7 hours ago, Mozart said:

You’re welcome Henrik, but before accepting any limitations, because there aren’t any excepting letter sizes that can be cut, please try some 810 rather than the 810S. And yes, as I have

cut on that example, 10 and 5mm circles, which also means you can see how small the letters are.

Thanks Max,

Below you see the latest test cuts. The circles are respectively 5mm, 2.5mm and 4.5/2.25mm RADIUS. The font is 8 pts. I drew circles around the cuts to better show the unevenness of the circles. It is noteworthy that the diameter of the circles changes from when the cut starts until it ends.

Contrast that with your cuts. The circles are much better and the diameter doesn't change from start to finish. You also have almost no tear from the knife entry.

Seems a new brand new model (Silhouette Cameo 5 Alpha) should perform better than a 12 year old. I could try to get the 810 (very hard to find, and expensive), but I don't see how it can fix the circles even if it improves the entry tear (the tear improved from the Artool to the 810S).

So I am at a loss...

Where do you live Henrik? I could send you some 810 to test.

Max

1 hour ago, Mozart said:

Where do you live Henrik? I could send you some 810 to test.

Max

That is very kind of you to offer. I ordered some from a place in California. $45 for 15" x 10 yds - so will last me a life time! I'm In North Carolina - think I saw you are in England?

I don't think it will fix the circle issue - but the 810S is not very sticky, so that is good reason to get the 810. I really thought the Artool would be as good, but that is not the case.

Yes, in England. I produce the masks for the Airscale kits so use Oramask 810 on an almost “industrial” scale, currently nearing the end of an initial order for 250 canopy masks. Other than the obvious, I don’t understand why Oramask 810 isn’t easily available in the US, but then quite a high number of kits aren’t either!

Let us know how you get on please.

Max

How cool!

810S is also hard to get, though both can be had in big rolls. Have no idea why. 813 and other types are available everywhere. And with the tariffs it is a lot harder to source from abroad.

I do think it is a little troubling with the Cameo 5, compared to yours. I saw another topic with a person having similar issues. Makes me think I should have spent the extra money on a Siser Juliet, or just stuck with a smaller model.

Maybe this is old news by now, haven't read all posts in this thread, check out this link I found via a reddit post; https://www.instructables.com/Silhouette-Cameo-4-Crooken-Cutting-Repair/

Jagged "starts" and torn edges suggest the blade is not swiveling as freely as it should be, but the geometry issue could be resolved, hopefully, by the steps in the described procedure.

I finally gave up, and just bought a Siser Juliet. My very first cut was small circles and text (2.5mm and 5 mm Diameter, and same height for text) on 810S.

Without any adjustments and using a 45 degree blade, the results are clearly substantially better than my Silhouette Cameo Alpha. It also comes with a 60 degree blade that is supposed to be better than 45 for fine detail, so I believe the cuts can be even better.

I am convinced i will be able to use the Juliet for my original purpose - Royal Danish Airforce roundels, split flags, and squadron numbers in 1/48 scale. The results might be good enough that i can do it in 1/72 scale.

Yes - the Juliet is more expensive at ~$400 versus ~$225 for the Cameo. It is also seems like it is a lot better built - the Cameo feels very plasticky. There may be downsides with the software, but time will tell. I am VERY happy I made the switch, and will be very comfortable starting some of the original detailed schemes I had planned.

PS: It is possible i just got a Cameo lemon. I have seen others complain about the Cameo 5 accuracy, but I saw cuts for some earlier Cameo versions that seemed better than mine.

Edited May 13May 13 by Henrik

Glad to hear that you were able to get where you wanted to go with this, Henrik, and it certainly sounds like paying the higher price was worth it. Perhaps Silhouette's quality control isn't what it ought to be. Please post some of your results when you get a chance!

Kev

I'm late coming to this thread -- glad you found a solution after so much frustration.

SO just for info: I have had nearly all models of the Silhouette cutters up to 4, and had great cuts ... until the 4. Problem with that machine was the same as yours. Sent the first one back, and the replacement had the same issue. In frustration I ordered an inexpensive Portrait 4 ... and was (and am) pleased as punch. All to say I wouldn't discount that your machine may have hardware tracking problems, including distortions depending on where on the page the cut is. As @Timbacat pointed out - lots of things churning inside the machine to make "simple" cuts as circles.

Gene K

On 5/19/2026 at 12:14 PM, GeneK said:

I'm late coming to this thread -- glad you found a solution after so much frustration.

SO just for info: I have had nearly all models of the Silhouette cutters up to 4, and had great cuts ... until the 4. Problem with that machine was the same as yours. Sent the first one back, and the replacement had the same issue. In frustration I ordered an inexpensive Portrait 4 ... and was (and am) pleased as punch. All to say I wouldn't discount that your machine may have hardware tracking problems, including distortions depending on where on the page the cut is. As @Timbacat pointed out - lots of things churning inside the machine to make "simple" cuts as circles.

Gene K

Well - you are confirming my results! I am VERY happy with the Siser. The Portrait probably would have been fine for me - i have had a few bigger cuts but 8" would be sufficient for almost everything. Without knowing for sure the Siser is probably still the more accurate one - but obviously at a big premium over the Portrait.

Based on my experience and what I have read since starting this venture i can't recommend the Camo 5 for this type of work.

On 5/13/2026 at 7:57 PM, Kevin Futter said:

Glad to hear that you were able to get where you wanted to go with this, Henrik, and it certainly sounds like paying the higher price was worth it. Perhaps Silhouette's quality control isn't what it ought to be. Please post some of your results when you get a chance!

Kev

I'll try to do that - just very cumbersome to upload pictures or I would have done it already.