Should I buy a Cricut machine?
December 18, 2020 7:32 AM Subscribe
I probably don't need much convincing, but please tell me why you love yours.
I'm considering buying a Cricut machine for cutting squares and rectangles of fabric, since I can't freehand cut a straight line to save my life. But it seems silly to spend all that money just for that; I could do lots of other things with it too. Right? How do you use yours? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it? Thank you!
I'm considering buying a Cricut machine for cutting squares and rectangles of fabric, since I can't freehand cut a straight line to save my life. But it seems silly to spend all that money just for that; I could do lots of other things with it too. Right? How do you use yours? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it? Thank you!
I’ve only used mine rarely. The best thing I did with it was cut out a bunch of elaborate unicorn shapes along with hearts and stars from sparkly scrapbook paper that was then scrawled all over by a unicorn obsessed 3 year old and me in a crafting day to make garlands for her 4th birthday. A rousing success! The unicorn garlands continue to decorate her room.
I picked mine up from Joann’s when it was like 40% off, I think it was either a black friday deal or a post Xmas blowout thing. Definitely wait for a sale or look for one used.
Things I don’t like about the cricut: the sticky mats are immediately disgusting with cat hair and my own hair, the sticky mats are bendy, the sticky mats don’t last, the sticky mats get scratched up more easily than you’d think they should considering their cost, the sticky mats are absolutely vital for cutting nearly anything, especially fabric, the interface for making the thing go is clumsy because I trained on different vector programs and learning new things is hard and it absolutely refuses to maximize material usage so if you don’t want outrageous amounts of offcuts you have to be patient and clever.
Things I think are fantastic about the cricut: I love that if I have a dumb idea I can pop onto Etsy and pay someone a few bucks and get gorgeous vectors for literally anything, the adjustable depth for cutting is less nerve wracking that I thought it would be, the sticky mat as a concept is actually pretty clever (even if they bother me as listed above), I am a multimedia art person and the cricut will accommodate switches from paper to fabric to board to vinyl without much hassle, the Bluetooth between my computer and the device actually just works unlike every paper printer I’ve ever wrassled with, the satisfaction of having a dozen of exactly the same shape of flat thing after walking away for a minute cannot be matched.
posted by Mizu at 7:55 AM on December 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
I picked mine up from Joann’s when it was like 40% off, I think it was either a black friday deal or a post Xmas blowout thing. Definitely wait for a sale or look for one used.
Things I don’t like about the cricut: the sticky mats are immediately disgusting with cat hair and my own hair, the sticky mats are bendy, the sticky mats don’t last, the sticky mats get scratched up more easily than you’d think they should considering their cost, the sticky mats are absolutely vital for cutting nearly anything, especially fabric, the interface for making the thing go is clumsy because I trained on different vector programs and learning new things is hard and it absolutely refuses to maximize material usage so if you don’t want outrageous amounts of offcuts you have to be patient and clever.
Things I think are fantastic about the cricut: I love that if I have a dumb idea I can pop onto Etsy and pay someone a few bucks and get gorgeous vectors for literally anything, the adjustable depth for cutting is less nerve wracking that I thought it would be, the sticky mat as a concept is actually pretty clever (even if they bother me as listed above), I am a multimedia art person and the cricut will accommodate switches from paper to fabric to board to vinyl without much hassle, the Bluetooth between my computer and the device actually just works unlike every paper printer I’ve ever wrassled with, the satisfaction of having a dozen of exactly the same shape of flat thing after walking away for a minute cannot be matched.
posted by Mizu at 7:55 AM on December 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
I bought a Cricut Maker earlier this year with a quilting project in mind, and I'm here to tell you that having a machine automatically cut dozens of perfect 2 inch by 2 inch squares of fabric is priceless. Other things that have been great: when I realize I need a birthday card at the last minute I can whip up a really cute one rather than going to the store. It makes little handmade gifts seem nicer--like homemade dog biscuits wrapped in a cute bag with a cute tag. Other things that are not so great: you really have to buy a lot of supplies up front to have on hand when you want to make a project.
