Xyron PCS 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.

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.)

Item	XPCS (RRP)	Cricut (RRP)	Comments
Machine	$325 ($349)	$495 ($550)	Cricut preorder price varies ($470-$525).
Cartridges	$59.95	$139.95
Replacement Blades	$19.95 (1 in pack)	$18.95 (2 in pack)
Replacement Mats	$5.95 (5 in pack)	$18.95 (2 in pack)
Tote	$29.95	$169.95	Both totes fit machine & accessories.
Toolkit	-	$44.95	XPCS starter pack includes a shape removal tool.
Trimmer	-	$18.95

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.

Features	XPCS	Cricut	Comments
Paper size	4" x 4"	6" x 12"	Cricut's mat size is 4.5 times larger than the XPCS.
Paper thickness	Up to 0.3mm	Up to 0.5mm	Both machines cut vellum through to Bazzill. Cricut cuts through thicker than Bazzill.
Font/shapes sizes	3 sizes (1.25" - 3.75")	11 sizes (1" - 5.5")
Cartridge Library	5 fonts 4 shapes 4 designer	6 fonts 6 shapes	Cricut cartridges have 1000's of combinations whilst XPCS cartridges have 100's of combinations.
Special Effects	No	Yes	Cricut effects - sign, slotted, charm, silouhette, tag, shadow, shadow blackout. Also has paper saving feature.
Blade Life	1000+ cuts	500-1500 cuts	Dependent on type of paper used.
Mat Life	200+ cuts	25-40 cuts	Refers to full mat cuts. Dependent on type of paper used.
PC Connectability	No	No	Both machines are cartridge-based.
Weight	5 lbs (2.2 kg)	12 lbs (5.4 kg)	Both machines have totes available to increase portability.

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 simplication 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!

XPCX (left) or Cricut (right - What should you buy?

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.

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