
Getting your first cutting machine can be difficult when there are a number of options available for you in the market. This is not only for Christmas that you require a really good vinyl cutting machine to get the best-crafted design, but it is equally important to make your work appear professional. With the advent of technology, there you have vinyl cutting device loaded with new exciting features that will help you to get the neatly crafted designs of your desire. Better yet, you won’t be surprised to know the existence of 3D printers. Similarly, a vinyl cutting device sparks the creators of desktop extrusion-based 3D printers.
When you decide to own a brand new vinyl cutting device, you get to know about a lot of different brands of different possessing various characteristics, all different from other. Thus, it becomes hard for you to get your pick at the first thought. To pull you out from the scrambling sight, I have put together a list of the best vinyl machine in this article. Further, you can take a look at the practicality of the tool and decide if it’s proficient of enduring up to compatible cutting standards or not. Accordingly, I have reviewed some of the sought-after vinyl cutter devices of my own experience.
Our Top Picks
This cutting machine has some of the most unique features that make it stand out. Undoubtedly, it is the most recommended vinyl cutter. When it comes to the fabric cutting, it is fairly suggested by numerous manufacturers.
Key Features
- Enchanting design software that you can access using your Smartphone. It supports both Windows or Mac Operating System.
- The grip is really light and you get a mat fabric grip with added 12×12 inch dimension.
- There are 50 ready to make projects. Also, 25 sewing tools included in the box.
- It comes up with an Offline Design Space software mode available through the iOS application to enhance versatility.
- Also, you get 4 different pens with the package to make a font of your own.
The Rotary Blade
The rotary blades are the most recommended blades for the vinyl cutting devices. With the rotary blade, you can customize your own designs. So, you don’t have to fret about the intricate cuts because here you can count on this blade to get the flawless cuttings as you expect.
Knife Blade
This is specially designed to give you a clipboard cut. If you are planning to get matboard or even balsa, then this definitely should be your pick. Using this knife blade, you can cut through stuff as thick as 3/32 inches. With this added feature, you can consider Cricut Maker as one of the best vinyl cutting machines.
Fine Point Blade
The brand, just like previously, again offers the premium fine-point blade. The fine point blade helps you to make complex cuts in every medium-weight and thin materials. So, this is a good reason to take home Cricut Maker.
Deep Point Blade
Keeping on mind the thick cardstock, Cricut Maker uses deep point blade so that you can cut through the vinyl effortlessly. Here, you get a sheer 60 degrees cutting which you might fail to find in other machines. So, if you are expecting to take your work a notch higher, you can count on this product.
Bounded Fabric Blade
If you are not ready to play with the fabric scissors, then this is the best option for you. This blade lets you decide which kind of fine point blade is suitable for bounded fabrics to get the best out of it. So, if you are hoping to make those cuts better than ever then Cricut Maker is a game changer for you.
Pros
- Produces professional cuts.
- Rotary blade is an added feature which helps to get easy fabric cuts.
- Affordable.
- It comes up with a sewing library.
- Designed with cutting-edge technology.
- It has a turbocharged engine.
- The adaptive tool enhances the machine.
Cons
- Limitation in cutting space.
- The design space software is web-based and limited too.
Bottom Line
There are merits as well as some demerits of Cricut Maker, but to sum up, it comes out to be fairly good vinyl cutter machine. This sleek cutting device provides 4 kg of cutting pressure that is difficult to find in its sibling the Cricut Air. So, I would say that the machine is best suited for any passionate artist.
Taking a close look at the Cricut Explore Air 2, you will find a minimalistic and quite laid back appearance. If compared, this vinyl cutting device is much faster than its forerunners. There, you get two different modes- normal and fast. You can switch between the two modes according to your ease. Besides, it provides you with a wide range of images and over 3,000 easy-to-use projects.
Key Features
- This cutting machine offers you customized cards.
- Here, you have access to a dozen printable patterns.
- You get a bulk of different materials here.
- The scoring stylus is an added feature.
- You can cut through even the most intricate patterns.
The Cutting Width
Despite the machine's short 12 inches cutting width, it is considered to be one of the best vinyl cutting machines for a desktop. The printing capacity differs from one web browser to another, so does the machine's cutting width changes according to your use.
Double Tool Holder
Here, you can use double tool holder to attach two clamps. This unique feature benefits you in cutting as well as writing. So, you can cut and write stuff simultaneously without making much effort.
German Carbide Premium Blade
Apart from that, Cricut Explore Air 2 comes along with a potent and handy blade that helps you to cut light and mid-weight stuff. Also, you can use it to design poster boards. The German Carbide Premium blade is specially crafted through a hardening process to improve its stability. Better yet, it serves much longer than a standard blade ever will.
