Review on Low-Tack Blue Vinyl Stencil Masking Film Roll - VViViD 72in x 12in by Kelsey Brown

Okay, I was looking for a vinyl stencil that I could cut with the Reusable Stencil Maker to draw text on the little flower pots I'm making. I wanted to try the Vivid brand because it was the best price yet, but I ordered Oracal because it's Oracal, right? They think Oracal is a proven product. Well, I've used a rug from both brands. I wasn't sure about the cut settings and couldn't find the thickness for any of the products so I settled on one. It went badly wrong. Oracal's comments on its rise to carrier status are reliable. I had to use a scraper to smooth it back onto the backing sheet. The pressure lifted the cut pieces and lifted the entire stencil! Above left is Oracal from my first run. Of course, these are tiny drawings with a decent amount of detail. This Vivivid brand didn't have any of those issues, even with too much pressure. Deciding not to stop, I paused the cut and changed the material settings to Cricut stencil vinyl, but I lost connection and had to start the mat all over so it could cut over the already cut vinyl. It was a disaster, but once again Vivid withstood my constant attacks! The bottom template is Vivid after all the abuse. Still determined not to waste Oracal, I tried a brand new mat, used the Cricut vinyl setting and also changed the pressure to less pressure. It seems to have helped, and it turned out great despite all those tiny tweaks (above right). But, again, Vivid stayed low and performed well with numerous misadjustments. It seems to work best with a regular pressure Cricut stencil machine. Even with light pressure, the Vivivid didn't cut all the way through, but it didn't snap when I tried to weed the grass either. Pieces that were not completely cut were easily torn along the cutting lines. Both brands adhered and removed very easily from my surfaces (used with concrete and glass) and both prevented bleeding under the stencils. Both were also easy to clean with a quick rinse under water, and both worked just as well after washing and reusing. That being said, if you have Oracal it will work just fine as long as you can get the correct pressure setting on your machine. If you're looking for a brand to try, Vivid is a much better value, super stable and a lot less hassle!