Silhouette Cameo Vs Cricut Explore

Hi, I am looking to invest in an electronic die cutting machine. I have been reading up on the Silhouette Cameo and the Cricut Explore and currently leaning towards the Silhouette but I want some advice.
Do you own one of these machines and would you recommend it?
Is there another machine that I should look into?
With it being a considered purchase I want to make sure I invest in the right one
Thank you :smile:
Fiona

I donā€™t use these machines, but I know of a few people on another forum I belong to who have recently purchased the Brother scan ā€˜nā€™ cut machine, They seem to be very pleased with it. It may be worth checking it out

Kim
x

Thanks. Iā€™ll look into this machine. Fiona x

I saw your blog and looked up these machines.

I did establish that the Cricut Explore cannot be used for any work without an internet connection, which is not what I expected at all. That is a severe limitation in my view, but you may disagree.

There is a review link here:

Thank you for this, the blog link is really useful. Having to be connected to the internet is a ā€œconā€ on my list. Thank you :smile:

Hey there,

I own a Silhouette cameo. Itā€™s pretty good. Iā€™ve had good experience withtheir support and if you buy through their official UK seller their support is also very very good: http://www.graphtecgb.co.uk/.

They occasionally have machines in their clearance area which have been used for demo but are still in great working order.

Learning what cuts at which settings is trial and error but the shallower cut you use the better, it makes the blade last longer, If youā€™re using average of 240gsm cardstock the built in settings are great on double cut. No complaints there.

The only drawback to Silhouette is the same as most of these machines. Youā€™re heavily dependent on their software. You can import certain file types and any scanned images but if you need to export back to Illustrator or some other software (I want to put my designs through a laser cutter) it canā€™t be done in any straightforward sensible way.

Hope this helps to some extent. I use the Silhouette Cameo for all my cards so if you want to see what it can do take a peek at my shop. All the designs there are my own rather than from the Silhouetteā€™s built in library so youā€™ll see thereā€™s plenty of freedom to play.

Thanks Brittany, this is really useful. I think I am leaning towards the Cameo now and if you use it for all your cards it must be reliable. I had a look in your shop, I love your cards! I am mainly a stamper but I use die cuts to add dimension to my products and I want a machine to take it to the next level and be able to cut vinyl for my home decor. :smile:

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Here is a link to the cameo for those who are interested. It looks a nice , simple, but functional machine. Why are all these type of machines American though ? Donā€™t the Brits make any ?

http://www.mdpsupplies.co.uk/silhouette-cameo-packs.asp?gclid=CN--jej9g8ECFYrjwgodC10AzA

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Glad I could help.

Silhouette also have a Stamp Making Kit. Which is basically some transparent rubber like material you can cut using the Cameo, allowing custom stamps.

The Silhouette Cameo ties you into their products, their software, their replacement blades, which arenā€™t cheap. So make sure youā€™ve picked the right machine for you before committing.

I found the reviews on this site very useful when trying to pick: http://underacherrytree.blogspot.co.uk/p/reviews-of-electronic-cutters.html

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I can make my own stamps, awesome! Iā€™ll definitely check out the reviews, thanks :smile: