Silhouette vs. Cricut Expression

[tradergirl]

Can someone tell me please, what the difference is between the two machines and which one is better?

Thanks in advance!

[sweetpea1501]

here some info that might be helpful

and

Here

HTH

[TheOtherMeg]

The cutters that cut from your computer cost more up front, but they allow you to cut almost anything you want directly to your cutter (no third party software needed to "bridge" from one program to your Cricut). These cutters are usually able to cut more types & thicknesses of material in a single pass.

Also, you don't get hooked on buying expensive cartridges. The carts will put you past the cost of a basic computer-driven cutter in no time. I think 6-8 carts and you're into the price range of a cutter that will let you cut anything.


The Cricut is great if you want portability. You don't have to be near your computer to use it (unless you use it with Design Studio or a supplemental program that lets you cut your computer fonts). It's a plug-n-play system. Stick in a cart, chose your size, cut. That's pretty much it. If you cut the same type of paper/cardstock most of the time, you don't even need to change the pressure & speed settings. If you do need to change those settings, they're very simple dials with numbers. The higher the number, the more pressure & speed.

The Cricut machine costs less, but the carts DO add up. There are some advantages to the carts, though. The main one, IMO, is portability. The carts are why you can carry the Cricut from one place to another. You don't need to be near a computer as long as you only want to cut the images on the carts.

Another advantage to carts is that Provo Craft (makers of Cricut) gets permission to use copyrighted images. While you can find copyrighted dingfonts & graphics to use in a software program with a computer-driven cutter, the carts are so simple to use.

I can't really say which machine system is better. They both have advantages. I think in the long run a computer-driven cutter like the CR, Wishblade, KNK, etc. will take you further, but I have to say I love the simplicity and portability of my Expression. I've taken it into school during parties and the kids had a blast "ordering" what they wanted cut and choosing papers.


To make your decision even more difficult, there is software that will allow you to cut your computer fonts and graphics with a Cricut. It's the long way around the block (there's a bridging program you need to use to take your image from the software to the Cricut for cutting, and you also need PC's Design Studio [I believe the trial version will do]), but it can be done. With those three programs (SCAL + Inkscape + Design Studio), you can use a Cricut both with carts and without them. You need to make multiple passes with the Cricut to cut some of the thicker materials that can be cut in one pass on some of the computer-driven cutters, but people do it all the time.


I have a KNK Maxx 24", a KNK 13", and an Expression with Design Studio, so I've used both computer and cartridge systems. (I don't use any third-party software with the E, so I don't know much about SCAL & Inkscape.) I like different things about each system.

[Jennifer R]

I can comment on the Silhouette:

Pros:
Never any cartridges to buy
1000s of free shapes on line for download
Cuts any ttf font (millions of freebies on line)
Don't need to buy any software ever
Can weld words and manipulate shapes with FREE software (inkscape)
Very easy to use with basic functions
Downloadable shapes available from Quickutz if you're not computer savvy

Cons:
The cutting mats and blades are a bit pricey but mine have lasted FOREVER

BTW, the new Silhouette machine IS portable and doesn't have to be hooked up to the computer. I believe it comes with some kind of SD slot.

[tradergirl]

WOW...ladies, you are so sweet...so much info you have given to me. I found a refurbished deal on Ebay on the Silhouette for $100...which is an awesome deal, but most of my friends have the Cricut Expression, in fact they just bought them, so I am sooo wanting one of these machines right now, but the price is really out of my range right now. So the $100 price might be better, even though it is refurbished. So the Silhouette sounds better to me by the minute...

Next question...would you buy a refurbished one?? Hehehehe....I am full of quiestions, aren't I? I can't thank you enough for all the detailed input!!!

Thank you!!!!!!
Eva

[sammsmom1]

I have purchased many things refurbished and never had a problem with any of them. I would most certainly buy a refurb if it was a great deal like that one since I paid much more than that for mine a year ago.

[TheOtherMeg]

I wish the KNKs had an SD slot. It would be fantastic to save files to an SD card to use later (or somewhere else) with the cutter. That's one thing that really disappoints me about the machine. The new Maxx's should have had one, but KNK missed the boat on that, and I won't be upgrading for quite a while.



