Smart cutting machines are a black hole, and I say that as someone who fell in. I’ve dabbled with Cricut products, but it wasn’t until I started reviewing them for work that these cutting machines became a true obsession. These days, I spend weekends thrifting for blanks and experimenting with patchwork appliqué, and I even caved and bought a secondhand 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 to say, I was an easy target when Cricut and Siser both landed new, smart cutting machines on my desk. I quickly realized that comparing them to each other wasn’t particularly useful. Yes, they both cut materials like vinyl and cardstock, but they solve different problems and are for different consumers. Cricut’s latest model, the Explore 5, costs $199 for the machine alone (or $250 for the bundle 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 built for someone who might pump out 50 graphic tees before lunch.
Siser has always been upfront about this. It’s not really trying to compete with a machine like the Explore 5. So instead of forcing a winner-take-all comparison, I over several weeks cut layered cardstock bookmarks, HTV hoodies, vinyl-decaled cups for my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday, and even bonded cotton appliqué pieces on both machines (disclaimer: I had to buy new, aftermarket blades for this).
My goal wasn’t to crown a winner but to evaluate where the tipping point was. When do you outgrow a hobby cutter? More specifically, when is it worth trading the Cricut Explore 5’s simplicity for the Siser Romeo’s added control?
Cricut Explore 5
| Cutting width | 12 inches |
| Max length, matless | Up to 12 feet using Cricut’s Smart Materials |
| Max cutting force | 1,000 grams of force |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth or USB-C to computer |
| Software | Cricut Design Space (free); Cricut Access optional, $9.99/month or $95.88/year |
| Size | 19.8 x 7.5 x 4.7 inches |
| Weight | 10 lbs. |
If you’re casually personalizing things on the fly, or making cards or decals, the Explore 5 is your machine. More than the machine itself, though, my favorite part of Cricut is the whole ecosystem. The Design Space software is packed with user-created projects, and I could easily lose track of time finding designers I liked, then browsing and bookmarking everything they’ve made. You can start with one of those templates, customize it to your liking, and have it ready to cut in a matter of minutes. Design Space holds your hand through every single step, and the learning curve is shallow.
The Explore 5 is more of a background worker. Its new Load and Go system makes the act of cutting super simple: You put your material on the mat (which isn’t even needed 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 about as close to plug-and-play as a cutting machine gets.
At just under 20 inches wide, the Explore 5 doesn’t require a dedicated crafting studio space or permanent workstation. Mine lived happily on the corner of my desk for weeks, ready whenever inspiration struck. I also appreciated the clamshell-style opening, which keeps the blade and interior protected from dust and stray threads that inevitably exist in a busy craft space, and you can fold it closed when you’re done.
This machine isn’t flawless. During testing, I ran into inconsistent cuts on cardstock projects even with a fresh sticky mat. My first real project on the machine, an intricate floral bookmark, came out rough enough that I questioned whether paper crafting was for me. Sharpening the blade with a ball of foil and a swipe of rubbing alcohol helped, but I still had to break out an X-Acto knife to clean up some edges.
I’ve also had the occasional Bluetooth drop between finishing a design in Design Space and sending it to the machine—luckily never midcut, but it has happened often enough that I’ve gotten into the habit of starting projects from the app on my phone as a workaround. If you get stuck, though, help is never far off. Since Cricut is such an established brand, TikTok and YouTube probably have a creator who has solved your exact problem.
Siser Romeo
| Cutting width | 25 inches |
| Max length, matless | Up to 15 feet |
| Max cutting force | 800 grams of force |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi |
| Software | Leonardo Design Studio Basic (free); Leonardo Design Studio Pro $9/month or $97/year |
| Size | 36.25 x 7.75 x 7.5 inches |
| Weight | 21 lbs. |
Whether you’re cutting heat-transfer vinyl in large volumes, running a business, or filling repeat orders, the Romeo is built for a completely different workflow than the Explore 5. At more than twice its size, it’s designed less for the spontaneous weekend project and more for keeping production moving.
