Friendly hobby machine or serious production tool? Here’s how to know which one is for you.
Photograph: Nicole Kinning
At just under 20 inches wide, the Explore 5 doesn’t require a dedicated crafting studio space or permanent workstation. Mine lived happily on the corner of my desk for weeks, ready whenever inspiration struck. I also appreciated the clamshell-style opening, which keeps the blade and interior protected from dust and stray threads that inevitably exist in a busy craft space, and you can fold it closed when you’re done.
Small Snags
This machine isn’t flawless. During testing, I ran into inconsistent cuts on cardstock projects even with a fresh sticky mat. My first real project on the machine, an intricate floral bookmark, came out rough enough that I questioned whether paper crafting was for me. Sharpening the blade with a ball of foil and a swipe of rubbing alcohol helped, but I still had to break out an X-Acto knife to clean up some edges.
I’ve also had the occasional Bluetooth drop between finishing a design in Design Space and sending it to the machine—luckily never midcut, but it has happened often enough that I’ve gotten into the habit of starting projects from the app on my phone as a workaround. If you get stuck, though, help is never far off. Since Cricut is such an established brand, TikTok and YouTube probably have a creator who has solved your exact problem.
Photograph: Nicole Kinning
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Photograph: Nicole Kinning
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Photograph: Nicole Kinning
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Photograph: Nicole Kinning
Siser
Romeo
| Cutting width | 25 inches |
| Max length, matless | Up to 15 feet |
| Max cutting force | 800 grams of force |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi |
| Software | Leonardo Design Studio Basic (free); Leonardo Design Studio Pro $9/month or $97/year |
| Size | 36.25 x 7.75 x 7.5 inches |
| Weight | 21 lbs. |
Whether you’re cutting heat-transfer vinyl in large volumes, running a business, or filling repeat orders, the Romeo is built for a completely different workflow than the Explore 5. At more than twice its size, it’s designed less for the spontaneous weekend project and more for keeping production moving.
It all starts with the hardware. Thanks to the adjustable pinch rollers, the Romeo doesn’t require a cutting mat for most materials, and instead of trimming vinyl into smaller pieces, you can feed and roll it through the back of the machine. A tiling feature also maximizes material by automatically filling the available space with duplicate designs, which is helpful when you’re cutting a dozen identical decals or shirt transfers.