As for buying a refurbished machine, I wouldn't buy a refurb online. It'd be one thing if you could drive it back to a store if it had problems, but I'd worry about getting problems fixed by an online seller. I don't want to dis all online sellers of refurbished machines, but I would worry about problems and/or getting ripped off. That's just me. No doubt a dozen people will come in now and post about their fabulous experiences buying refurbished items on eBay. LOL

[TheOtherMeg]

LMAO @ being beaten to the punch (slow typer here). One down, eleven to go.

[tradergirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtherMeg

As for buying a refurbished machine, I wouldn't buy a refurb online. It'd be one thing if you could drive it back to a store if it had problems, but I'd worry about getting problems fixed by an online seller. I don't want to dis all online sellers of refurbished machines, but I would worry about problems and/or getting ripped off. That's just me. No doubt a dozen people will come in now and post about their fabulous experiences buying refurbished items on eBay. LOL

Hehehehe.....yeah, I saw this on Ebay, and this person has sold a lot of these refurbished ones andd has 100% perfect feedback, that is why I am so close to punching that buy button...heheheh

[tradergirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOtherMeg

LMAO @ being beaten to the punch (slow typer here). One down, eleven to go.

Hehehe....too funny!!!

[outlawcat]

I have the cricut and design studio and have been contemplating buying a wishblade because I make my own designs. I wonder if the silhouette does this also besides fonts? I can get one, the one without the SD card for $150..but I know the wishblade you can do your own designs,. and now I'm really confused because I'm pretty computer savoy and read that post about SCAL and Inkscape so I started to do the research on doing it that way and am at a dead end looking up SCAL. what is that program?? I am really frustrated with the Cricut , although I like it I'm itching to use my own designs too. lol

[tradergirl]

Outlawcat, from what I understand using the SCAL software, you can cut anything with your Cricut, if you use that. The draw back is that it cost around $90.

As far as my update.....I am buying my girlfriend's Craft Robo for a really good price. She never got to learn how to use it and I will take time as I prefer a machine that is not limited to using cartridges as well.

Thanks for everyone for your input, I am picking up my machine today, so I am pretty excited about that!

[MJHBJS]

I have the Sillie...without the SD card (which is a very good idea as it eliminates the "have to be near a computer issue)... it is wonderful. I have also bought the KNK GE Studio software that is a bit more robust than the Robo software. Much easier to use than Robo or Inkscape in my opinion (I respect others may feel differently). I have some issue with Provocraft as a company (restrictive angel policy - BTW, you cannot use the Cricut designs for ANY card you sell). That was the biggest drawback for me personally. I want the option. SO if that is not an issue and you like buy cartridges, the Cricut is very easy to use if you want just want the cartridge gives you.

[madmichelle]

As I am primarily a card maker who has only just started dabbling in scrapbooking, I really need a digital cutter to cut card stock 180 -200gsm. I have noticed this quote on the silhouette machine website. "The Silhouette may not perform as well with smaller designs if they are intricate or are being cut on a thicker material, such as cardstock."

Please advise. I like the cricut but know that I would resent buying all those cartridges if I didn't get full use of them.

Also is there any Aussie owners of the Silhouette? Would love to find where to get it from and maybe we can support each other too!

[pjw2855]

madmichelle.....Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your post. Yes you can cut cardstock with the Cricut and Expression. I use cardstock nearly exclusively with both machines. I find that scrapbook paper is more difficult due to it's being so thin.

What I've said in other threads on this subject is that many of the more intricate images will not cut in small sizes.

As far as getting the use of the cartrides......you need to carefully look at the images the cartridges have on them to decide if they are ones you would use in your crafting.

I have over 30 cartridges and no, I don't use all the images on them, but I do use enough of them that I can justify having all those cartridges.

I did a demo on the Silhouette a couple years ago when it first came out. I liked the machine and it's features, but at the time didn't like that it had to be connnected to a computer to use. Now I've changed my mind. That wouldn't bother me since I have the Design Studio that is installed on a computer.

I do consider the Expression or Cricut used with the Design Studio to be easier though.

Just my opinions.

