What Is The Best Cricut Machine To Buy In 2023?
It’s never too late to invest in a Cricut machines. Whether you’re starting a new hobby or taking on a new challenge, or you’re a seasoned maker looking to up your game.
The machines by Cricut are popular, smart, and cheap and can help you take your crafts to the next level.
There are several machines and models to choose from including the Cricut Explore Air, Cricut Joy, Cricut Maker, and Cricut Easy Press.
Currently, the best Cricut machines to buy are:
- Cricut Maker – The Best Overall
- Cricut Maker 3 – Runner Up
- Cricut Explore 3 – Best For Budget
- Cricut Explore Air 2 – Best For Beginners
- Cricut Joy – Best Portable
- Cricut EasyPress 2 – Best Cricut Heat Press
- Cricut EasyPress Mini – Small Heat Press
Of course, you want to know why certain machines are better than others. So let’s go over each of them one by one!
Cricut Maker – The Best Overall
The Cricut Maker is undoubtedly the best cutting machine Cricut for most people. Whether you’re searching for the best Cricut machine for vinyl, the best Cricut machine for fabric, or the best Cricut machine for just about anything, this is it.
It can cut more than 300 materials, ranging from delicate fabric and paper to hard materials like matboard and leather, which can be precision-cut with the Cricut Maker.
You can use up to 13 tools to cut, score, write, deboss, engrave, and apply other artistic effects with accuracy. A rotary blade for cutting textiles, a knife blade for up to 2.4mm thicker materials, scoring wheels for creating creases and folds, and a foil transfer tool for foil decorations are among the tools available.
Unfortunately, you do have to buy most of these cutting blades separately, and buying several of them can be quite pricy.
The only downside of the Cricut Maker is that it’s not compatible with Cricut Smart Materials. You’ll need to use a Cricut Maker 3 or Cricut Explore 3 for those materials.
So, while this isn’t the cheapest Cricut machine on the market, it is the best overall value.
Cricut Maker 3 – Runner Up
It was tough to choose between the Cricut Maker and the Cricut Maker 3, as the Maker 3 is another outstanding machine from Cricut. It can also cut more than 300 different materials, including paper, vinyl, cloth, leather, and even balsa wood.
The only major differences between the Maker and Maker 3 is that the new model can cut faster and is compatible with the Cricut Smart Materials.
Smart Materials come in big rolls, allowing you to create creations up to 12 feet long, whereas the Cricut Maker can only create projects that are 24 inches long and 12 inches broad.
Although a lot of people might automatically buy the Maker 3 because it’s the newer version, the old Maker provides almost all of the same features for a lower price.
I would only recommend buying the Maker 3 if you want to work with the Smart Materials.
Cricut Explore 3 – Best For Budget
The Cricut Explore 3, a newly launched choice, is a terrific, economical solution that lets you work with smart materials. While the Explore 3 may appear to be similar to its cousin, the Explore Air 2, there are a few key distinctions. The Explore 3 has a bigger portable trimmer and roll holder and the ability to work with smart materials.
That means you can make cuts up to 12 feet long in a single run. The Explore 3 is less expensive than the Maker series while still giving a wonderful experience. The Cricut Explore 3 is a good option if you want a Cricut machine that accepts smart materials but doesn’t have professional capabilities or high pricing.
Cricut Explore Air 2 – Best For Beginners
Are you new to the world of machine cutting? Then the Cricut Explore Air 2 is a great option.
It lacks the versatility and power of the first two Cricut machines on our list. However, this is a positive thing for a novice because it makes the program easier to understand. And it still has almost all of the functionality that a novice will require.
The Cricut Explore Air 2 can cut over 100 different materials, including premium vinyl, iron-on, and HTV vinyl, cardstock, fake leather, sticky foils, specialty paper, poster board, and it comes with five cutting, writing, and scoring tools.
It is an excellent choice for small-scale, home-based creative projects like personalized stickers, greeting cards, customized décor, and bespoke presents. While it isn’t designed for commercial use, it is the ideal Cricut machine for someone just getting started with the machine.
Cricut Joy – Best Portable
Even though the Cricut Joy has fewer features, it is a favorite among many crafters!
It’s small and simple to use. The Cricut Joy is ideal for new crafters, those with limited creating space, or those who desire a portable second machine. I’ve used it to make decals, labels, greeting cards, T-shirts, and even wedding invites.
However, because it is a smaller machine, you can only produce projects that are 5.5 inches wide and can’t cut as many types of materials as the Explore or Maker models. Moreover, most Explore and Maker accessories aren’t compatible with Cricut Joy.
But on the flip side, the Cricut Joy is the only Cricut cutting machine that is truly portable and easy to store out of sight.
Cricut EasyPress 2 – Best Cricut Heat Press Machine
A lot of crafting projects use heat-transfer vinyl such as printing custom-designed T-shirts, tote bags, pillows, aprons, sweatshirts, banners, blankets, and more.
Although the cutting machines can cut the vinyl in the perfect shape, they aren’t any help when it come to the heat-transfer step.
The Cricut EasyPress 2 is a heat press which allows you to transfer Iron-On or Heat Transfer Vinyl patterns.