Regarding the sticky mats getting gross--save the plastic that comes with them to stick on and store when you're not using them.
posted by shornco at 8:14 AM on December 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
Regarding the sticky mats getting gross--save the plastic that comes with them to stick on and store when you're not using them.
posted by shornco at 8:14 AM on December 18, 2020 [6 favorites]
I bought my Cricut several years ago without reaaaaaally knowing what I was gonna use it for, and it has turned out to be handy for a lot of miscellaneous art/craft stuff and hugely useful for a couple art things I wouldn't have predicted.
It's a primary tool for me in making stained glass, because being able to produce geometrically consistent, reproducible adhesive vinyl decals based on vector drawings beats the absolute pants off the traditional method of hand-drawing and hand-cutting cardstock templates.
More generally that ability to create physical vector templates has been great for a variety of art purposes and the occasional bit of more utilitarian stuff like small home improvement pattern/shape testing. Being able to iterate consistently and accurately on a test rendering of some shape that needs to be measured just right is nice in cases where actually committing to making that shape is the hard/expensive part.
Because it can take a pen, it's also works as a viable (if comparably slow) pen plotter, which can be both utilitarian and just sort of fun/artsy stuff. Just in general, it's a fun machine to dork around with if "robot cutting out complicated shapes for me" is the sort of thing you enjoy.
Criticisms I'll echo from above:
1. the sticky mats get dirty, get worn out, need to be replaced after a while. They can be cleaned to get some sticky back, but diminishing returns. You can also tape material down on a semi-sticky mat to get more life out of it, depending on what you're cutting. If you're a studiously neat person, you can keep your mat cleaner than I do by putting it away as soon as you're done with it instead of leaving it on your desk for several days for your cats to walk on.
2. The software is garbage. Just absolute garbage. I use Inkscape, which is a free software vector design program, but you could use any other vector software that generates an .svg file as output. I do literally all of my design work in that, down to the actual layout on the 11.5"x11.5" cuttable region, of everything I want the Cricut to cut, and then import that file into the terrible Cricut design software, resize it to the correct dimensions based on Inkscape's measurement of the layout (because the Cricut software never gets this right), use the "Attach" command on the entire design to prevent Cricut from trying to rearrange it and make it less efficient to cut, and then proceed to the cutting bit which the machine is good at.
Neither of these problems is a showstopper, and the machine is so useful to me for what it does that I am happy to have found ways to work around those issues.
If you're doing repetitive cuts of anything it can cut, it will be a welcome addition to your process. It's hard to overstate how good that is if that's a thing you do, which for fabric piecework it sounds like it is. The value is directly proportional to how much and how fiddly your cuts are: a lot of straightforward cuts, or even a smaller number of detailed ones, justify having a precise and RSI-free machine doing the work. It's an excellent, excellent tool for the price for that specific need, at a great price point if you're actually gonna get any significant use out of it.
posted by cortex at 8:22 AM on December 18, 2020 [8 favorites]
It's a primary tool for me in making stained glass, because being able to produce geometrically consistent, reproducible adhesive vinyl decals based on vector drawings beats the absolute pants off the traditional method of hand-drawing and hand-cutting cardstock templates.
More generally that ability to create physical vector templates has been great for a variety of art purposes and the occasional bit of more utilitarian stuff like small home improvement pattern/shape testing. Being able to iterate consistently and accurately on a test rendering of some shape that needs to be measured just right is nice in cases where actually committing to making that shape is the hard/expensive part.
Because it can take a pen, it's also works as a viable (if comparably slow) pen plotter, which can be both utilitarian and just sort of fun/artsy stuff. Just in general, it's a fun machine to dork around with if "robot cutting out complicated shapes for me" is the sort of thing you enjoy.
Criticisms I'll echo from above:
1. the sticky mats get dirty, get worn out, need to be replaced after a while. They can be cleaned to get some sticky back, but diminishing returns. You can also tape material down on a semi-sticky mat to get more life out of it, depending on what you're cutting. If you're a studiously neat person, you can keep your mat cleaner than I do by putting it away as soon as you're done with it instead of leaving it on your desk for several days for your cats to walk on.
2. The software is garbage. Just absolute garbage. I use Inkscape, which is a free software vector design program, but you could use any other vector software that generates an .svg file as output. I do literally all of my design work in that, down to the actual layout on the 11.5"x11.5" cuttable region, of everything I want the Cricut to cut, and then import that file into the terrible Cricut design software, resize it to the correct dimensions based on Inkscape's measurement of the layout (because the Cricut software never gets this right), use the "Attach" command on the entire design to prevent Cricut from trying to rearrange it and make it less efficient to cut, and then proceed to the cutting bit which the machine is good at.
