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Add to SafariWhen comparing KNK Force vs Silhouette Portrait, the Slant community recommends Silhouette Portrait for most people. In the question“What are the best vinyl cutters?” Silhouette Portrait is ranked 5th while KNK Force is ranked 8th. The most important reason people chose Silhouette Portrait is:
For a price tag below $140, you're getting a fully functional vinyl cutter. Even though this machine does not have the ‘fancy’ features more premium cutters have, such as tangential emulation or overcut, it still can cut any standard vinyl sheet.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Can handle thick materials well
This vinyl cutter is capable of producing up to 39N of downforce. While this might seem like a total overkill when it comes to cutting vinyl, it opens up possibilities to cutting thicker, more robust materials, such as plastics.
Pro Can be used as a CNC milling machine
This machine can be turned into a competent CNC milling machine by adding an optional rotary tool attachment. With this accessory, you will be able to cut 3mm wooden and acrylic plates.
Pro Cross-platform, efficient software
The KNK Force has a built-in computer, and you can access it using a web browser on any Windows, Linux, iOs, or Android device. Even more, you can seamlessly switch from one device to another. The embedded software is called C3, and it accepts design files in the form of .svg files.
Pro Can be monitored remotelly
Due to the built-in WiFi module, you can access your KNK Force vinyl cutter from anywhere where you have an Internet connection. This means that you can monitor the machine's job's progress remotely, from a smartphone, for example.
Pro Great value for money
For a price tag below $140, you're getting a fully functional vinyl cutter. Even though this machine does not have the ‘fancy’ features more premium cutters have, such as tangential emulation or overcut, it still can cut any standard vinyl sheet.
Pro Ideal for sign cutting
The maximum cutting length of this machine is quite impressive: 120” in total. Therefore, the effective cutting area of this vinyl cutter is 8” x 120”. You can easily cut medium-sized signs with this amount of workspace available.
Pro Clear and simple software
Silhouette Studio is the software this machine works with. No special skills are required to work with it. Even a new user will easily produce his/her first cut within 10-30 minutes. All the buttons and tabs are easy to find and use.
Pro Capable of contour cutting
This machine has got a registration mark system, being able to detect printed registration marks with the aid of a camera, mounted near the toolhead. This feature allows you to cut multi-colored stickers and heat transfers.
Pro Affordable blades
Silhouette offers very affordable blade replacement options. For under $8, you can buy a new replacement blade with a cartridge. The blade (and its cartridge) is a consumable part that needs to be frequently replaced.
Pro Multiple designs are available online
You do not have to be an artist to work with this machine. You can easily buy artwork from the Silhouette design store. The prices are more than affordable: the majority of the shapes are priced between 50 cents and 3 dollars and several free shapes are also available. All the purchased forms are imported to your shape library automatically.
Pro Very portable
Due to its compact size (16.25” x 5.6” x 4.5”) and light weight (3.5 lbs), this machine is a perfect solution for those who need a portable vinyl cutter.
Cons
Con Limited workplace
The maximum media width that this machine can accept is only 15”. This is the most obvious limitation this machine has. Furthermore, 15” vinyl rolls are not as easy to get as 12” and 24” rolls.
Con Can only handle standard vinyl
Attempt to cut extra thick or extra thin vinyl will jam this cutter. It has neither the precision nor the power required to handle these thicknesses.
Con Works only with bitmap files
The Silhouette Studio can only import bitmap files (.gif, .tif, .jpg, .png and a few others). Unfortunately, there is no way of importing proprietary files from Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.
Con Spare mechanical parts are hard to find
Silhouette does not provide spare mechanical parts (like rollers, belts, motors, or gears) via their online store. Therefore, it is very complicated to find any functional spare parts for this machine.
Con Not the most reliable option
If you need a cutter for a business, maybe it's not the best idea to rely completely on this machine, since it is not a professional grade unit. Cheap vinyl cutters are well known for sudden breakages.
Con Poorly built
This vinyl cutter feels very cheap, it is very noticeable that the manufacturer sacrificed build quality to lower the machine's price. The body of the machine is very fragile, users need to be very careful not to drop it.
