That is the question. And the answer is . . . ummmmm . . . both? :) I get asked this question from time to time, and for me, I enjoy having both. I love Cricut for it’s portability and it’s TWELVE INCHES of delicious cutting space! But I love Silhouette for it’s versatility in cutting whatever I want. So what it boils down to is, what meets your needs?
Buy a Cricut if you:
...like taking the machine with you to crops (or wherever).
...like buying all your art on one little cartridge with a little book to show you images.
...don’t like having to use a computer.
...like having a 12" cutting space (if you buy that one). LOVE that!
...don’t mind using a third-party program to cut your own fonts. (I don’t know much about SCAL or Design Studio, but I know they can expand on Cricut’s capabilities, like cutting any font, but you need it attached to your computer to do it.)
Buy a Silhouette if you:
...don’t mind using a computer to access images and fonts.
...like cutting any font you want. And with the new software, you can now weld your words (make it all one image).
...if you like having the flexibility of instantly buying individual images (24/7) and not an entire cartridge for just one image. And now they have a monthly-download program where you pay xx dollars for a subscription to download however many images you want. I can’t find how much for sure it is on the QK website, but I read about the download program in a post somewhere on the Two Peas in a Bucket website.
...like taking the machine with you to crops using a computer or using the new "computer-free" SD version. (You can copy your images onto an SD card and take it with you with the new Silhouette SD.)
...know how to use Illustrator and cut directly from it, which is what I do and I LOVE!
Now see, for me, I like having them both, but I can afford to have both. I know that not everyone can afford to do that. We’re all watching our pennies. So I’d even say look at the images that each company has to offer too and see what floats your boat. Each cutting system has its pros and cons. Both would work excellent for cutting large titles, but with Cricut, you’re limited to the fonts you’ve purchased on your cartridges and Silhouette you have all your fonts available to you.
P.S. Go check out this QK blog post
that I ran across while looking for some of this info. It's actually
kind of funny...they are a very talented bunch over there! Quite
impressive. LOL
And on a completely unrelated note, this was my horoscope yesterday. I don’t normally get into reading them, but they’ve recently caught my eye on the opening MSN screen over the past couple weeks, so I’ve been curious as to what it says. This one nailed it on the head for me yesterday! There was puh-lenty of “petty squabbles” I was dealing with yesterday. It’s been pretty weird to read the horoscopes lately—they’ve been very apropos for this time in my life. It’s actually kind of freaky. LOL
Focus on your creative mind, dear Virgo. This is a very fertile time in terms of planting hearty seeds that will be sure to grow up healthy and strong. You have the ability to be very prosperous, but it will certainly not come easily. The key for you is to maintain your cool. Don't overreact to the little annoyances that come your way. You are above and beyond petty squabbles. Don't waste your time on them.
