scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,173 
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Post by scrapnnana on Feb 21, 2018 21:38:32 GMT
I've always believed the differences between the Big Shot and Big Kick were just in looks. I had a Big Kick and a Cuttlebug. I saw no reason to get a Big Shot until they were available at Tuesday Morning for $40. I didn't need one, or so I told myself, but I bought one, anyway.
I have not been able to cut my detailed, wafer thin dies with my Big Kick. I even bought a new Big Kick a year ago. Then I bought the precision base plate upon recommendations from y'all here, but it still didn't work right. My Cuttlebug did a better job, but this morning I had a couple of new dies that were difficult to get a good cut, even with my old, original workhorse Cuttlebug.
I decided to get the Big Shot out of the box. Yes, it was still sitting in the box, unopened, till today. It had the same "not cutting all the way through" issues, so I decided to get out the precision base plate. It still took a few passes, but it cut all the way through using the precision base plate, without any shims. I never had that success using the precision base plate with the Big Kick.
So I have come to the conclusion that the differences may be more than just cosmetic. For one thing, the base plates that came with the Big Shot are different than the multi-use plate that came with the Big Kick. It seems to me that the plates of the Big Shot just work more efficiently with the precision base plate. Or maybe the multi-use platform of the Big Kick was just too confusing to me.
At any rate, I am glad that I bought the Big Shot!
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scrappington
Pearl Clutcher
in Canada
Posts: 3,139
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Post by scrappington on Feb 21, 2018 22:29:33 GMT
That's interesting. Well I'm glad you got a big shot for a good price. They are a great machine.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 6,983
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Feb 22, 2018 1:13:56 GMT
I have had my Big Shot for years. It showed no signs of dying, so I had to go ahead and buy the one I really wanted, the white and gray one. Now my old one is the back up. Along with it's little sister the Revolution from Quikutz  |
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Post by Linda on Feb 22, 2018 1:18:46 GMT
Along with it's little sister the Revolution from Quikutz I'm still using my QK Epic Six...I just don't use it enough to justify upgrading to a Big Shot |
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Post by anniefb on Feb 22, 2018 5:34:24 GMT
That’s interesting because I thought the differences were just cosmetic too.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 1, 2024 15:40:02 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2018 7:40:03 GMT
Add me to the I thought it was a different name club too and no cosmetic differences. I KNOW the machines are configured differently.
I had the Pink & Black version for the longest time. It was nice but didn't seem to live up to it's cutting hype. It worked what I needed for. I only got rid of it when my DH accidentally broke it in our move. I upgraded to the Sizzix Vintaj. I have said the Vintaj was the same machine because that's what I was told by Sizzix experts when I asked.
No, that machine is so different. The Vintaj was made for jewelry. That is why I bought it. Plus, I liked the birds. I am one of those people, lol. The pressure is definitely different. The rollers move differently. I can see a height difference. My Vintaj does cut out my thin rule dies very well. My embossing is stunning with that machine. It makes my old Sizzix look bad.
Yes, the machines are different.
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Post by lemondrop on Feb 22, 2018 17:36:10 GMT
Very interesting! Thanks for the info.
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Post by riversong1963 on Feb 23, 2018 16:21:04 GMT
Interesting. I've had both the Big Kick and the Big Shot, and I find that they are exactly the same performance-wise. But the Gemini blows them both out of the water when it comes to cutting ability. Still love my manual machines, but for the big and/or intricate jobs, I use my Gemini.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 23, 2018 16:40:28 GMT
Am I the only one who wants to run around town to see if any Tuesday Mornings still have one of the cheap Big Shots in stock? Hmmm. I already have a backup machine which is my Cuttlebug.
