Silhouette and Cricut- Anyone Have BOTH?

Discussion in 'Hybrid Pad' started by GlazeFamily3, Jul 25, 2019.

  1. GlazeFamily3

    GlazeFamily3 Peeking in everyone's windows ...

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    The age old debate- Silhouette versus Cricut.

    After having my original Cameo for around 7 years, I am considering an upgrade. It works most of the time, but print and cut is hit or miss... and we all know that is super important in hybrid Scrapbooking!

    I have always figured I would stay with Silhouette because my file library is huge and I love the software. However I recently discovered a lot of people design in Silhouette and save as an SVG to easily cut in Cricut... which makes my original concern invalid.

    I have heard the Cricut cuts so much cleaner and faster so I am considering a Cricut machine. But I have a few questions...

    - how is the print and cut feature with Cricut?
    - if you have both, are the quality of cuts on Cricut really that much better?
    - any other points that could sway my decision?
     
  2. dailydwelling

    dailydwelling Confidently cooking and creating

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    I don't have both, so take this for whatever it may be worth. :) I have a Silhouette Cameo 3 and I love it, but the new Cricuts look like great machines as well. I upgraded from the Silhouette 2 to 3 a couple of years ago.

    From what I've read it seems as if the Silhouette Studio software is more user-friendly and easier to use, but the quality of the Cricut machine is the same if not a little better than the Silhouette.

    I don't think you can go wrong either way.
     
  3. Tree City

    Tree City Get a stepladder, I'm busy

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    This is what I've heard too.

    I have a Silhouette and I chose it because people I spoke with said they loved the software. My cousin has a Cricut but she isn't a huge paper crafter (her MIL got a good deal and bought it for her just because). Anyway, the cuts were good, but I didn't see the need to switch to Cricut IMHO. But like I said: my cousin isn't a huge paper crafter so maybe someone with more knowledge could make it work better? I'm sure you'd rock it, Desi!
     
  4. Karen

    Karen Wiggle it, just a little bit!

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    Oooh... I'm following along to see replies. If nobody comes along who owns both to compare, I vote that you buy one of each and test them out for us Desi! :D

    I print and cut A LOT!!! especially since about October when I started doing daily journaling in a travelers notebook and I started making my own stickers. I've learned a couple of good tricks for making sure my stickers turn out ok, even if the print and cut shifts a little bit, but I've been considering an upgrade too. I only have the Portrait (8.5 x 11) which is all I really want. Does the cricut have a small machine or do they only have 12x12?
     
  5. GlazeFamily3

    GlazeFamily3 Peeking in everyone's windows ...

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    I don’t think that Cricut has a small machine. I did see how to add bleed easily if you print and cut in Silhouette the other day- SO MUCH EASIER than the crazy ways I have adjusted for the shift in the past. Currently, I am leaning towards staying with Silhouette... unless I can make a friend with a Cricut who will let me try it out. :giggle
     
  6. Karen

    Karen Wiggle it, just a little bit!

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    Did you see a video about how to add bleed? I’d love to see it if you can remember where you saw it? I’ve been doing my own method, but I’m always open for ideas!
     
  7. GlazeFamily3

    GlazeFamily3 Peeking in everyone's windows ...

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  8. bellbird

    bellbird Pollywog

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    I have neither but I'm interested too
     
  9. Sokee

    Sokee What we do in life echoes in eternity

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    Love the read..... my cricut is so old it doesn’t have ‘software’, it is so fun to see the advancement in these craft products!
     
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  10. gracielou

    gracielou Well-Known Member

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    I have a silhouette portrait and the newest cricut. The cricut cuts way better, smoother, and quieter than the silhouette but I had to buy the portrait because no matter what I tried with the cricut I could not get the print/cut feature to work right and since that is 90% of what I use a cutting machine for it was a no go for me. It was so frustrating! The lines were always off and I tried calibrating that thing a billion times. I finally just gave up and packed it away in my closet. If I could have got the print/cut feature to work I would have chose the cricut over the silhouette a million times over.
     
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  11. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

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    Oh that's awesome info to know - I use my portrait for print and cut and that is about 90% of what I need a cutting machine for too. Very helpful. I'm always tempted by the big fancy Cricut machines. Thank you for the review and info!!!

    I'm gonna check out that link and good luck with your decision Desi!
     
  12. gracielou

    gracielou Well-Known Member

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    I'm gonna add a little bit more because after reading through this thread and responding yesterday it made me want to try my cricut again. So, I unpacked it from the closet and set it all up. I have the Cricut Explore Air 2. I was reminded once again how beautiful that machine is. I actually got the print/cut feature to somewhat line up, after about 5 tries and wasted material etc.....but it still was not 100%. As I was doing a search on the internet I found that it is actually a very common and known problem to Cricut. Wish I would have done that research before I bought it. I still feel like it is the better machine as far as the quiet and smoothness of the cut but that was about where it ended for me. I actually have to eat my earlier words that I said about choosing it over the silhouette because after working in the Cricut design space yesterday I came away just totally frustrated. Of course part of that is that I am used to the Silhouette design space so when I open it I just know what buttons to push to do what I need done. I'm sure I was just as lost when I first started using Silhouette's design space because I've been using it for years and I still don't know what all it can do but I am learning that the older I get, the more I hate having to dig through and learn new software. I just don't have time for it. Anyway, sorry for all the rambling. Maybe it will help someone somewhere along the line.
     
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  13. lcpereyra

    lcpereyra You won't believe my blue streak!

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    I have the original silhouette cameo and the cricut maker. I love the rotary tool with the maker. But I find the software easier to use with the silhouette and find it still cuts finer details better. But that could user experience. Print and cut has been very easy with the maker; it can be very frustrating with my silhouette as it can often fail registration - has a hard time finding the registration boxes. Though that machine is many years old now. :)

    Reality is I don’t use either of them nearly enough!
     
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  14. GlazeFamily3

    GlazeFamily3 Peeking in everyone's windows ...

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    Thanks so much for all you have contributed to this discussion! I have continued to research after posting here and it seems A LOT of people have the same issues as you have with Cricut and print and cut. Since that is the main thing I want to use mine for, I will be staying with Silhouette. I, too, get drawn in by how pretty the Cricut machines are, but at the end of the day what matters most is that it works to do what I need it to- and I think Silhouette will do a better job at that.
     
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  15. MehwishKhan

    MehwishKhan New Member

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    I personally think they are both pretty loud but maybe the maker is a little louder. I do a lot of my crafting at night in the living room, while everyone is sleeping in their rooms, and my family always tells me they don’t hear anything. So I think that when you sit next to them though the machines are noisy, it isn't so loud if you're at the usual distance. It's easier to think about how you cut most in materials. I won't let noise be the determining factor. I like my Cameo 4 & my manufacturer, but I tend to use more of my maker to create complex fabric cuts or sensations. But I like making my own designs or web photos, so Silhouette Studio makes image editing much easier, so I almost always use my Cameo for paper cutting or printing. That helps, hopefully:)
     
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