Wishblade, Cricut, Silhouette, KNK--Lets talk cutters

Cricut, Cricut expression, wishblade, silhouette, KNK, craft robo.... cutters, cutters everywhere!!! Lets talk cutters!

As a new owner of the Cricut Expression I am thrilled with it in general, but I think ever cutter has a down side. In my opinion with the Cricut Expression it is the mats. My gosh, they dont last long at all do they? I wonder if Xyron Wishblade mats are any better, or any of the other cutters? Opinions please.... I would say the Cricut is pretty easy to use, they have a quick start guide and if all you want to do is cut from their cartridges you can pretty much get going right away. I recently purchase the Sure Cuts A Lot program to use with my Cricut. This program allows you to cut any true type font in your computer, when the cricut is connected to your computer with a USB cable. It also lets you cut any SVG file. There are tons of patterns available on net in SVG format, many are free!

Tell me what kind of cutter you have and what your likes and dislikes are? I would also love to hear tips on increasing the life of your mats and blades for that matter. Tips to using SCAL, or Inkscape if you create your own SVG files. Please also post any questions, I will do my best to answer, or get the answers to them.