Making Memories Slice Cordless Design Cutter Machine Starter Set

by Making Memories

• Cuts paper, cardstock, vellum, vinyl, acetate, photos and lightweight fabric up to 1/2 mm thick
• Cuts most designs in 7 sizes ranging from 1" to 4"
• Non paper-fed cutter allows for maximum use of paper; Cuts anywhere on any size media
• Over 40 additional design cards available; Drawing and embossing tips also available; Additonal design cards and tips sold separately
• Measures 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 inches; 12 month limited warranty on electronic parts

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 7.4 inches ; 4.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001DH96WW
• Item model number: 30750
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,312 in Arts, Crafts & Sewing (See Top 100 in Arts, Crafts & Sewing)
  • #33 in Arts, Crafts & Sewing > Scrapbooking > Die-Cuts & Die-Cut Machines > Die-Cut Machines

Product Description

A portable, rechargeable design cutter that weighs less than 2 pounds and measures less than 6-inch square; Starter set includes: Slice Cordless Design Cutter, Basic Shapes Design Card & Design Guide, 6-inch by 6-inch glass cutting mat, 5 blades, blade replacement tool, blade adjustment wrench, power cord, repositionable tacky adhesive, applicator brush and user manual.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

132 of 136 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Value Die-Cut Machine EVER! November 18, 2008

By J. McGrath

This is the first die-cut machine I have ever owned so I am by no means an expert but so far I absolutely adore my Slice Machine!
I am a frugal and practical shopper and I like to do my homework before I invest a chuck of money into something. So when I arrived at a point in my scrapbooking when I realized I would love to have a die-cutter I did some research. All die-cut machines are costly but the electronic ones are outrageously so. The affordable ones seem to have so many drawbacks that they are just not worth it. I looked at the Xyron cutter for a while but it got alot of bad reviews for the cutting mat which wore out too fast and had to be replaced alot. Cricuts and Pazzles are crazy expensive and their designs are costly as well.

Then one day in my research I saw an ad for the Slice. I checked it out and knew this was it. In a nut shell here are its strengths:

-Price. At $150 MSRP it is affordable. I actually got mine brand new on Ebay for $110. The design cards hold 100-150 images and some have 2 to 3 different alphabets and retail for $40 MSRP. Once again, I have found them as low as $27 online.

-Cutting Mat is infinitely reuseable. The Slice comes with a 6X6 glass mat but you can purchase a 12X12 for around $20. You simply paint on a tacky adhesive to keep the paper in place while you cut and wash it off the mat when your done. The adhesive comes with the product and when you run out just buy some more at around $6. One application of adhesive has lasted me 3 sessions of scrabooking and I've cut about 50 things so a little goes a long way.

-Portability. If you are into scrapping away from home you can easily transport it. Its very light weight and compact and they make a carrying case especially for it as well.

-Large screen.... Its easy to choose what you need to cut and the menus are so simple a child could use this.

-Fully Self Contained. This product does not need to be hooked to a computer. It is fully rechargeable and a charge lasts for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs of cutting. Plus, if the charge runs out when you are cutting, you can plug the charger back in and continue.

-Range of designs and sizes. The Slice cuts most designs on the design cards from 1/2 inch to 4 inches giving you 8 sizes in most images. Currently there are 8 different design cards available but Making Memories is planning more. They also offer a orginizer bag for the design cards that matched the carrying case.

-It will cut Bazzil and photos and anything thinner than that.

Weaknesses:

-It only cuts up to 4 inches. This is not a problem for me but it could be for some people.

-It will not cut chipboard or anything thick like that. I don't think most cutters do though.

-I honestly cannot think of anymore drawbacks!

I LOVE MY SLICE!!! Read more ›

122 of 138 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Many downsides, few upsides November 28, 2008

By L. Gagliardi

1. Each letter must be cut individually. If you are cutting out a phrase, you won't be getting up to work on your page while it cuts the phrase. You will be setting up each letter individually, and holding the Slice while it cuts each letter, I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U-A-L-L-Y.

2. If you use the Cricut, you know how the mat is reusable, but needs to be replaced after the mat loses it's stickiness. The Slice has a glass mat that you spread a small amount of glue over with a sponge brush, to give it it's stickiness. Sounds great, until you try it. There was always too much or too little glue. Too much glue and you'll tear your paper trying to get it off. Then you'll have to scrub and wash the glass mat to remove the residue and paper. Too little, and the paper moves around. You'll ruin your design.