Neither of these problems is a showstopper, and the machine is so useful to me for what it does that I am happy to have found ways to work around those issues.
If you're doing repetitive cuts of anything it can cut, it will be a welcome addition to your process. It's hard to overstate how good that is if that's a thing you do, which for fabric piecework it sounds like it is. The value is directly proportional to how much and how fiddly your cuts are: a lot of straightforward cuts, or even a smaller number of detailed ones, justify having a precise and RSI-free machine doing the work. It's an excellent, excellent tool for the price for that specific need, at a great price point if you're actually gonna get any significant use out of it.
posted by cortex at 8:22 AM on December 18, 2020 [8 favorites]
Bit of a tangent, but if you're going to use SVG files for your cut patterns, look into deepnest.io -- it will arrange your patterns to maximize material efficiency. I use it on my laser and while it's not industrial-grade (it can get "stuck" on certain geometries and be unable to optimize further even though I can tell there are better solutions) it's still useful.
posted by aramaic at 8:23 AM on December 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 8:23 AM on December 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
My daughter has one, an Explore Air 2, I think.
I like cutting vinyl, and sticking it to magnetic sheeting to make car magnets. The oval-shaped ones that are popular would be impossible without an acrylic template, but having the Cricut machine do them makes the impossible possible.
She has done a bunch of pieces of heat-transfer vinyl, and made cooler sweatshirts & t-shirts than the college bookstores sell -- and in custom colors/sizes, too! She's also made some very cool greeting cards, but many of those use SVG files that she got elsewhere because the Design Space software is simply terrible.
I want to use the machine to cut contact paper or vinyl into stencils for fabric-painting masks if I can find some masks that I like.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:53 AM on December 18, 2020
I like cutting vinyl, and sticking it to magnetic sheeting to make car magnets. The oval-shaped ones that are popular would be impossible without an acrylic template, but having the Cricut machine do them makes the impossible possible.
She has done a bunch of pieces of heat-transfer vinyl, and made cooler sweatshirts & t-shirts than the college bookstores sell -- and in custom colors/sizes, too! She's also made some very cool greeting cards, but many of those use SVG files that she got elsewhere because the Design Space software is simply terrible.
I want to use the machine to cut contact paper or vinyl into stencils for fabric-painting masks if I can find some masks that I like.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:53 AM on December 18, 2020
I've helped with a few family weddings, doing place cards and whatnot. Between weddings, I haven't had *much* use for it, but we've easily saved the cost of the machine after the first wedding. If I did more paper craft or scrapbooking, I'd love it. The tutorial cards are gorgeous, and there's a lot of stuff you can do.
I was hoping to use the machine to do print-and-play board games, but that requires buying a blade that can cut thicker cardboard (the default blade is fine for card stock). Cutting tightly packed rectangles (cards) is tough, as it'll mess up the corners enough to bother me. (Leave space between cuts if it matters. A good paper cutter worked better for me.) The software is not fun, but seemed to be improving across the two times I had to use it seriously.
I found that the print and cut often had significant misalignment. If you have any text on things, use the pen. It works really well.
We lost the cord, but found out that a generic Targus laptop power brick with all the different barrel plugs works well as a replacement in a pinch.
The software heavily encourages buying patterns and fonts for a dollar here, a dollar there. There is a monthly subscription, but it's not all-access.
Probably the best thing it does for me personally is that every time I lust after a laser cutter or 3d printer, I can look at my Cricut of shame and ask myself if I'm really all that crafty. It's saved me so much money!
posted by Anonymous Function at 8:59 AM on December 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I was hoping to use the machine to do print-and-play board games, but that requires buying a blade that can cut thicker cardboard (the default blade is fine for card stock). Cutting tightly packed rectangles (cards) is tough, as it'll mess up the corners enough to bother me. (Leave space between cuts if it matters. A good paper cutter worked better for me.) The software is not fun, but seemed to be improving across the two times I had to use it seriously.
I found that the print and cut often had significant misalignment. If you have any text on things, use the pen. It works really well.
We lost the cord, but found out that a generic Targus laptop power brick with all the different barrel plugs works well as a replacement in a pinch.
