With the recent information that the new Silhouette Cameo 4 machine will be released later this year, many Silhouette Cameo 3 machine (older model) owners are wondering whether they should upgrade their cutting machine.
Are you confused about which machine is right for you, Silhouette Cameo 3 vs. 4? The answer is up to you, and what you want to do with your Cameo machine, like the Silhouette Cameo 3 vs. 4 machines, features are quite different.
There are many differences if you compare Silhouette Cameo 3 vs. 4 machines. The most important is the new Silhouettes machine’s cutting capability. The amount of downward pressure, cutting speed, tool, material choices, and price varies differently.
Major Differences: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
Here is a quick reminder of the major differences: Silhouette Cameo 3 vs.4 machines. We will discuss these differences: downward force, cutting speed, tool, material choices, and price.
Downward Cutting Pressure: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
The Silhouette Cameo 3’s cutting force is 210g, compared to Silhouette Cameo 4’s 5000g or 5kg. The correct tool carriage of the Silhouette Cameo 4 will account for the increased downward force due to the motor powering it.
But, unlike the Silhouette Cameo 3, where any tool aside from the Autoblade, which must be used in a left/red carriage, can be used in any carriage, the Silhouette Cameo 4’s right carriage rotary blade, punching tool, specialized as a craft blade tool will be limited.
Increased Cutting Speed and Acceleration: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
The Cameo 4 machine can cut specific materials up to 3 times faster than the Cameo 3. The machine cutting speed is the speed at which the machine can cut while cutting in a straight line.
Also, acceleration speed has been increased by about 2x from Silhouette Cameo 3 to Cameo 4 machine. Acceleration is the speed at which a machine can cut a blade to bend or change direction, such as around a corner.
Considering both superior speed and acceleration together – the average accelerated speed of the average cut task accelerated speed is about 3x faster than that of the Silhouette Cameo 3 machine.
The left tool carriage on the Silhouette Cameo 4 is the one that takes credit for the increased speed and acceleration.
Tool Carriage and Tools: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
Two different types of motors power the Cameo 4 Tool Carriage. In contrast, the Silhouette Cameo 3’s dual carriage contains the same motor driven on both sides of the carriage hence why you can put all the tools in either carriage except the Autoblade.
Because the two tool carriages of Silhouette Cameo 4 are separate and the rights are exclusive to the particular tool, users will lose some capabilities.
On the Cameo 3 machine, both tool carriages have the same potential for speed and downward force. This means you can insert two cutting blades and independently set the depth and force of the blades to get a kissable cut and perfect cut in a single pass. Same as for sketch and cut and then foil and cut with Silhouette Cameo 3. With Silhouette Cameo 4, users lose its capability because the right tool carriage is created for specialized tools only.
There are other major changes between the tool carriages on Silhouette Cameo 3 vs. 4 as well. The actual tool carriage has been recreated, and the tools’ opening is larger on the new Silhouette Cameo machine than on the older Silhouette Cameo model.
Also, the tool carriage on the Silhouette Cameo 4 will be able to automatically identify tools and use the Smart Tool Identification function to adjust cut settings.
Some tools such as the Cameo 4 Craft Blade and the Rotary Blade will only fit the right carriage of the Silhouette Cameo 4 – they cannot be used in the left tool carriage of the Silhouette Cameo 4 or any older Silhouette Cameo or Portrait models.
The Silhouette Cameo 4 has a tool adapter to allow tools to be fitted to the old models used in the Silhouette Cameo 4 machine.
AutoBlade: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
The AutoBlade for the Cameo 4 is a single tap blade, meaning it will only need to be tapped once to adjust to the right blade depth. The Silhouette Cameo 3 Autoblade requires tapping several times to return to 0, then continuing tapping to adjust to the required blade depth.
Machine Design: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
The Cameo 4 uses a back lit touch panel instead of a touch screen (Silhouette Cameo 2 and 3 machines). A retractable lid can replace the hinge-close lid on all old model Silhouette Cameo machines.
A built-in pull-out roll feeder has been added to the Silhouette Cameo 4, while the Silhouette Cameo 3 (Cameo 2, 1, and Portraits) needs to use a roll feeder attachment.
Also, the rollers on the Silhouette Cameo 4 have been updated to allow one-handed adjustment, unlike the lock and tooth grip rollers used by the Silhouette Cameo 3.
Price: Silhouette Cameo 3 Vs. 4
The Cameo 3 machine will cost between $269 and $219 for the bundles and $199 for the base machine. The 12″ Cameo 4 machine will cost more, with a base price of $299, and the Cameo 4 bundle starts at $329.
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