Brother Scan N Cut 2 Review

NOTE: This review is for the Brother Scan N Cut 2 CM350. This is not for the newer model, Scan N Cut DX.

First, I would like to say that I was NOT given this machine free for my honest and unbiased review. I bought this machine, it was not even on sale. I paid $299 plus tax, and I purchased it from Amazon. When I was researching, I was finding a lack of reviews from people who actually paid for their machine.

My General Impression

It has a nice aesthetic. The construction of the machine is very sturdy, and it has a nice thick cord. It does not seem like a cheaply made product. The Scan N Cut is about the size of a Cricut (as a matter of fact, I use a dust cover that was made for the Cricut as a dust cover for my Scan N Cut).

What Sets it Apart

For the purposes of this review, I am going to focus on the things that the Scan N Cut can do that the Cricut and the Cameo can not. There are lots of projects that they call all do, and do very well, such as making iron ons, vinyl decals, and cutting card stock. But there are features that make the Scan N Cut unique.

Built in Scanner

What sets the Brother Scan N Cut 2 apart from the rest is the built in 600 dpi scanner. Here are some uses for the scanner: You can scan a picture and cut it out. You can scan your material (pieces of vinyl, htv, paper) that are not full sheets, and then move or resize the cut image to make sure that it will fit on your material. I recently did a project where I wanted to make a series of cut slots on playing cards so I could fit them together to make a ball. This machine worked perfect for that. I was able to place the playing cards on the mat, and scan them in, then line up the cuts with the playing cards. You can also draw your own pictures or lettering, scan them in and cut them out. One of the first projects I did was have my daughter draw a picture, then scan it in and cut it out.

Creating Projects without a computer

You can create projects without a computer. There are 7 built in fonts, and (from what the specs say, I haven’t actually counted) 631 built in images. Some examples of the images that are on the machine are:

150 basic shapes, such as squares, triangles, circles, ovals, rectangles, stars, etc.
78 word art images, such as Happy Birthday, I Love You, Brother, Sister, etc.
Lots of simple clip art images, like an apple, a donut, a car, and even some holiday clip art, like a jack-o-lantern, black cat, santa, etc. These can be taken apart and cut on different colors of materials on the same mat.
33 borders, such as hearts, vines, scalloped border, etc.
5 quilt patterns. (I have not used these yet)

There is a touch screen control pad (it comes with a stylus, but you can use your finger if you want), and you select what you want to make, make it the size you want.

The Design Software

The design software is called Canvas Workspace. There is software that can be installed on your PC (windows only), and there is web based software. Canvas Workspace is a very powerful design tool. You can upload images, and trace images, and then change the cut path to fit your needs. Because of all the options that you have, it is not as user friendly as Cricut Design Space. There is definitely a learning curve. If you are familiar with Silhouette Studio, or Inkspace, you will not have a problem. But it does not do everything that Inkspace, or Silhouette Studio does. You can import SVG’s, but you can’t save as an SVG. You can only save in a file format that will cut on the Scan N Cut.

The Universal Pen Holder

Like the other machines, the Scan N Cut can also draw on your materials. But, they sell a pen holder that will work with many types of pens. With the Cricut, the pen holder was designed only for their pens. I know that people have found other pens that will work, or they have found ways to make other pens work.

The Cons

The Blades are Manual

You have to manually set your blade depth, pressure, and speed…and the settings are not always the same. Which means doing test cuts. The settings will be different blade to blade, machine to machine. It is likely that what when you buy a new blade, what worked before doesn’t work any more. The settings that you find on the internet tutorials, may be close, but often your machine will need different settings. I don’t recommend skipping the test cuts. It actually saves materials, and mats. I was very unsure of myself at first with these settings, but I have gotten a good feel for them now, and it’s pretty easy to dial in the right settings. And I think it is nice to have this control. You can adjust some cut settings in Cricut too, it’s just not always obvious that you need to as there are no test cuts in Cricut. The blades have lasted me a long time. I have had my machine for about 6 months, and I am on my second blade.

Transferring Files

In order to send projects from Canvas Workspace to the machine to cut, you either have to save it to a USB flash drive, and then load it to the machine from the flash drive, or you can send it wirelessly. In order to transfer files wirelessly, you will have to spend a little more money and buy a “Wireless Activation Card” that gives you a code to unlock this feature, it cost me about $40. I bought the card right off the bat, so I have no experience with transferring with flash drive. I didn’t feel this was a huge deal, because I already own the Cricut Explore One. The Explore One does not have built in blue tooth, so I purchased the bluetooth adapter not long after I got my Cricut.

The Cost

At $299, it is a more expensive machine. Plus you have to buy “Activation Cards” to unlock features, such as wireless transfer, and embossing.

Storage

It lacks in on board storage for extra tools and blades. There is a little room under the touch screen, and that is where I keep my stylus. But the screen is meant to fold down, so you couldn’t store much else in there.

A Note about The Cutting Mats

Like the Cricut and the Cameo, there are adhesive mats that you use to hold your material while it’s cutting. There is a 12×12 and 12×24. (The Cameo can cut some materials without a mat.) Like the others, they are proprietary to the machines (meaning that you can’t use a Cricut mat on the Scan N Cut, you must use the mats for the Scan N Cut). One thing to note, that if you want 24″ scanning capability, you have to invest in the next level of Scan N Cut 2 M650, which is only available at Brother Dealers, and they are more expensive.

I find that the standard grip mat is pretty strong, almost too strong at first. I think that it is as strong or stronger than the standard grip Cricut mat. As a matter of fact, When I cut felt and foam, I can use the standard grip Brother mat. On the Cricut, I use the strong grip for those materials. Just like with other cutting mats, cleaning them with a baby wipe helps prolong their life. Brother doesn’t have a strong grip mat, but they have High Tack sheets that you stick on to the standard grip mats. It works pretty well, and boy are they strong.

Conclusion

All in all I have been very pleased with the Scan N Cut 2. The scanning feature makes it different enough from the competition to justify the price in my opinion.