Wildgoose 4,200 Posted April 30, 2015 I have had occasion to try out the Gerber 225 premium cast on a couple jobs. I usually use Orafol and still love it but if you get an opportunity to try this other out it's really nice. Not as big a fan of the regular Gerber 220 and was hesitant on the 225. Difference is the carrier/liner. 225 is on a clear liner and really cuts and weeds probably as nice as any film I have ever worked with. Gerber 220 vs the Orafol 751 or 951 Orafol wins. Gerber 225 vs Orafol I have to give it Gerber. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mb20music 760 Posted April 30, 2015 That is really awesome man, I am sure USCutter really appreciates you posting this. LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skarekrow 1,842 Posted April 30, 2015 How does the price and availability compare, Goose? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted April 30, 2015 How does the price and availability compare, Goose? About the same as 951 by the time you ship it. 751 is a better value. That is really awesome man, I am sure USCutter really appreciates you posting this. LOL LOL. I appreciate USCutter more than most and was totally honest with the comparison. I really don't enjoy using the regular 220 version and absolutely hate their (Gerber/3M) calendared vinyl. I use the local stuff when I need to match something exactly that a competitor has done previously. Also occasions when I have an "Oh Crap I'm out" moment and have to finish something. I used to think the Gerber Calendared (Scotchcal 50 sold locally) was just tough to cut because of my value cutter but even since the upgrade it's quirky and hard to hit the sweet spot. Orafol 651 cleans house on that score and like I said the 220 version on the paper backing is similar to the Scothcal for being hard to get it just right for easy weeding. I've tried a lot of different pressure and nothing makes it work smooth. Brand new blades, nothing. Seems like it's an issue with the adhesive. Kind of like when you cut something and wait too long to weed and the adhesive re-connects with the other side of the cut. Switch to Orafol and no issues at all. (Gerber 225 does not have this issue and I like the clear liner) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skarekrow 1,842 Posted April 30, 2015 The clear liner does sound like a plus. Thanks, Goose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
knucklehead 530 Posted May 1, 2015 Isn't Gerber, rebranded 3M? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted May 1, 2015 Isn't Gerber, rebranded 3M? Yes although it's not re-branded as much as taken over by Gerber (I believe). I'm still primarily an Oracal/Orafol guy but was impressed enough with this version that it was worth giving props. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted May 11, 2015 Interesting follow-up on the 225 vinyl film. I did a 4'x 8' sign for a customer over the weekend. They have a split text design and I used some of the 3M/Gerber 225 for the blue and regular Oracal 751 for the red. The 225 carrier actually contracted slightly over the length of the text and I ended up needing to slice it a few times to allow for the shrinkage. The substrate (Alupanel) was a little cold although not that much. It was interesting to see the difference. Not a big deal in this case because I had the option to fix it but it could have been a problem if it were a complex design that couldn't be chopped up and needing perfect registration. I intend to remember this for future builds and will probably try to stick with same product types in mixed colors from now on. I assume the clear carrier was more susceptible to temperature changes compared to the paper carrier on the Oracal much like clear app tape is prone to expansion and contraction with temperature. Attached a pic although the pic quality isn't great. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
