ShakedownPass

Looking for a bigger cutter

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So to start.... I have owned a Cricut for a little over a year now and I have been looking all over the place for a bigger plotter and one that I can feed a roll instead of being limited to mats.
The largest mat I can get is 12" x 24".  I need something that can cut a somewhat larger design without splicing because that is just eating away valuable time that could be better spent weeding and applying transfer tape.  I have been running small to decent sized decals and signs with the Cricut and don't get me wrong this Cricut will stay with me as it got me to where I am....

I have been looking at MH, SC, and so on....  I don't really want to loose cut quality compared to the Circut but I know that going to a much larger scale cutter I may loose a little precision.

As a better entry level cutter what do you guys recommend and why?  I didn't want to just impulse buy a cutter without first having done research as I have seen all sorts of reviews good and bad on various models... I figured why not start here and ask questions first before taking the plunge.

I have been considering going with either a 34" cutter or larger.   Thank you in advance for any feedback you guys have!

- Jonathan

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step up to at least a sc plotter and if you can swing it a titan.  many of us that do precision work all the time have worked up over time to the graphtec plotters but that will give you sever sticker shock at this time.   I highly recommend not even considering the MH - it is the bottom of the barrel, get em hooked plotter and I am sure you would be greatly disappointed in that level of plotter

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I am looking at Titan cutters as we speak and I feel that may be the direction I go... I like the fact it can do contour cutting and that may come in handy considering I have done a few PTC projects with the Circut and understand how that works a little bit.  I was really considering the MH but the reviews have lead me away from them...

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the titans also have a much better usb chipset than any of the plotters below them - I had a titan2 for a while.

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Servo motor will be more accurate and much quieter than a stepper motor.

When it comes to cutters, buy the best that's within your budget. Think of the largest design you think you''l cut, then see if that's a machine that you have the footprint for, or the budget for it. I've had a 24" for 12+ years, and when it was time for me to upgrade, I got a Graphtec 24". Only once was there a request for something much larger than what my machines could handle (and what I could strategically layout with my 24"). For that, I outsourced it and couldn't be happier. I can spare the footprint for a wider machine, but not the work surface needed to properly handle wider vinyl, so I knew better than to shoot myself in the foot by buying a machine I might be able to afford, but realistically couldn't handle the the output product. [I am only willing to clear off my dining room table so many times, and for a very, very short amount of time.]. I can only image what it would be like to try and app tape something wide, without the proper functional space.

If you think you'll can get your money back on it, then if you can stretch the budget, see if you can get yourself a Graphtec. I promise, you won't be sorry.

No matter what machine you end up with, get yourself a Clean Cut Blade, a 60* one if you think that you'll be cutting itty bitty things, tiny text, or intricate stuff.

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You can look for a used Graphtec cutter also. I picked one up for a very good price a few years ago. You already know what a cutter can and will do.

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Agree with what others have said. I have a MH and while I can get it to do what I need usually, it was not an easy process to get there. Coming from a Cricuit you would be highly disappointed in the MH. I believe in order to match the cut quality of the Cricuit on a large plotter you would need something in the Graphtec range. The Cricuits are really quite good at small stuff.

You mentioned a 34" cutter. What exactly are you planning on? Often times people think they want the biggest they can get but in the end find out that a 24" would meet 90% of their needs and the rare times they need something bigger the design can usually be broken up to fit a 24" cutter anyway.

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