One of the most difficult decisions when choosing our tufting machine is to know which model we want: cut pile or loop pile. There are machines that support both techniques, but the vast majority only support one option and are cheaper. For this reason, it is necessary to decide in advance what style we want for the projects to be elaborated. The difference between the cut model and the loop model is the finish you want on your creations.
Cut Pile aka AK-I
Rugs made with cut pile are the most common and have a tight, shaggy feel. The operation is simple, the machine pushes the yarn through the weave and cuts the fiber, the result is an upright pile with both ends of the yarn exposed.
The cut pile has scissors that will come in and cut the yarn to make the tufted side on the other side of the fabric each time you pull the trigger. This is also the most common style of rug, with a fairly shaggy feel, the result is a straight thread. You can usually set the length of the string between 7 and 20 mm on tufting guns.
In this type of style, the tufts of yarn are left loose, so to finish the rug a special tufting adhesive must be applied to keep the pile in place. This also makes it easier to correct a mistake or perfect the carpet by removing the wrong tufts.
Note that rugs made with the cut technique are more fragile! They are therefore more suitable for surfaces where you will not go back and forth too much, avoid the corridors for example, but they will be perfect in a living room or a bedroom.
Loop Pile aka AK-II
The loop tufting gun has no scissors and will only make loops on the other side of your canvas. Unlike the cut gun, each time you want to remove the tufting gun from your canvas, you will have to cut the thread manually with scissors.
If your design has a lot of detail, this is the right choice, as the loop tufting gun holds the threads to the surface of the rug, the thread is attached to the tufting gun so it can continue the loop. It will take a little more time, but the result is worth it. Curly pile rugs are durable and will fit anywhere in your home!
To summarize, cut pile is simply rug curls that have been cut, while curly pile is the curls that remain in their natural state.
*** A TUFTING HACK SUPPLIERS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ***
If you get a cut pile, you can make an adjustment that will change it to a loop pile. It’s very simple and you will only need an allen key. We leave you a video from Tuft Love explaining it: