SDX125EGY ScanNCut Electronic Cutting Machine Grey

I'm not quite sure how I got here. I am a polymer clay, sculpting, sketching, graphic design, and beading dabbler and have never understood the draw of paper crafts, being hunched over cutting out doo-dads, or making fantastical cards that will likely just get tossed out. And then I simultaneous bought a Cricut Maker and a Brother ScanNCut SDX125EGY. And vinyl. And tools. And foil. And transfer paper, and a scanning mat. And 110 lb weight cardstock. After watching so many youtube channels in research, I came to the conclusion that you have to be super perky, with super white teeth, bright lipstick, wear too many rings, and get too excited by new color palates, stickers, and sentiments to be associated with this stuff. So how did ***I*** get here. I think it started when I googled if you could cut stencils to use ON polymer clay with one of these machines. I found absolutely no proof anyone is/was doing this, but to my shock, I found many references to people using them to cut baked thin sheets of polymer clay itself, and a few, (Gasp), saying they cut unbaked/raw polymer clay with it (why would you gum up an expensive machine like that?!) I then knew if I was serious I'd have to watch and research tutorials on the software and design process for each of them. So I felt like I was at least partially prepared to go through with this test... UNBOXING: I picked up the Cricut in person at Joann's (or as my favorite morning radio show refers to them now- J-Fab). I felt like confetti and loud music was going to fall on me, the employee was so smugly congratulatory and genuinely happy for me, like I had passed through a sacred set of rites and been inducted into a super high echelon society now. She gushed about coming in for help and classes and that I was going to love-love-love it. It was hefty in weight and a length that is a tad bulky but the sturdy box and handle made it easy. The box was pristine. I got it home and opened it up and it was well-packed but with two irksome features- everything wrapped in plastic and the mats had been curved and wrapped around and under and were totally (and still are) wildly bent. The DX125 was delivered by a forlorn Amazon delivery driver who set it carefully on my porch in a timely fashion but did not seem excited for me and was not congratulatory (based on my house cam video and images). I think after the Cricut experience I was expecting him to at least give a thumbs up and toothy grin at the camera. Alas. It was a box in a box, thankfully there was no struggle induced by the negative air pressure box-in-a-box-a-hair-bigger, so it came out nicely and was in pristine condition as well. There was less plastic and while the mat was in a slightly curved position, it pulled out and immediately went nice and flat. SET UP: The Cricut came with many separate pages/booklets/leaflets in a disgusting waste of paper that all appeared to be helpful guides and how-to-start slips but none of them really were worth existing (A single sheet entirely with a link, another 3 whole sheets with once sentence on each). The Cricut Design Space program for my Windows Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO as well as the mobile app for my Samsung Note 10.1 2014 edition and Samsung Note 10+ phone all installed seamlessly. Start up and updates were very fast and instant and I was ready to go in minutes. I was expecting to have to do the "wifi/WPS button" marathon race up and down my steps to get it to work (like it always turns into when setting up a new voice controlled plug or a printer). But I sat on my butt and everything worked and talked before my eyes. I tested it first on some decorative vinyl, card stock, the minute piece of fabric included, and the drawing pen on plain paper. The Brother set up was also easy and I was not judged by my dog during wifi set up for this one either. The built in menu is yes, limited when compared to a $1100 smart phone, but it's not laggy and is fairly easy to understand (and you can learn as you go without it freezing, changing or deleting something irreversibly, or having it shoot blades at you for your stupidity). The Canvas Workspace was also as easy to install everywhere. I tested the Brother on all the same materials. SOFTWARE COMPARISON First let me start by saying, I've been working on computers since I was 8 when it was a word processor with just a blinking green cursor and getting floppy disk terribly pixelated games like Snarfs and Paganitzu was believed by me and my brother to be the BEST it could ever get. I like doing everything myself, use Nova Launcher on all my phones, was satisfied with Windows XP and hated everything after, I literally cried when I had to upgrade my computer and it forced me to give up Adobe PS7 (having grown up with earlier versions and not wanting any progression beyond that one), and I despise the most popular and most dumbed-down versions of everything. So I went into