Silhouette Cameo 5 Plus 15 inch Vinyl Cutting Machine with Studio Software, Electric Tool and ES Mat Compatible, SNA and IPT, 50 db

Love this machine!! Not noisy, cut perfectly, easy to use, fast, I can cut bigger sizes

Good machine and with Silhouette studio its a great solution. Needs a bit of learning but very versatile. I would buy again.

I purchased this machine back in early December 2023 . Given the features of the new Cameo 5 Plus with the larger cutting area it was worth the investment. Seller shipped once the machine was available and in the timeframe they showed. Only issue was a missing mat which they got shipped to me quickly. The only drawback so far is this machine was advertised that it can do embossing/debossing. However with a software bug still not fixed by Silhouette America as of 3/27/2024 I am not able to safely do that function. Not the sellers fault.

I'm still playing with it. So far everything has worked the way it should.

I was excited to get this machine however it is so frustrating! Will stop cutting in the middle of a design and when you press resume it starts over so you waste vinyl. Sometimes it does not cut vinyl all the way so I am constantly recutting. So frustrating! I never had this issue with my Cricut! I am seriously ready to go back to a Cricut , the only reason I went with this machine was I could cut wider. I waste more vinyl!

Update March 2024:After using my Cameo 5 plus for a while now, I am still impressed with it and am still loving it. I did have a problem with the punch tool not working properly (punching too high). I contacted support and went through some troubleshooting and they eventually asked me to send in the machine and get a replacement. Unfortunately, the replacement did the same thing, so I guess that's a bug they are now working on. I was frustrated that they didn't test out the punch tool on their end prior to making me send in their machine. I even questioned the need to do so, since everything else was working splendidly. I was without my machine for about 3 weeks waiting for the whole process to take place, so it was a bummer. I will also say that their support isn't great. You can't call - there's no one answering the phone. And there are no real people on the other end of a chat session. You have to go through a chatbot to get a support ticket (sometimes it says your number is 0, which means you weren't successful. Tried that once, and no one responded. Make sure you get a ticket number). Once you have a ticket, it takes about a week for anyone to respond. Then they usually ask for a video and further information. When you give them that, it takes about another week to get another response. This can go on and on for weeks until you get a resolution. It's really frustrating! I give them a D grade for support and an A minus for their product and an A plus for their software.Original review:I haven't had my Cameo 5 plus for very long, but so far, I am really impressed by it. I have been a Cricut user for several years (Cricut Maker 3). When Silhouette came out with their new machines, I was intrigued by the following features which are improvements over Cricut:1. Cutting without a mat! The only way to do this with Cricut is to buy their smart materials. And the piece has to be the full 13" width across. I don't want to buy their expensive materials and am not a fan of them. But with my Cameo 5, I can now cut matless all the way down to 5", with lots of materials, and that's amazing! I even tested out cutting cardstock without a mat and it handles this feat as well, by not fully cutting out the pieces. You just pop out the cut pieces. I wouldn't try that with anything really intricate, but for simple designs, it's fantastic that you can do this.2. PixScan mat. Cricut has nothing like this. Using this special mat, you can cut around items you have hand-colored, stamped, or around images within patterned paper or wrapping paper. So cool! I tested it out, it worked beautifully from the get-go, and my machine cut perfectly around my hand-colored images.3. Included roll feeder. Cricut does not include a roll feeder. You can buy one separately, but Silhouette comes with one.4. One of the biggest things that caused me to switch to Silhouette was their software. It is incredibly robust and can do all sorts of things that Cricut Design Space just cannot do. I am loving their software. Now that being said, it is definitely harder to learn, because it can do so much. If a person is not tech-savvy, I can see why they might prefer Cricut's software, since it is simpler. But for me, I like having so many more options, like being able to trace an image, make a rhinestone template, create my own font, easily fill in shapes and letters with the sketch panel, and most importantly...save my designs as SVG's (or other formats like PNG). I definitely recommend getting the business edition so that you get all of those extra features. It's not expensive (especially if you catch it on a sale) and is a one-time fee.5. Powered tools. Cricut does not have the ability to use powered tools. I got the heat pen and had success foiling on my first project. It is super cool!6. There's also the electrostatic bed. I decided to take the plunge, and it is fantastic! I was surprised to be able to cut 100lb cardstock with it. As long as the material is smooth and flat, it should adhere. Cricut has nothing like this.7. The last thing is that the price of Silhouette is better than Cricut. You get more features for your money.In summary, I am quite happy with my new machine and am busy learning all about it. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because I think it doesn't feel as sturdy as my Cricut Maker 3 - it's just a little more plastic-feeling. I also think the Cameo 5 is noisier than the Cricut Maker 3. They say that Silhouette is now quieter than Cricut, but I have both and I can say that my Cricut machine definitely seems quieter to me. The Silhouette makes a sort of squeal sound as it cuts, and there are rattling and tapping noises that make it seem louder to me. That's just my opinion. Also, the Cameo 5 has no on-board storage for tools. And I don't think you can just change out the blade portion on a Cameo 5 like you can on a Cricut product. For Silhouette machines, you have to buy the whole blade tool with the plastic housing thing around it.But for me, the more expansive features of Silhouette outweigh any negatives.

Perfect!!!

I love my machine