Die Cutting Machine Comparisons | Anna Griffin Empress vs Empress Mini vs Marquise vs Big Shot
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Thank you so much for watching, liking, commenting, and subscribing!
Today's video was a subscriber request to review the Diamond Press Marquise based on my experience over the past 5 months of using it. I thought I would throw in the rest in case that would be interesting to anyone else.
These are simply my opinions based on using these products. I purchased all items in this video myself and none were sent to me in hopes of endorsing or making this video. I am not trying to sell you anything, but rather share information and my experience with these different machines and products.
If you're starting out, I think the Marquise would be a great choice for the value and the excellent die cutting results.
If you want the most versatile machine, I would choose the Big Shot since you can use just about any type die on the market- past and present.
If you have dexterity issues, the Empress/Empress Mini would be ideal.
You also have to decide on what fits your budget, whether you need to be able to travel with it, and electric or hand-crank.
I hope this information helps! If you have any requests for more of these type of videos, please leave them in the comments!
Thank you!!!
Anna Griffin Empress can be found on HSN.com or Anna Griffin.com
Diamond Press Marquise can be found on HSN.com
Sizzix Big Shot can be found at your favorite retailer.
EXCELLENT review! I have all those machines except for the mini. My Marquis is my GO TO 90% of the time. Next is my Empress. Push comes to shove, it's Ole Faithful, my BIG Shot. I have the black & pink one. THAT machine will accommodate ANY thick ess, dies and/or embossing folders. I'll never get rid of it.
Me too! 😂🥰 thank you!
Thank you SO much! FABULOUS overview, so thorough. 🧡🧡🧡
p.s. I also still have a few of the Cuttlebug foam dies and Sizzix "legacy" cutting dies that I still use occasionally, e.g. embosslits, sizzlits, steel rule Bigz and Bigz XL, so I'll be hanging on to my Big Shot that I got in 2009.😅
Thank you so much! I’m so glad this video was helpful! I will have a very hard time letting go of my legacy dies especially when I’ve had some of them for most of my teaching career. 🥰
Excellent review of the different die cutting machines. I am on the fence with buying the Anna Griffin Empress but your review of it has impressed me.
I’m glad it helped! 🥰
Wonderful video on comparison die cutting machines. Excellent food for thought.
@dianalama1591 yay! So glad it helped! 🥰
Love the ease of use of the Marquise! Hate to think about sandwiches and such so this takes care of that. Folder warping is an issue, but I do use them for a long time even if warped. The biggest drawback is if you have a larger die, that's when you need a different machine.
100% agree with you! 🥰
Wonderful video!!! Thanks for taking the time to create this Fabulous video!! Take care Christine
Great review!!! I do have a big shot but I have been considering the AG Empress.
I love it! ❤️
I have Empress, Spellbinders Platinum 6, Gemini, TODO, CutNBoss, Empress is the best electric die cutting machine, even with Gemini II coming out and Bit Shot Switch( I don't own, the only advantage of Switch is it can take steel rule dies, but it seems slow and loud). I use my Platinum 6 for hot foil system and heartfelt creations flower shaping molds. If you don't have steel rule dies, Empress is the only machine you need. I am looking into buying a DP Marquise though, because I have a lot of DP products from HSN and it does seem like an affordable manual machine. I want the one with 6 in opening.
@turkey1528 oh my word! You almost have them all! 😀 I love the Empress. It’s just easy breezy beautiful cuts. I also love the Marquise bc it cuts sooooo well and is so easy & smooth to crank. I have the sizzix Foldaway bc I do have bigz dies and other sizzix & Cuttlebug dies that I will never part with. A 6 inch Marquise would be something! 🤔🥰
I recently got into card making and quickly decided I wanted a die cut machine. I bought the large Anna Griffin Empress machine because of my age (68yrs) and mostly because I am having surgery on both of my shoulders for torn rotator cuff and bicep tendons. Ouch!! I only paid $180.00 for it so I’m not complaining at all. But I have a few dies from Altenew and I’m wondering…can use them in my Empress? Also, I subscribed to your channel and have been having a really good time watching your videos. Thanks!!
@wandasimons3305 Thank you! 🥰 you can use any of the thin metal dies from any stamp company. I would recommend using a shim to get the best cuts. I use a cutting mat from the Dollar tree kitchen section (you get a pack of 2 for $1.25) and cut it down to the size of your mat. It’s the perfect dimension and you can reuse it over and over. 👍🏼 Anna’s dies are thicker than most so this extra shim isn’t needed with her dies. I think you will love the empress. I do! Welcome to the card making community & any questions you have, please ask! Happy crafting.
Thank you so much for the detailed comparison! Can the Empress Mini cut regular A2 cover plates?
Yes, but it’s close to the edges so sometimes you might have to trim here & there on the edges with your scissors.
@@craftingwithclass1 Thank you for a quick reply!
Great video!!! Are you cutting right into the magnetic plate or the clear plate? I hope this makes sense.
