The best smart cutting machine for you depends on what you’re making and how much

Smart cutting machines are a black hole, and I say this as someone who fell into it. I tried Cricut products, but it wasn’t until I started looking into them for work that these cutting machines became a full-blown obsession. These days I spend my weekends looking for blanks and experimenting with patchwork appliques, and I even gave in and bought a used Brother sewing machine. My home office, which once screamed “corporate remote worker,” is now overrun with glitter vinyl and who knows how many types of scissors (all for different purposes, of course).

All of which is to say, I was an easy target when Cricut and Siser both put smart new cutting machines on my desk. I quickly realized that comparing them to each other was not particularly useful. Yes, they both cut materials like vinyl and cardstock, but they solve different problems and appeal to different consumers. Cricutthe latest model of, the Explore 5costs $199 for the machine alone (or $250 for the set I tested with mats, tools, and vinyl) and is designed for the more casual crafter making things like bookmarks, banners, and the occasional T-shirt. THE Siser Romeo ($600 as tested), on the other hand, is designed for someone who might bust out 50 graphic tees before lunch.

Siser has always been upfront about this. It’s not really about competing with a machine like the Explore 5. So instead of forcing a win-win comparison, I spent several weeks cutting out layered cardstock bookmarks, HTV Hoodiesvinyl mugs for my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday, and even cotton applique pieces glued to both machines (disclaimer: I had to buy new replacement blades for this).

My goal was not to crown a winner but to assess where the tipping point was. When do you outgrow an amateur cutter? More to the point, when is it worth trading the simplicity of the Cricut Explore 5 for the added control of the Siser Romeo?

Cricut Explorer 5

If you customize items on the fly or create maps or decals, the Explore 5 is your machine. More than the machine itself, my favorite part of Cricut is the entire ecosystem. Design Space software is full of user-created projects, and I could easily lose track of time finding designers I liked and then browse and favorite everything they’ve done. You can start with one of these templates, customize it to your liking, and have it ready in minutes. Design Space holds your hand every step of the way and the learning curve is shallow.

Living with

The Explore 5 is more of a background worker. Its new Load and Go system makes the act of cutting very simple: you place your material on the mat (which isn’t even necessary if you’re using Cricut’s Smart Vinyl), feed it into the machine, and press the flashing Go button—the machine takes it from there. Combined with Design Space’s step-by-step prompts, it’s as close to plug-and-play as a cutting machine.

At just under 20 inches wide, the Explore 5 doesn’t require a dedicated craft studio space or permanent workstation. Mine lived happily on the corner of my desk for weeks, ready whenever inspiration struck. I also liked the clamshell-style opening, which protects the blade and interior from the dust and stray wires that inevitably exist in a busy craft space, and you can fold it away when you’re done.

Small hiccups

This machine is not flawless. In testing, I experienced inconsistent cuts on cardstock projects, even with a new sticky mat. My first real project on the machine, an intricate floral bookmark, proved brutal enough that I wondered if paper crafting was for me. Sharpening the blade with a ball of foil and a drizzle of rubbing alcohol helped, but I still had to get out an X-Acto knife to clean up some of the edges.

I also had occasional Bluetooth drops between finishing a design in Design Space and sending it to the machine – thankfully never halfway through, but it happened often enough that I got into the habit of starting projects from the app on my phone as a workaround. If you get stuck, help is never far away. Since Cricut is a very established brand, TikTok and YouTube likely have a creator who has solved your exact problem.

Siser Romeo

Whether you’re cutting heat transfer vinyl in large volumes, running a business, or fulfilling repeat orders, the Romeo is designed for a completely different workflow than the Explore 5. At more than twice the size, it’s designed less for the spontaneous weekend project and more for keeping production moving.

It all starts with the hardware. Thanks to adjustable pinch rollers, the Romeo doesn’t require a cutting mat for most materials, and instead of cutting 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 available space with duplicate designs, which is useful when you’re cutting a dozen identical decals or shirt transfers.

