What am I up too??

Hi everyone ~ I am going to try and post regularly on some general information with regards to Silhouette and Cricut. 

 I have been an avid Silhouette Cameo user for the past five years starting with the Cameo 1.  At the time I bought my Cameo, Cricut was going through a lot of changes at their level and some not so great for the end user.  At the time I had been a Cricut user for four years starting with the Cricut Create, Expression, Gypsy and Imagine.  I was very happy with my Cricut Imagine until one day it just wouldn't turn on.  I called Cricut and explained to them that I had used it the night before and this morning it won't make a sound or turn on.  They proceeded to tell me that I was a week out of warranty and there was nothing they could do for me...that was the day I decided it was time for a change and ordered the Silhouette Cameo 1.  I packed up the Cricut Imagine and told my husband the next time he went to the dump, so did it!  

As I said earlier I've been an avid Silhouette Cameo user for the past five years.  I never upgraded to the Cameo 2 because I just felt I didn't need a touch screen and mine was working great.  When the Cameo 3 was announced I knew it was time to upgrade.  I was intrigued (like everyone else) about the new features - bluetooth, double carriage, better software, etc.  So as soon as it went on preorder I ordered.  I waited about seven months for them to start delivery and have now had the Cameo 3 for one year and three months, and I'm still waiting on some of the features that I was excited about to work right (bluetooth)!  

The reason I'm telling you all this is because I have recently taken a position with On Trend Media, LLC in Morristown, TN and will be doing a lot of crafting work for them on their website www.makersgonnalearn.com.  When I was given the position they gave me a Cricut Explore Air 2 to work with.  Me being an avid Cameo user said "I don't need one of those, I have a Cameo".  Their response was "take it, try it out and let me know what you think about it".  I took this Cricut home thinking there was no way I was going to need/use it.  I set it up and figured I would give it a fair shot, what the heck, right?  

Here's my first thoughts ~ it's a little smaller than the Cameo but weighs about the same.  It's VERY quiet compared to the Cameo, and VERY fast!  My biggest complaint with the Cameo was that it didn't make intricate cuts very well, you had to slow it down to the slowest setting and then you were still at its mercy while it sounded like it was dying during the cut.  The only setting you can change on the Cricut is the paper type, it runs at the same speed for every cut you do - FAST!  I did a few simple cuts and was AMAZED!  I have attached a little video I did showing the two cuts I made, so you can see for yourself.

I hate to say this, but I may be converted back to Cricut - stay tuned and see how I do with this thing.  

Thanks for stopping by and checking things out.

Sherri