StandardGrip Cutting Mat
Cricut Explore Air 2 been constantly improving the machine performance with features such as the StandardGrip Cutting Mat. This mat assists the machine in recognizing the materials you use. Also, the mat provides a good grip to ease your work.
Pros
- The outward appearance is really good. There are 4 different color options available for you.
- The machine is fast and you can deliver your work in a short span of time.
- The test project is an added benefit of this cutting machine.
- It comes at an affordable price.
- You get a really good mat here.
- The bluetooth further complements this cutting machine.
Cons
- This vinyl cutting machine lacks an Android software for the Design Space and it is web-based.
- It is louder when you compare it to the Explore Air.
Bottom Line
In a nutshell, Cricut Explore Air 2 appears to be a fair fit for the best vinyl cutter device available in the market. It is fast and comes at a reasonable price. On top of that, there is a lot of features that build up the machine's performance with incredible accuracy. The German Carbide blade is an inclusive characteristic which a hobbyist wants in any vinyl cutting device.
The Silhouette Cameo 3 is recognized for its refined capability to produce custom designs. It appears more like a familiar home printer because of its size and shape. Apart from that, its usability is another key thing of this machine which makes it stand out as the best vinyl cutter machine.
Key Features
- This vinyl cutter comes up with dual-carriage function.
- Stippling is another key feature of this machine.
- It provides a fine print and cut feature.
- Silhouette Cameo 3 uses PixScan technology in order to give the best-crafted design.
- The blades are unique and serves specific purposes.
- You get 250 grams worth of cutting power.
- It is compatible with all the CAMEO models.
- It gives you one month of free access to the Silhouette Design Store.
- It allows you to adjust the spring and pinch rollers as per your desire.
- You get more than 2mm depth cutting capacity.
Dual-Carriage Function
The dual carriage function is one of the most unique traits of Silhouette Cameo 3. Besides, it offers two tool options as well. Through this added dual-carriage function, you will be able to cut various kinds of materials that require the use of different blade settings to have your work done.
Stippling
The stippling is an added feature of Silhouette Cameo 3 which lets you create some colorful stippled ink decor. To make the stippling into use, you can enter the Stipple Window and you will come to find a variety of stippling options ranging from different categories.
Print And Cut Feature
You will be amazed to find out that Silhouette Cameo 3 comes along with print and cut feature as well. With the help of this unique trait, you will be able to capture and send videos through the Studio software. Once you become comfortable operating this characteristic for scrapbooking and crafting, you can keep the hassle at a bay.
Unique Blades
This cutting machine has 3 distinguished blades- standard, deep cut, and auto blade. Undoubtedly, all of them serves different purposes. The standard blade is used in splicing jobs and is known as the black ratchet blade. There, you also get an option to adjust the blade's length.
The next blade is the deep cut blade. This you can use to make the deepest cut as well as the shallowest. In fact, the deep cut blade is considered to be the much more powerful than that of the standard blade.
Another blade you get in Silhouette Cameo 3 is the auto blade. This blade lets you adjust the settings automatically. By selecting your material type, you can work with this blade. All you need to do is to type "Send to Silhouette" and the blade will automatically modify the settings as per the material type.
Pros
- The product provides a really helpful customer assistance.
- It gives you professional cuts.
- There are a lot of good options for crafting.
- Filled with extra onboard tool storage characteristic.
- The Silhouette Studio application is an added feature for comfortable editing, printing, and cutting.
- Along with the Silhouette Cameo 3 vinyl machine comes a tote so that you can easily move or even transport the machine.
- It gives you an easeful cutting experience.
Cons
- This machine is not so versatile and you can find some limitations in here.
- You can make crafted cuts, but you can not make emboss, engrave or pierce through materials.
- To make it entirely manageable, you might require to get a separate bag.
Bottom Line
To sum up all its trais, Silhouette Cameo 3 might not be the most famous vinyl cutting device in the market, but it is definitely one of the best vinyl cutters. If you are planning to get flawlessly crafted vinyl cuttings, then Silhouette Cameo 3 is worth pondering upon.
This vinyl cutting device comes to the group of Silhouette cutting machine. Its competitive pricing further makes it endure out from the crowd. Silhouette Portrait 2 is no doubt among the most affordable vinyl cutting devices in the market. With the Studio Designer, you can get professional cuttings efficiently.
Key Features
- You can cut and draw at the same time.
- It gives you a 2mm cutting depth with Deep Cut blade.
- There is AutoBlade adaptability in Silhouette Portrait 2.
- The bluetooth compatibility is an added feature that you get in this machine.
- Get the easeful cuttings with 210 grams of cutting force.
