XPCS vs Cricut

By Jill Costello, 5th July 2006. Copyright The Scrap Witch. No part of this article may be reproduced or otherwise used without prior written permission. Prices quoted are in Australian dollars.

Comparing XPCS and Cricut

With both the Xyron Personal Cutting System (XPCS) and the Cricut due to hit Australian shores shortly, I thought I’d take a quick look at how the two machines stack up against other.

Price Comparison

The table below shows a price comparison between the two machines and their accessories. (Prices are shown in Australian dollars and are accurate at the time of writing.)

Feature Comparison

As well as a difference in pricing, there is also significant difference in what the two machines can do. A summary of the differences is shown in the table below.

Considerations

So which machine should you buy? That probably depends on a number of factors including:

• Initial Cost – If you are highly budget conscious, the XPCS would certainly catch your eye. It has a lower initial price but less functionality than the Cricut.
• Portability - The XPCS wins in this department with a weight of 2.2 kgs compared to the Cricut at 5.4kg.
• Cartridge Library – This is where the Cricut excels. The average font book for the XPCS has 70 base elements. You can cut each element into 3 sizes, giving 70 x 3 = 210 individual cutting combinations. In comparison, an average Cricut font cartridge has 90 base elements which can be cut in 11 sizes. There are also 6 different special effects which can be applied. Potentially, this means a whopping 90 x 11 x 6 = 5940 individual cutting combinations. This is somewhat of an over simplification however, as some sizes and effects are not available on all cartridges. Still, the difference is 1000s of combinations on each cartridge as opposed to a mere couple of hundred with the XPCS.
• Blade Life – The Cricut reportedly provides up to 1500 cuts per blade compared to XPCS’s 1000+ cuts. The Cricut appears to be more economical with a cost per 1000 cuts of $6.32 compared to $19.95 per 1000 cuts for the XPCS.
• Mat Life – The XPCS mats are relatively inexpensive and reportedly provide 200+ full mat cuts. Bear in mind however that the Cricut mats are 4.5 times bigger in area. Despite this, the XPCS provides better economy at $5.36 for 200 cuts per mat over an equivalent area (ie $1.19 per mat x 4.5). With the Cricut you need five mats for 200 cuts (ie 40 cuts per mat x 5) which translates to $47.40 (ie $9.48 per mat x 5) for 200 cuts – a significant cost difference!

Conclusion

The XPCS is the least expensive and more portable of the two cutters. It is also has the least functionality. The XPCS looks to be cheaper to run over the long term with Cricut mats being over 8 times more expensive than the XPCS’s. The XPCS is probably the better option for the more budget conscious scrapbooker who is concerned with economy and portability over functionality.

The Cricut is the larger and more expensive of the two cutters. It also has the most functionality of the two machines. The larger paper size (6″ x 12″) and its ability to cut fonts and shapes in 11 sizes weighs heavily in its favour. Not forgetting also that the Cricut library includes 1000s of cutting combinations and the ability to apply 6 special effects. Importantly, it also has a paper saving feature which the XPCS does not have. On the down side, the initial outlay and ongoing costs for the Cricut are considerably more than for the XPCS. Despite this, the Cricut is probably the better option for scrapbookers concerned more with functionality rather than pure cost.

Further Reading:

• About The Craft Robo
• Setting Up The Craft Robo
• Setting Up A Robo Master File
• Making Craft Robo Stand-Off Rings
• Comparing Craft Robo & Craft Robo II
• Personal Die Cutting Machines
• Cricut Vs Craft Robo