The software heavily encourages buying patterns and fonts for a dollar here, a dollar there. There is a monthly subscription, but it's not all-access.
Probably the best thing it does for me personally is that every time I lust after a laser cutter or 3d printer, I can look at my Cricut of shame and ask myself if I'm really all that crafty. It's saved me so much money!
posted by Anonymous Function at 8:59 AM on December 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I bought mine solely to make planner stickers, and have barely used it for that, but I have also used it SO much more than I thought I would. It was definitely a worthwhile purchase for me.
Things I have made:
I have the Explore Air 2. I kind of wish I had sprung for the Maker just because the tool system is more flexible, and because the scoring wheel is superior to the scoring pen the Explore uses, and I make a LOT of cards and envelopes.
Blades and mats are things that will wear out and need replaced over time, but if you keep the plastic covers on the mats, they'll last a lot longer. I keep mine hung on a command strip hook to keep them away from dog hair. I did cut a lot of paper with charcoal on it for an art project (definitely not recommended by them officially) and that did make them permanently dirty, but it stays on the mat and doesn't transfer to anything I'm cutting.
I'm getting ready to install a maker space at my job at a university, and we're getting a cricut maker for that space.
The one feature I wished worked better was print then cut. It's fine on the printable vinyl or on paper, but the printable clear sticker "paper" (which is really more like plastic) is almost impossible to work with. The light in the machine needs to be able to "read" the edges, and that stuff is way too reflective to work except in just exactly the right lighting. But I also don't really like the thickness of that material anyway, so that's really a very small gripe.
The software isn't fantastic, but if you can think creatively you can usually rig it to do what you want. And if you know another program, it's super convenient to do something in, say, Illustrator, and then import it. And you can download a bajillion .svg files on the internet for free or cheap.
Check the hashtag #cricutmade on instagram too. You'll find the stuff that is more artsy and less craftsy shows up on social media more than in official cricut channels.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:02 AM on December 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
Things I have made:
- All my greeting cards, including mass producing New Year's cards every year.
- All the ornaments for my Christmas tree this year.
- Cut all the elements for an interactive book project for an art class I took.
- Custom labels for all the canisters in my kitchen, house numbers for the mailbox and my garage, labels for organizing bins in closets.
- Decals for all the crafted trophies for our roller derby awards banquet, as well as table decorations and pennant banners.
- Multicolored vinyl logo cutout for the door of my office.
- Iron ons for various t-shirts, tote bags, aprons for gifts.
- Cut two teams worth of iron on jersey numbers and names for my derby team.
- Custom decals for the covers of my bullet journals and planners.
- Quick gifts: it's SO easy to make a professional looking personalized thing for someone, like decals on photo frames, stickers, personalized sketch books, etc.
- Stencils for bullet journal icons and also larger stencils for painting projects.
I have the Explore Air 2. I kind of wish I had sprung for the Maker just because the tool system is more flexible, and because the scoring wheel is superior to the scoring pen the Explore uses, and I make a LOT of cards and envelopes.
Blades and mats are things that will wear out and need replaced over time, but if you keep the plastic covers on the mats, they'll last a lot longer. I keep mine hung on a command strip hook to keep them away from dog hair. I did cut a lot of paper with charcoal on it for an art project (definitely not recommended by them officially) and that did make them permanently dirty, but it stays on the mat and doesn't transfer to anything I'm cutting.
I'm getting ready to install a maker space at my job at a university, and we're getting a cricut maker for that space.
The one feature I wished worked better was print then cut. It's fine on the printable vinyl or on paper, but the printable clear sticker "paper" (which is really more like plastic) is almost impossible to work with. The light in the machine needs to be able to "read" the edges, and that stuff is way too reflective to work except in just exactly the right lighting. But I also don't really like the thickness of that material anyway, so that's really a very small gripe.
The software isn't fantastic, but if you can think creatively you can usually rig it to do what you want. And if you know another program, it's super convenient to do something in, say, Illustrator, and then import it. And you can download a bajillion .svg files on the internet for free or cheap.
Check the hashtag #cricutmade on instagram too. You'll find the stuff that is more artsy and less craftsy shows up on social media more than in official cricut channels.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:02 AM on December 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
Also, you will definitely want the fabric mats to cut fabric for quilting, and you'll want multiples. There's nothing worse than when I'm being lazy and try to use whatever mat I already have out for something heavier and watching in horror as the material slips in the machine.
