Buy Sizzix 655934 Eclips Starter KitSizzix 655934 Eclips Starter Kit Product Description:
- Sizzix eclips starter kit provides everything you need to get started right away
- Creates completely customizable shapes and letters
- Kit includes eclips 12-inch shape-cutting machine, universal power supply, 2 cutting blades, handheld remote control cradle, blade holder
- Also includes Power Cord, 6-foot USB Cable, Starter Cartridge, Starter Cartridge Booklet, Cartridge Easy-Store Case, 12 x 12 inch Cutting Mat, User's Guide
- Able to adorn almost anything
Product Description
With just the touch of a button, you can create spot-on shapes and letters to adorn almost anything imaginable. In addition, several different image-enhancing features help transform any shape into a customizable creation. Want to change things up a bit? Just change the cartridge and change your possibilities! Best of all, everything you need to get started is right here –no computer required!
The craft-friendly e-cutter just got friendlier. Version 2.0 of the eclips Machine includes instant access to all-new features such as scoring with compatible cartridges, drawing with any pen, finding a shape’s center point and rotating designs to save paper. Of course, that’s in addition to the always-amazing Sizzix artwork and many image-enhancing features to help transform any shape into a completely customizable creation. It weighs 16.5 pounds and measures 22 1/2" x 5" x 7 1/2"
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful.
By Super Mum
(Beginners - skip the first part of this review)First a history lesson and a review using eCAL:I purchased a Cricut and Sure Cuts a Lot 2 (SCAL) right before Cricut/ProvoCraft sued the makers of SCAL. SCAL, for those who don't know, is a software program for your computer. You use a cable to connect your cutting machine up to your computer to use SCAL. The SCAL software allows you to use any font, free or paid SVG file, etc. and the machine cuts the design/font/etc. from your computer... the possibilities are endless as you aren't limited to a cartridge! You can even create your own SVG file (SVG is a picture file your cutting machine reads and cuts). The software costs about as much as 1-2 cartridges and you never have to buy a cartridge again... I know.. HUGE deal!Well... alas, this cut into Cricut's cartridge profits and SCAL for Cricut ended. No fear though as Sizzix saw the potential and partnered with the software company and now Eclips is compatible with eCAL (Caution: eCAL is the Eclips version of SCAL. Regular SCAL software doesn't work with this machine so make sure you choose the right software).For those of you purchasing this machine for ECAL... do it! If you've used SCAL in the past there is really no significant difference with ECAL. All of my old SVG files worked. The one difference I've noticed is the ability to score without cutting dashes. The machine cuts half way through the paper in an uninterrupted line which allows for beautiful folds on boxes, cards and more._______________________________________________________________________________A review for those not ready for eCAL:Pros:- The machine cuts beautifully. No issues, perfect lines and cuts every time.- Laser preview does help for those who like using scraps of paper (I refuse to throw scraps out!). The laser shows you where the cuts will be made and if your laser goes off the paper you know you have to either toss the scrap or change the size of your image/font.- It is really easy to use. Mine came with a DVD, though not sure if all do. If not, go to Sizzix.com/videos and choose the "Eclips" tab. The videos are painfully cheesy to watch (you may want to destroy something beautiful after watching a few in one sitting) but if you are a beginner and even a dollar store calculator is a challenge, it is the only way I recommend you learn. They repeat the same concepts over and over so you learn by (cheesy) repetition but it makes the easy machine even easier. For those who are familiar with these type of machines or are born with Tech-DNA like myself, it is easy to figure out 90% on your own. There is a manual for those who prefer written documentation.- The handheld remote is ingenious. You don't need to be hovering on top of your machine to work it. Find a comfortable chair to sit in and kick back with the screen. Be amazed from afar while it cuts (Why do I always feel the need to watch dumfounded while these machines cut?). The remote offers a ton of options: Choose your paper size (love it for those scraps!), choose which pieces of the design to cut, customize size of cuts, add a few designs to the queue so it can cut several designs all at once, etc. etc. etc.- You can switch from cartridge to cartridge without turning the machine or handheld remote off. Why would this be important? Well, you can have a bunch of designs/letters in the queue before you make a cut. For example, if you wanted to cut petals, the word "spring" and a lady bug on the same red paper you would queue the letters from one cartridge and the petals and ladybug from another cartridge and press the "cut" button. The designs from both cartridges would cut on the same piece of paper saving a ton of time and messing around with scraps from each cut to fit the next one on.- Scoring (a light cut which goes about half way through the paper) allowed me to make professional holiday cards and beautiful bags for gifts. Everyone could not believe I made the bags (nor could I... it was my first attempt and they were PERFECT)!- The biggest pro is the ability to use eCAL software (optional separate purchase). I can design anything and turn it into a beautiful cut. I can use thousands of fonts for free, download free SVG files off of dozens of websites, create my own designs (hello ice cream bar in the shape of a mouse-head to go with my cruise photos!) or buy SVG files.Cons:- The mats for the Cricut seem to be stickier and the adhesive wears off much faster with the Eclips mats. I will be purchasing spray adhesive to extend the mat's short life.- The price is high. However, if you couple this machine with eCAL (made by "Craft Edge") you will save a lot of money on cartridges in comparison to Cricut.Accessories to Purchase:- Spray adhesive for the mat- Tools (such as the Sizzix 655932 Tool Kit Accessory ). A spatula is a life saver in getting the tiny dots for the letter "i" off the sticky mat.- Craft Edge's eCal (only if you are ready to dive into the "advanced" stuff)For me, this cutter is a perfect 10 (or 5 as Amazon stars only go that high)!
