Silhouette Deep Cut Blade Review (And What It Can Cut in CAMEO)

If you're considering the Silhouette Deep Cut Blade for Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait, this review and tutorial will give you a good start including cut settings for otherwise hard to cut materials.

The Silhouette Deep Cut blade can cut materials up to 2mm thick. Those are usually reserved for the Curio, CAMEO 3, Portrait 2 and Silhouette CAMEO 4 which are the machines that have the higher clearance and therefore can cut thicker materials. However I was also able to use the Deep Cut blade with success in my CAMEO 2. This gives you some options if you want to avoid or can't use the Kraft Blade.
The trick to cutting thicker materials in the Silhouette CAMEO is to make sure they clear the white rollers.  In other words, you want the material centered on your mat approximately between the 2" box and the 11" box.  It's when these thicker materials go under the rollers where you run into trouble.

How to Use the Silhouette Deep Cut Blade

Believe me, I tried moving the rollers and all that jazz, this is the only way I could guarantee my mat didn't get all twist-turned around hence messing up the cut.

Now let's talk about the blade itself. You'll notice unlike the regular ratchet blade, the blade depth actually goes up to 20 on the Silhouette Deep Cut.  One to 10 are part of one rotation and 11-20 are on a second.  You don't need the ratchet to turn the blade, you simply turn it with your hand to change the blade depth.

If the blue is exposed at all the indicator is on the 1-10 number, if only the red is exposed you're pointing to the 11-20 number.

What Materials Can Silhouette Deep Cut Blade Cut? 

And finally for the important stuff - because I know you're dying to know: What materials can the CAMEO cut with the Silhouette Deep Cut Blade that the ratchet blade struggles with?  (Tip: Add custom material settings to your material cut list in Studio so you can save these settings!)

Please keep in mind there are many variations on pretty much all of these materials.  Foam comes in different thicknesses, felt is available in a wide range of densities and 'stiffnesses' (forgive me I'm not sure of the technical terms here), and so on.  I don't know that every single variety of felt will cut like the one tested - so for that reason please don't consider this a one size fits all.  I will, however, link to all the exact materials I cut where possible.

The one thing I did keep the same throughout was to cut the exact same shape so that would not be a variable in how well the Deep Cut Blade performed.

Cutting Craft Foam

The Silhouette Deep Cut Blade cut adhesive backed craft foam like a dream.

Settings: Blade 17, Speed 4, Force 33 

Here's a side by side of how the regular ratchet blade cut the craft foam on the same settings...

 

Cutting Burlap with Silhouette CAMEO

Paper-backed burlap was not a problem...I've previously attempted to cut this same material with the regular ratchet blade and there was barely a mark on the burlap.  The trick to cutting paper backed burlap sheets with the Deep Cut blade is to cut with the paper side up (burlap down on the mat).

Settings: Blade 20, Speed 4, Force 33, 2 Passes - Burlap side down

Cork

If you've ever attempted to cut cork with your regular cutting blade it just breaks up, even if it's relatively thin paper-back cork. Well no more! The Silhouette Deep Cut blade does an awesome job cutting through paper-backed cork sheets!  I got this as a single sheet at AC Moore - it was un-branded.

Settings: Blade 20, Speed 4, Force 33, 2 Passes- Cork side down on the mat

Here's how the regular ratchet blade cut shredded the same paper backed cork.  (If you look closely you can see the failed ratchet blade 'cuts' in the top left corner of the paper-backed burlap material, too.)

Felt (Acrylic Craft Felt)

When I asked what you wanted me to test cut with the Silhouette Deep Cut blade you all yelled "FELT" at the top of your lungs. Whew...okay so I cut some acrylic craft felt I had laying around.  There's good and bad news. The bad news is using freezer paper as a stabilizer doesn't work.at.all.

You need the good stuff. I had some Heat and Bond so I used that and it worked very well on the felt.  I tested it with the paper backing both on and and off the Heat and Bond and it cut well both with the felt side up and the felt side down onto the mat.

Settings: Blade 20, Speed 5, Force 33, 2 Passes

Chipboard

The Silhouette brand chipboard is no problem for the regular ratchet blade. However, some may not actually consider it chipboard given it's thickness - or lack thereof.  

I tested the We R Memory Keepers bookboard chipboard, which is .1 inch thick (2.54mm) with the Silhouette Deep Cut Blade.  I tested a double cut; a double, double cut; and even eight passes - the chipboard proved too thick for the blade. It makes sense it wouldn't cut through the bookboard chipboard since the deep cut blade is 2mm deep and the chipboard is 2.54mm.

I also tested a thinner chipboard that's considered "medium weight" at .057" and the deep cut blade refused to cut all the way through it too. Such a bummer!

Thin Metal Sheets 

No amount of double cutting with the Deep Cut Blade was cutting through the Silhouette brand Thin Metal Stippling Sheets.   Fail.

Top side

Back side

Cardboard Box

Giant fail...the material is too thick for the Silhouette CAMEO.  I have a hunch, that while the CURIO could handle the thickness of the material, it will still be too thick for the deep cut blade.

Faux Leather Sheets

I've cut leather - lambskin leather, to be exact - in the past with my Silhouette fabric blade and it worked out nicely with some encouraging. (Update: I tested the lambskin leather with the deep cut blade and it cut well on the settings below, as well.)  This time I tested the deep cut blade on these faux leather sheets.  They're stiffer and not quite as thick as the lambskin.  They cut easily with the deep cut blade once I figured out a double double cut is necessary. That's not a typo - double cut x2.

Settings: Blade 20, Speed 7, Force 33, 4 Passes

Here's a closer look.

Flexible Plastic Cutting Mats (dollar store cutting mats for the kitchen) 

Fail - even with 4 passes.  You can see all my test cuts on the mat...nothing seemed to work! This one is disappointing because I thought these flexible cutting mats would make awesome reusable stencil - but I guess it makes sense that a cutting mat would be tough to cut through ;)

So with all that being said...is Silhouette Deep Cut Blade worth the price? If you've been reading Silhouette School for any length of time you  know how I am - I shoot it straight.  Ninety percent of the time I pay for my own Silhouette and craft supplies (yes, even my machines) to test and review. So while I'm a blogger and a Silhouette lover, I'm also a consumer - just like you! This makes me feel even more obligated to tell you if an $18+ blade or a $250 machine is worth your money. I'm here to tell you I will happily shell out $20 or so for another one of these Silhouette deep cut blades.
 

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

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