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- Best Overall
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- Amazon best seller
- Highly durable and versatile
- Suitable for gifting
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- Premium Choice
- Brother ScanNCut 2
- Touch screen interface
- Versatile and easy to use
- 1 year limited warranty
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- Great Value
- Silhouette Cameo
- Bluetooth compatible device
- Touch screen interface
- With cutting mat
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Vinyl cutters are handy little things. They don’t only cut through vinyl, but other materials as well, such as papers, fabrics, leather, aluminum, and more. In fact, there’s a wide range of these machines out there. So, how do you go about in finding the best vinyl cutters?
To help you out, we’ve canvassed the market to find the nine best vinyl cutting machines that are easy to use,, from loading the designs and materials, to choosing the right settings, getting the print, weeding, and even changing the cartridges. There’s also a buying guide at the end to let you know everything you need to consider to find the best cricut vinyl printer for you.
9 Best Vinyl Cutters Reviewed
Check out these top nine vinyl cutting machines that will give you the best value for your money:
Cricut Explore Air 2
Our top pick is the Cricut Explore Air 2, a personal DIY cricut cutting machine that lets you create more by flawlessly cutting more than a hundred different materials such as cardstock, specialty papers, faux leather, adhesive foil, and various kinds of vinyl like premium and iron-on.
This vinyl sticker maker is perfect if you want to make personalized home decor, custom stickers, unique greeting cards, and custom apparel. You can even create and upload designs and images for free right from your computer or other device with the free design software that comes with every purchase. It also has a vast library of images and fonts just for you.
Plus, aside from the machine, you’ll also receive a premium housing and fine point blade, a 12 by 12 inch adhesive cutting mat, a black fine point cricut pen, and a free and exclusive two week trial to Cricut Access.
- Amazon best seller
- Comes in mint and 6 other colors
- Can be purchased with a crafting bundle
- Highly durable and versatile
- Free access to design software
- Suitable for gifting
Brother CM350E ScanNCut 2
We also really like the Brother CM350E ScanNCut 2, a cricut printer that lets you create straight out of the box by giving you the option of working directly on the machine without needing any PC or any other device. This is because the machine is designed with a touchscreen LCD display, and houses 600+ built-in designs and editing tools that are all easy to use.
The Brother vinyl cutter also has a built in 300dpi scanner that lets you easily convert a drawing into a unique cut file. With this, you can also directly print and cut stickers, as well as enjoy precision placing of designs without having to count blocks.
Moreover, you can also use this as a stencil maker machine since it offers plenty of options for quilt designs and lettering fonts, and even lets you access a free Canvas Workspace. And, as a stencil cutter, you can enjoy an effortless cut of thick materials such as foam and fabric. It even has wireless capability, and comes with various accessories like pens, spatulas, and tack mats.
- Also available in the older CM350 model
- Touch screen interface
- Built in scanner, designs, fonts, and editing tools
- Versatile and easy to use
- Supports FCM and SVG file types
- 1 year limited warranty
Silhouette Cameo Wireless Cutting Machine
Taking the third spot is the Silhouette Cameo wireless cutting machine, which is arguably the ultimate DIY print and cut machine as it can cut over a hundred different materials up to twelve inches wide, including cardstock and fabric, thanks to its unique small blade.
It’s PixScan compatible, so you can easily create with your computer or smartphone while enjoying a large cutting space and cutting material versatility. In fact, it can even register then cut printed materials, and has a dual carriage to allow for a multi-tool usage.
To top it all off, this Cameo vinyl cutter comes with a lot of other amazing features, such as bluetooth connectivity for wireless cutting, a high clearance for cutting thicker materials, matless cutting capability, various compartments for blades and tools, and access to Silhouette’s design store so you can enjoy thousands of ready made designs.
- Comes in classic white, mint green, and slate grey
- Bluetooth compatible device
- PixScan and Print & Cut compatible
- With cutting mat, cross cutter, and blade adjustment tool
- Touch screen interface
- Giftable, great value for money
Vinyl Cutter USCutter MH
In fourth place is the Vinyl Cutter USCutter MH, an insanely cheap vinyl cutter that is sure to give you a run for your money with an astounding 34 accessory bundle to let you get started on vinyl cutting right out of the box.
This value and affordability also comes with reliability and trusted performance, so you don’t have to worry about diving right in and starting a home business on making graphics, signages, banners, and decals. The vinyl cutting machine itself is highly durable and versatile, too. It comes with fully adjustable speed and pressure settings, as well as three pinch rollers.
You can really make the most out of this vinyl printer cutter since it also comes with a free vector and cut software that lets you create your original artworks and vectorize tons of images. You’ll even get free blanks, tools, vinyl, and other supplies. And, it works with a majority of other software too.
