Can we talk about manual die cutting?

It is a dilemma. I have a Silhouette also. I recently acquired a little Spellbinders from Tuesday Morning. It works great for thin dies, but then I discovered that the plate for embossing is not available. Since I had some embossing folders I wanted to use, I ended up getting a Sizzix Texture Maker at Michaels, which was actually cheaper than a plate would have been for the Spellbinders.

Between all of the above, I can get the job done, but sometimes I want to cut something thicker or bigger. The machines I have my eye on are the Big Shot Plus, and the newer Vagabond. But really, I can live without it, which means I'll probably end up getting one soon. 

I've had a Big Shot for years and also own a Silhouette, but I would never give up my Big Shot. I've used a few different manual die cutters and the Big Shot is the one I would go for. It's very well built and with a heavy weight die cuts chipboard no problem.

Big Shot (aka Big Kick) is a hard working, sturdy machine. You can't go wrong with either - just look for the best price. They will cut wafer dies as well as the thick steel dies made by Sizzix.

As far as alpha dies go, my favorite new one is this: www.neatandtangled.com/collections/nice-and-neat-dies/products/journaling-alphas-nice-and-neat-dies

I really like that set of alpha dies!  

I have a Cuttlebug, which is the smallest manual die cutter I have found.  It will accept paper, wafer dies, and embossing folders up to 6" wide, which has been enough for my purposes.  I'm saving my surface space for a Silhouette!

I have an old QK handle and Epic Six - neither of which, I think, are still available. I also have a Cricut (with SCAL) but sometimes it's easier to just pull out the QK for one or two things than use the Cricut.

I am partial to my Big Kick (aka. Big Shot). It is the workhorse of my craftroom. Also, look at Craigslist, since they are a little heavy to ship.

Aww, thanks  

I have tons of dies in different shapes mostly.  I do have the Blackout Alpha set from SC, and while it is cool, I haven't done much with it.  

My favorite new thing to do is to make confetti with tissue paper and dies.  The wafer dies cut through a ton of layers of tissue paper easily.  That's what I used for this layout. 

Most of my embellishments from this album were made with my Cuttlebug.  This includes the 2" square frames, the 2-hole attacher things, the blue lattice background on the "beach trip" page, and all of the little confetti pieces and paper sequins (best die ever), and everything from the "our day in LA" pages except for the 3 wooden triangles.  *I just noticed that the 2" frames on the page with the pieces of seashell were also embossed.

I have two different big shot models and love them. I also have a scan n cut and silhouette sd so I have a lot of options.

Yes, wafer dies definitely push down the edges, lending a little bit of dimension to the paper. Some even have built in ridges which, with the right equiptment (there's a mat for the Cuttlebug) emboss a design while you're cutting. I haven't figured out how to do this correctly though.

I buy AC dies from my local scrapbook store sometimes, and Joann's & Michael's have some that I have purchased on sale (or clearance or with a coupon), and online stores like Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com. I think I got the sequin die from SSS. Sometimes Tuesday Morning has random sets for super cheap. I steer clear from the frilly and overly elaborate ones that seem to make up the majority of what my local stores sell.

The dies aren't super cheap, but I justify it by telling myself they are more affordable than craft punches, and you get more variety. For me, it has to be a design that I could see myself using over and over. Lawn Fawn makes some cute sets (though some of the ones on that page are designed to be used with their stamp sets). I have purchased a few Waffle Flower dies, too. Simon Says Stamp sells both brands.

This is why I always buy stitched dies rather than using an electronic machine for them. They look better to me with the little bit of dimension. Gina Marie stitched dies are the most economical. I buy them from www.katscrappiness.com but there is another site that sells them (google gina marie dies). 

I have a Big Shot that I love love love, and I'm cutting thickers from foam sheets. I'm using thin alpha dies from Sizzix and they cut foam sheets, no problem.

ellewood have a look at Simon Says Stamp exclusive dies, Paper Smooches and Papertrey Ink. Honestly their designs are waaaaay superior to what SC produces.

I have a Cuttlebug and a Silhouette and think both are needed! It's not convenient for me to take my Sil to a crop, but CB is easily portable. I use my CB for small tasks, like cutting out one circle or a heart, etc. I use my Sil for bigger projects, like making banners that have multiple parts and pieces.