Sizing up the Sizzix BIGkick

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Reported by Lexi Daly

Although I am mainly a simple stamper, I have come to realize that I'm also a tool junkie! I'm such a sucker for the "enabling" posts and articles here and there about this tool or that, accompanied by beautiful samples and details of what it can do for you. (That's how I ended up here!) I may not always buy it the day it comes out or even the same month, but eventually I do.

So that's exactly what happened when the original Sizzix (featured in Heidi's recent article) was introduced. I immediately started collecting dies--shapes, frames, and tags at first, and then the dolls and their clothes, both sizes! Not only did I use it on cards and invitations, but with two daughters, it quickly became a fun art activity that we'd spend hours doing together. It's such a great way to play paper dolls!

By the time die cutting machines decided to change to the rolling style we see now, I had a large collection of original Sizzix dies, plus quite a few Sizzlits, the skinny dies. Again, I watched and waited, read a few enabling posts and by the time I decided to "roll the die," Sizzix came out with the BIGkick. The Cuttlebug looked cute and the Big Shot was also by Ellison, but for me, it really all came down to brand loyalty and adding to my "Sizzix" collection. The few other criteria were really less important, but here they are. I had enough room on my counter and I liked that the BIGkick doesn't have fold down parts and is quite heavy. Since my kids use it too, I thought having less moving parts would be less for them to break. Plus I really liked the white and red color scheme.

Not having used the other options, I really can't compare the BIGkick to them specifically. But I can say that it does what all of the other machines are reported to do and works with other brand dies, too. My girls and I use it for our paper doll fun and I continue to use it with my original die collection. I have continued to add Sizzix dies and Texturz plates to my collection, as well as several Cuttlebug dies and embossing folders and most recently, Spellbinders Nestabilities. No matter what die cutting machine you choose, you just have to choose one--it really is a must-have tool!