Cutting machine reviews

• Cricut Explore 5 review

  The Explore 5 is the machine I'd point most new crafters to first. It cuts vinyl, iron-on and cardstock at full 12-inch-class width, handles sticker sheets up to Tabloid size, and comes with a scoring tool and mat. It won't cut thick materials like chipboard or wood, and it runs entirely through Cricut's Design Space app.

• Cricut Joy Xtra review

  The Joy Xtra is the small Cricut that doesn't feel small for stickers. It uses the same print-then-cut area on a Letter page as the full-size Explore and Maker, and cuts vinyl and iron-on up to 8.5 inches wide. The trade-offs are that width limit, a short list of tools, and no mat in the machine-only box.

• Cricut Maker 5 review

  The Maker 5 is Cricut's most capable 12-inch machine. It cuts and engraves approved materials up to 3 mm, works with 13 tools, and is smaller than earlier Makers. It's also very new, so long-term evidence is thin, and most vinyl, iron-on and sticker makers won't use what it adds over the Explore 5.

• Cricut Venture review

  The Venture is Cricut's wide-format machine for people who cut a lot of large vinyl, iron-on or print-then-cut work. Cricut claims 25.4 in/s and up to 75 ft of repeated cuts. It's also 34.7 lb, needs a lot of floor or table space, cuts only from the desktop app, and its matless path is built around Cricut's own 13 and 25 inch Smart Materials.

• Silhouette CAMEO 5 Alpha review

  The CAMEO 5 Alpha is the strongest 12-inch alternative to Cricut. On paper it's very capable: two tool mounts, 3 mm clearance, a 16 ft maximum cutting length, and USB as well as Bluetooth. You design in Silhouette Studio on a computer, with no subscription, though opening SVG files needs a paid upgrade. Independent testing of this Alpha version is still thin.

• Cricut Joy 2 review

  The Joy 2 is a palm-size cutter for labels, cards and narrow decals. It adds print then cut and a scoring tool, both new for the Joy line. The 4.5-inch width is the catch: stickers come out in narrow strips, and anything wider needs a bigger machine.

• Silhouette Portrait 4 review

  The Portrait 4 is Silhouette's compact 8.5-inch cutter. It has USB and Bluetooth, comes with a mat, and runs from Silhouette Studio with no subscription. It has one tool holder and a 2 mm limit, and Silhouette's own pages disagree on its maximum cut length.

• Silhouette CAMEO 5 Alpha Plus review

  The CAMEO 5 Alpha Plus is the 15-inch version of the CAMEO 5 Alpha, with the same 3 mm clearance, two tool mounts and 16 ft maximum length. It's a sensible middle ground if 12 inches is too narrow and a 24-inch machine is too big. We haven't scored it because we couldn't find independent hands-on testing.

• Silhouette CAMEO PRO MK-II review

  The CAMEO PRO MK-II is Silhouette's 24-inch machine. It comes with a roll feeder and a 24 x 24 in mat, uses the same Silhouette Studio as smaller CAMEOs, and takes lined materials rather than one brand's matless rolls. We haven't scored it because independent hands-on testing is thin, and Silhouette's length specs conflict.