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful.
By Julie
I was not expecting this machine to be better than the Cricut Expression I owned previously. I was not unhappy with the Cricut, I justwanted the ability to use Sure Cuts a Lot. Boy, was I wrong. I just cut an intricate piece on some vinyl and it did beautifully!!!! The laser cut feature allows you to place the paper down and make sure it is going to cut on the paper correctly before any cuts are actually made. This helps save paper and time! The blade is easy to change and the sound of the machine is beautiful! They do have cartridges available but, with all the free svg files available, you do not have to purchase any unless you just desire a specific one!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
By Juanita A. Floyd
Pros:Easy open packagingEasy assemblyThe manual for English is separate so there is no need to sift through multiple language variationsIncluded instructional DVD makes it easy to follow along with the different functionsAbility to cut intricate patterns that would not be possible with a regular steel dieLast point feature allows you to get the most out of your materialPattern versatilityCons:Serious learning curve involved to get the most out of the machineTakes a lot of workspace to set upStarter cartridge is OKDifficult to get it lined upArtwork simplisticThe weak link and the linchpin of the whole system is the cutting pad. If your material won't stick, it can't cut. My cutting pad arrived curles on one end and I have been unable to get it to lay flat. Thusly I have had to use the other end of the mat so that it will feed properly. After just cutting about 15 or 20 things if that many, the pad will no longer hold the paper well enough to cut it. This is the weakest part of the system. If you are using paper smaller than 12 x 12 you are cutting in the same place on the pad everytime and it loses it's adhesive property fairly quickly. I tried the online tip to wash the pad with warm soapy water to revive it, but it still isn't working for anything other than simple paper. I cut mostly cardstock, so right now I am out of business until I can get some spray adhesive to help the adhesion.What I liked:The ability to resize shapes and fonts to fit the project without having a lot of large dies taking up space.The PIP feature is fun.The border feature is nice, but limited to just a few of the shapes on the cartridge.What I didn't like:Difficult to keep the paper stuck to the cutting mat. It really needs to be burnished down. This is supposed to be able to cut foam, chipboard, fabric and shrinky dink plastic as well as vellum and cardstock. Had no luck getting the shrinky dink to stick to the mat at all. Fabric was difficult. Foam was a no go. Didn't have any really thin chipboard, so I couldn't try that. What I discovered was I needed to overestimate the thickness of my material by a factor of one and increase the blade depth by a couple of clicks past what is recommended in order to get a clean, through and through cut.The cutting mat is hard to keep free of debris. The paper won't stick all that well for cutting, but every little speck of negative cut out is stuck for life.Had to really left justify my paper on the mat otherwise it kept cutting off the edge. I think there is a way to fix that, but all of these adjustments and fine tunings take more time and key strokes.There is a tool for lifting the finished cut off the mat and I think that should really be included in the starter set because it is an absolute necessity.I bought some extra cartridges to use, and overall I would have to say the artwork is rather childish for the most part and somewhat simplistic especially where the shapes are concerned. One of the the cardridges is 75 font work, which is something I don't use very much. I prefer to do text on the computer because of the huge variety of fonts involved. So far the 2 fonts that I have on the starter cartridge and the extra are individual letters which are hard to remove and then realign on your project.All in all I think this is a very sophisticated machine that is probably overkill for the average artist. For the price tag involved you can buy a lot of Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies for shapes and take up less space with less of a learning curve. Cutting the intricate shapes is nice, but they can't be too small or they are impossible to remove from the cutting mat and hard to use in projects. If you do a lot of font work, then this would probably be a good thing for you. Someone that cuts a lot of multiples of one thing would like this. If you are like me and do original designs every time, this is not worth the big price tag.After using this for a while longer, I have upgraded it to 4 stars. The new cutting pad I got seems to have a better adhesion than the one that came with the machine in the beginning. I have also purchased several new cartridges and have the eCal software on order. All these things make the eclips a much better product.
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