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View Full Version : are any of the cheaper (as in 'ebay') cutters worth it?



gavtheoldskater
10-09-2013, 09:37 AM
i do very little vinyl cutting, have an older craft robo, but am in need of some new van graphics and for what i'm being quoted a cheap ebay cutter is about the same price.

it would be usefull on occasion to be able to do bigger stickers, so for an occasional user would a cheap machine suffice and of the ones out there are any recomended?

alternatively, should i buy a decent'ish one used and if so what shouild i look for?

Paul
10-09-2013, 12:16 PM
Definitely yes. If your stickers are not to small or over complicated then cheap cutter should sort you out. Iam not going to mention what one you should get as most of them are similR machines. I can only say that i own seiki and is great.

gavtheoldskater
13-09-2013, 03:16 PM
probably a stupid question, but how does a bigger cutter vary from a craft robo... for instance is it easier or harder to use? also should i just want a quick one off sticker say 10cm do i need to put in a whole roll of vinyl?

Paul
13-09-2013, 04:14 PM
they bigger, heavier and more awkward to set up in your room :)
Its all depend what software you have with it. is important to get good one ;)
if you only want to do one sticker and you have A4 vinyl or smaller scrap you can still use it. you just need to move rollers and job done :)

Sbanks
04-12-2013, 12:09 PM
I have been vinyl printing for just over 5 years now. and my best serving cutter has been a £200 cheap china one from ebay. I have had a couple of cutters costing £1000+ and had issues with one and the other just packed up on me out the blue. Its probably my bad luck. But that being said, if you are not doing loads of work with the cutter, it should be fine for what you want. My first cutter lasted me 4 years, the first 2 i was on and off with printing the second 2 it was used daily before i decided to sell it for a more expensive one, which only lasted me 8 months, I then got another £200 and has been going for over a year no troubles, I still have a bigger more expensive one boxed up in my cellar right now, hopeing to get some use in the new year.

NikGrey
04-12-2013, 01:28 PM
I have a Liyu sc631e but if I bought again I would buy the SC631 (without the lazer - so called eye as its useless) and it is a joy to use - I prefer that to the Cameo. I learned to use 610mm width rolls as they track (go through the machine straight) much better than the more narrow sheets (tried to save money by buying narrow rolls once and spent twice as had to buy the wide sheets again for the same job).

I use Flexi Starter 10 with it (the cutting software).

malfunction
04-12-2013, 03:46 PM
If your not going to be using it day in day out to make a living I would say go for a cheaper one, any of the brands mentioned are good as is creative or foisen.
A couple of points, they are a bit noisier than an expensive cutter due to having stepper motor, and can be a bit of a pain to set up but once done they cut as well as a roland or Graphtec.
Regarding software I would avoid artcut, signblazer is a good free option or for around £50 you can get vinylmaster ltr which is excellent.

Another option if you've only got one van to do is get someone to cut the vinyl for you and apply it yourself.


Mal