Cricut Maker Review

If you are thinking about the different ways in which you can step up your craft business, or you are looking at the different tools that are available for crafting purposes, then you may have come across the Cricut Maker.

The Cricut Maker is a handy machine when it comes to cutting a wide variety of materials for crafting purposes, and it can be used for lots of different things. This machine has various different features that you can utilize to increase your crafting ability.

In this article, we are going to be providing you with an in depth review of the Cricut Maker machine. You can read our review to find out more about whether or not this is the right machine for you.

What Is The Cricut Maker?

For those that don’t already know, the Cricut Maker is a die cutting machine that will allow you to create beautiful craft projects that you wouldn’t have been able to do with your trusted scissors or a knife.

It can provide you with intricate and clean cuts, and there are so many projects that you can create with this machine.

You can use the Cricut Machine alongside a computer program that allows you to design, arange, and select the tools for the project that you want to create.

This does mean that you will need to learn how to use Cricut Design Space. While this software can be a little bit intimidating at first, it is easy to get the hang of it.

Is The Cricut Maker Worth It?

The first thing that you should know about the Cricut Maker is that neither the machine itself nor the materials that you need to start crafting are low cost.

Crafting with a Cricut Machine is something that will incur a lot of start up costs, but if you intend to use your Cricut often enough, then it is definitely worth the money.

You will need to consider just how much you enjoy crafting and creating new things, and think about how essential a Cricut Maker Machine would be to your crafting. If you are simply doing it as a hobby then it might not be worth it.

However, if you want to start or aid your own crafting business, then this purchase could be considered an investment.

Cricut Maker Appearance

The Cricut Maker is available in various different colors, but the two that are most widely available are the pink and champagne colors. One of the most important things to consider when you are making a big purchase is quality, and this is definitely something that you will get with this machine.

The machine itself is quite heavy, with smooth corners and heavy duty materials. There are two holders, like small pen pots, on the side of the machine, and these will allow you to store all of your extra tools.

On the right side of the machine, you will notice four buttons, which will allow you to control your machine.

The main button is the power button, which can be used to turn the machine on and off. There are also three other buttons that can be used to load the mat into the machine, start your cutting project, and pause your project.

Finally, the Cricut Maker also has a docking station where you can place either your phone or tablet while you are cutting out your project. 

Cricut Maker Set Up

Thankfully, the Cricut Maker is made to be really easy to set up. There will be a card included in the box with 4 simple steps on it that will explain how to set up your new machine.

You will need to go to a website that will take you through the step by step set up process. You will need to download the Cricut Design Space application as part of these steps.

Once your machine is connected and ready to go, which is as simple as plugging it in and hooking it up to your computer via a USB, you will be able to make use of the practice project to help you get started.

In the box, you will also find some materials for your practice project. The setup process will take you through the steps needed to use these materials and create your own project. This means that you can learn how to use your machine by making your very own craft project.

It takes around 10-15 minutes to set up your machine and go through the setup process, so you can get started in hardly any time at all.

Which Blades Can Be Used With the Cricut Maker?

All of the Cricut blades that are available on the market can be used in combination with the Cricut Maker.

We will talk you through each of these blade options below, so you can find out what they can be used for.

Fine Point Blade

The fine point blade is the most commonly used blade, and it is made from German Carbide, which is an extremely strong material that is often used for cutting tools. This blade can be used on light to medium materials, like paper, vinyl, and card.

Deep Point Blade

The deep point blade has a much steeper angle than the fine point blade, and this angle allows the blade to cut thicker materials, like craft foam, leather, magnetic sheets, and more.

Bonded Fabric Blade

The Bonded Fabric blade is very similar to the fine point blade, but it is a different color. The blade itself has all of the same properties, but it is best to keep this blade reserved for cutting only fabric.

Using it on other materials can compromise its ability to cut fabric.

Rotary Blade

The rotary blade is another great blade to use, and it will be able to cut almost any type of fabric without having to use a backing material.

Some of the fabrics that it can cut include canvas, cashmere, cotton, denim, nylon, fleece, and felt.

Knife Blade

The knife blade is the strongest blade that you can get, and it can be used to cut the strongest materials that the Cricut Maker is able to cut.

Some of these materials include tooling leather, heavy chipboard, and balsa wood.

Engraving With The Cricut Maker

Something that you can only do with the Cricut Maker is engraving. You can use the engraving tup to engrave a wide variety of materials, and you can make things like dog tags and personalized jewelry.

Do You Always Need to Use the Cricut Mats?

The Cricut Mats are the surface that allows you to stabalize your materials before they are cut. You will need to use a mat for all of your cutting projects. There are four different types of mats available, which are the lightgrip, standard grip, strong grip, and fabric grip mats.

The light grip mat is blue, and is used for thin materials like paper, card, and vinyl. The standard grip mat is green, and can be used for medium weight materials.

The strong grip mat is purple, and can be used for heavy weight materials like leather and poster board. Finally, the fabric grip mat is pink, and can be used with any type of fabric.

What Materials Can the Cricut Maker Cut Through?

The Cricut Maker can cut, draw, and personalize more than an impressive 300 different materials. This is much more than other types of Cricut machines.

You can visit the Cricut website to find a full list of materials that you can cut with the Cricut Maker, but we will leave a list of some of the most commonly used materials below:

• Balsa Wood
• Bass wood
• Canvas
• Light and heavy cardstock
• Construction paper
• Copy paper
• Freezer paper
• Leather
• Vinyl
• Chipboard
• Lycra
• Magnetic Sheets
• Paper
• Photo paper
• Nylon
• Sticker paper
• Poster board
• Wrapping paper

Cricut Maker Pros

• You can make a wide variety of different projects
• You will be able to cut almost any type of paper or vinyl
• You can cut fabric without having to use backing paper when you re using the rotary blade
• You can make smaller and larger projects
• You can get out of your comfort zone and learn new things and crafts with this machine

Cricut Maker Cons

• The machine and all of the tools and materials that you will need to get started are expensive
• Your cutting space will be limited as you can only cut projects that are between 1.5 x 23.5 inches
• You will need to learn how to use Cricut Design Space, which is a downside if you are already familiar with another application

Summary

The Cricut Maker is definitely worth the money if you are going to get plenty of use out of it. If you are only going to use it every now and then, you might want to consider an alternative cutting machine.