The Silhouette Cameo: Is it Right for You?

If making cheer bows is your thing, you'll need a vinyl cutter if you want to add words to your bows. After tons of research, I ended up with the Silhouette Cameo 2. I found that it works well for my purposes and wouldn't choose another cutter if I had the option.

NOTE: This post is NOT sponsored and does NOT include any affiliate links.

In late May, Silhouette announced that they would be releasing the new Silhouette 3 in August. Now this actually made me a bit frustrated because I literally had just purchased my Silhouette 2 three days before I came across the news on The Silhouette School Blog.

Now that I've had a couple months to use my Silhouette Cameo 2 to design and cut materials for my cheer bows and shirts, I can honestly say that I am very happy with my decision. I currently have no desire to upgrade as my 2 does exactly what I need it to do. In fact, with the release date nearing, now may be the best time to invest in the 2 if you are thinking of purchasing a cutter. You may be able to find them at a discount as Silhouette distributors start to get their 3s in.

New Updates with the Silhouette Cameo 3

Now, I can't review the Silhouette 3 because I don't have it. The Silhouette School Blog did post a full Cameo 3 review. Just from looking at the pictures, however, the two versions look very different. On the 3, the touchscreen is hidden under the lid. There are now two slots for different types of blades (one of which is an auto-adjust blade) and added storage within the machine itself. Additionally, the touchscreen now has Bluetooth capabilities. The Silhouette 3 is also wireless.

Even though the updates sound useful (especially the double tool ability - drool), I'm not rushing to upgrade. This is partially from the fact that I JUST bought my Cameo 2 and partially from the fact that, while the upgrades seem awesome, they won't affect the quality of the products that I make. So I'll be sticking with my 2 at least for a year or so.

The Silhouette Cameo 2: Is it Worth it?

I can say without a doubt that I love my Cameo 2. I am not the best with computers and figuring things out, but I have found the program to be easy to learn and easy to use. I am able to very easily fix any problems without throwing a wrench in my whole day. While I mainly use my Cameo 2 for cutting vinyl, you can also use it to make rhinestone templates (with a software upgrade), or draw fancy fonts on envelopes (using the Silhouette pens). You can make glass etching templates, stencils, stickers and even temporary tattoos. 

The best part about the Silhouette Cameo 2 is that it is easy. When breaking this device down into pros and cons, the number of cons appears to well outweigh the pros; however, the cons I list below should be considered more annoyances than actual cons.

Pro: Easy to Get Started

The Silhouette Cameo comes with the software you need. All you need to do is pop it into your computer, install it, and you're good to go. It took maybe half an hour from unboxing to cutter my first design. The blade is easy to put it in and the directions for the machine are simple and make sense. There is a slight learning curve, but once you understand how everything works, there aren't too many curve balls.

Pro: Easy Design Software

The design program is not meant to be a version of Photoshop or Illustrator. If you are proficient in these design programs, you may feel a bit underwhelmed with Silhouette Studio. If you are not proficient with other design programs, Studio is awesome. It has everything you need to create simple designs. There is a trace tool that allows you to add in shapes. You can also add in new fonts to use.

If you are looking to do intricate designs, you will likely need to use Photoshop, Illustrator or CorelDRAW. Studio does allow you to load PNG and JPEG files or you can opt for a CorelDRAW plugin that works with Studio. 

One of the coolest things is that you can download the basic edition of the Studio software for FREE (choose silhouettestudio). Yes, you can grab and mess around with the software before you even buy the cutter. This actually gives you a chance to see if you like the software and if it will allow you to create what you want to create. 

Not a Pro, Not a Con: It's Slow

I can't really consider this a con because the Silhouette Cameo is not meant to be a commercial cutter. It was designed for home use. If you intend to use this cutter a lot, you may find that it just does not work as fast as you want it to. But again, you can't really fault something for not being something it wasn't meant to be. As a home cutter, it works well.

Con: Not the Most Consistent Machine

When I say it isn't consistent, I don't mean that the cuts are not accurate or that the quality of the cuts are not reliable; I mean that the machine does some weird things sometimes. I will cut some vinyl and it work just find. Then I'll go to cut some more of the same vinyl and all of the sudden the blade will just go through the vinyl. Settings that worked on a certain type of vinyl yesterday don't even make a cut into the vinyl today. It's weird. 

The way to get around this is to test cut every time. Whenever I have failed to test cut, I end up wasting materials. 

Con: The Software Acts Up

Occasionally, the software prevents you from finalizing your design. It also ends up corrupting the file. The last time this happened to me, the software would not let me subtract one shape from another, meaning I could not cut my design correctly. Ultimately, I had to uninstall the program, reinstall the program, and re-do the design because the file was somehow corrupted. Reinstalling the program fixed these problems.

When the problem initially occurred, a Google search showed that this particular problem was affecting multiple users. I don't know if the software somehow updated itself or what, but it was very strange. 

Silhouette Cameo Resources

If you're still not sure if you want to invest in the Cameo or if you want to go with other options (like Cricut, for example), there are tons of resources that can show you how the Cameo works before you buy it.

TheRhinestoneWorld: This seller has multiple Youtube videos about how to use the Cameo 2. They post many videos so jump right on in and you'll start to see how everything works. I do not personally recommend purchasing a Silhouette Cameo from their website as you can usually find it for a better price elsewhere (their materials are awesome though!).

The Silhouette School Blog: They have Cameo courses and project ideas available. If you really want to see what the Silhouette Cameo is capable of doing, check this blog out. 

Where to Buy a Silhouette Cameo

Shop around to find the best prices on your Cameo. I recommend looking online as you'll likely be able to find a Cameo 2 with a starter kit for the same price (or even cheaper!) as in-store without a starter kit. I personally purchased mine through Overstock for $240 with a coupon. This included an essentially free heat transfer vinyl kit. Once the Cameo 3 hits the shelves, you may be able to find it cheaper.

Currently, it does not appear that the prices for the 2 are going down. However, the 2 with the bundle is still cheaper than what the 3 will be when it is released. That being said, as of July 28, the Cameo 3 Bundle was only $270, a mere $30 more than the Cameo 2 bundle found on Overstock and similar websites. If I had not purchased my Cameo 2 when I did, I would spring for the 3.

If you want to purchase the Cameo 3, it looks like the Bluetooth bundle will be sold for $299 (not including tax). It will be released on Aug. 3rd.