More than once, Leonardo showed a generic error pop-up with no explanation of how to fix the problem. You’re forced to dismiss the message before doing anything, which feels like reaching a dead end before troubleshooting yourself or looking up error codes in the Leonardo.
Luckily, connectivity is extremely simple and seamless. The Romeo connects to your computer over Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth, which seems like a minor detail until you grapple with the quirks that Bluetooth can sometimes cause (looking at you, Design Space). During my testing of the Explore 5, I occasionally lost my Bluetooth connection, requiring me to disconnect the machine from my computer, reconnect, and try again. I’m not sure if this is a design space issue or my laptop is dealing with too many Bluetooth devices, but it can be a headache. During my testing, I never had the Romeo machine disconnect unexpectedly.
make space
It is impossible to avoid it: Romeo is Big—Its cutting width is twice that of the Explore 5. This is not the type of machine that sits easily on a cupboard shelf when you’re not using it. Most people will want to dedicate a table for this. This isn’t necessarily a negative aspect, but its purpose is to be present like a permanent fixture in your workspace. (And remember to mind the clearance at the rear of the machine, as the material comes in from the back!). But it is sturdy and well built; It never rattled on the table while cutting, there was very little vibration, the carriage ran smoothly with no rattles, and nothing turned or creaked.
Its open design is another compromise. Unlike the Explore 5, which folds up, everything on the Romeo lies open. I haven’t noticed any buildup yet, but I am concerned about pet hair and dust getting into the interior, and it’s something I’ll keep an eye on over time.
When it cuts, the Romeo barks and chirps like a dial-up Internet, while the Cricut hums and whirs like an old inkjet printer. Neither of these is particularly fast, but it’s worth noting if you share a workplace.
Graduation time?
Photograph: Nicole Kinning
After spending time with both machines, my biggest learning is that the Cricut is designed to remove as many decisions and points of friction as possible. Romeo hands you the controls and expects you to learn how to use them.