this having preconceived notions of which one I'd do best with and prefer. Yes, using both so far have just solidified my preference. Cricut Design Space is very easy, very simplified, and while it won't let you do everything you may want to do, it does force you to find your way to a conclusion. The ease of access to pre-made images and fonts and ideas is spectacular. It is the laggy-ier of the two by far and there have already been multiple times it stopped responding and I had to just close out and try again (my computer has the processing power and memory (and internet connection)to probably send a NASA shuttle up so it wasn't my system being bogged down). The way this software encapsulates and isolates everything you put into it or use is expected and annoying. Even if you want to print or view something on your computer not involving the actual program, it's virtually impossible (no luck with screen shots or anything). So while the newest version allows you offline access, it all can only be worked on in the program itself. I found one work around by using my phone's S-Pen screen write function but the image size is limited. I'm not going to really get into prices, but there's a lot of costs if a majority of your work is not from scratch. UPDATE AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS: It seems to freeze and I have to close out at least once per session but the restart speed of the program is fast at least. Brother Canvas Workspace has apparently gone through significant changes recently and it's a nice program. It's a bit more limited in things you can do as far as editing, but it shines in using and making your own/external ideas. It's a real DRAG that it doesn't come with the scanning mat because anyone who uses this machine should be doing so because of this feature. I got one for $23 on amazon (not available in stores near me) and waited 5 long days (2 days of waiting after the machine actually arrived). I never have hit into lags and while the file format for creations is limiting, it's very easy to send it places and edit. There can be a slight delay in seeing projects that you've sent from one device to the machine and then want to view on another device but it does all work. ACCESSORIES It's way easier to go bonkers with the Cricut. Partly because EVERYTHING is separate but also because Cricut stuff is available everywhere. I hadn't even gotten the Maker yet and I was monitoring prices of the foil transfer tool, the QuickSwap attachments, the Deep Blade tool, scoring tools, pens etc. I picked up the basic tools set for crazy cheap (Prime vs Premo days were cricut-acular!) This tool set is fine for no matter what cutting machine you use, they're decently well made they just look like space dental instruments designed by Apple (aesthetics get a 0 but function gets a 5/5). I got some decorative vinyl on clearance (2/3 were cricut brand). Sadly, the awesomely performing fabric cutting wheel is going to collect dust in my life since I don't work much with fabrics other than fixing my own clothes and taking things in and making my dog his bed cover (preferably ONE time thing). This tool is a deal-breaker for people that cut a lot of unbacked fabric, I've yet to find evidence that the Brother cutter can 100% hold a candle to it at this point. I also ordered an off-brand wide scraper tool here on Amazon since the one included in the kit was dinky. I bought the scoring pen, the deep cut blade, a 12x24 supergrip mat and that's it. The standard mat works well, albeit will never flatten. The lavender high grip mat is quite tacky but behaves. The Brother comes with a stylus I've still never used and a spatula thing that's mediocre. The free sheet of sparkly deep blue card stock paper was absolutely gorgeous though and worth everything in the Cricut's "to get started" envelope. The standard grip mat is absurdly sticky. I gave up after first use of ever getting some of the fuzzies, dog and human hairs and lint off of it. It also partially lifts/rips the backing of my Oracal 631 vinyl which is a major problem (I've tried every depth setting). Everything sticks to it even though I use it and immediately return it to it's plastic sleeve. After the second use it has things on it I can't get off that are causing lifts/bubbles for everything I try to put on it. My most immediate purchase was the scanning mat as mentioned above. Both mats read and feed first time every time so far. Baby wipes can help with loose lint/hair/debris after each use but more dog hair somehow floats on in the 30 seconds I allow it to dry before replacing the plastic. The low-tack mat was a god-send, it's going to be my go-to because the standard is just too tacky. PERFORMANCE: Both cut things crisply and equally well, other than the Brother insists on cutting through the vinyl AND backing on every setting. The Brother is much faster (both to initiate, design and actually do the work). They're both pretty quiet, the Brother is slightly