Multiple mats are great for keeping things moving. You can be setting up a mat while the one is cutting, or cutting while you're removing and weeding material from another. This is absolutely critical when I'm mass producing elements for cards, or for when I was cutting hundreds of pieces for paper ornaments.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:08 AM on December 18, 2020
Multiple mats are great for keeping things moving. You can be setting up a mat while the one is cutting, or cutting while you're removing and weeding material from another. This is absolutely critical when I'm mass producing elements for cards, or for when I was cutting hundreds of pieces for paper ornaments.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 9:08 AM on December 18, 2020
The Cricut would be excessive for your purposes. All you really need for squares and rectangles is a rotary cutter and a slotted ruler.
posted by aniola at 10:06 AM on December 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by aniola at 10:06 AM on December 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
i have one, used it for a few intricate shadowboxes ive built, though the recent projects, Ive just used an exacto knife instead. As previous posters stated, the software/interface is hot garbage. It also requires printing your images on their software to place on a template that has the appropriate markers for the cricut to detect, so if you want to use a photo printing service, you have to send them the 8.5x11 pdf to be printed, which may be overkill if you have something small to print.
posted by edman at 11:22 AM on December 18, 2020
posted by edman at 11:22 AM on December 18, 2020
If you're just doing squares and straight lines, I also suggest a rotary cutter, ruler and mat since the cost a tenth or the machine - both fabric and paper. If you're looking for curves or other angles, the machine will do a better job.
posted by soelo at 12:12 PM on December 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by soelo at 12:12 PM on December 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
The software is garbage. Just absolute garbage.
Get a Silhouette, not a Cameo. The software is a breeze.
Aside from the software, it's like Mac vs. Android. With Cameo everything is more expensive and you can't get as many cheap non-brand accessories for Cameo.
DO IT. It's so fun. I've run out of steam using mine for the time being, mostly because I ran a little car decal making biz and exhausted myself.
Things I've made:
- Car decals - And in election season these are super important (I'm not American).
- Window decals (right now, you'd do pandemic ones or snowflakes, Merry Christmas, etc)
- Wall decals
- Stickers to put on water bottles or coffee mugs
- Home decor
- T-shirts, any apparel
- Tea towels (you can use HTV or make a stencil and use silk screening paint)
- Wood burning stuff like cutting boards. Again, use the vinyl as a stencil
- Glass etched stuff (use vinyl as stencil and apply glass etching cream)
- Tons of homemade Christmas decor (I purchased SVGs for that stuff. Like I have the
Abominable Snowman done up on a painted piece of wood and he's the coolest)
From now on, all your gifts can be handmade and personalized. It's a long-run money saver.
If you have any questions memail me!
posted by kitcat at 1:19 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Get a Silhouette, not a Cameo. The software is a breeze.
Aside from the software, it's like Mac vs. Android. With Cameo everything is more expensive and you can't get as many cheap non-brand accessories for Cameo.
DO IT. It's so fun. I've run out of steam using mine for the time being, mostly because I ran a little car decal making biz and exhausted myself.
Things I've made:
- Car decals - And in election season these are super important (I'm not American).
- Window decals (right now, you'd do pandemic ones or snowflakes, Merry Christmas, etc)
- Wall decals
- Stickers to put on water bottles or coffee mugs
- Home decor
- T-shirts, any apparel
- Tea towels (you can use HTV or make a stencil and use silk screening paint)
- Wood burning stuff like cutting boards. Again, use the vinyl as a stencil
- Glass etched stuff (use vinyl as stencil and apply glass etching cream)
- Tons of homemade Christmas decor (I purchased SVGs for that stuff. Like I have the
Abominable Snowman done up on a painted piece of wood and he's the coolest)
From now on, all your gifts can be handmade and personalized. It's a long-run money saver.
If you have any questions memail me!
posted by kitcat at 1:19 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
I have a Silhouette, which is the main competitor to the Cricut machines. I like it, although you should plan on upgrading to the "premium" software (extra $20 or something, I forget) because otherwise you can't import SVGs. Aside from this very annoying nickel-and-diming, the software is pretty good and I've had good luck with the machine.
