Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

1. Blade installation was really simple once I stopped reading the manual which doesn't simply tell you to plop it into the slot and turn the lock to the right. I saw you tube video and it was a snap. 2. Mat was way too tacky and manual doesn't say to remove tack by rubbing it on a low lint pillow or something. My first cut was good but the white residue left over by CS was a mess. Plus the blade setting was set according to the instructions but it gouged through the mat right off the bat. 3. Loading the mat was complete guess work, why no instructions on how to align? If I place it such that my 8x11 mat sits between the two white rollers, it seems to work. There are 3-4 guide lines on the machine front left but no markings on them, not sure what they are for! 4. There are markings for letter size and A4 size material placement on the mat. Align your top left and right corners of paper on the mat using them, they are hard to see but there. This will ensure perfect placement of paper on the mat. 5. Software installation is very easy and using it is intuitive. I haven't played with print/cut or other advanced features yet but will soon. 6. Free 50 designs will come through after software installation and you click on recent downloads (or is it import to library? sorry, can't remember). 7. I cut intricate vines/leaves on Coordinations textured cardstock, it came out very well but for one of the smaller sizes. I put several sizes on one 8x11 CS to avoid wasting CS. 8. Tried a Moroccan lattice background (very detailed) on regular patterned scrapbook paper. The setting was at 3 and it didn't cut anything. I set it to 4 and then it did a beautiful job. So their blade setting recommendation is not an exact science, it's trial and error. 9. Machine is light and portable, make sure you have room on the table for the mat to go back and forth, without it being obstructed by your laptop or wall etc. 10. Silhouette should post some basic videos on their site to show people basic placement of material on the mat, mat loading, blade installation etc. They are seriously lacking in that especially for new comers to die cutting world. 11. I just found out that I don't need designer edition to be able to cut .svg files. You can convert .svg to .studio easily with free software called inkscape. I tried and it worked. 11. Print and cut is a great feature. My first attempt was success (by fluke). Placement of paper where your image is printed and will be cut...is a tricky affair. I had to place it half an inch below the top line. It worked beautifully but the same did not work the next time. Very frustrating! 12. I left a voicemail for silhouette on the print/cut issue but don't know if/when they will call back. I had heard of great cs from them but I for one am yet to experience that. They are open only mon-fri and they are always busy and force you to leave a msg or email them! Not once did I get a person on the phone so far. 13. I am already ordering a spare blade/mat just in case. However, there are two sizes mentioned for portrait which is odd. My original mat is 8x12 but now they also sell a 8.5x12. Why? The 8x12 I saw was a low tack one but I want regular tack 8x12. Again, hoping to ask silhouette customer svc if/when they call me back. Thank God for so many generous folks sharing their tutorials/videos on how to...otherwise I would be sitting around waiting to talk to silhouette.