Scor-pal vs The Martha Stewart Scoring Board...

Welcome back everyone! Today's post is a comparison between the widely popular Scor-pal and the new kid on the block, the Martha Stewart Scoring Board. I already had the Scor-pal and absolutely love it! I spotted the Martha Stewart version at Michael's last week and decided to use my 50% off coupon and give it a try. Below is a picture of both products.


And here they are out of the package. In the picture below the Scor-pal is on the left and the Martha Stewart version is on the right. The obvious difference between the two is the color: grey vs. cream. But another difference will also catch your eye right away. That is the grooves are much closer together on the MS scoring board and occur every 1/8". On the Scor-pal the grooves are much further apart.


Here is a look at the groove spacing on the Scor-pal...


And below you can see the groove spacing on the MS scoring board. See how much closer together they are?


Another difference between the two is the inclusion of this neat little triangular gadget that is used to make envelopes.


This gadget is stored right on the scoring tool, at the bottom in this little grove.


Below is what it looks like all tucked away at the bottom of the scoring tool.


The Martha Stewart scoring tool also has a little storage compartment at the top that holds the bone folder as well as some envelope and box making guides. I opened it up in the picture below so you can get a better look at it.


Now is there a difference in performance?

The answer is yes! But again, as in the comparison between the Triart and the Copic markers I did on Monday, the difference in performance is neither a plus nor negative for either product but a matter of personal preference. Some may like bright vibrant color and some may prefer muted colors. Performance wise, with these two scoring boards, the only difference I saw was in the crispness of the grooves/creases that they made.

And I attribute that difference to the bone folder rather than the scoring tool itself. Here is why... The bone folder on the Scor-pal is much thicker than the one on the Martha Stewart scoring tool. In the pictures below you can see a side by side comparison. The Martha Stewart bone folder is on the left and The Scor-pal's is on the rightt.


Because the Martha Stewart bone folder is much thinner, it goes deeper into the scoring grooves and as a result makes crisper, more pronounced score lines. I took a picture below to show you. I apologize that the picture is not brighter but you can still see what I am talking about. The score line at the top was made with the Martha Stewart scoring tool and the score line at the bottom was made with the Scor-pal.

Here they are again with the paper flipped over. The one on top was made with the Martha Stewart scoring tool and the one below was made with the Scor-pal. The difference is subtle but it's still there.


Now which one should you choose?

Again it's a matter of personal preference. I love the Scor-pal but I think the Martha Stewart scoring tool offers more bang for the buck. Here is why....

• The Scor-pal is priced at $39.99 vs Martha's Stewart's version at $19.99
• With the Scor-pal you will most likely be paying for shipping as well, as they are not found in most popular craft stores and you will have to order them online.
  
• The Martha Stewart version can be found at Michaels, so you can use a coupon to purchase it, meaning you can snag one for between $10 -$12. I got mine for $10 with a 50% off coupon!
  
• The Martha Stewart version comes with an envelope making tool. The Scor-pal does not.

So what does all this mean?

I think we are going to see the price of the Scor-pal come down pretty soon in order to compete with the Martha Stewart version. I also found it a bit inspiring that someone else out there decided to challenge two widely popular products like the Copic marker and the Scor-pal and improve on their design. I think this is a lesson to all of us that no matter how great something is, we can always improve on it.

Well that's it for today folks! Until next time, Happy Crafting!