I truly believe that informed business owners make for better business owners. This post isn’t going to make me popular with Silhouette or Cricut, but that’s ok with me. Cutting for Business is an independent website that it not part of either Graphtec/Silhouette America or Provo Crafts/Cricut. Today, I’m tackling something I see rumored online all the time: Does using 3rd party accessories with your Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Explore void the manufacturer warranty? In short, no – it’s illegal for manufacturers to enforce this stipulation. Let’s look at this in depth.
What 3rd Party Accessories Could You Use in Your Machine?
3rd party accessories are considered any accessory that isn’t manufactured by the company who made the machine. Examples:
- Using a Cricut or Sizzix brand mat in your Silhouette Cameo. (Psst, both are cheaper than Silhouette mats see here and here.)
- Using a CB09 blade in your Silhouette Cameo or non Cricut blade in Cricut Explore.
Non Silhouette or Cricut related examples:
- Using 3rd party replacement ink in your printer.
- Using generic printer labels in your DYMO printer.
- Breaking the sticker on any electronic that says “Tampering with this sticker voids your warranty” – or any similar variation.
What Law Protects Your Warranty?
There’s a little known law that protects you called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. This is the same law that protects cars from being “lemons”. To summarize, one section of it states that “tie in provisions” cannot be required. To illustrate this with an example: Silhouette America can not say: You must purchase and use Silhouette mats with your Silhouette Portrait machine or it voids your warranty. A manufacturer could, however, refuse to warranty a machine if they can prove that the third party accessory damaged the machine.
Do I Use 3rd Party Accessories in My Machines?
You bet I do! As a regular user I go through a lot of consumables – so I use the cheaper options.
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Thanks! So good to know!
My pleasure!
I had no idea that Cricut mats would work for Silhouette! Heel to forehead slapping moment. Thank you for all your great articles!!
LOL!
Great info! I have been using a Cricut mat in my Cameo for over a year and have been really happy with it. I frequently had issues with cutting through to the mat when I used Silhouette mats and so decided to give it a try. At this point, this has not been an issue. The Cricut mats are much sturdier than the Silhouette mats. I do cut the Cricut mats down to the Silhouette size before I use them and they have worked very well.
Thanks for sharing!