Cricut vs. Silhouette

Okay scrapbooking people out there...I need your help please!!

I have asked the hubster for a die cutting system for Christmas. At first I thought I'd love the Quikutz Silhouette that I saw at a scrapbook store in Ontario. Approx $299 but on sale right now for $249

Here are the features I was attracted to:
Can use any of the fonts you have existing on your computer. This means FREE unlimited fonts! Yay!
It's used with your computer or carried with you to print from your laptop, therefore it is lightweight and small in size.
Comes with lots of diecut shapes.
Can cut any "hand-made" shapes making the possibilities endless really.

Here are the downsides I've discovered:
The manual is difficult to understand making initial setup of the printer frustrating.
Replacement blades are expensive at approx. $50 a pop!
May or may not be compatible with Vista (which is the operating system I have on my laptop)

And then I've seen the Cricut at Walmart and researched it a bit as well. There is the original Cricut or the Cricut Expressions (i think it's called?) Approx. $269 at Walmart

Benefits:
The new printer can cut 12 x 12 papers
It's very easy to use and the manual is simple to follow
There is software that can be purchased to go with the printer to make it use additional fonts from your computer. I don't know how much this software costs.
Doesn't have to be plugged in to your computer and can be just used on its own.

Downside:
Comes with only one font template/cartridge thingy I think. Additional cartridges have to be purchased and cost anywhere from $55 to $110 EACH!
I'm confused about the cartridge thingies and I'm not even really sure what that means or how much I'm limited by only having one.
A little on the clunky side weighing about 20 lbs.

This is a very hard decision for me. Mostly I want a diecut machine because I want to cut my own titles instead of always sketching them out and cutting them by hand with my exacto knife.
And I want a good variety of fonts, I get extremely bored of the same ones on every page.

PLEASE, if you have ANY idea and have an opinion on which is better or can enlighten me at all with the details, I would greatly appreciate your help.

Thanks!