- Amazon best seller
- Windows compatible
- Easy to learn and use
- Reliable tech support
- With complete accessories bundle
- Free vector and cut software
Silhouette Black Cameo 4
Ranking fifth is the Silhouette Black Cameo 4, one of the latest Silhouette vinyl cutters that is born to compete with its army of exciting features. These include bluetooth connectivity for easy and convenient wireless cutting, a smart tool detection system, and so much more,
It even features matless cutting, a built-in roll feeder, the latest design software by Silhouette, an LED touch panel, plenty of downforce in Carriages one and two for cutting even the thickest materials, and an autoblade two that easily resets with a single tap so it can automatically adjust the blade in order to match the cut job material.
Plus, you’ll get a month of free access to the Silhouette U design software and all of its 300+ exclusive designs, as well as a variety of must have accessories such as an updated cutting mat, four tool adapters, two dozen sketch pens, and dozens of sheets of premium oracal vinyl, premium transfer tape, and heat transfer vinyl.
- Bluetooth compatible device
- Complete accessories set included
- Can be used with Cameo specialty blades
- 1 month free access to Silhouette U
- 1 year manufacturer’s warranty
- Swing Design lifetime support
GCC Professional Expert II
Further down the list is the GCC Professional Expert II, which is arguably the best professional vinyl cutter out there. In fact, it’s widely preferred by lots of crafters and sign makers since it offers superior quality, optimum speed, solid reliability, and unmatched value.
This commercial vinyl cutter can produce eye catching graphics thanks to its 27.8 ips cutting speed, a three meter tracking ability, and 350 grams of cutting force. It really sets a whole new benchmark for accuracy and reliability, all in an affordable price tag.
It’s ideal for both home crafters and commercial users. For one thing, it’s faster than many other machines we’ve reviewed here, and it’s great for cutting heat transfers. It even lets you cut as wide as 24 inches, so you don’t have to worry about buying a full roll of vinyl.
- Also available in the LX model
- 400mm per second cutting speed
- Comes with basic cutting accessories
- Windows compatible
- Can be used with CorelDraw and Illustrator
USCutter 28 Inch MH Vinyl Cutter
You should also check out USCutter’s 28 inch MH vinyl cutter, a multipurpose vinyl cutter plotter that you can use as a decal maker machine and more. To give you an idea of its versatility, you can use it on a variety of materials such as standard and heat transfer vinyl, card stock, craft paper, and paint mask.
This durable and versatile vinyl plotter delivers a trusted performance with its dual roller system, adjustable pinch rollers, various pressure and speed points, and a standard blade holder that lets you use pretty much any kind of blade available.
If you want the best value cutter out there so you can start your sign making or custom t-shirt business, this is a great option that comes with blades, a pen adapter, a cover, and an optional floor stand. It even offers serial and USB connection options.
- Amazon’s Choice product
- Windows OS compatible
- Easy to use
- Superior adhesion
- Great value for money
USCutter 15-inch Table Titan Craft
Another great option from USCutter is their 15 inch Table Titan Craft from their vinyl cutter series. It’s a superior quality decal machine that’s affordable yet produces professional results, perfect for those who are into DIY crafts and wanting to start a business.
It’s highly versatile in that it can cut a wide variety of materials such as adhesive vinyl, hard paperboard, mask material, window film, and sandblast stencil. In fact, you can even use it for various crafts like scrapbooking, glass etching, and so on, all thanks to its variable cutting force and speed.
You can also get this vinyl lettering machine in your preferred size, whether that’s a compact 15 inch model, a 28 inch desktop machine, or a 53 inch industrial cutter. It’s all durable and built with the best materials, not to mention easy to use with plug and play capability.
- Quality engineering and frame construction
- Highly durable and reliable
- With free vectorizing and cutting software
- Laser recognition for contour cutting
- Reliable tech support
PrismCut P20 WiFi Vinyl Cutter
There’s also the PrismCut P20 WiFi Vinyl Cutter, an electronic cutting machine that looks like a total gem with its LED illumination and simple design with sleek and clean lines. With a beautiful body comes a superior performance with precise cutting of up to two millimeters, clean and professional results, and versatility of use.
With this cricut vinyl cutter, you can cut vinyl, leather, paper, wood, metal, and so much more. It can even etch and emboss materials, so you’re sure to have lots of fun creating various crafts such as signs, banners, package scores, streamers, greeting cards, dog tags, apparel, accessories, and so on. Use it as a decal cutter or a vinyl sticker machine at your whim.
One thing that really stands out, however, is that this machine boasts of a smart and clean construction from the inside out. You can clearly see a sturdy and durable metal chassis, as well as precise workmanship. And, the interface is simple, intuitive, and sleek.
