So if you are seriously into fonts and shapes and want lots of variety without the expense, then this is the better machine for you, as the ongoing costs of the wishblade for the variety offered is much less than the Cricut.

However like all products on the market, there really is no perfect solution. While the Wishblade cuts the same as the Cricut generally, but is much cheaper in the long run, it does have a major drawback, if you like to share your die cutting machine with your friends, or often attend scrapathons, or scrapbook days... it isn't anywhere near as portable as the Cricut. The Wishblade has to be attached to a computer to be used, as it relies on your computer memory storage of fonts and shapes to cut. So if you want to take your Wishblade with you, your computer has to come along too.

The Cricut on the other hand does not need a computer, only the cartridges. So if you want portability, perhaps the Wishblade won't be your best choice. If it is variety at the right price you want, then take a serious look at the Xyron Wishblade.