In control

The Romeo’s greatest strength lies in the amount of control you, as the user, have over the machine. Its built-in registration camera automatically reads print and cut registration marks, and once you’ve lined up a project for cutting, you can save its settings as a preset directly on the machine. This type of repeatability starts to matter when you’re doing the same project over and over again.

I also liked being able to change the cutting parameters directly from the Romeo screen. If a cut wasn’t deep enough, I could increase the force or slow down the cutting speed without touching my computer. I usually relied on the machine’s default settings, but having these controls in front of me made adjusting projects easier.

Under the hood

Leonardo, Siser’s dedicated software, gives you much more granular control than Cricut Design Space, but it doesn’t walk you through it and assume you’re comfortable tweaking fonts, applying effects, separating layers, and adjusting cut settings. I often found myself creating designs in Canva (where I’m faster and more comfortable) and then importing those files into Leonardo. (The good news: the folks at Siser told me a Canva integration is on the way!)

More than once, Leonardo displayed a generic error pop-up without any explanation on how to fix the problem. You’re forced to dismiss the message before doing anything else, which feels like a dead end before you try to troubleshoot or look up the error code in Leonardo.

Fortunately, connectivity is extremely simple and seamless. The Romeo connects to your computer via Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, which seems like a minor detail until you deal with the quirks that Bluetooth can sometimes pose (looking at you, Design Space). During my testing of the Explore 5, I would sometimes lose my Bluetooth connection, forcing me to disconnect the machine from my computer, reconnect it, and try again. I’m not sure if this is a Design Space issue or my laptop juggling too many Bluetooth devices, but it can be a headache. Through my testing, I have never seen the Romeo machine disconnect unexpectedly.

Make space

There is no way around this problem: the Romeo is big– its cutting width is twice that of the Explore 5. It’s not the type of machine that sits easily on a cupboard shelf when you’re not using it. Most people will want to dedicate a table to it. This isn’t necessarily a drawback, but it’s meant to exist as a permanent fixture in your workspace. (And don’t forget to account for free space behind the machine, as materials go out the back!). But it is sturdy and well built; it never moved on the table while cutting, there was very little vibration, the carriage moved seamlessly with no rattling, and nothing flexed or creaked.

Its open design is another compromise. Unlike the Explore 5, which folds, everything remains exposed on the Romeo. I haven’t noticed any buildup yet, but I’m concerned about pet hair and dust getting into the internal components, and that’s something I’ll monitor over time.

When cutting, the Romeo beeps and chirps like a dial-up Internet connection, while the Cricut buzzes and whirs more like an old inkjet printer. Neither is particularly noisy, but it’s worth noting if you share a workspace.

Is it time to graduate?

After spending time with both machines, my biggest takeaway is that the Cricut is designed to remove as many decisions and points of friction as possible. The Romeo hands you the controls and expects you to learn how to use them.

One of the first projects I tackled on the Romeo was a simple iron-on vinyl sticker for a “Gigi” sweatshirt I was making for my mother. I’ve burned more vinyl than I’d like to admit, mainly because I had to retrain my brain. Not only does the vinyl go through the back of the Romeo, but it has a different point of origin than where it starts to be cut, so my design didn’t land where I expected.

On another project, I skipped a test cut and didn’t realize the blade hadn’t completely cut through the vinyl until I cut it. already see the pattern. This mistake cost me more material than the 30 seconds it would have taken to perform a test cut and adjust cutting force or speed as necessary.

To be clear, most of the frustrations I had with the Romeo faded with experience. Once I understood the machine better, it was incredibly consistent. I should probably pay rent on Siser’s YouTube channel, since I practically lived there while learning the ins and outs. But soon after, I took advantage of the control that slowed me down to begin with.

So when is it time to outgrow your Cricut? If you constantly make the same products, fill repeat orders, or want more control over your cuts and workflow, the Romeo is what you need. But whether you’re primarily gifting, playing with premade designs, or just experimenting, the Explore 5 still offers the most accessible experience.

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