@janetg. On the Empress, I always use the magnetic mat. It will emboss and cut in 1 pass & im lazy so that works for me! 🥰
Thanks for your informative video. Will the Bigz dies work in the Anna Griffin machine?
No, the Bigz dies only work on sizzix machines as far as I know. The AG empress is only for wafer thin dies (from any company). Thanks! 🥰
Hello! So happy to have found your channel and this video! I saw an easel card made with the AG Carriage die set and that sent me down quite the rabbit hole. I see her dies emboss as well as cut. I have a Big Shot and don't want to purchase Anna's machine. Will her dies cut and emboss just as well with a Big Shot? I watched your video but all the different machines are just swimming in my head. Thanks so much! xo Claudia
@thecrabbycrafter Awww thank you so much! 🥰
Some of her dies will fit in the big shot but not the larger ones. For example, the carriage die doesn’t fit in the Big Shot since the die is 6.5 inches and the max width on the Big Shot is 6 inches. Her dies that fit cut perfectly fine in the Big Shot but in order to get a good emboss, you need to run the embossing pad with the die. I usually only need to cut on the magnetic mat on the Empress to get the cut & emboss in one pass. There are other machines that are big enough to cut her larger dies like the Gemini. I definitely recommend that if you’re interested in a AG die, make sure they are smaller than 6” wide or you won’t be able to use them. I hope this helps!
@@craftingwithclass1 Oh my goodness YES, thank you for the info! I had the carriage die and the Hanukkah die in my cart at HSN and I had a talk with myself and decided that carriage die was gorgeous but not something I would use much. So I removed it but kept the Hanukkah dies. Appreciate the info :).
I have the Hanukkah dies too. They are lovely and they all fit in the Big Shot 👍🏼
I’m debating between the spellbinder and the empress. You say that the Tim holts don’t fit with the empress. Do you mean the metal dies from Joann’s. That might play a factor on which I purchase. If u could only use one machine which would u keep
The Tim Holtz’ Vagabond machine IS compatible with all the dies that I mentioned for the sizzix Big Shot. So if you have Bigz dies and you want a motorized machine, that may be the best option since it will cut virtually all dies. Sizzix also has their motorized Big Shot as well. The limitations would be the size of those platforms as larger dies would not fit. The Bigz dies do not work in the Empress. The Empress only cuts wafer thin dies. If I could only keep 1 machine - yikes that would be sad! - I would say the Big Shot only because it is the only machine that I own that cuts every type of die. But I have become so spoiled by having a motorized machine that I would run to purchase the empress as soon as possible 😂 I hope this helps!
One more thing… the Spellbinders and Empress are different machines. On the empress, you would be able to cut larger wafer thin dies (especially the ones Anna Griffin creates tend to be larger) You are limited to the plate size on the Spellbinders machine as you are on the Big Shot or Vagabond. I wish I could tell you more about the Spellbinders machine but I don’t own that one.
Thank you so much for your response. I guess my biggest question is everyone is saying the empress only cuts wafer thin dies. Does that include the thinlits for the sizzix
Yes, it will cut Thinlits as those are wafer thin dies.
Thank you taking time to create such a wonderful and honest review. Christine
So is the Empress compatible with the Glimmer Hot Foil system...as the Big Shot is? That's a BIGGIE to me!
From what I understand, you can use the glimmer through most manual die cutting machines. Here’s what I found on Spellbinders’ site: compatible machines: Spellbinders Platinum
Spellbinders Platinum 6
Spellbinders Artomology Platinum 6 Deep Sea Die Cutter by Jane Davenport
Sizzix Big Shot
Sizzix Big Shot Plus
Sizzix Big Shot Express
Sizzix Big Shot Foldaway
Sizzix Big Kick
Sizzix Vagabond
Sizzix Vagabond 2
We R Evolution
We R Revolution
Other steel rule die compatible die cutting machines with a platform length of at least 6"
They mentioned the big shot switch was not compatible so I’m assuming the Empress wouldn’t be either. Maybe you could reach out to Anna’s customer service to be sure. 🤷🏻♀️
Its nice to have a small machine but! the Marquees folders are a pain in the butt with their flimsy folders and they have no desire to come up with a better folder solution. I have same one u have. Cuts great until a couple to 3 times out of whack folders...constant cost. The dies wiggle around and doesn't stay in place
I LOVE my Marquise. I have found that you can flip the folders inside out and that you can cut into all 4 surfaces of a folder, alternating where you cut into it. In that way I have been able to use each folder probably many tens of times, possibly a hundred times. If you tape your die to the paper it won’t shift. Sometimes a very large die needs a newer, flatter folder, but I have found that most small to medium dies are easily cut with older folders. Just be careful when cutting metallic papers . If you use a folder that has become etched it can leave marks on the metallic paper. To avoid this, simply put metallic paper in the folder so that the shiny side faces AWAY from the etched surface of the folder. Hope these tips help!