Patti

[rachelgirl014]

the silhouette sd doesn't need to be connected to a computer to cut, but you do have to have the sd card loaded with stuff you want to cut (say to take to a crop)

[Arizona]

I have a silhouette sd and I love it. I just wish it was big enough to take 12x12 paper.

[madmichelle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjw2855

madmichelle.....Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your post. Yes you can cut cardstock with the Cricut and Expression. I use cardstock nearly exclusively with both machines. I find that scrapbook paper is more difficult due to it's being so thin. ...Patti

Thanks Patti. I must have been tired when I read the Silhouette website as I read it such that I might have trouble cutting cardstock with the machine. Now I read it again and it is referring to the small intricate designs might cause a problem. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I think I am leaning strongly to a Silhouette due to the fact I can cut any design I can copy (legally of course!) or design myself. There's also a lot of wing ding fonts that give us a lot of designs to use for personal use.

Michelle

[suplayingwithpaper]

I have a robo and an expressions. The robo takes far far longer to cut, doesnt give as smooth a cut line and any cardstock has to have at least 2 passes. The software is long winded and not the easiest to learn. Replacement blades and mats in the UK are expensive and not easy to get hold of. The only positive to the machine is that if I have the time I can cut more detail, faux MS doily heart borders etc, in paper.

Using the deep blade on my E I can cut thick acetate, shrink plastic, some chipboard and all the cardstocks I've ever bought in a single pass. The detail is more than good enough for most things although the doily heart border is a bit too small but because of this it doesnt pick up pixelated bumps on curves (the robo leaves me with a microperforated type edge on circles).

I've only ever used a cart once thanks to buying scal at the same time as the E. I don't need to mess about with inkscape if I don't want to because scal can trace jpg images and will cut all ttf fonts & dingbats. Shadows, blackouts, welds etc are all just a single click in scal. Scal is soooo easy to use it feels like cheating.

When my robo dies of neglect I'll be cheering from the rooftops, when my E dies from exhaustion I'll be online buying another within minutes.

[madmichelle]

Where would I be able to buy a refurbished Silhouette?
If you bought one from ebay, could you please supply the name of the supplier as there doesn't appear to be one listed over the holiday period.

[kikigurl]

I have the craftrobo and cricut expression. The Silhouette is bascially the same as the craftrobo just a different "brand" name slapped on it. By far the Cricut is easier to use. If you purchase the sure cuts a lot software it will do anything the Silhouette will do. Plus being able to buy replacement blades and mats at Walmart for your cricut versus having to more than likely order any thing you would need for the silhouette off the internet and wait for it to arrive. Most people who make a file for cutting make both a gsd and svg of it. So I guess I am saying I am on team Cricut.

[lylacfey]

You can make your own mats for the Silhouette. There are several "recipes" online. Silhouette also Prints and Cuts. It has a laser that will read your printed material and cut it out for you. You can use the Silhouette on Linux if you are a Linux geek.

I have a Wishblade which is the same as the Silhouette. Graphtec makes the CraftRobo, Wishblade and Silhouette so they are all the same machines.

I also have a Gazelle but that is a higher end machine and uses different software. I have a Cricut Expression. I am a bit of an addict, lol.

[annie21211]

My only complaint with my Wishblade is the mat size and it will not cut Papertrey Ink cardstock at all. So, I bought a Cricut Expressions and really like it. I bought the SCAL software too because I won't be buying a bunch of cartridges (which is why I went with a Wishblade when the Cricut first came out a few years ago).

[mamajen]

I bid on my Silhouette SD on ebay and was surprised to win it for around $112 (on average, the winning bids at the time-back in August-were $140 to $150)! It was brand new, in the original (unopened) box with the full manufacturer's warranty. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to play with it yet, but I'll have to report back when I do. I also bought the Cricut Tool Kit to go with it (my sister-in-law that does a lot of scrapping said that it makes it easier to remove the fonts & little pieces). It can be seen here: http://www.ohmycrafts.com/cricut-tool-kit.aspx (and can also be found at Walmart). This accessory tool kit would probably come in handy with any die cut system. In fact, I used mine with a Cuttlebug die cut set today (when making a Valentine).

