I finally took the plunge and bought myself a cutting machine: the Brother Scan n Cut CM350. And WOW, I love it!
I was very, very hesitant to buy this machine. A few years ago I owned a Silhouette cutting machine and I didn’t have a great experience with it. Every time I tried to use it, it was completely frustrating. I spent hours and hours one day trying to figure out why it wasn’t working correctly, looking up troubleshooting tips, testing out things. It was just not at all enjoyable and it made me never want to use it. In total I made one single project with it the whole time I owned it. I did like that project but it was not worth the headache every time I wanted to make something, so I sold it.
I had heard people rave about the Brother machines but I just kept picturing myself next to a machine that wouldn’t work correctly again, and I didn’t want to deal with that. I did look up the machines to see how much they cost and to research which model might be best, but I still wasn’t sure. Then one day I happened to do a search for this machine again and I found a used one being sold for an AMAZING deal. It was the exact model I had decided would be best for me and it was such a good price, so I decided to go for it. And I am SO glad I did!
I received the machine about a week ago. It worked perfectly on the first try, and I didn’t even have an instruction manual or anything to go with it. I almost couldn’t believe it the first time I used it; I just sat there in happy disbelief staring at everything it had cut out. One time I noticed that something hadn’t been cut all the way through the best, and all I had to do was touch a few settings to adjust the cut pressure by one point, and then it was perfect. And going through those settings could not have been easier. It’s amazing!
I think the thing I like best about this machine is that you don’t need a computer to use it. The Silhouette had its own program to design things, which sounds great, but I just found it too complicated to be enjoyable for me. This machine literally just scans what I put into it, and then cuts it out. Simple.
It’s nice enough that you don’t have to line up a metal die to cut each thing out one by one, but that is extra appreciated when you have multiples of something. I just made 11 copies of the same card (coming soon to this blog!) and I was able to use a lot of tiny pieces on each one that would’ve been a test in patience if I had to separately run them through my die cut machine. It saved so much time.
And of course… the money savings! I recently placed an order for a bunch of stamps and it felt weird to not buy the coordinating dies, but I did the math and OH MAN. If I had needed to purchase the dies for every stamp I bought, it would’ve cost me $191.00. That’s a ton! I was able to get way more stamps for the amount I wanted to spend. It’s pretty thrilling to think of how many more different kinds of cards I’ll be able to make now.
And when I think about the companies I love like Lawn Fawn, I don’t think they need to worry at all. The way I see it, I’ll still be spending the same amount of money on their products as before, it’s just that I’ll happily be putting that money towards all stamps (and standalone dies) instead of the coordinating dies. I think that’s probably true of most people. I don’t think Lawn Fawn will ever lose me as a customer. 🙂
I am ecstatic about the deal I got on this machine. I looked up the new models again and it turns out I bought my used version for 71% off the normal/new price! And when I checked today, the cheapest used version I saw was DOUBLE what I paid. I’m very much a saver so a good deal is definitely cause for celebration in my book! I think I got lucky with the deal I found, but I also think it pays to be persistent and patient when keeping an eye out for something like this.
So glad to own this machine now!
handmadebyrachelle.com 