quieter. The Brother's front tray is noticeably deeper which makes it nice when you don't have much of a workspace as far as depth because it's there to support the mat front and back. UPDATE: The winner for cutting vinyl so far is the Brother. It took some tweaking beyond just selecting HALF cut, but even after multiple test runs the Cricut Maker still cuts through everything more times than not. THOUGHTS SO FAR: They can both do the exact same plethora of things equally well with the exception of fabrics- the Cricut fabric cutting wheel is top notch. The Cricut's mats are easier to deal with. The Brother is faster and the auto blade setting is super convenient, you don't have to select all the right things it just knows and does. I had to invest more money into getting the Cricut to accomplish the same things and if you pay for monthly/yearly access, you'll always be paying something. The Brother is perfect for me and those that draw/design their own unique stuff a majority of the time and the ability to scan in ANYTHING is incomparable. I got the Maker when it was marked down to $369 from $399. I got the Brother when it was $314, from $399. The Cricut is sleek and shiny and modern and looks like something from Black Mirror's or Electric Dream's vision of the future. Anyone can use it and with the right tools, accessories, etc it can do anything. The brother resembles a printer from the 80's and 90's (do I feel almost nostalgia as a grimace?), the lighter grey body color is just a few shades off of that dingy tan they all seemed to be. It doesn't have the slow unfold of the cover or the drawer and the plastic of the draws doesn't feel as sturdy and sleek. On the inside, though, it's first class. The touch screen is an unfortunate requirement, but it responds fast and is easy to figure out. Even with the learning curve, the design time and establishing settings and inputting commands and running time were ALL faster compared to using the Cricut. I can really see why some people like one or the other, and many people have and use both. Regardless, this is going to be a fun trial period (til end of Jan 2021) to solidify the winner! UPDATE: This morning I put both machines to the test- I wanted business cards made of 100 lb card stock with my logo, my favorite font, etc. Both machines failed me to do everything start to finish. The cricut would not draw my little logo image (nothing I did and no file type allowed it to be edited to be a draw object). The Brother refused to export/transfer/keep the logo image and the periods in my text because they were all too small. So I looked to my trusty canon pixma ix6820. I made the business cards in a word document. Then I put in light outlines for each and transferred it into both canvas workspace and design space. It was very easy to just make a project on the brother that cut out the rectangle outlines nearly perfectly (I also scanned the word document in and did it that way too but my initial outline color was too light (it matched the light silver of the cardstock I was using) and it didn't pick out the only thing I needed- the outer rectangle the first time. The cricut failed in that it cut out the rectangles way off from where the card outlines actually were though I had aligned to the mat grid and the on-screen grid perfectly and did a test cut which aligned normally. Update 3/2021- the cricut is getting sold to a new home and I am very happy with the Brother. I acquired the Vinyl Auto blade kit and it works fantastically even on the sharpest and tiniest cuts. Superior to the cricut which ended up frequently snagging and clogging with some little cut out pieces. After doing more research and seeing some quilting stores test and display it's fabric cutting ability, I could presume (but without real personal evidence as I just don't cut fabric) that the Brother CAN hold a candle to the cricut. Yes the cricuts ready to make projects were handy when I wanted to do a quick not exactly personal gift for someone but I have never and will never use that feature enough to justify the costs. Also the cricut seems wasteful to me. It spreads cuts and objects out to use up more material and when you try to move objects closer together it will sometimes do it but often ignore your placement and spread them back out (and even off the grid) when you tell it to start. It took slightly more time to really get acquainted with all the tools and abilities with the brother but I retract my previous statement that it doesn't allow as much editing. I am very happy with going solo with the Brother. A small amount of supplies for it are available at places like Joanns, Amazon has the rest and I've gotten excellent deals from AllBrands website which carry EVERYTHING. Yes the Brother website itself is fairly useless for purchasing most things. I almost never use anything but the light tack mat. I am very happy with longevity and function of the blades and mats and machine itself with the Brother.