I haven’t noticed any problems with my Big Kick not cutting intricate dies though, it seems to cut the ones I have just fine. One thing I do that I don’t see other people doing is I only use one of my cutting plates as the actual cutting surface, meaning I don’t rotate them. I always keep one plate perfectly flat to use underneath the die with the magnetic platform. I cut all my thin dies with the cutting part face up and the flatter part of the die on top of the bottom plate, against the magnetic platform. The one that gets cut into gets all warped and funky but the other one stays perfectly flat. When that warped one gets bad, I crack out a new set of plates and move the previous bottom one to the top for cutting and put a new flat one underneath. I don’t know if it makes any difference, but that’s how I do it and I never have any trouble with my intricate dies not cutting.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,173
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Post by scrapnnana on Feb 23, 2018 22:25:29 GMT
I do the same. But I was using brand new plates with my Big Kick without success. Until I got the Big Shot from Tuesday Morning, I preferred my Cuttlebug for cutting with the thin dies. By the way, you can just call the Tuesday Morning product locator number (1-800-901-0881), and when the prompts ask for the SKU#, type in 1908572. Then it will ask for the zip code where you want to search. If there are any stores near you, it will tell you. It will save you time and gas rather than running around town. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 23, 2018 23:57:58 GMT
I do the same. But I was using brand new plates with my Big Kick without success. Until I got the Big Shot from Tuesday Morning, I preferred my Cuttlebug for cutting with the thin dies. By the way, you can just call the Tuesday Morning product locator number (1-800-901-0881), and when the prompts ask for the SKU#, type in 1908572. Then it will ask for the zip code where you want to search. If there are any stores near you, it will tell you. It will save you time and gas rather than running around town. Thanks for the SKU, that will make it easier to decide whether I want to drive over there, LOL. |
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Post by artisticscrapper on Feb 24, 2018 1:54:22 GMT
I have the old pink and black BS and I rarely have problems with intricate dies. I’m using the regular base and plates and thin cardboard shims as needed. I remove the tiny leftover pieces with the Tool ‘n One. crazy4scraps thanks for the plates idea. I’ll be doing that from now on. |
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Post by kiwikate on Feb 24, 2018 2:13:50 GMT
Am I the only one who wants to run around town to see if any Tuesday Mornings still have one of the cheap Big Shots in stock? Hmmm. I already have a backup machine which is my Cuttlebug. I haven’t noticed any problems with my Big Kick not cutting intricate dies though, it seems to cut the ones I have just fine. One thing I do that I don’t see other people doing is I only use one of my cutting plates as the actual cutting surface, meaning I don’t rotate them. I always keep one plate perfectly flat to use underneath the die with the magnetic platform. I cut all my thin dies with the cutting part face up and the flatter part of the die on top of the bottom plate, against the magnetic platform. The one that gets cut into gets all warped and funky but the other one stays perfectly flat. When that warped one gets bad, I crack out a new set of plates and move the previous bottom one to the top for cutting and put a new flat one underneath. I don’t know if it makes any difference, but that’s how I do it and I never have any trouble with my intricate dies not cutting. Great idea! Can I just ask to clarify- you cut with your dies face down, ie the cutting edge up? Have I been doing ,this wrong the whole time, lol? |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 24, 2018 2:54:46 GMT
kiwikate That’s exactly how I do it. I use the magnetic platform, then the flat plate, put the die upside down so the cutting edge is face up, put the paper over that, the cutting plate that I’m cutting into on top. Run the whole thing through, and I never have any problems with my intricate dies. If I need to cut in a specific place on the paper, I use a little piece of washi tape to hold the die where I want it. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong, that’s just always how I’ve done it. It doesn’t make sense to me to cut into both plates and get them both all warped up. The dies hold to the magnetic platform better if the plate the die is sitting on is flat. I do flip the one I’m cutting into from time to time and cut on both sides of it.
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Post by tinksmommy on May 3, 2018 0:09:13 GMT
I have been going back and forth between the two. Today the 60% off coupon for Michaels popped up on my iPhone and off I went. I was planning on getting Sizzix accessories with the coupon. However, I noticed the Sizzix machine was not restricted on the coupon. Sure enough, the Big Kick was eligible and it cost me $50. I reread this thread to make sure there is no difference between the BShot and the BKick machines. Now I am thinking I should return the BKick I bought and order a BShot.
This is my first manual machine. I have a Cameo. What would you do? Return or keep?
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,173
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Post by scrapnnana on May 3, 2018 3:40:21 GMT
I have been going back and forth between the two. Today the 60% off coupon for Michaels popped up on my iPhone and off I went. I was planning on getting Sizzix accessories with the coupon. However, I noticed the Sizzix machine was not restricted on the coupon. Sure enough, the Big Kick was eligible and it cost me $50. I reread this thread to make sure there is no difference between the BShot and the BKick machines. Now I am thinking I should return the BKick I bought and order a BShot. This is my first manual machine. I have a Cameo. What would you do? Return or keep? Since most have had no issues with their Big Kick machines, I would keep it. Use the suggestions given here by others, especially for your first cuts. The only issues I had were with very detailed dies. My first Big Kick worked fine with everything else. I didn't try the ultra detailed dies until I'd had it awhile. Maybe it got damaged in transport, or was misused when I took it to crops. Others sometimes used it. The second Big Kick was being closed out. There may have been a reason they were getting rid of that particular one. I bought it at JoAnn's, and it was a screaming deal. Maybe a little too good? |
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Post by cbet on May 3, 2018 12:09:21 GMT
I have been going back and forth between the two. Today the 60% off coupon for Michaels popped up on my iPhone and off I went. I was planning on getting Sizzix accessories with the coupon. However, I noticed the Sizzix machine was not restricted on the coupon. Sure enough, the Big Kick was eligible and it cost me $50. I reread this thread to make sure there is no difference between the BShot and the BKick machines. Now I am thinking I should return the BKick I bought and order a BShot. This is my first manual machine. I have a Cameo. What would you do? Return or keep? I'd keep the Big Kick - I'm still using mine that I bought 10 years ago and have no problems cutting any kind of dies, even the ones that are insanely intricate. I'm another who uses dies with the cut side up. If I want to use a die to cut a stamped image, I line it up and hold it in place with a piece of low tack tape. |
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Post by tinksmommy on May 4, 2018 0:15:42 GMT
Thanks scrapnana and cbet!
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Post by pas2 on May 4, 2018 21:18:55 GMT
I have a Big Kick and itcuts great especially with the precision base plate.
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