It all starts with the hardware. Thanks to the adjustable pinch rollers, the Romeo doesn’t require a cutting mat for most materials, and instead of trimming 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 the available space with duplicate designs, which is helpful when you’re cutting a dozen identical decals or shirt transfers.
The Romeo’s biggest strength is the amount of control that 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. That kind of repeatability starts to matter when you’re making the same project over and over.
I also grew to appreciate being able to tweak cut settings directly from the Romeo’s display. If a cut wasn’t going deep enough, I could bump up the force or slow the cutting speed without touching my computer. I usually relied on the settings the machine defaulted to, but having those controls in front of me made it easier to fine-tune projects.
Leonardo, Siser’s dedicated software, gives you a lot more granular control than Cricut Design Space, but it doesn’t walk you through it and assumes you’re comfortable tweaking fonts, applying effects, separating layers, and adjusting cut settings. I often found myself making designs in Canva (where I’m faster and more comfortable), and then importing those files into Leonardo. (The good news: The Siser folks told me a Canva integration is on the way!)
More than once, Leonardo threw up a generic error pop-up with no explanation of how to fix the problem. You’re forced to dismiss the message before doing anything else, which feels like hitting a dead end before trying to troubleshoot yourself or looking up the error code in Leonardo.
Connectivity, luckily, is super simple and seamless. The Romeo connects to your computer over Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, which sounds like a minor detail until you’ve wrestled with the quirks that Bluetooth can sometimes pose (looking at you, Design Space). During my testing of the Explore 5, I’d occasionally lose my Bluetooth connection, requiring me to disconnect the machine from my computer, reconnect, and try again. I’m not sure if that’s a Design Space issue or my laptop juggling too many Bluetooth devices, but it can be a headache. Through my testing, I never once had the Romeo machine unexpectedly disconnect.
There’s no getting around it: The Romeo is big—it’s got twice the cutting width of the Explore 5. It’s not the type of machine that sits easily on a closet shelf when you’re not using it. Most people will want to dedicate a table to it. That’s not necessarily a downside, but it’s intended to exist like a permanent fixture in your workspace. (And remember to account for clearance behind the machine, since materials feed through the rear!). But it is sturdy and built well; it never shifted on the table while cutting, there was very little vibration, the carriage moved seamlessly with no rattles, and nothing flexed or creaked.
Its open design is another trade-off. Unlike the Explore 5, which folds up, everything stays exposed on the Romeo. I haven’t noticed any buildup yet, but I do worry about pet hair and dust getting into the internals, and it’s something that I’ll keep an eye on over time.
When it cuts, the Romeo bleeps and chirps like a dial-up internet, while the Cricut hums and whirs more like an old inkjet printer. Neither is particularly loud, but worth noting if you share a workspace.
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 decal for a “Gigi” sweatshirt I was making for my mom. I burned through more vinyl than I’d like to admit, mostly because I had to retrain my brain. Not only does the vinyl feed through the back side of the Romeo, it has a different origin point of where it starts cutting, so my design wasn’t landing where I expected it to.
On another project, I skipped a test cut and didn’t realize the blade hadn’t fully cut into the vinyl until I was already weeding the design. That mistake cost me more material than the 30 seconds it would’ve taken to run a test cut and tweak the cut force or speed if necessary.
To be clear, most frustrations I had with the Romeo faded with experience. Once I understood the machine better, it was incredibly consistent. I should probably be paying rent on Siser’s YouTube channel, since I’ve practically lived there while learning the ins and outs. But before long, I was taking advantage of the control that initially slowed me down.
So when is it time to outgrow your Cricut? If you’re consistently making the same products, filling repeat orders, or finding yourself wishing for more control over your cuts and workflow, the Romeo is where it’s at. But if you’re mostly making gifts, playing around with premade designs, or just experimenting, the Explore 5 still offers the more approachable experience.
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