I would strongly recommend considering a professional grade vinyl cutter instead of one of the consumer level, cookie cutter style machines in this category. In my experience, this machine performs adequately for basic and smaller projects, but it falls short when precision and reliability are required. One of my main reasons for purchasing it was for print and cut work at larger sizes, and unfortunately it did not deliver. Despite being marketed as compatible with 12" × 12" media, I struggled to get reliable recognition even at approximately 11" × 11", often requiring multiple scan attempts before achieving acceptable results. To make it function consistently, I had to significantly increase the thickness of the registration outline and reduce the working size below 11 inches. I documented these workarounds in my video because the process was far from intuitive. For simple and smaller pattern cutting, it performed reasonably well during the limited times I used it in that capacity. However, the software and web interface felt extremely limited beyond basic tasks and lacked the functionality and polish expected at this price point. I have owned this machine for several years and genuinely wanted it to succeed as part of my startup business workflow, but over time I found the overall experience frustrating. Accessory availability was also a recurring issue, making expansion and replacement unnecessarily difficult. At this price level, I personally cannot recommend it. For roughly $100 more, I would suggest investing in a 34 inch automatic contour vinyl cutter paired with established sign making software. In my opinion, that route offers significantly more capability, reliability, and long term value for anyone serious about production work.

I absolutely love this machine!!!!! It is easier to use than my circuit maker3! I did not find this machine in stores and have no idea why! It's a game-changer! I don't have to use a device to print and then cut! I simply placed my items on the graph board and it scanned and cut ✂️ the image! I made perfect stickers and can not wait to make some awesome crafts! Custom everything! I encourage everyone to add this device to their collection! And hopefully, they will start to carry more products in store! 😇 I did find some Brother products at Joan Fabric in my state 😇

You need to watch the machine as it cuts. Can't just walk away because if there is a small buckle in the paper, it could cause trouble for the whole sheet. Have to attend to the machine while it is cutting. And it is important to use high quality paper and to make sure the paper is tacked down completly. If you use cheap, thin knock-off paper it can buckle under the blade and cause rough edges. But this powerful machine provides very accurate cutting when the paper is firmly stuck to the mat. I love it!

I was nervous purchasing the Brother because I have been using a Cricut for years, but kept running into issues with the roller pads.... which is why I decided to try a new brand. The Brother works great and met my expectations. The only issue I have is that the program to create more detailed designs is so confusing, and I find myself wishing that I could use the Cricut workspace for my Brother..... The touchscreen capabilities are a huge bonus! Makes doing quick projects a breeze! It did take me a bit to find the right pressure settings so that it wouldn't cut into my mat. I also love that I do not have to have my laptop connected to it through cords.... It is so convenient to be able to send my designs wirelessly from my laptop to the machine.

