Cricut Maker Review

Have you been thinking of purchasing a Cricut machine but don't know which one to get? I want to share with you my personal opinion on the Cricut Maker and why I think it is the best cutting machine on the market!

Let's get started!

I have had my Cricut Maker for a year and a half. This was my second Cricut machine. My first one was the Cricut Explore Air 2. Although, the Cricut Explore Air 2 will always have a special place in my heart, the Cricut Maker exceeded all of my expectations for what I look for in a cutting machine.

Let's take a tour of the machine! The Cricut Maker has great storage (see pic below) and the best part is it has a stand for your phone or your iPad (seen in picture below). I use the stand for my iPad and it is such a great addition. I have Cricut Design Space on my iPad so it is incredibly convenient to have everything I need displayed in front of me. It is also important to note that there is a USB port on the side of the Maker that you can use for charging while you craft as well. It is important to note that the Explore Air 2 does not have the iPad holder or the USB charge port making the Maker an upgrade in convenience.

The next upgrade to talk about is the tool adapters. The Cricut Maker has an "A" adapter and a "B" adapter making it a dual carriage machine. The "A" adapter is for Cricut pens and the scoring stylus. Cricut recently came out with a new scoring tool, it's a scoring wheel which requires the user to put it in adapter "B". The knife blade is another tool that would need to go into the "B" adapter.

Another feature to mention is the fast mode setting on the Cricut Maker. Like the Explore Air 2, you can cut certain materials on fast mode whereas to cut others the setting has to remain on normal speed. For example, you are not able to use the fast setting mode on basswood, but you can use it on vinyl and cardstock. When you are using your machine on fast mode, it does tend to make a louder noise than the regular speed, keep that in mind.

Beyond the obvious convenience factor, dual carriage feature, and fast mode I want to share with you all the materials that the maker can cut because there is quite a wide range of materials you can choose from. The possibilities with this machine are expansive! Below you will find a basic list of materials that the Cricut Maker can cut (*hold your breath*):

-Fabric

-Cardstock

-Basswood

-Vinyl

-Iron On Vinyl (Heat Transfer Vinyl)

-Felt

-and so much MORE!

The Cricut Maker also has a lot of tools that you can use to better assist you in your crafting endeavors! The catalog of tools, additional knives available, and markers for intricate font for the Cricut Maker establish it as a powerhouse with very little competition to be found in the crafting world. The clean presentation and inviting aesthetics that Cricut products embrace make for a line of equipment that is efficient and the Cricut Maker is no exception.

I work with cardstock A LOT and I love how detailed it is when the Maker cuts. For example, I have two projects that I worked on using my most frequently used materials that I tend to use from my craft room.

The first project is a design using my beautiful home state, Minnesota with beautiful floral artwork at the bottom. You can find this design on Cricut Design Space. Also a pro tip for those interested, if you have Cricut Access the design is FREE!

I used Cricut's Gold Vinyl for this project and the matte vinyl setting for the Cricut Maker to cut it! As you can see, the design is very detailed and the Cricut Maker was able to cut all of the intricate parts of this design. Once I finished weeding the design, I used my Cricut's transfer tape to move the image from the vinyl and then onto the wooden flat surface. Didn't it turn out beautiful!?

The second project I worked on was to make a wreath with paper roses that incorporated a lot of paper leaves. I used 12 x 12 cardstock to cut out all the paper leaves, again with my Cricut Maker. You can see that the paper leaves are very small. This is one of the reasons as to why I love my Cricut Maker because it does not mess up with small designs as you can see with the way this project turned out. What do you think? What are some really tiny designs that you would like your Cricut Maker to cut for you? What ever you can imagine I am sure the Cricut Maker will be the perfect machine to bring it to life.

Overall, I have to say that the Cricut Maker is worth every penny. Compared to the Cricut Explore Air 2 I have found that projects are completed as fast on the Maker but with more precision. If you have another Cricut machine model I would still encourage the upgrade and if you do not yet have a Cricut machine yet I would adamantly recommend you pick up the Maker because of all the versatility and dependability that it offers. What do you all think? Have you fallen in love with your Maker yet or are you committed to another Cricut machine?

Keep on crafting!

Cristina