- Print and cut contour cutting
- Wireless connectivity
- With free vectorizing and cutting software
- Responsive and bright touchscreen
- Simple and intuitive menu/ interface
Beginner’s Guide On How To Find The Best Vinyl Cutter
With all the vinyl cutters we’ve reviewed and the hundreds more out there, it can be hard to figure out which one is the best, at least for your specific needs, preferences, and budget. To help you out, here’s a guide on some of the most important things you need to consider.
We’ll talk about key points such as proven performance, decent cutting speed, and long term durability.
Intended Purpose
First of all, how do you intend to use the machine, and for what? This will at least help you decide on whether you need a personal or commercial vinyl printer and cutter model. For example, if vinyl cutting is mainly a side hobby for you, a personalized machine should be great enough, especially as it’s affordable, easy to use, portable, and delivers a more quiet operation.
On the other hand, if you plan on doing more complex designs and producing outputs in larger numbers, you’ll definitely need a commercial grade machine that can handle the job.
Compatibility of Materials
You should also establish what types of materials you’ll likely be using the vinyl cutter on. After all, these machines are not only meant for various types of vinyls, but also for plenty of other materials such as fabrics, card stocks, and even leather.
This is especially important if you want to be able to get more out of the machine, do more crafts with it, and just generally work with other materials. Now, don’t just trust the manufacturer, but also read the product reviews to make sure that the cutter can actually effectively cut through certain materials, especially the thicker and more stubborn ones.
Cutting Size
Another essential consideration is the machine’s cutting size, width, and depth. This is because vinyl cutting machines typically come in different designs, each with varying cutting depths and sizes, although some brands offer the same model in variable sizes.
It’s important to understand that the actual capability of the machine largely depends on the type and size of the machine’s blade, as well as the amount of pressure it can effectively apply. To give you an idea, most models have a maximum cut depth of two millimeters, which is also what you’ll need for cutting boards and leathers.
Printer Options
Some machines come with printer options, while others don’t, which can be inconvenient as you’ll have to use a printer to ready your designs. However, even with the vinyl cutters that come with printing capability, there’s still one factor you need to take into account.
This is because not all vinyl print and cut machines come with two cartridges, with one meant for cutting and one for printing. Some only feature one, which is supposed to alternate between the two tasks, and therefore become prone to a host of issues.
That said, it’s still actually preferable to just use a separate printer. This will give you a much better print quality with at least 600 dpi, and will make the cutting machine run faster as well, since both cartridges can be used for cutting simultaneously.
Ease Of Use
If you are a beginner, it’s ideal for the vinyl cutter to be as easy to use as possible. This means it shouldn’t have a complex operating mechanism, but can still deliver precise cuts. It’s also ideal if the machine comes with an integrated software that lets you work with tons of free designs and even create your own.
Aside from these, other factors that play into ease of operation include wireless capability, automatic settings, workability with common materials and papers, simple loading of materials, and easy cartridge changing.
Servo vs Stepper Motor
One thing you need to know about vinyl cutters is that they usually make use of either one of two motor types, namely, a digital servo motor, and a mechanical stepper motor. Cutters with stepper motors are generally more affordable, but they are also noisier and are not as precise especially when working with smaller cuts.
As such, digital servos are often preferred, since you get to enjoy a smoother and quieter workflow with more precise motions of the drive motor and cutting head, which leads to an overall improved machine accuracy.
Price and Warranty
This one’s a no brainer. As with every significant purchase, the price tag and the warranty coverage of the product must be considered. That said, don’t just go for the cheapest print and cut machine you can find.
For one thing, cheaper machines generally come with limited options as to designs, settings, blades, and compatible materials. They are also built with poor quality materials and are more prone to malfunction and breakage, which is already a real problem with vinyl cutters.
And on the subject of damage and a machine that does not work, a comprehensive warranty will act as a safety net and ensure you can soon enjoy a fully functioning machine, whether it’s through repairs or outright replacement.
Brand
When it comes to vinyl cutters and vinyl printing machines, the brand is almost always an indicator of quality. One of the most preferred brands out there is Cricut, which offers a lot of options that can be used not just as a vinyl cutter but also as a general die cut equipment.
In fact, there are many different types of Cricut machines out there, such as the Cricut personal cutter, and from that vast range of choices alone, it can be hard to decide on which Cricut is best. We actually have a separate review just for them.
In the review above, you’ll find a lot of excellent Cricut alternatives such as Silhouette machines. You might even want to consider the Cricket vinyl cutter- it’s a pretty great decal cutting machine.
Overview
The best vinyl cutting machine is different for everyone. For personal purposes, it is one that is small, simple, and easy to use, so you can enjoy making stickers, cards, decals, and more without much fuss. On the other hand, a cutting machine for commercial uses should be durable and come with advanced features and functions.
That said, what’s best for you is totally up to your personal preferences. As long as you take into account all the important factors such as motor type, cutting size, printer options, and so on, you are sure to find a vinyl cutter that performs well, delivers exceptional results, and will last you for a long time.
