Silhouette's current plan is to discontinue the production of Silhouette CAMEO 3 machines over the next few months making way for the Silhouette CAMEO 4. Personally I'd like to see the CAMEO 4 as an addition to the Silhouette cutting machine line up, instead of a replacement for the three year old CAMEO 3 model - but as of now there are no plans to continue manufacturing the CAMEO 3. For that reason, I think now is about the best time to buy a one..and here's why!
Silhouette CAMEO 3 Price
Silhouette CAMEO 3 machines can be found as low as $199....sometimes even less. This is a full $100 cheaper than what the Silhouette CAMEO 4 will start at for the base machine. You can often score a Silhouette CAMEO 3 Bundle for $229 - $269. Silhouette CAMEO 4 bundles will start at $329 and go up from there.
If you're content cutting vinyl, HTV, and paper and don't have business or crafting needs where speed or cutting thicker materials is a real factor, the CAMEO 3 may actually be more than what you need for your crafting hobby. Combine that with the $100 swing between the price of the CAMEO 3 vs CAMEO 4 and you may want to consider getting a CAMEO 3 now to save yourself some money while you can.
Silhouette CAMEO 3 to be Discontinued
As of now, the plan is that once production on the Silhouette CAMEO 4 gets into full swing, production of the Silhouette CAMEO 3 will stop and the CAMEO 3s will be discontinued. That means you'll no longer be able to get a 12" Silhouette cutting machine around the $199 price point...and you won't be able to get a feature-wise more straight-forward, entry level 12" machine from Silhouette.You should also keep in mind once the CAMEO 3's are completely sold out - which many retailers and Silhouette expect will be prior to the holiday season - the Silhouette machines price points will be around $160 for an 8" Silhouette Portrait and then jump to almost twice that for a CAMEO 4. My point is we are losing the middle pricing area for 12" Silhouette CAMEOs.
Dual Carriage Changes
The Silhouette CAMEO 3 and Silhouette CAMEO 4 both have dual too carriages - but that's about where it ends as far as the two carriages.
The Silhouette CAMEO 3 can take any tool in the right/blue carriage with the exception of the Autoblade. That means you can put tools such as a ratchet blade, sketch pen, or Foil Quill in the second carriage and an Autoblade in the left carriage. This makes it possible to sketch + cut or foil + cut or create sticker sets with both blades set to two different depths and forces in a single pass.
The Silhouette CAMEO 4's right carriage is so powerful and provides so much down force it will ONLY be able to take certain tools like the Silhouette Rotary Blade and the Kraft Blade.
That means CAMEO 4 users will very likely lose the the ability to do single pass sketch + cuts, foil + cuts, and sticker sets. If you use or plan to use your Silhouette CAMEO a lot in any of these ways - you'd be better off with a CAMEO 3.
Silhouette CAMEO Color Options
The Silhouette CAMEO 4 will be available in white, pink, and black - a lot fewer color options than the CAMEO 3 which is available in Mint, Teal, Light Blue, Blush Pink, Slate Gray, White, Pink, and Black.
If you want to match your Silhouette cutting machine to your craft area or grab one in your favorite color - and one of those colors is available as a Silhouette CAMEO 3 - now's the time to grab one. I have confirmed with Silhouette that there are an "extremely limited supply of colors CAMEO 3s" and no more colored machines are being produced. The last of the Teal, Black and Pink machines are only available at Swing Design.
Silhouette America does have the Slate Gray, Aqua Blue and Mint CAMEO 3 machines- again in very limited supply - like several hundred!! - and only while supplies last.
Urgent Need
If you need a Silhouette CAMEO now - whether as a new machine, a back up Silhouette machine (you should always have a back up if you're running a Silhouette business), or a replacement machine - the only 12" option right now is a CAMEO 3.
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!
Get Silhouette School lessons delivered to your email inbox! Select Once Daily or Weekly.
.png)
You say that the Cameo 4 "will ONLY be able to take certain tools". Does that mean that a CB09 will not work in them?
ReplyDeleteIf you can wait til September 10 I can answer all of your questions and concerns.At this time I can not comment on specifics.
Delete