Are All Dies Made Equal

Hi Crafters

Here is a question I am sure you have all asked over the past 6-10years. Are all dies made equal.
In other words are higher priced dies better
How much do you pay for the design
Do they all work the same

Well here is my own research into dies and their uses

Sometimes price is not everything. I have bought a large number of dies from China and these dies work well in my BigShot. There have been some great little dies but what you cannot get at this cheap price is the create a card style die, for that you need the makes that are working hard to give crafters a complete package to produce their paper crafts, such as Tonic, Xcut or Die'SIre.  But they are great for making  toppers and embellishments and to add to your stash from time to time

I am what you would call a frugal crafter and shop around for my items (not always the best way if you have a particular project you want to do) however it suits my style of crafting. So it is not very often I want to pay for a particular design. I will look at what is currently being sold and ask myself if I have a die that will do the job, albeit with a different finish.
However there are some times when a design or look of a die just shouts BUY ME, and you have to have it. In which case all you can do is shop around for the best price and get the die to use as soon as possible.

Then there is the use of the die. Do you want a die that cuts easily, or that cuts multiple products. Some of my dies I want to cut thin leather, or fabrics and for this work I find myself reverting to the Original Sizzix dies that do the job perfectly, the Sizzix thins may have fancier cuts but the original dies are made with a cutting wire that will tackle the heavier jobs, and I would not be without a selection of these in my stash. I know I am going to have to pay for them but they are worth it, and if I look after them they should last a lifetime or at least a long long time.
Some makes seem to cut really well, whilst some need a pokey tool and a great deal of patience. This will have something to do with the machine you are using, but you will get a personal preference, and whilst I have many different makes in my stash, I find myself using Tonic, Sizzix and Marianne Dies the most.

So there we have it. In a nutshell; there are different dies for different jobs, like most crafters there are times I just HAVE to HAVE a certain die, and then there are other-times where a bargain fits my needs, and fixes the desire to buy more for my stash.

I would recommend that you look through your dies regularly and make sure they are stored well, and also destash those dies you have not used over the last year. These dies can be swapped with friends or sold to make cash to buy new, as new crafting goodies often bring new ideas to the crafter.