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Add to SafariWhen comparing Roland Stika SV-12 vs Roland GR-640, the Slant community recommends Roland Stika SV-12 for most people. In the question“What are the best vinyl cutters?” Roland Stika SV-12 is ranked 2nd while Roland GR-640 is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Roland Stika SV-12 is:
This simple-to-use vinyl cutter can work with various materials, such as standard vinyl, twill, paint mask, heat transfer, reflective vinyl, and etching materials, which makes it perfectly suitable for domestic DIY applications.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Good for domestic use
This simple-to-use vinyl cutter can work with various materials, such as standard vinyl, twill, paint mask, heat transfer, reflective vinyl, and etching materials, which makes it perfectly suitable for domestic DIY applications.
Pro Rigid and durable
The body of this vinyl cutter is made from very durable high-quality, injection-molded plastics. Overall, it feels very rigid, with no loose parts.
Pro Portable
Due to its small dimensions (17-⅜” x 8-⅛” x 4-½” ) and lightweight design (only 6 pounds), you can take this machine anywhere you want.
Pro Simple, straightforward software
This machine comes with a simple, clean, and reliable software: Roland CutStudio. With it, you can either create new vector designs or import existing ones from the BMP, JPG, STX, AI, or EPS files. After the design was created, just adjust the outline options and press the start button. The machine will do the cutting automatically.
Pro Capable of cutting custom designs
This machine can cut custom printed designs. The process is implemented by the aid of registration marks and a camera. This is a must-have feature for those who want to cut custom stickers or do multi-color heat transfers.
Pro Can export a design directly
With this cutter, using the provided Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw plug-in, users can export and cut specific design files straight from those editors. Step files are not required.
Pro Excellent for massive cuts
The total cutting area of this machine is 65” x 984”. It is suitable for cutting huge outdoor vinyl signs and even automotive signs (signs for commercial vehicles).
Pro Can cut many materials
Besides vinyl films, this machine can cut cardboard, corrugated e-flute, heat transfer material, diamond grade films, sandblast mask, high-intensity reflective films, and window films.
Pro Accepts various media sizes
Even though the maximum media width you can feed into this vinyl cutter is 70”, it doesn't mean that the machine only works well with this massive size. According to its specifications sheet, the Roland GR-640 handles any media width between 6” and 70”.
Pro Accessible software
This industrial grade vinyl cutter does not require you to spend a fortune on its software. Even more, it uses the same software as all the other Roland machines. It is very unusual for an industrial grade CNC machine to share the same software with consumer grade units.
Pro Decent warranty options
By default, this cutter is covered by a full 3-year-manufacturer warranty, available upon the registration of the product (it has to be done online). This warranty will cover you if the machine fails. Furthermore, there is an option to upgrade the standard 3-year warranty to a 5-year period by purchasing a Roland Care Premium Service Contract (the exact pricing is available only on request).
Cons
Con Unsuitable for commercial use
Even though Roland Stika SV-12 is a decent machine, it is not the right option to use in commercial applications. First of all, the cutting speed is slow when compared with more professional competitors. Secondly, its cutting quality is suitable only for cutting standard thickness vinyl: since the blade is actuated by a stepper motor, the machine struggles to adjust the cutting depth with enough precision to cut thin vinyl. Furthermore, thick vinyl cannot be cut, as the downforce of the blade is too weak.
Con Can't cut fast
Regarding cutting speed, this machine is on the lower end of the market. The speed of almost 2 inches per second seems like a joke when compared to the speeds of larger Graphtec, Roland, and USCutter machines (more than 30 inches/s).
Con Imprecise height control
The manufacturer did not use a digital servo driver to control the Z axis of the machine. Instead, a cheaper and less reliable solution was implemented: a stepper motor.
Con Small cutting area
The cutting area of this vinyl cutter is minimal, only 9-13/16” x 39.47”.
Con Hard to find spares
The manufacturer does not sell spare parts for this machine (apart from blades). If a mechanical part (a motor, a pulley, a belt or a gear) fails, you will have to find an alternative part yourself.
Con Very expensive
This machine doesn't have a price that's affordable for most people, since it costs almost $7,000.