3. You have to hold down the Slice while it's cutting. Remember, you'll do this for each individual letter or design. It needs to be "homed" when you first use it. It adjusts the blade height. The directions say to "hold down the Slice lightly" while it cuts. I had to hold mine down forcefully. Actually, sometimes mine jumped around wildly and made grinding noises; it sometimes cut, sometimes didn't, and there were some letters that did not cut at all, even with the same cartridge, same paper, same setting. Sometimes it shredded the paper. The customer service line told me it needed to be "homed" again, and that I was doing it improperly. What? Do you really want it to be this complicated to cut out a letter? I followed the instructions exactly. When it worked, it cut nicely; when it didn't it, was very frustrating. I did the same thing each time.... And again, it was always with the same thickness of paper, same font, same setting--sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

4. I charged the battery for half a day when I first got it. They said it needed a couple of hours. It had a low battery after not more than 12 cuts.

5. You are not sure where the cutter will cut within it's 6 inch block. It may be in the upper left corner, or the lower right corner. Therefore, you'll find yourself wasting a lot of paper. If you're still interested in getting the Slice, get the 12" mat so you won't have to continually have to cut quarter sheets of paper to fit the 6" mat. You'll still waste a good bit of paper, but you'll have less work.

6. They tout it as "portable". Not really that useful of a feature. With all the other scrapbooking stuff we have, who cares if there's one more box? Not having to hold down the Cricut for each cut more than makes up for it's lack of portability. I know that they say you can cut a page, with it's lack of predictability, I'd be scared to try it.

All in all, I worked with the Slice for about 4 hours. When I talked to Customer Service, they said my complaints were probably user error. They may be right, but given all of the other drawbacks, I returned mine. The only reason they were willing to return the unit was for "low batery life". I'm not sure I agree, but at least be aware that there might be a large learning curve if you are still interested in purchasing the Slice. Read more ›

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great product with a few drawbacks November 17, 2009

By Stacey

I read about a million reviews on this product before I bought it so I had a pretty good idea about the pros and cons of the Slice. So far, I like it- it does pretty much what I thought it would do- cut die cuts quickly and (usually) accurately. From the bulk of my research, I decided to purchase the 12x12 cutting mat, tool kit and extra glue. I also purchased 2 cartridges- basics 2 and Mistletoe. I bought Mistletoe because it has the boost on it that makes your machine go faster.

What I like about the Slice:
1. It's cute and small making the machine very portable.
2. It's quick (meaning it's quicker than cutting it by hand- there are other machines that cut faster but there's no comparison to when I was doing all of my shapes by hand).
3. The price! For $150 and $25-$35 for design cartridges, it's the best deal on die cutters period.
4. Innovative. As far as I know, this is the first portable cordless die cut machine. I'm sure there will be more to come but I like that Making Memories got here first.

What's no so great:
1. Glue. I hate the glue. It's runny, messy and the dinky tube they give you with the starter kit is certainly not enough to get very far. I understand that the glue is what makes the paper not move but it's a royal pain.
2. Clean up throughout the cut process. Although the machine itself is portable, I'm not sure how it's going to work when I go to a crop and I need to wash my cutting mat with soap and water. My first instinct would be to pack some bleach wipes for a quick fix but it says not to use harsh chemicals.
3. Holding it down while it cuts. Maybe I'm just a wimp or something but I find I have to hold the machine pretty hard while it's cutting. It's to the point where my arms are a little sore.... Maybe I just need to work out more but I certainly have to hold it more than "just resting your hands on it" like it states in the directions.

All in all, this is a great little cutter. Just a few quick tips from my own trial and error:
-wait until the glue is COMPLETELY clear. If you don't, you get left with a stuck on mess
-when the directions state to remove the blade protector, they mean the plastic cover right when it comes out of the box, not the rubber stripping that lines the bottom. If you remove the rubber stripping, it's impossible to hold while it cuts. And, the rubber stripping is VERY hard to get back on. I might be a dumb @ss, but I wanted to share my mistake so you don't have to repeat it. Read more ›