# Graphtec CE-5000 Vs GCC Expert 24 LX



## tshirtprintNewb (Jun 18, 2011)

Hi guys.

Was going to go ahead to make my purchase on Graphtec CE-5000, till I saw a cheaper alternative (GCC Expert 24 LX) which can cut 24" and seems pretty solid.

Now I can't make up my mind over these two. What are the advantages and disadvantages over these?

PS: I want a vinyl cutter to cut my vinyls, heat transfer paper (printed on an Epson 1400 printer).


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## tee09 (Oct 30, 2009)

tshirtprintNewb said:


> Hi guys.
> 
> Was going to go ahead to make my purchase on Graphtec CE-5000, till I saw a cheaper alternative (GCC Expert 24 LX) which can cut 24" and seems pretty solid.
> 
> ...


Both are good brands, personally I have the Graphtec Ce 5000-60.. I would say the biggest difference is the the Expert LX has a stepper motor and the Graphtec has a Servo motor. From what i understand the Servo motor are more durable and last for a long time (longer than the stepper motor). If you have the money i would go for the graphtec, but if you dont, i think the expert lx is the best alternative. This is just my opinion.

hope this helps


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## ajordan2 (Dec 28, 2010)

We've done test with both cutter and here's some of the biggest difference we found.
· GCC Expert Pro 24 is 43% slower than a Graphtec CE5000-60 on a typical vinyl sign with the same settings
· Even using the same vinyl on both cutters, the GCC cut design had problems during weeding. You had to go slowly and be very careful so the letters would not peel up. The same design cut on the Graphtec with the same vinyl weeded easily and quickly. Longer weeding time = extra labor cost and slower production.
· No optical eye for print a cut jobs
· Front edge of the material tends to feed into material roll while cutting long jobs = ruined jobs, material cost, production slow down
Bottom line - Graphtec cutters cut faster. Graphtec cut jobs weed faster. With a Graphtec, more jobs can be completed with less waste from ruined material.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

I have an Expert 24 and it is a solid machine.....

It might be slower on most jobs I do but the speed really does not matter.....It is fast enough and I just let the machine cut while I do other things.....If you have enough work to need a faster machine you probably have the resources to get a better machine...

Not sure what they were cutting that caused weeding problems, however, my GCC Expert 24 seems to work just fine and although I have not compared side by side I have never had enough of a problem weeding to think that another machine might work better.....

There are some feed problems because the front edge of the material sometimes catches....It is annoying but if you bend the leading edge it works fine.....Also, you need to make sure you roll off enough material....The little rollers that come with the GCC Expert 24 do not roll very well....But it you set up a better roller system and have a stand it will be a big improvement....

So if you have enough cash, buy a better machine....If not, save your money or buy a GCC Expert 24 and make enough money with it to buy a better machine very quickly.....And do not overlook other GCC models.....

My 1st job was 1,500.00 worth of banners that paid for my cutter, materials, banner blanks and supplies and still left me with over 600.00 profit....You can do this too and very quickly make enough money for a better machine and you will still have a solid backup machine....


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## wolverine34 (Mar 29, 2011)

i also have a GCC cutter. its the expert pro. great little machine.


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

If you guys are comparing the Expert Pro to the Expert 24 LX, you're comparing apples to oranges because the Expert Pro has a servo motor and NO optical eye. The Expert 24 LX has a stepper motor and has an optical eye for contour cutting.

If you can afford it, I would definitely say go for the servo motor cutter.

The GCC Puma III has an optical eye and a servo motor so it's comparable to the Graphtec cutter you're looking at. It only costs $1250 so it's still less money.

I hope this helps.


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