- You can choose to cut through the material up to 10 feet with a lined media.
- It provides you 8″ x 12″ (20.3 x 30.5 cm) cutting area along with a mat.
- PixScan™ technology allows you to make designs from pictures.
Cutting
The cuttings of Silhouette Portrait 2 can be limited because of its small size. Though you can go up to 10 feet long to cut the material, you will find a limitation of 8 inches when it comes to the width. They are vinyl, tissue paper, paper/cardstock, cereal box chipboard, craft foam, and rhinestone template material. Apart from that, you will get various blades to craft different designs. Their name follows Auto blade, Standard, Deep cut blade, and fabric blade.
With the Auto blade, you are liberated from the manual settings. The auto blade lets you adjust the pressure to cut through materials automatically. This is an added feature that you get in Silhouette Portrait 2.
Another blade includes the Deep cut blade. This blade gives you the deepest and the shallowest cuttings. Using the deep cut blade, you can cut through the material up to 2mm thick. It is specially designed to cut thicker materials such as leather and craft foam.
Another blade Silhouette Portrait 2 provides is the Fabric blade. This dedicated blade helps to cut through the fabric. Also, there is a print and cut feature that allows you to cut printed copies.
PixScan Technology
This is another striking characteristic of Silhouette Portrait 2. The PixScan technology is much more like the Print and Cut feature. To use it, you need to place the selected image on a mat. Following that, you can take a picture and upload the image to the default Studio Designer app. There, you will get the exact cut of the image.
Drawing
Apart from that, there is an inclusive drawing feature that helps you to draw the design instead of cutting it. Here, the cutting machine uses a pen replacing the blade. With Silhouette Portrait 2, you can make exceptional drawings or invitation cards with a personal touch.
Pros
- The machine weighs only 3.5 pounds and is con sided lightweight.
- It has a compact size and is capable of fitting in corners.
- One of the best portable vinyl cutting devices.
- The auto blade gives you the freedom to adjust the blade settings.
- You can cut much longer materials with Silhouette Portrait 2 machine.
- This vinyl cutting device has Silhouette Studio 4.
- You can use this machine offline.
- It is much affordable.
- You can enjoy wireless connection through bluetooth.
Cons
- There is a limited cutting width.
- The cutter is a bit weak since it has only 210 grams of cutting force.
- Lack of storage compartments for additional stuff.
Bottom Line
With all these characteristics, Silhouette Portrait 2 makes an obvious stand in the list of top vinyl cutter machines. The appearance being compact, it gives you the facility to store it even in the corner. Focusing on its price, you are getting the most out of it.
Manufactured by Brother International Corporation, Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2 is a special mention in the list of best vinyl machine. This particular vinyl cutting machine comes along with a wide range of latest unique features. Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2 allows you to both scans and cut the material. Overall, it is a stand-alone machine for all your crafting works.
Key Features
- There is a brand new larger screen.
- The device supports wireless design transfer straight through the machine.
- Apart from that, you can transfer designs with direct connections using a USB cable.
- You get the latest color recognition feature.
- You can convert SVG files with any struggle.
- A whole lot of latest default designs.
- The LCD display is easy to use.
- The online cloud design software named ScanNCutCanvas is an added characteristic of Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2.
Stand Alone Capacity
Off all the traits of Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2, the most striking feature is that it does not require a computer device to connect. It allows you to scan and save all your designs in a USB port or even in a memory card. Also, you get a lot of default designs along with the machine. All you need to do is to use the LCD display and choose your preferred design. Besides, it comes along with many shapes and borders.
300 DPI Built In Scanner
No doubt the inbuilt scanner in the Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2 makes it one of the best vinyl machines you will get in the market. With the large 12″ x 12″ scanning mat, you can get professional cutting designs in a go.
Pros
- The built-in scanner is the unique feature that you do not find in every vinyl cutting device.
- It provides you with precision cuttings.
- You can use the ScanNCutCanvas software for free.
- Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2 offers you multi-device feature as well as wireless support.
- The LCD display is super large.
Cons
- There is a limit in the vinyl cuttings and you have to maintain the capacity when it comes to the working area.
- The software is really basic and needs improvement.
- Brother CM350 ScanNCut 2 is expensive when compared to other vinyl cutters.
To Sum Up
Though there are a great number of vinyl cutting devices in the market to choose from, not all of them are the cream of the crop. So, these are my top picks for the best vinyl cutting machines that will ease you to decide which one is convenient for your use. Whatever your choice and preferences are, through this prolonged list of vinyl cutters, you will be able to take home the one which flatters your crafting abilities. The products mentioned in this article holds different characteristics and thus will serve your purposes variously.