I offer this review as a comparison in an attempt to help someone choose between the Brother ScanNCut and the Circut Maker. I have had the ScanNCut for about 8 months. I recently sold my Cricut Maker, and I currently own a Cricut Joy. As my focus is mainly on card making and cutting cardstock and paper, I find the ScanNCut works better for me because I can cut directly from the machine, using the touchscreen. In other words, it is not necessary to use a computer. That being said, if I am working on something large or if I really need to see what I am working on, I find working on the computer to be more efficient. Cricut offers Apple iPad or iPhone apps to get away from the computer; however, I still prefer the computer for larger projects. Brother has just developed an app, but I have not heard good things about it and have yet to try it myself. The Brother Software is more complicated than Cricut (less complicated that Silhouette); however, if you have any experience with any kind of design software, you will pick it up quickly. I never liked using Cricut's Design Space. I found it to be slow and very limited, but I now appreciate some of that simplicity, and Cricut does update it quite often. Both have a slight learning curve. The Cricut machine itself feels sturdier than the ScanNCut, but, also heavier. I never doubted that the Cricut would last years. In addition, all of the Cricut tools are strong and well made. The Brother pen tool is small and flimsy, but it works fine. The pens/markers for Cricut are proprietary, expensive and don't last long. There is a universal pen tool for the ScanNCut, which claims to provide the ability for you to use "any pen or marker" you may already own. I have purchased this, but not tried it yet. On the Brother machine itself, there are certain images/words that are line only, so you can quickly draw/write a line without searching for hours with Cricut to find a font that will just simply write words using normal lines instead of outlines and then having to pay for them. The Brother mats are flimsy, hard to find, ridiculously expensive and, let me tell you, the standard mat that comes with the machine is much too tacky for cardstock, to the point where it can make for a pretty miserable experience. It is nearly impossible to remove the design from the mat without destroying the project, which means, I had to buy the light tack mat (expensive). Cricut mats, in my opinion, are far superior and, for the most part, easily and inexpensively replaced. The Brother foiling tool (sold separately) seems complicated and messy. I do not own that, but, from what I've seen, the machine applies some sort of glue to adhere the foil to. Foiling on the Cricut is fairly simple, clean and easy. I had this tool for the Maker and I have it for the Joy. Purchasing extra images with the Brother is complicated and annoying. You cannot buy one image or one project, as far as I can tell. You must by a pack of 25 "designs" for $25.00 and they don't seem to be just images, they appear to be projects as well. Not only that, but they are not instant downloads. You have to order some sort of card with a scratch-off section revealing a number to type into the software. In this day and age, I would think this is unnecessary. In addition, I have yet to find out whether your purchases stay with you or the machine, meaning that if you upgrade machines in the future, do you have to start all over with the extras? You do have to pay for anything more you want to do with either machine, i.e. foiling, embossing, etc. The Brother foiling kit is $43 at the time of this writing; calligraphy, rhinestones - $70 at the time of this writing; enhanced image tracing seems to be included with the purchase of an additional design pack - $38+; stamp maker starter kit - $35 at the time of this writing; embossing - $57 at the time of this writing; engraving (I think this is third-party only) - $45; paper piercing - $80 at the time of this writing; printable sticker starter kit - $57 at the time of this writing, etc. This is similar to buying the extra tools for the Cricut; however, I am under the impression that you must purchase a "starter kit" for each add-on for the Brother. The Cricut tools go on sale often. I feel like the print and cut and enhanced image tracing with the ScanNCut should be free or the machine should be cheaper (the SDX85 is cheaper, but the screen size is smaller and, apparently, contains less images with purchase). On the bright side, Brother does not try to push a subscription (another monthly bill) down your throat every time you open the software. You can score with the Brother without buying anything extra. You need to insert a dash line wherever you want to score. They don't call it scoring and this information does not seem to be well-known, despite this feature being intentional, not a hack. The auto blade on the ScanNCut is great and the replacements are affordable. You don't have to dial anything in when cutting different types of paper, cardstock, felt, foam, etc. No added step of selecting your materials. Cricut tutorials are everywhere on YouTube. You have to dig for information on Brother ScanNCut, as far as from every-day users. Brother does have a considerable amount of video tutorials, but, sometimes, an average user can provide more of an accurate explanation regarding limitations, etc. The scanning feature is the main selling point here, as well as the ability to very quickly and simply cut a flower or a tree or some other "die cut," if you have that design stored in the machine, but, then again, where would you find just an image of a Christmas tree or a mushroom? I guess you would have to locate it outside of Brother. The other wonderful thing about the scanner is you can put scrap pieces of material on your mat, scan it into the machine and then move the images on the screen to where the material is on your mat. This is similar to Cricut's Snap Mat feature (not available for the Joy), which is only available with Cricut's app. I believe the bottom line here is if you work, primarily with vinyl, leather, thin wood, fabric, etc. The Cricut Maker would be the way to go. I feel as though the Cricut Maker is perfect for the all-around home hobbyist or small craft business. If you use rubber stamps and cardstock and would love a machine to "fussy cut" your images or prefer not to use the computer for everything, the Brother ScanNCut would be the way to go. Albeit, very expensive just to use as a scanner, but not having to purchase separate dies to go with stamps could possibly mean the machine pays for itself over a short period of time. All of that being said, I love the ScanNCut. It suits me better than the Maker. I did not like the Maker and hadn't used it much in the 2 years that I owned it. I kept buying additional tools and ended up not using those either because it just seemed like too much work to get anything done. I do find the Brother more enjoyable, less frustrating and more fun to use for what I do. I find I am more motivated to go into my craft room now that I have it. Much less time on a computer is important to me, as I work with computers all day. However, it is my opinion that the price of the mats is unfair for what they are. This could and probably should be a "deal breaker." Brother should either increase the durability/longevity of the mats or reduce the price dramatically. There are several YouTube videos of people adding various tacky glues to revive the Brother mats; some are even cutting out the centers and replacing them with Cricut mats. That should tell Brother something. In addition, for some reason, at the time of this review, the consumables and/or add-ons seem to be difficult to get in the United States. I would highly recommend you do your own research and watch as many tutorial videos as you can find before purchasing, so you know what you are getting into. All in all, the machines are designed in a way that they don't truly compete with one another, unlike the comparison between a Silhouette and Cricut.

