Will,
Not sure if you are asking me or Michel, but here is my take:
Disclaimer: I use a Silhouette Cameo 4, and have no experience with a Cricut.
Like you, the many factors I had to tune to get the finest cuts include: material (I use Oramask 810); blades (I use 60degree for fine); mats (I use standard grip OEM); and software -- cut settings such as depth, pressure, speed, number of passes (I experimented and created my own Oramask Material Profile including slowest speed and one pass). Silhouette software also has settings for track enhancement and overcut (I use track enhancement, but overcut depends on the design).
I am amazed at how precise the Cameo cuts, and marvel at how repeatable the cuts are.
Gene K