Review on Sizzix 656780 Accessory Extended Magnetic by Carol Miller

IF YOU WANT TO BUY A DIE, BUY A GOOD TOOL! THIS IS A GREAT TOOL! I bought this mat after trying the "cheep-o" method I found on U-Tube. I want to share my sad experience with you. Read on: Before I say anything about THIS product, I want you to know that I tried to make it cheaply the "homemade" way I learned about from a U-tube video. I bought an inexpensive ($5) magnetic vent lid, which I then double-coated with poster board-type material (about 2 coats of cereal box thickness). I still need a mylar pad to do this work. The advantage of this method is that small cubes like leaves or stems can be placed ANYWHERE on this mat and will stick. The big DEFECT of this method is that if, like me, you constantly use your big thin stamps, this carpet will be horribly damaged. This magnet mat holds your stamps PERMANENTLY. It eventually forms hills and depressions (like potholes) in this hastily assembled mat, making it difficult to get good cuts over time without extra padding. (Remember I put my thin blades on this mat cutting edge up so they don't cut straight into this mat.) BOTTOM: Using this type of homemade mat with the cutting side DOWN will make them whole Destroy this mat. in a moment. Since I used this method myself, I do not recommend you to use this method! It's a total waste of $$$$$ because you have to replace it with a lot of time and $$$$$. I was so disgusted with the wasted money and time I wasted making this stupid rug that I finally gave up. and decided to try this magnet mat. However, if I am going to spend more than $$$$$ I will do my best to make it work best for ME! You need good contact between this magnetic mat/pad and the cutting pad. This is really critical! This means the flatter the bottom liner remains, the better this product will work for you. Sizzix recommends placing the paper on the lower cutting deck with the thin cutting edge facing down. If you do this, experienced punchers know that eventually that die plate will warp and make poor contact with your magnet mat. You can try smoothing/flattening your mats using the Sizzix method (I've used this method and it just doesn't work very well for me and I'm an experienced die cutter. There must be a learning curve to this that I just don't understand? !?). Or . . . You can use the oven method: set oven to 350, place a griddle on a baking sheet or casserole dish, place another shallow casserole dish on top, check after 20 minutes, then at 5 minute intervals thereafter, until your griddle is flat. then cool. I've used this method many times with great success, so I recommend the oven method. But . . . With this magnetic mat, it is much easier for me to prevent the lower cutting plate from deforming in the first place! To do this I place my thin dies cut side up on the lower cutting plate, then I place the paper on the die and finally on the upper cutting plate. It's very rare for my top die to become static when I'm cutting a lot and the static pulls the paper off my die cutter. This can be remedied by wiping it with a dry cloth or rubbing a small amount of hand cream into your hands and rubbing your hands over the top cutting pad (my personal favorite). I RARELY get a typo or junk with this whole method. It's easy to make and keeps close contact between this magnetic mat and your cutting mat. There is actually only one very small problem with this carpet. Large stamps will definitely stay where you put them. However, small pistils such as leaves or flower stalks (usually very thin pistils or pistils of around 1 inch or smaller) are attracted to the real magnets in the magnet mat. Small or thin punches closer to the edge of your lower die so they cut along the edges of the upper die when trying to prevent warping of the upper die. Personally I can live with this small issue. : Considering what I've already said (I hope that makes sense. It's 3am and I'm losing heart.), I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MAGNETIC MAT! Add photos of my unwise fiasco over the course of several days to this review. Right now - I'm going to bed.