Product Comparison: Silhouette Portrait 2 vs Silhouette Cameo 3

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Silhouette Portrait 2 Scrapbooking Machines

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Silhouette Cameo 3 Wireless Cutting Machine

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General Specifications

About the Product

The Silhouette Portrait 2 is our most compact cutting machine. Don’t let its size fool you, with the Portrait 2 it has never been easier to create your DIY masterpiece. Choose over 100 different materials to cut using the auto adjusting AutoBlade.

The Silhouette CAMEO® is the ultimate DIY machine. It uses a small blade to cut over 100 materials, including paper, cardstock, vinyl, and fabric up to 12 in. wide. The CAMEO has the ability to register and cut printed materials and is PixScan™ compatible. What does this mean for you? It is our machine that has the largest cutting space and is most versatile in the materials it can cut.

Brand

Silhouette

Model

Portrait 2

Cameo 3

Origin

USA

China

Key Specs

Type

Electric

Number of Cutting Blades

Cutting Area

8.3 in. x 9.8 ft.

12 in. x 10 ft.

Cut Pressure

7.6 lb/sq.in

8.3 lb/sq.in

Clearance

2 mm

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Silhouette Portrait 2 Scrapbooking Machines

Blade installation was really simple once I stopped reading the manual which doesn't simply tell you to plop it into the slot and turn the lock to the right. I saw you tube video and it was a snap.
I am already ordering a spare blade/mat just in case. However, there are two sizes mentioned for portrait which is odd. My original mat is 8x12 but now they also sell a 8.5x12.
Once you figure out how to use the machine and set the blade, it's very easy to use consistently.
I actually hate bringing out my cricut and taking up all the space on my craft area aka bedroom floor. It worked the first time I cut the vinyl...although it cut the backing too, which I didnt want.
The downside is the size of the cutting area. I've needed to cut a 12x12 image and couldn't.

Silhouette Cameo 3 Wireless Cutting Machine

Auto-blade saves a bit of time and, with my brief experience cutting both glitter paper and card stock, the autoblade settings were accurate.
Dual carriage. Ok, I haven't put this through its paces quite yet. I tend to do a lot of straight cutting basic card stock, so I don't often switch to pens, fabric blades, deep cut blades, etc.
The only feature they didn't add that I would have loved to have was a wider cut area. Maybe that will come with the Cameo 4, but I'm completely content with this for now.
I have had the portrait, figured I'd start off with doing just cards,.. but enjoyed it so much I desperately wanted the cameo's larger width working area.
The Cricut machine and online design studio only allow for a cut area of 6 inches by 9 inches! Now, if you're buying expensive sticker paper or vinyl it probably comes in 8.5x11" and everything outside 6"x9" is waste.

Size & Weight

Height

8 in.

6 in.

Weight

3.53 lbs.

8 lbs.

Width

18 in.

22.5 in.

Depth

9 in.

8.5 in.

Features

Cutting Materials

Cardstock, Vinyl, Fabric, Magnet paper, Heat transfer material, Photo paper, Copy paper, Rhinestone template material

Vinyl, Heat transfer material, Cardstock, Photo paper, Copy paper, Rhinestone template material, Fabric

LCD screen

Yes

Built-in Scanner

Yes

Wireless Cutting

Yes

Accessories Included

AC adapter, USB cable, Silhouette Studio software, Instructional DVD, 8”x12” cutting mat, blade with ratchet cap

AC adapter, USB cable, AutoBlade, Crosscutter, 12" Cutting Mat, Silhouette Studio install disc

Extras

Mac and PC compatible software included, 50 exclusive digital designs

PixScan compatible, Full-color LCD touch screen

What customers say about "Features"

Silhouette Portrait 2 Scrapbooking Machines

I figured that if I wanted to use the print & cut feature, I could only print on letter size sheets anyway, so the Portrait would be the perfect size. I LOVE that it is so small.
Machine is light and portable, make sure you have room on the table for the mat to go back and forth, without it being obstructed by your laptop or wall etc.
Recommend watching the how-to video on the included CD and also using the "Test Cut" feature inside the Studio software.
The Silhouette Software has so many features, after 6 months, I still haven't used them all yet. I can use any font on my computer, I don't have to pay for every design or picture I need
When I bought it, product features listed that it was made in the USA. It is not. It is made in Vietnam.

Silhouette Cameo 3 Wireless Cutting Machine

Built in storage is nice enough. It doesn't add much to the overall size (and this version is quite a bit larger than the cameo and cameo 2), so it's good they were thoughtful about how to utilize the added size.
Touchscreen menu seems fairly responsive and intuitive.
New blade holder. They've switched the old clamp/key turny method of holding the blade (or pen) with a slide mechanism that is SO NICE.
The new features are very welcome, but not really as revolutionary as they might seem. I would say, though, the cameo 3 is nicer to use than the original cameo.
I like the touch screen feature and the option to cut slightly wider pieces.

Warranty / Certifications

Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Other Information

Manual

Download

Manufacturer

Link

MSRP

299.99 $