Cheap alternative to that expensive graphic punch??
Hey everyone, I just bought a 1.25″ button press and I’m super excited. The machine set me back $250, which I was glad to pay after wanting one for so long. But I can’t bring myself to buy the graphic punch, which retails for about $150. It looks so handy, and I’ve seen it in action, but it seems ridiculously overpriced. I’ve had experience with buttons before, and cutting out 400 circles by hand (to give to my friend to punch) was definitely not fun. I can’t help but wonder if there’s a cheaper alternative out there. I read from a blog that I can no longer find that there are scrapbooking punches that work well for buttonmaking, particularly the Whale-Of-A-Punch by EK Paper Shapers (http://www.createforless.com/InterchangeData/images/2/2002/1029/2007051713515612002-1029-0055.jpg) (another style: http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/EK-Success-Paper-Shapers/3952664/product.html)
I’d much rather pay $12-$22 for an oversized hole-punch. I’ve tried looking up this topic, but I can’t find anyone else discussing it. If you look at this angle http://cdn2.overstock.com/images/products/3/P11379462.jpg of a scallop-shaped Whale-Of-A-Punch you can see there is some room to look at the area of the paper you’re punching, I can only imagine that you might have difficulty seeing the ‘mouth’ end of the punch area, after all, it wasn’t designed for extreme precision in mind. I wish these were at my craft store so I could decide whether this is worth buying by eye, but I can only observe and order these online. Has anyone had any experience with these?
I’d appreciate any help 
