Tips to simplify designs
Both OshCut and SendCutSend offer custom sheet metal fabrication, but the two options aren’t identical. These are two of the more popular digital sheet metal manufacturers, and they offer roughly the same services, turnaround times, and quality of work. This guide will discuss the differences between the two, and we’ll introduce Jiga as a great alternative when requiring deeper supplier communication and relationships for complex needs. As you’ll see, Jiga offers better communication directly with the supplier.
OshCut overview
via Oshcut
OshCut is a digital fabricator that specializes in sheet metal. They offer laser cutting, bending, tapping, graining, and finishing steps like deburring and powder coating. Their site makes it easy to upload a CAD file, select a material, and get an automatically-generated quote for fabrication of metal parts up to 1” thick.
From what we can see, OshCut prices are more reasonable, but we found no way to confirm the final pricing until placing an order.
OshCut offers a wider variety of material and thickness options.
SendCutSend overview
SendCutSend offers the same services as OshCut, with additional waterjet and CNC routing services. They specialize in sheet metal manufacturing, but they offer more service options to create your sheet metal parts.
In our experience with SendCutSend, the automatic quoting process is quick and user-friendly. However, some users have reported concerns about pricing accuracy. For instance, a user on the Practical Machinist forum mentioned, “Sendcutsend small qty pricing wasn’t bad I thought, but as the qty’s went up, like 100+ pcs, the price never got anywhere close to what I pay for the normal production parts direct from local cutters.”
This suggests that while SendCutSend may offer competitive pricing for small quantities, larger orders might not yield the same cost benefits. It’s advisable to compare quotes for different order sizes to ensure the best value for your specific needs.
SendCutSend offers more fabrication services, and allows you to pick from a number of finishing steps that OshCut doesn’t provide.
Tony K
Senior Mechanical Engineer
"Fantastic platform for purchasing custom parts"
Jiga is the best way to get the parts you need, when you need them.
7 differences explained
To better understand OshCut vs SendCutSend, let’s review some of the major differences between the two platforms.
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) feedback
One of the first things you’ll notice while getting a quote is Design for Manufacturing (DFM) feedback. OshCut runs your file through a design checker to look for inconsistencies or any design issues that make your part impossible to manufacture.
We tested this by purposefully uploading a part that would be impossible to bend, and OshCut flagged the design and required us to adjust and re-upload the design.
The same test part was uploaded to SendCutSend, and the quoting tool generated a quote and gave us a lead time, which is suspicious. There’s no telling how much time would go by before they realize the part is impossible to make and reach out to you.
In other examples, customers received emails from OshCut after their model was uploaded asking DFM-related questions about why their part had a mysterious radius, chamfer where it didn’t belong, or odd feature. This tells us that OshCut has some sort of manual review for their parts which is very comforting.
Pricing
There’s no clear winner when it comes to pricing between these two companies. We tried uploading a dozen different parts, and neither company had the lower price each time (and reviewers online say the same thing). To us, we’ve found that OshCut and SendCutSend both offer affordable pricing, and their quotes are significantly lower than quotes we received from local shops or massive digital manufacturers.
To be honest, you can’t go wrong with either of these two companies when it comes to small-to-medium-sized production runs.
Since so much of their process is automated, from the initial quote to the programming and running of their laser cutters, they can afford to charge less. Not to mention they get massive discounts from buying their raw material in bulk quantities.
Lead times
The guaranteed lead times from both companies were very impressive and borderline unbelievable. This is another category where there’s no clear winner, only slight differences between both OshCut and SendCutSend.
For instance, one of our quotes was guaranteed a 4-day delivery by OshCut and a 3-day delivery by SendCutSend. From other reviews across different forums, their guaranteed delivery dates are pretty accurate. In a lot of cases, reviewers received their parts within a few days.
This also has to do with the level of automation and focus of both companies — they want to take on a ton of smaller projects with a strict focus in sheet metal. Since this goes hand-in-hand with automation, they have lower overhead costs and turnaround times.
As a direct result, you’ll find low prices and quick lead times with both companies. OshCut and SendCutSend are built with small companies, DIYers, and hobbyists in mind.
Additional services
In general, SendCutSend offers a wider variety of services. The additional waterjet cutting and finishing steps are valuable choices for engineers across industries. In our testing of OshCut vs SendCutSend, this category was the most critical difference in our opinion.
Plus, SendCutSend offers bending on a wider range of materials and material thicknesses, while OshCut doesn’t bend over 1/4” and only bends four different materials.
For a manufacturer to become your go-to, they have to offer a wider variety of fabrication processes to make sure they can handle your full scope of work, so this is why we think SendCutSend is the better option for this category.
Material options
Another difference between OshCut and SendCutSend is the availability of materials. Both services offer common material options, like 304 stainless steel and 6061 aluminum, but OshCut offers even more options.
Not only does OshCut have more niche material choices that could better meet the demands of your project, but they can also handle thicker stock material. SendCutSend caps out around 1/2”, but OshCut can quote up to 1”-thick material.
For most DIYers and hobbyists, this won’t be a gamechanger. But if you need to work with a specialty alloy for whatever reason, OshCut is the only option.
Customer service
Both OshCut and SendCutSend fall short when it comes to customer service. We’ve had poor experiences with them while putting together this review. Both sites have a posted email address, but we didn’t get a quick response from either company.
Perhaps it’s a different story for customers of either service, but it seems difficult for any new customers to get help.
Reliability, quality, and consistency
In a number of reviews, we saw notes that the quality and consistency of SendCutSend has been on the decline the past few years, since their business has grown exponentially. We highly suggest getting a quote from both OshCut and SendCutSend to get a turnaround time and price quote for your project before making your decision.
When it comes to reliability and quality, both companies are pretty even. Customers point out minor issues like sharp corners and imperfect material used on projects, which is typically not a big deal.
After all, these two companies are positioned as low-cost, fast-turnaround, low-volume manufacturers. If they put extra effort into quality control, their price and timing would be less favorable.
With that said, we don’t see any big issues with the reliability, quality, or consistency with either.
Sean B.
Mechanical Engineer
"I've recommended it to all my colleagues in manufacturing."
Jiga is the best way to get the parts you need, when you need them.
Which is better?
If you want a quick part, you’re using thicker material, and you’d like some DfM feedback, then OshCut is a great option.
For projects that require a wider range of services, slightly better pricing and turnaround times, and added finishing steps, consider SendCutSend.
Choose a better manufacturer with Jiga
SendCutSend and OshCut are both great for quick, affordable fabrication, but they can come up short in areas like communication and service variety. That’s where Jiga stands out.
With Jiga, you get direct communication with manufacturers, a broader range of services, and access to a network of trusted partners. It’s all about giving you more control and flexibility for your projects.
Send your parts for a quick quote, and find your new go-to custom parts manufacturing service. Get your first quote.
