Answer us this and it will help with suggestions. How many mats you plan on cutting on an average per week? What kinda budget were you planning on? Is the pen feature critical? Each model and manufacture has its nitches and price points.
One problem with this kinda of question is.
If you are a chevy lover all the rest are junk, if you are a toyota lover all the rest are junk, if you are a jaguar lover all the rest are junk. Someone elses fruit cake may be your trash....and vice versa if you know what I am getting at.
I got my 9000 Wizard when they came out. I have had no major problems and the quality and tech support I feel is terrific. I find the software user freindly. I use the merge feature a lot and the pathtrace. Tons of cut art and Fonts that can be debossed, cut out and also the pen feature. Some weeks I will cut 10 mats some I will cut 500+ depends on the jobs. Some are 8x 10's some are 36x48. One customer I cut nothing but 40x60's for. I cut 60 Black cats from corragated sizes 9x12 to 20x30 the week of Friday the 13TH this year, sold them all.
I have recently been cutting cut art to make signs and silhouettes to put around store for display and sell. Some out of mat board some out of corragated cardboard which I spray paint. Here is one of the corragated cardboard left over cutouts. Spray painted the 37" ballerina pink sold it for 19.95. I have the witch painted black for $5.95 and the dragon green for $5.95. I have sold cut art shapes to customers who do Zantangle. Zantangler's like the small 5 to 8 inch drop outs of cut art. We sell them for $.95 to $2.00. Good way to use up those small drop outs.....that you would throw away.
Yes recycled Crescent box.
Here is a mat designed with merge feature that was made with two stock templates took all of 8 minutes.
Wizard 9000 does everything I need it to do with ease....
I have seen Wizards with over 300,000 corners on them and they cut perfect mats. Mine has over 120,000 corners and cuts perfect rectangles and oval. No over cuts, no swoops, no hook, no nubbies on the ovals even.
