Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I just bought a Cricut Expression yesterday at a local store. It was marked down to $99, with a 20% coupon on all craft supplies. I couldn't believe I scored it for $80! My joy was short-lived though. I had previously owned an Expression a few years ago, using it mostly to make lettering for my store's signs. I had always planned to buy the Sure-Cuts-a-Lot software, as I could never afford to spend $60-90 for a cartridge that usually only has a few designs on it that I like. But I had to close my store and I sold the Cricut for financial reasons. Yesterday, I finally was able to get a Cricut! But then I got home and did some research, and found out that Provo Craft, the company that makes Cricut, sued the companies that make Sure-Cuts-a-Lot and Make-the-Cut (a similar software)to prevent them from making their software Cricut-compatible. This software makes it possible to use free fonts and dingbats off the internet to create your own designs to cut, for free. Hey, Provo-Crap, think you're going to force me to buy your over-priced cartridges? Think again! I might have bought one occasionally, when I saw one I loved. Now you won't get my business at all. With more research, I found SEVERAL competing machines, most of which worked with at least one of those cutting design softwares. Black Cat Cougar Cutter looked the best, but was expensive (it etches metal and glass, and embosses leather--cooooool). There are a couple of new versions of cutters coming out this fall (2011) that are better than the Cricut. I'm leaning toward the Sizzix Eclips or the Silhouette Cameo. Some of these machines might be a little bit more expensive than Cricut, but far, far, FAR cheaper in the long run! The Expression I just bought is going on craigslist. I'm not the only pissed-off Cricut buyer. I've heard of many others packing up their Cricut stuff and selling it on craigslist or ebay to buy another machine. Count me as just one more, Provo Crap. I bought my Cricut Expression for only $80, and it's STILL not worth it in the long run. Even at that price, buying 3 cartridges in the future would put me right back up in the price range of the competing machines, which all allow you to use the money-saving design software, without restricting you to their proprietary cartridges. Even at $80, the Cricut Expression just isn't worth it!! Five years ago it would have been worth it, when Cricut was the only game in town...but now, with (superior) competition out there? Forget it. P.S. the fact that a store had it for sale at $99 and didn't exclude it from the 20% arts and crafts department sale should tell you something...the stores are having a hard time selling them, it seems.