Will the Empress take the Sizzix 3D embossing folders and, if so, what is the proper sandwich to us? I think I saw in the video that it does but in the pros and cons I didn't see any mention of the 3D embossing folders for the Empress. Thanks for the video.
@d dobush yes, it does. Place the folder between 2 cutting plates and that’s it.
@@craftingwithclass1
Thank you for such a quick reply. Any tips for using the Stampin Up 3D dies in the Empress. Just tried it and the Empress pushes it backwards and out. These dies are about 1/8 inch thick. Others are “dynamic” and are about 3/8 inch thick.
@d dobush I don’t have any SU dies so I couldn’t be sure. you may have to play with your sandwich either removing the metal shim or if it’s still too thick replacing the magnetic mat with a few cardstock shims or cutting into the plate instead of the magnetic mat. Obviously you don’t want to force anything through it but start smaller and add one cardstock shim at a time & the metal adapter until it works. I’m sure there’s a way. Let me know if you you do.
Thanks so much. I’ll let you know 😀
Thank you so much for this video! I bought a few of Anna Griffin dies which also emboss, I have a big shot and a cuttlebug, do you think I can emboss with one of the machine or do I need to buy the empress?
@forestofthings as long as the dies fit, you can emboss on the Big Shot. You would just do the normal steps as any other dies. Cut your image and then run it with the embossing pad. On the Empress, that is just one step as it will do both with one pass. Enjoy!
And can I buy the plates (full side or mini) and use them in my Big shot? Or do I have to buy the empress machine? Thanks in advance for your help!
@@craftingwithclass1 Thank you so much for your quick respond! I have ordered dies which has an impression on it, so they are supposed to be cutting and embossing at the same time. Should I buy the plates from Anna to do so, or Big shot plates will work? I have the plates (only need to get the silicone one) but still didn't figure out how to do the sandwich for Anna's die cuts so I'll be able to emboss and cut. I don't mind doing many steps, just don't know what is the right combination (sandwich) to do so. Thank you so much for your help!
Do you think I should get the silicone rubber and the impressions pad from Sizzix and then I will be able to emboss with Anna's plates?
@Forestofthings If you’re using the Big Shot, you will need the two cutting plates, the multi purpose platform, and the rubber embossing mat. You may want to try the dies with and without the shim to see which one works best. Once you die cut it, you will need to pass it through again with the embossing mat to get that deep embossing detail. The multipurpose platform should have the directions for embossing. With the Empress, the magnetic mat acts like an embossing mat so that it will emboss and cut in one pass. I would not use the empress parts on your big shot. The empress does come with an embossing mat but I have rarely used it because the magnetic mat gives great results and I’m lazy. 😂 I only want to run it through once. I hope this helps!
Hi there, Thank you so much for this comparison on die cutting machines. I'm a crafter of different things and kinda went down the rabbit hole watching the shopping channel during craft day. Well...I guess I've decided to start making cards because like I don't already have a ton of other crafts but at any rate I bought the Anna Griffin charm school card kit and of course I needed to get it on auto ship 😬😬 because I need those other cards right..... 😂😂😂. Well it came the other day and I realized I need a cutting machine so because I love to shop and spend🫣😬.....I bought the Anna Griffin empress which should arrive in a few weeks I guess but I started googling and YouTubing die cutting machine pros and cons. I just had to buy one yesterday so I was on a hunt and mission and found 1 in store sizzix big shot. So I bought it. I didn't use it yet because clearly I may not need 2 but I may still keep it because of your info on the pros and cons. Phew......so with all of that said.....thank you again in putting together this video. 😂😂😂😂
@LakishaS I’m glad it was helpful. 👍🏼 I love the AG Empress. I just ordered a Sizzix Foldaway machine bc my poor Hello Kitty Big Shot should probably be retired - after over 10 years of die cutting service! 💪🏼 It’s not broken or anything but I notice that it’s starting to show its age. For many of AG dies you will need the large cutting plates (those don’t come with the machine). But if you only have wafer thin dies, the AG Empress is all you need ❤️
Great review. I have a Marquise & a Big Shot Plus. I had a big shot but gave it away when I got the BS Plus. I love Sizzix and have never had any issues with the machine. It will cost you but it is a good investment because like you said it cuts everything. I also love the marquise. It cuts amazingly & is very easy to use. Thank you for video.
Thanks so much! 🥰 I am eyeing the new sizzix electronic die cutter 👀 like I need ANOTHER machine 😂🤷🏻♀️
@@craftingwithclass1 I am too😹. No I don’t need it but WOW it is nice & so many fun colors!
My diamond press never worked and the company wouldn’t take it back. I even did a cider and they told me I was using the wrong hand. My Sizzix is my work horse and I’m sad I even strayed.
I’m sorry you had a negative experience with your machine. I would have returned it to HSN especially if it was within the 30 day window. Either for a refund or a replacement machine. If you’re happy with your sizzix that’s great. My personal experience with the Marquise has been very good but it has its limitations which is why I have my other machines. 🤷🏻♀️ TFS ❤️