Cameo cutter and the GO cutter
 

I was recently talking with our LQS owner and she was saying that she prefers the Cameo to the GO cutter. Its electronic and uses software on your computer to basically cut out any design you want and in multiples per "sheet" of fabric you send through. With the Cameo she said you have to put a stabilizer on fabric to send it thru the machine but that it was very inexpensive as you can use whatever you want. She said she has a hard time selling the GO now because the Cameo doesnt require buying the templates and you can do more with it.

My husband is saying he thinks I should get a GO because I will use the strip template for cutting binding and will not be bound by having to have a computer, etc to be able to cut. He also thinks I will use the standard templates a lot more than doing the creative cutouts on a Cameo.

So I wondered what your thoughts are? Have any of you used the Cameo? To me it seems like it is a Cricut that can cut fabric?

Right now I am still trying to decide which route to go!!

Is this the Silouette Cameo cutter?
I have one that I thought I would use for paper...it's in the closet.
I have my go and I don't have ALL the dies but I use the ones I have and I love it. It was worth every penney.
K

Just one thought.... you should find out where the designs for the Cameo come from. In other words, if you have to download them (I'm assuming).... how much do they cost? Are there free designs? Otherwise, you might be spending just as much money for designs as you would be for the Go dies.

I've never heard of the Cameo, so I cannot tell you my personal experience, but I did want to say 2 things:
1. Keep in mind that your LQS owner may be compensated more for selling one product over another. I think you are smart to ask people who do not have a financial incentive what they think of the product.
2. I did a brief search on the Cameo and found some very specific and interesting reviews in a couple of forums, and also Amazon. Might be worth your time to check them out. :)

i like the Go and Studio because I don't have to plug it in. When the power goes out its the prefect project to do...also I can bring the Go to camp, outdoors...anywhere...love it.

I just wanted to let everyone know who might be thinking about getting a Go. I ordered one from Sewforless for 169.99 no tax and free shipping. It was the best price I could find.

The shop owner must have both to be able to compare. Ask if you can have a test cutting on both. How would you cut strips the width of the fabric?

Thanks everyone!

Yes, ScubaK, it's the Silhouette Cameo.....it is used like a Cricut and can cut paper, plastic fabric, etc. another lady customer in the shop overheard me asking and said she attended the quilt class where they demo'd it. She said it was the 'wiz-bang' and was fabulous. Once you buy the machine, you scan or download your own designs or ones you find....the cost comes in the stabilizer you have to put on the fabric so it will run thru. You also can only run one layer at a time. She sells both in her store and from what I have gathered the Cameo is just making its appearance as a tool for quilters.

I think I may be siding with my hubby on this....the GO is maybe what I need.

The cameo is awesome, but the really don't compare. The cameo would be good for applique, scan, cut etc

I love my Silhouette but I mostly use my Big Shot Pro for cutting fabric. I had the GO and sold it and bought the big shot. I love it.

I have both and use them for different things. The Go is good for cutting squares, triangles, etc where you do not want to have fusible on the back of the fabric.
The Cameo is great for cutting applique shapes. If you do machine embroidery applique, the Cameo is fantastic. You can use the embroidery design to get the shape into the cameo and have it cut for you. I bought my Cameo after seeing this post.
http://terrijohnsoncreates.com/2012/...lique-designs/

I agree with alikigirl - the Cameo requires fusible on the back of the fabric in order for the machine to cut (and a computer connection), whereas with the GO, you just put your fabric on the die and run it through the cutter. I have the Cameo and I have the Accuquilt Studio cutter, and the Cameo is only productive for cutting applique shapes (or paper/vinyl crafting) - not cutting large volume block pieces. It is basically like a Cricut machine without the need for cartridges as the designs are sent from your computer to the Cameo instead of from a cartridge.

If you plan on using it mostly for cutting strips, have you ever considered the Shape Cut ruler? I watched the demo for a Go and the lady was going to cut fabric for a log cabin block. First she took 2 rulers to square up the fabric, then she went and put it in the cutting machine and cut the strips. As I watched, I thought how much faster I could have cut the same strips using the Shape Cut ruler. Another reason why I don't buy the Go cutting machine and others like it, is because if I'm cutting strips I use the Shape Cut and then use specialty rulers like Phillips Fiber Art's Squedge rulers. Will you be using this ofter enough to justify the cost? Good Luck.

Also with the go and studio you can cut lots of layers out so you get it cut fast. Depends on what you are wanting I guess. I have the studio and would not trade it for another type. However the Cameo may have something you like.

Because of my hands I don't use a rotary cutter much. So the studio worked for me the best.

I purchase a Fabrique fabric cutter for applique shapes. I worked but found out it would only work well with their stabilizer which was very expensive. As a result I don't use it much. Not happy with that! Don't know about Cameo

I don't like the fact that the Cameo requires the fab be backed w/stabilizer-interfacing. Sounds like way too much work to get a results. I have a GO, never regretted its purchase......cost of dies may be a deterrent to some but in comparing cost of blades of rotary, time saved, stress on hands/shoulders, accuracy....cannot be beat....IMHO

I do not have either But I do have June Taylor's pro shaper that cuts 2.5" sets. I can cut a yard in seconds. I got it at JoAnn's.

That's what I don't like also, BUT the design possibilities are endless. Not only can you design your own shape if you want (or download from the internet, etc) you can cut it in any size you want up to about 11" or a little more or as little as an inch or less. That's the big draw of the Silhouette. So there are pros and cons to each. Since I papercraft I have both (and a regular size big shot too-it's a disease) so I'm fortunate to be able to take advantage of the pros of both.

I thought this was interesting, using starch rather than interfacing to cut fabric with the Cameo! As has been pointed out it really depends what sort of cutting you would do most often.

http://thereshesews.blogspot.ie/2013...cameo-yes.html

I would go with the Go (this is what I have and 2 friends also have) They are advertised by top named quilters

One reason they are advertised by top named quilters is because the top named quilters are paid to advertise them and/or given a free machine. I know a lot of people that love the Go, including my sister. I didn't like it. It would be great to be able to test the machines before you decide since I also know a lot of people like me that didn't like it. I ended up selling the Go for way less than I paid but at least I got something for it. It took a long time for it to sell, too. I had it on consignment at the local quilt shop and she said most of her customers had never even heard of it. I didn't want to try to sell it online because of the cost of shipping it.

I don't know who would want to stablize all of their fabric before cutting it. I think the GO and the Cameo are used for two different things. To cut out appliques once in a while the Cameo would be great and you wouldn't mind putting stablizer on a piece or two, but cutting strips and a bunch of half square triangles would be a drag if I had to stablize several yards. The mark up on the Cameos must be way up there because our local sewing machine shop is really pushing them as well.

How much are they selling them for? I think I've seen them go as low as around $206 but that was an Amazon price that didn't last long. I think retail is about $300 and most places have them for $250-260. I have the older Silhouette SD that only cuts up to about 8" wide. I really don't use it enough for paper OR fabric to justify buying a machine that cuts bigger.

There are also other cutting machines that are similar but I believe they would all require you to stabilize your fabric somehow. And I'm with you-for a few applique shapes it would be okay but totally impractical for a bunch of shapes like your example. The fabrique is even less appealing to me because it only cuts up to 4" shapes. Shame that they limit it to their own stabilizer-that would get expensive.

I recently bought a Go and I really like it so far. I'm not great with the computer, so anything that would have me connect, download, resize, etc, is not for me. There is a learning curve with the Go, reorienting to the lengthwise grain of the fabric, but that is more familiar to me than the "buttons" on the computer! Lol!