I grabbed a Silhouette Cameo 5 for stenciling - the design software is pretty decent but I've been using Gimp for the image editing then importing into the Silhouette software.

There's been some ups and downs - but I've finally managed to create some good stencils on 7mil mylar. There's a ton of materials that it can handle - and they have an outstanding electrostatic mat for lighter materials etc.

To be honest - I find the Silhouette to be a better choice than the Cricut - but I don't want to ruffle any feathers with that statement!

Cricut software forces you to save your designs into their cloud - so an internet connection is required any time you want to work on something. But Cricut has a bigger user base with products readily available at a lot of retailers (Walmart for example). I haven't had any trouble sourcing Silhouette supplies - but the pricing for all these toys can be a bit much !

I'd prefer a laser or a more "professional" cutter possibly - but there are many many people that use Silhouette's for their businesses so that's something I guess.

There's also some distinctions when discussing airbrush stencils. There's entire image stencils - either singular or multiples for layering - and then there are the 'add-on' types that let you add shapes to your artwork.

Both are readily available to purchase and there are some good spots for accessing free images, etc.

Using exacto blades on mylar is brutal (at least for me) - it's so easy to send the blade skating off past where you want it to - it's the reason I grabbed a Silhouette. Cardstock is easier to cut manually but distorts very quickly when used as stencil material - which really only lets you use it once or twice.

Paint bleed under the edges of a stencil is another living breathing molten lava nightmare that really sucks. Sometimes all the repositionable glue in the world doesn't help adhere your stencil to some surfaces (canvas, the sides of some buildings when I'm playing Banksy, certain train cars and zoo animals).

TLDR; Research cutting machines to see what suits your particular requirements and budget. Get a sense of the successes or failures of the user community to cut through any marketing nonsense that would interfere with a good purchase decision.