Please keep us updated (as to what you end up with & how you like it)!

[djaquay]

I'm wanting to buy a cutting machine of some kind and I've spent the past few hours reading comparisons online and came upon this thread. So I have a question to make sure I understand this correctly, if you have an Expression and buy the SCAL software for it you can cut anything that you could cut if you had the Silhouette, is that correct? One issue I would have with purchasing the Silhouette is that I use a MacBook, and the Silhouette isn't compatible with that. I do have access to another computer in my home but I prefer to use my own.

What I'm wanting to cut, primarily, are templates from places like Papertrey Ink and Lauren Meaders new website. I am not a scrapbooker, and I don't care about cutting materials other than card stock. I would like to be able to cut shapes/images, that can be used on my cards and items that I sell. I understand that Cricut images can't be used for items you sell, but if you can cut images using SCAL that you find on the internet that can be sold that would be OK, right?

And one more question. Some of you mentioned about scanning things like stamps, and then being able to cut the shapes out to avoid hand cutting. Can this be done with the Expression/SCAL?

Thanks,
Diane

[suplayingwithpaper]

That's all exactly what I do with my expressions and scal Diane. Like the silhouette though it's not quite that easy and you do have to make a few changes to the templates, erasing instructions etc (any graphic programme will do the trick). You wouldnt be able to stamp then cut out but using a stamp positioner it's possible to cut then stamp if you leave the card on the mat. You're more than welcome to pm me and I can talk you through it in a bit more detail.

[lylacfey]

Diane- SCAL works great on Mac but the problem is that you need Cricut Design Studio to update the firmware on your Cricut so it can cut with SCAL. No getting around this.

A.) You will have to dual boot your Mac.
B.) Find a friend that has DS and a Cricut who will let you update your firmware on her Windows system.

I am not trying to steer you away from the Cricut. I am a die hard lover of it. I don't want you to buy it and pull your hair out.

Silhouette should work on Mac. It's the software that does not work on Mac. You can use Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape to cut. I use the Wishblade (same machine different company) to cut using Linux and Inkscape.

It's the drivers and they are pretty much open source that you need. Then you need a MAC compatible program to cut. A lot of Graphtec machine owners use Illustrator or Draw for their creations.

Graphtec is the maker of the Silhouette, Wishblade and CraftRobo.

HTH!

[djaquay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lylacfey

Diane- SCAL works great on Mac but the problem is that you need Cricut Design Studio to update the firmware on your Cricut so it can cut with SCAL. No getting around this.

A.) You will have to dual boot your Mac.
B.) Find a friend that has DS and a Cricut who will let you update your firmware on her Windows system.

I am not trying to steer you away from the Cricut. I am a die hard lover of it. I don't want you to buy it and pull your hair out.

Silhouette should work on Mac. It's the software that does not work on Mac. You can use Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape to cut. I use the Wishblade (same machine different company) to cut using Linux and Inkscape.

It's the drivers and they are pretty much open source that you need. Then you need a MAC compatible program to cut. A lot of Graphtec machine owners use Illustrator or Draw for their creations.

Graphtec is the maker of the Silhouette, Wishblade and CraftRobo.

HTH!

Thanks LeeAnn! I'll show this to my husband, he understands all of this (thank goodness!) We actually have several computers in our house, my Mac, a laptop that runs Windows, and a computer that runs Linux. Dh is a real techie geek, and is always talking about open source stuff (he thinks Linux is the greatest and hates Windows but we got Windows on our daughters new computer because so many things depend on that).

Diane

[suplayingwithpaper]

Most if not all of the cricuts on sale now already have the right firmware and CDS isnt needed to update it.

[lylacfey]

Hi Dianne!

Your so welcome. I was really hoping I was not too geeky when I explained. My friends tease me that I think in binary. I just came across this while reading an article and thought of you. It's how to use the Silhouette on Mac: http://www.silhouettemachine.com/faq...solutionid=204

The Cricut girls over at the Cricut MB have a lot of great tips for using Mac and Cricut together.

If your DH needs the Linux driver for the CraftRobo machine I can find the link. It's going to take some working on the kernel but once you do that she cuts like a dream.

HTH!