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I have admired from afar all the cool projects I have seen using the Silhouette, from paper projects to vinyl decor, etc. I am considering purchasing one and need some unbiased feedback on this machine- ease of use, model/differences, etc. I know the SCS world can help me out here...TIA for any and all info.
I have admired from afar all the cool projects I have seen using the Silhouette, from paper projects to vinyl decor, etc. I am considering purchasing one and need some unbiased feedback on this machine- ease of use, model/differences, etc. I know the SCS world can help me out here...TIA for any and all info.
This is my first electronic cutter, but I am very please with my Silhouette Cameo. I have had it nearly a year
It is easy to use and I am no techie ; their customer service is outstanding and they have a lot of sales for current owners . Each week they offer a free cut file and quite a few images at 50� each. Regular price images are 99$ each . I bought all of my extra supplies such as blades or mats on sale .
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I am totally in love with my Silhouette! I don't think there are any cons except maybe the price. It's super easy to use & I am really happy with mine.
I have a new Silhouette Portrait (got it in late December). Love it. I don't do scrapbooking, so figured the smaller, less expensive Portrait would do fine for me and my card-making. Since we bought one for my sister at the same time (on sale), by getting the Portraits instead of the Cameo I was able to get two machines and sale "bundles" for the regular price of one Cameo. If you anticipate using the machine for a lot of vinyl or scrapbooking or large format projects, go with the Cameo instead.
Pros:
Easy to start cutting simple designs almost immediately.
Doesn't use cartridges--you can buy cutting files one at a time, find some free on the internet, or design your own.
Small "footprint" (doesn't take up a lot of space).
It will cut words using fonts that you already have installed on your computer.
Good customer service.
Cons:
Blades wear out and are fairly expensive. I have to order by mail because no stores near me carry them. I ruined the first one trying to figure out how to take it apart to clean out cardstock bits stuck in the housing. No video on Silhouette website to show how.
Ditto on buying the cutting mats--have to do it thru' the mail because the only big box store in my area is JoAnn's, and they don't carry them. I'm experimenting with several techniques to clean and re-stick my mats.
I don't think the software manual is very good. It does not provide nearly enough explanation about what each feature is and how/why you might want to use it. It is amazing what the software can do, but you have to do a lot of research on blogs, forums, You Tube, etc. on your own to find that out.
There are more pros and cons, but those are the basic that come to mind.
I have one of the original Silhouette cutters, must be at least 10 years old now and still going strong, so that tells you something about reliability. As blueheron says, decide what you need it for, and buy accordingly. I am a card maker, so when this one finally dies, I will go with a Portrait, I have no need for the 12 x12 Cameo. Also, bear in mind the size of the machine. The Cameo is enormous! There is a sticky on the Tools and Products page, and you will get a lot of knowledgeable help there, whichever machine you go for. Also, use Pinterest. A Pinterest search for Silhouette/Cameo will yield a wealth of helpful links to tutorials and free cutting files. I love the ability to cut words/names etc using any font on your pc, or that you can download. This also applies to Dingbat fonts, so you can cut 'image' fonts too. And there are some amazing ones out there- Have a look at Dingbat Depot . You can alter the font size, or any image file, to fit your project exactly, not have to have 'almost' the right size.
Oh I LOVE my Cameo
If I had a problem it would be the mats NEVER go on sale.
The Silhouette store had 40% off all accessories for Black Friday .
I bought 2 extra mats and 2 extra blades from Silhouette at 40% off on Black Friday weekend. They have had that sale for 2 years now .
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I have the cameo hang the E2. I use the cameo more, but still love the circuit for layered things like payrolls. I find the books with circuit to be very user friendly but the cameo cuts the daintier pieces waaay better.
I have a new Silhouette Portrait that I got in January. I LOVE it. It is easy for me (and I am a dummy) to use.
Right now through March 27, all of the designs in their store are 50% which. Which makes most of the designs 50 cents each. I like the fact that I can buy just what I need. I also like the fact that once a week, they have a free shape to download and selective designs for 50 cents.
you have to really think about what you want the cutting machine to do? If you want to cut chipboard - you might want to look at the KNK Zing - the price is a little higher then the Cameo but does so much more. https://knkusa.com/shop/knk-zing-air/
I have a Cameo - I love to do 3D items but I have a hard time with things that I would like to do in chipboard. I find I have gone through quite a few blades and honestly I don't use it as much a many others. I find that very frustrating as I too must order blades on line. I don't craft as much as I should to justify buying another cutting machine. I bought the SD about 2 months before the Cameo was introduced. I make cards but like the larger cutting area for the 3D cards.
__________________ 2 cats short of the Crazy Cat Lady (5 Ragdolls RIP Katie DSH, RIP little Merlot Flame Ragdoll & Sunna Torbie Ragdoll- we miss you! Damn FIP) http://rebecca-rebeccasemptynest.blogspot.com/
I am a scrapper and a card maker. I have the portrait and I love it.
I love the ease of buying each image individually so I don't get stuck with some cartridge full of images I don't want. I am on the monthly plan right now and pretty much watch the calendar until it's the 22nd of every month so I can buy my new images I store in my cart.
I am on a subscription on Amazon so I save 15% and have the blades and mats auto delivered every couple of months or more, depending on how much I use the machine. And, I buy the crikut mats, which are cheaper, sturdier, and come in a 2 pack. All I do is trim a little off the top to work in my machine.
I have the original silhouette and use it all the time and really like it. It excels at making non intricate cuts. Depending on the mat and how many times it has been used, sometimes my paper sticks to the mat.
It excels at cutting multiples of the exact same thing, particularly things like tags or circles -- solid images where dies are expensive and take up space. I love the fact that you can resize anything to fit the images you want to put on them.
I love making stencils with it and love making letters for monograms.
The cuts do not leave the pressed down edge you get with a die.
One of my favorite purchases ever.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I have a cameo which I love! The major thing for me was that I can cut out any shape I want even random ones I find on google.
The cons for me were that I can't emboss with the machine. When I first bought it I didn't care about embossing, but now I want to and so I am buying a manual machine. For the mats I use the Cricut mats. They are cheaper and to me seem much sturdier.
I've the original Silhouette for several years, I've had a Cameo for over a year. I also have a Cricut Expression I have had for years.
I prefer the Silhouette for what I do. I like being able to position the cut on the paper. I like that I can buy a design and then rework it to suit and save it to use over and over. I'm another person that prefers the Cricut mats for my Cameo.
The blades and the mats are pricey. They can be purchased now from other retailers. Joanns online does carry the mats and the blades, often on sale. I find the blades somewhat fragile.
I haven't had a problem cutting most cardstock, even heavier cardstock. I haven't tried chipboard.
If I were looking for a machine to cut heavier things, I'd look at the pazzles or some of the KNK machines.
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
Hi, I'm new to this site and hope someone can help me. I am thinking of purchasing either the Silhouette Cameo or the Cricut Explore. I have had a Cricut expression I for five or so years, but would like to be able to cup SVGs, etc. Other than the price, which of these would you advise? I need something to cut delicate shapes and I also like to cut digital stamps. Any help you can give will be most appreciated. Thanks and Hugs!
From what I've heard the Cricut Explore cuts much better than their previous machines. I have the Silhouette Portrait and Cricut Expression and the Portrait hands down cuts better! But to me the big difference is that for the new cricut you must be on line to cut. With the Silhouette machines you buy your cut files while on line, but you don't have to be on-line to cut your files which is great for me because we can go out of town and I can take my machine and still cut even if I don't have Internet,
Silhouette pros and cons?