I bought this 125 DX model thinking it would have better features than the older 350 model that I have. FORGET IT! It does not scan all the images on a sheet . The scanning is often broken up pieces which cannot form a whole image. For example , it MAY scan a half of a snowman's head , part of its foot and 3/4 of the body . I tried over and over using different adjustments and it would NEVER scan all the Snowmen images that were printed on my 65 lb . Cardstock . I tried black/white and colored --never scanned every snowman completely--only parts of the snowmen , which makes it useless. Also when I tried other images and decided to TRY to cut out the printed ephemera, most of the images that did scan would NOT come off the mat . The paper just stuck to the STANDADRD mat ( which is what you get in the box with the machine). I could not peel off the cut ephemera pieces without tearing the images. Not by "bending the mat" nor using the scraping tool. They came off in pieces. Also the areas between the images STUCK LIKE GLUE to the mat and almost seemed embedded in the mat . Short story---I am returning it to Amazon TOMORROW by UPS. I do not blame Amazon as they do not make this machine. Thank God that Amazon is SO GOOD about returns. I will continue to use my OLDER model until it breaks and maybe Brother will have a BETTER Model and BETTER mats by then ???

I had been debating buying this product for two years. I didn't know if I wanted a cricut, silhouette, or the cut and scan. The only thing that deterred me was the price for the cut and scan. But looking at the features that it has compared to silhouette and cricut I went with the cut and scan. It is not easy to use and there really are no directions on how to make crafts. You get step by step directions to make one thing. I joined some FB groups and watched some YouTube channels and learned to do HTV and permanent vinyl. I'm happy with my purchase and will probably create more projects over the summer.

Excelente producto, funciona muy bien hasta ahorita

fantastic machine and I am always delighted with all Brother products, many thanks

I received my product a day early even though the tracking said it maybe late. Love my new scan n cut. Sorry I did not buy it sooner!

It worked wonderfully Printed my stickers , scanned them. and then used the original vector outlines to cut the stickers.

I am a long time Cricut user, and I really do love my Cricut. But the ScanNCut's scanning and cutting feature cannot be beat. I love being able to load a sheet of cutables or pattern paper and have the ScanNCut perfectly cut out what I need. And it does it all right on the machine itself! You can even do some minor editing and add an offset right on the machine. The ScanNCut does have a software package that works both on PC and phones, but it isn't as fully featured as either Cricut Design Space or Silhouette Studio (both of which I use much more often). However, most functions can be done right on the ScanNCut using the small screen, including loading SVGs to cut. The workflow isn't as clean and intuitive as a Cricut, but it works fine. This set includes the machine, basic accessories, a cutting mat, and some designs to get you started. Pick up another mat since the Brother mats are actually quite bad and run out of tack very quickly. (I use washi tape to hold down my paper a lot of the time.) If you are looking for a machine to mainly just cut out SVGs, I'd suggest a Cricut or Silhouette instead. (My Cricut is definitely still my main machine.) However, if you want something that does an excellent job of scanning and cutting, this is a great choice.