It’s simple to use in practice, as the name implies. You can apply the plate to your materials for the prescribed period once you’ve programmed your settings, and there’s a timer to help you stay on track.
There are two sizes of the Cricut EasyPress 2 machine. The nine by nine-inch size is ideal for basic objects.
The EasyPress’ baseplate maintains a uniform temperature, which is superior to a regular iron, which has a hotter center than the rest of the plate. It also has a bigger surface area than a regular iron, making it easier to apply the entire pattern at once.
Cricut EasyPress Mini – Small Heat Press
The Cricut Easy Press mini is another heat press, but as the name implies, it is a lot smaller than the EasyPress 2.
If you are only planning on making small projects, you can buy one of these mini presses and save your self a bit of money.
While the Mini works the same way as the EasyPress 2, it has a smaller ceramic heat plate that is excellent for tiny or difficult surfaces.
Its shape allows it to curve over curves, between buttons, and between seams easily. The EasyPress Mini is an excellent solution for amateurs and business people alike because it is lightweight and simple to store.
What is a Cricut machine and what does it do?
Cricut produces a variety of machines that are handy for manufacturers, artists, and crafts. Cricut machines may be used to make custom decals, greeting cards, clothes, and various other items.
The Cricut machines can help you reach your objectives, whether you’re a hobbyist or manufacture goods to sell. Design whatever you can think of and save it to your Mac, iPad, or iPhone with the Design Space app; after that, you may cut it out using your Cricut.
With each Cricut machine’s replaceable blades and pens, you can cut, write, draw, and more.
Moreover, Cricut also offers two heat press machines that you’ll need if you are working with heat transfer vinyl to make shirts, mugs, etc.
If you want to know what kind of projects you can do with a Cricut, you can read one of the following articles:
- Cricut vinyl projects
- Cricut cardstock projects
- Cricut leather projects
- Cricut wood projects
- Cricut pen projects
- Cricut engraving projects
What to look for when buying a Cricut machine?
Choosing the best Cricut machine for you can be difficult. To make things easier, I’ve put up useful key features to consider when browsing the different models.
1. Consider The Cutting Speed You Need
Not all Cricut machines do cut at the same rate. The new Maker 3 and Explore 3 machines may cut up to two times faster than the older models.
If you only craft occasionally, then the cutting speed really isn’t that important. But if you run a small business or craft daily, consider going with a newer model.
2. Consider The Size Of The Machine
Before creating anything, double-check the maximum size that your Cricut machine can handle. These may be as little as 6″ x 6″ or as large as 12″ x 12″. If you want to cut any huge decals, the 12″ by 12″ size is the best option.
3. Consider What Type Of Cricut You Need
If you’re looking for a cutting machine, the materials you’ll be cutting are the first thing to think about before choosing. The more costly Cricut versions can cut a wide range of materials.
The Cricut Maker models can cut over 300 different materials. But the Cricut Joy is a lot less versatile.
If you only need to die-cut a few light materials like paper, cards, and felt, you may not need all of that and would prefer a lighter, less expensive model.
Smart materials may also be cut with the new Cricut Maker 3 and Explore 3 machines. These are unique materials that can be cut without using a cutting mat.
4. Consider Features That May Come With The Machine
You need to adjust the blade depth and pressure depending on the material you are cutting. Some machines will do this automatically for you, while you need to manually set them with some other models.
Some Cricut machines feature Bluetooth capability, allowing them to access Cricut’s online collection of downloadable graphics, patterns, and images. Some of the photographs are available for free, while others must be purchased alone or as part of a subscription.
Cricut cartridges may also be used to access patterns and fonts without an internet connection. These cartridges come with a collection of preset fonts and designs that must be manually fed into the machine each time you wish to utilize one of them. Different Cricut Machines come with various features; as a result, keep a lookout for features that may best suit your interests.
Is it cheaper to buy a Cricut bundle?
If this is your first time buying a Cricut machine, it might be cheaper to buy one of the bundles.
These bundles normally include the machine, some essential tools, and materials to cut. The image below shows the current bundles available for the Cricut Maker 3.
Buying the bundle is roughly $50~$100 cheaper than buying all the materials separately.
The only downside is that these bundles normally only come with vinyl and iron-on. If you want to use your Cricut machine for cutting cardstock or wood, there aren’t any suitable bundles.
Summary
Cricut offers great machines that any passionate crafter would love.
Since there are 5 cutting machines and 2 heat press machines, you really have to know what you want before buying.
The Cricut Maker 3 is the strongest and most versatile. But I would recommend the old Cricut Maker to most people since it has many of the same features but comes at a lower cost.
The Explore 3 and Explore Air 2 are not as powerful but can still be great for beginners that mainly want to work with simple materials such as vinyl, cardstock or faux leather.
The Cricut Joy is much smaller and weaker than the other cutting machines, so I wouldn’t recommend it to most crafters. But its small size also makes it very portable.
If you are looking for a heat press, the EasyPress 2 is the way to go, or alternatively you can get the EasyPress Mini if you are only working on small projects.
If you also want to know how the Cricut machines compare to other brands, you can read my article on Cricut vs Silhouette for more information.
