# hi all, opinions on 24" refine vinyl cutter



## simpson7647 (Dec 29, 2010)

hi all, im just starting with all the vinyl cutters and looking for one to start me off. 

Ill be making vinyl for windows, vehicles and sun strips so first of all, it needed to be quite big preferably 24 inches which this is.
I emailed them about it and have been told you get a 1 year warranty and it can cut up to 50 meters. Not sure whether id ever that, well i wouldnt but as long as it can do 2-3 meters for the likes of sun strips on the front window, then ill be happy.

Ive been searching and searching and with a budget of 250 to 300 pounds here in the uk, my options were always going to be limited.

Im after some advice on this plotter and below is some information about the plotter/cutter:

http://www.lovecut.co.uk/24-refine-vinyl-cutter-70-p.asp

24" refine vinyl cutter

We have several models of vinyl cutters including floor standing and desktop models. Our vinyl cutters are of high quality and high precision, and ready for commercial applications. They are easy to operate, too. They can be used for cutting signs and making heat transfers for clothing garments. can also be used to contour cut around printed designs 
Vinyl Cutter Specifications:

Max. Cutting Width: 24" 

Cutting Speed: 10-800mm/s 48 ips (inch per second) 

Cutting Force: 10g-500g 

Structure: All Metal, Heavy Duty.

Blade Type: Swivel Standard Blades (Compatible with Roland Blades) One Blade Holder, One Metal Pen Holder, and Three 45 Degree Blades Included 

Control Panel: 2 Lines LCD Display, 9 Buttons 

Resolution: 0.001" 

Connection: Serial (RS-232C) Cable Included 
USB port with windows XP & Vista drivers not 64 bit (cable included)

Command / Language: DMPL HPGL. Compatible with Flexi, SignLab, SignCut, ArtCut, WinPCSign, CorelDraw. . . . 

Motor Type: Step Motor 

Pinch Rollers: 2 Adjustable Pinch Rollers 

Power Supply: 100-240V, 50/60Hz, 45W auto switch (worldwide)

Professional Floor Stand: Aluminum Stand with Two Ball Bearing Paper-holding Rollers Included.

Comes with Art-cut 2009 design and cut software

Also comes with a free downloadable 30 day trail of signgo pro.


I dont know anything really about plotters but was looking for one to start me off before i went out and bought a decent expensive one.

I have a question about the Pinch Rollers: 2 Adjustable Pinch Rollers though.
How does this work?
Are they adjustable so that it can be set up for small 8 inch vinyll, and then changed to be set up for 24 inch vinyl?

Art cut 2009 comes with it so at least theres some software and cutting software.

Please give me all your opinions and any input is much appreciated.

many thanks,

Kind regards,

Ryan


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## buttonsHT (Jun 12, 2010)

Just like in the other 10 threads you've started about this.... go with a good brand cutter or get a larger budget. Most of these cheap knockoffs are not good quality cutters.


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## Corel Whisperer (Sep 1, 2010)

buttonsHT said:


> Just like in the other 10 threads you've started about this.... go with a good brand cutter or get a larger budget. Most of these cheap knockoffs are not good quality cutters.


I have to agree…
maybe it is just time you put photos of each cutter on the wall and throw a dart at them to make your choice.


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## simpson7647 (Dec 29, 2010)

Corel Whisperer said:


> I have to agree…
> maybe it is just time you put photos of each cutter on the wall and throw a dart at them to make your choice.




Hi all and thanks for the replies..
I know I've made Many threads but I just trying to make the correct decision and it's hard.
I was hoping someone who maybe had experience with this model would read this thread and comment.

Thanks all


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## Corel Whisperer (Sep 1, 2010)

When purchasing equipment it comes down to you get what you pay for. In this post you say you want to do vinyl for windows , vehicles and sun strips. The Roland Stika 15 you mentioned in another post will still do all these things and if you have never used a cutter before it might be a good starting point for you to learn what needs to be done and how work with a cutter. Once you have made your money back and more you can bring in a larger cutter to do more work. I would just hate to have you look for a 24 inch cutter for 200 to 300 pounds and get stuck, ask them is something goes wrong with the cutter and it stops working in the first year what is their policy. There is a lot of money to be made with a cutter, if you pick up the 15 inch Roland then in a few months you might just have the 1100 pounds you need to get the better cutter. Besides the cost of the cutter, is going to be the learning curve of the program. If you still want to consider one of these packages, then I would see if you can get a live demo on using it. This will let you see what you are getting and if you think you can run the program. If you do get the opportunity to get a live demo make sure they let YOU run the program and cutter, don’t get caught up in smoke and mirrors of a shiny new cutter demo. 
Think of it like this… you are looking for a new car, most cars are 10,000 pounds (just a figure) then you find one for 1,000 pounds, with a free tank of gas and life time oil changes…wouldn’t your first thought be why is it so much less? 
I’m not saying this is a bad cutter or company to deal with, it comes down to you are the one that must make the decision, yes you are doing your homework first and that is a good thing. The cutter you are look at comes with a 30 day trial version of Signgo Pro what is it going to cost you after the 30 day trial? You need to figure in the cost of a program to run the cutter, this may be the difference in the lower cost. If the cutter cost you 200 pounds but you need to purchase a 800 pound program to make it work than what did you really save. 
What version of Windows are you using? This unit looks like they only have driver up to Windows Vista 32bit.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

The thing with the cheap cutters is some are "great" and others are 'lemons" and you never know in advance which one you will get......So glowing reviews do not provide much guidance....Cheap equipment seems to have inconsistent levels of quality throughout the production runs....So there is always a bit of gamble with equipment at the low end....


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## simpson7647 (Dec 29, 2010)

thank you all and thank YOU Corel for all that time and info 

What i think i will do unless a half secent one comes along is buy the craftrobo, earn some money and then buy a roland.

But im gonna keep an eye on the roland 15inch,
What do these go for new and brand new?

many thanks,

regards,

Ryan


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## Corel Whisperer (Sep 1, 2010)

Maybe this will help answer a lot of question for you on the Roland cutters this is the US site Roland Vinyl Cutters
CW


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## nitewalker (Jan 27, 2010)

simpson7647 said:


> But im gonna keep an eye on the roland 15inch,
> What do these go for new and brand new?


The Roland SV-15 goes for around $715 new here, which is too much IMHO. It's a great vinyl cutter and built like a tank, but when you can get a Graphtec CE5000-40 for only a couple hundred more, and because it's such a superior machine, the Roland seems overpriced a bit. 

The smaller Craft Robo (Silhouette SD) is a good machine too, but mind the smaller size. The first time you need to cut something larger than it's capacity, you have a bit of buyer's remorse. If you get the Craft Robo as a step up cutter, skip a step by bypassing the Roland SV-15 for a nice 24" machine like the GX-24 or Graphtec CE5000-60, which is the one I'm aiming for based on value and what everyone has to say about it.


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