Check out this video made by a very talented MTC forum member and one of her friends.
It bothers me that PC believes it has the right to tell me how I can use my machine after I purchased it. Many have made this point over the last couple of weeks -how is it any different from using an HP printer on a Dell computer, apps on a phone, 3rd party inks in a printer, etc.
What if no one ever experimented to see what we could do - would we even have the technology that we have today?
I have never been a "cutesy" scrapper - just not my style - so cartridges never worked for me. Most of my pages pre-Cricut featured detailed paper piecings that I made and cut from coloring pages, etc. The same thing I do now but instead of drawing on paper and cutting by hand, I draw in Inkscape and cut with my machine. Honestly, I didn't even consider buying a Cricut until the introduction of SCAL. I was about to purchase a craftROBO and was doing some on-line research when I found SCAL - bought my Cricut and SCAL the very next day. (For those of you who do not know - SCAL has also been sued by Provo Craft but that case is still pending.)
There are many other concerns with PC besides the 3rd party software issue: poor customer service, false and misleading product representation, poor quality coupled with poor tech support/warranty service, "borrowing" ideas for new products, unethical business dealings (ask some small LSS owners), ....... need I say more?
All of this has lead me to my decision to actively boycott Provo Craft and all its brands - Cricut, Cuttlebug, Yudu, Your Story, etc. What do I mean when I say I am boycotting? For me, it means I will not purchase any new items that are in anyway associated with Provo Craft - no new mats (Aleene's Tack It Over and Over works great!), no new PC blades (roland blades are available on ebay for a much more reasonable price and right now you can buy 5 blades for $15 & free shipping direct from Seikitech here), not even a new CB embossing folder (going to try Sizzix). I am working on compiling the most complete list I can of PC products and will be posting it on my blog soon.
Am I selling my machine and cartridges - NO. I am choosing to continue to use my Cricut for the time being. I am in the process of purchasing a new cutter but still do not plan to sell my Cricut. Selling my Cricut means that most likely the person buying it would then want to buy cartridges - which would mean that I was helping to put money in PCs pockets. I'll just keep it around for a back-up. As for the few cartridges I have purchased- I think 4 total-I've given them to my daughter to use with her machine (she hates cartridges too but a couple were Disney ones so she'll probably use those). I'll just not update the firmware and I'll keep the last MTC and SCAL software on my laptop so I can use it.
So, what am I buying? I've read reviews, compared cuts from all of the machines, watched tons of you tube videos and seriously evaluated my cutting needs. Based on everything I've read and what I want/need from a machine, both now and in the years to come, I've decided that the 12" Black Cat Lynx is the best investment for me. It'll probably be a few months before I have it but I know that it will be worth the wait.
Do I expect everyone to agree with me? Absolutely not! That's what's so great - we are all entitled to our own opinions and even though we may not agree, I RESPECT your opinion and your right to express it. I just ask that if you disagree and choose to voice that here, that you do so in a respectful way. I've changed my comments to require approval for now - I will approve comments that voice another view as long as I don't feel they are rude, hateful, or disrespectful.
5 comments:
Here! Here!
I feel that you have effectively articulated your opinion in a well thoughtout manner. I absolutely appreciate your thoughts and am too in the process of trying to figure out what to do. I personally don't have money to buy another cutter and am hating that I don't but I know something will work out soon. I have given the analogy that it's like me buying a loaf of bread and then being told I can only make sandwiches with a specific lunch meat. Heaven forbid I want French Toast. Oh well...I'm done. I'm off to craft with my Cricut for the time being.
Christle (Scrappin' Sista)
I completely agree. I attended CKC this weekend and at a booth featuring Cricut products, the retailer was talking to consumers about the Cricut Design Studio vs. SCAL (he was sellling both). I just couldn't keep my mouth shut and had to tell the group of ladies there about SCAL and the lawsuit and tell them that if they are even thinking about maybe getting SCAL to DO IT NOW, before it's too late to work with the Cricut. He had a different cutter there too, the ecraft something, but he didn't have it where I could really look at it. In fact, there aren't ANY places around her where I can look at some of the other cutters, because I'm in the market too after being a loyal Cricut owner for years.
Very well said. I'm glad you posted the list of all the products but don't forget Bank of America owns 50% of ProvoCraft. This is really about representing the Choice of the American people, and we'll fight for that right to choose what's right for the other countries too.
Very well said and I couldn't agree more! By the way, I was already a follower of yours. Love your blog and appreciate that you share your SVG files.
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