1st Paper - Core'dinations ColorCore (Super Assortment Nostalgia Paper Pack) Got VERY nice cuts with this paper. I would have to say that this paper cut better than previously tested papers. The cuts from this paper also popped out easier after cutting. I used a pressure of 8, tab density 1, tab width 1.
2nd Paper - Core'dinations Vintage Collection (Flower Power Paper Pack). I was curious if I would get the same results with this as the texture on this paper is different. I got the same results with this paper as well. Pressure 8, tab density 1, tab width 1.
3rd Paper - Core'dinations Gemstones. This is a gorgeous paper that I bought when I was at CHA and haven't used yet. This paper also cut very well using pressure of 8, tab density 1, tab width 1.
4th Paper - Core'dinations Black Magic (Hocus Pocus Paper Pack). This paper's texture is similar to the ColorCore (Paper #1), so I got the same results with this. Pressure 8, tab density 1, tab width 1.
5th Paper - Core'dinations White Wash. Here is where things got interesting. I got a clean cut using the flourish. The "Angel" cut was mostly clean although there was a bit of a problem with the interior cut out of the A. When we come to the tree image, I had failure twice with this image. The failure occurred in the exact same spot, but it is not the spot that I have come to expect. I still do not know why this happened. I am probably going to play around with it a little more today and see if I can figure out why. This paper will probably cut well for most shapes. At this point I would not recommend cutting intricate shapes with this paper. I will keep everyone posted if I find a solution to this problem. I used pressure 8, tab density 1, tab width 1 for these cuts.
6th Paper - Bazzill Basics (Tropicals Paper Pack). This paper did not cut quite as well as the Core'dinations papers. The tabs are more noticeable with this paper. While I would hardly call that a failure, it is definitely something to consider as the crafter will need to clean up the image.
7th Paper - Bazzill Basics (Dotted Swiss Paper Pack). I love the look of this paper! This paper was also mostly successful. I used pressure 8, tab density 1, tab width 1 on this paper and got some nice cuts with it. There was some failure on the interior cut out of the A. At this point, I would have to say that if you want to make an intricate cut using this paper, proceed but be prepared that you may need to either clean up the image or there may be failure.
Overall, I had some good results and some not so good (but not horrible) results testing these papers from Core'dinations and Bazzill. Today, I think I am going to put in a new blade and test the Core'dinations White Wash and the Bazzill Dotted Swiss again to see if maybe my blade was simply getting too dull for these papers. I think that new blades might be the key for cutting intricate shapes from certain papers and it just might be good practice to "rotate" blades. What I mean by this, is using new blades for intricate shapes, and using "not quite new" blades for simpler shapes. I have done this with the Cricut in the past as well, so this may be a practice that I will adopt with the eCraft as well.
If you are looking to purchase an eCraft (as well as some of these Core'dinations and Bazzill papers), be sure to check out Cutters Creek. Kim Bush is the owner, and I highly recommend her store, she has great customer service and super fast shipping. She also was a beta tester for the eCraft and her insight was invaluable in helping me to make the decision to buy an eCraft. She also runs the eCraft Crafters Yahoo Group and there is a tremendous wealth of information available there.
I have only had the eCraft for a day and a half at this point, so I thought that I would share with you my initial impression. The biggest positive to this machine for me is no mats. I can cut these images with little to no prep work, which is great. When using my Cricut Expression, whenever I thought about making a cut, I would mentally have to decide if the cut is worth the effort to get out the mat and get everything set up. By eliminating the mat, I am able to be cutting in seconds rather than minutes. While this may not be a big deal to some people, to me it is because I have two little boys and a husband battling a back injury and my crafting time is limited, so I want to make the most of it. The biggest negative to this machine is the noise. It is louder than my Cricut Expression. Last night, my son was playing a computer game while I was cutting out all of these images, and he would complain that he couldn't hear the game. This is not a huge negative to me, because I do have this machine in what we call the "Time Out" room so it is away from the majority of the house. Aside from my crafting supplies, the only other items in this room are my son's computer and the printer. This computer is an old desktop that we let our son use so that he does not use the newer computers in the house, so the only time the eCraft noise will bother anybody is when he is playing his games. Some people may not like the micro tabs that the eCraft produces. I don't mind them. To me, the no mats option is well worth the occasional cut that needs to be cleaned up. With the Cricut Expression I ofter had to clean up cuts anyways so there is really no gain or loss there. There is also something to be said for not having to purchase mats and not having to "re-sticky" mats. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase, but I will be waiting to make a full review of this machine once the software is available. I think the software is what could put this machine on the map as far as electronic die cutting machines go. If the software does not meet the needs of most crafters, then the eCraft will not be a huge leap. One thing I do have to say is that Craftwell as a company appears to be very helpful. They want this machine to be well received and they seem to want to make the eCraft everything it can possibly be. So as problems or issues arise, I am going to report my findings to Craftwell in hopes that some of these issues can be corrected. After all they know this machine better than any of us!
If you are new to my blog, you can sign up for the GIVEAWAY that I have going on. Also, if anyone has any setting information for the eCraft that they would like for me to include on my upcoming eCraft Settings Chart, please email me at Denise@PurplePaperParadise.com. This chart will be added to my blog here in the next day or two with the settings that I have found thus far and will be regularly updated as I get more information. Thanks for reading this rather long post, and hopefully I will have another video to share with you later today!
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