Also the people who own Cricut have a bad reputation for being aggressively litigious against 3rd party software developers, while Silhouette isn't. Not supporting Cricut's behavior was at least part of my decision. Plus, I figured I wanted the machine that was less tethered to proprietary software as possible. Although my workflow still uses Silhouette's software right now (and I don't mind it, honestly), it's good to know there are other options out there that support the machine.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:38 PM on December 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
Also the people who own Cricut have a bad reputation for being aggressively litigious against 3rd party software developers, while Silhouette isn't. Not supporting Cricut's behavior was at least part of my decision. Plus, I figured I wanted the machine that was less tethered to proprietary software as possible. Although my workflow still uses Silhouette's software right now (and I don't mind it, honestly), it's good to know there are other options out there that support the machine.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:38 PM on December 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
If the only thing you will ever need to cut is squares and rectangles from fabric, you'd do a lot better to get a rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat. Also a cut-proof glove (rotary cutter accidents can happen). The cutting mat lets you cut multiple layers of fabric at once. In fact, even if you get a cutting machine, I'd still recommend a cutting mat and rotary cutter, as it's the easiest way to cut larger chunks of fabric down to the size the machine will take.
If you're a more generally crafty person, the cutting machine is something that comes into your house and ends up being used for a ton of things you didn't realize you'd be able to use it for. I own a Silhouette and I've been very happy with it. I use it frequently for wide variety of uses, including paper cutting to make cards and various decorative items, cutting vinyl to make custom t-shirts (I'm wearing one right now!), cutting cardstock to make woodworking templates or English Paper Piecing templates or hand-quilting templates or or really any sort of templates, marking on cloth with fabric markers to mark out embroidery patterns, etc.
I will say that at least in my experience, it doesn't do as well at cutting fabric and felt. (Ironically, felt was the thing I bought it for. And I bought the next-level-up machine that takes a rotary cutter blade. No dice.) When used with felt, it tends to drag, making the cuts uneven. When it comes to fabric, it can only cut one layer at a time and the cut size is limited by the cutting boards, which are a max of ~12" wide.
I second the recommendations above to go with a Silhouette over a Cricut. The software is decent and they're not as ethically lacking as the Cricut people. And it's worth the $25-$50 or so to upgrade the free version of the Silhouette software to the mid-range version.
For SVGs, Etsy is an inexhaustible source. I've also really enjoyed www.cutecutter.com, which is an online tool for converting images to SVGs.
Off-brand sticky mats (I like Nicapa) are much cheaper. Mats can be washed with warm water and dish soap to extend their life. Blades are proprietary and it's worth keeping a few in stock as they tend to hit the end of their lifespan and start causing cutting problems unpredictably.
posted by pie ninja at 2:17 PM on December 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
If you're a more generally crafty person, the cutting machine is something that comes into your house and ends up being used for a ton of things you didn't realize you'd be able to use it for. I own a Silhouette and I've been very happy with it. I use it frequently for wide variety of uses, including paper cutting to make cards and various decorative items, cutting vinyl to make custom t-shirts (I'm wearing one right now!), cutting cardstock to make woodworking templates or English Paper Piecing templates or hand-quilting templates or or really any sort of templates, marking on cloth with fabric markers to mark out embroidery patterns, etc.
I will say that at least in my experience, it doesn't do as well at cutting fabric and felt. (Ironically, felt was the thing I bought it for. And I bought the next-level-up machine that takes a rotary cutter blade. No dice.) When used with felt, it tends to drag, making the cuts uneven. When it comes to fabric, it can only cut one layer at a time and the cut size is limited by the cutting boards, which are a max of ~12" wide.
I second the recommendations above to go with a Silhouette over a Cricut. The software is decent and they're not as ethically lacking as the Cricut people. And it's worth the $25-$50 or so to upgrade the free version of the Silhouette software to the mid-range version.
For SVGs, Etsy is an inexhaustible source. I've also really enjoyed www.cutecutter.com, which is an online tool for converting images to SVGs.
Off-brand sticky mats (I like Nicapa) are much cheaper. Mats can be washed with warm water and dish soap to extend their life. Blades are proprietary and it's worth keeping a few in stock as they tend to hit the end of their lifespan and start causing cutting problems unpredictably.
posted by pie ninja at 2:17 PM on December 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
You might want to see if your local library has one. My library system has one.
posted by Marky at 7:31 PM on December 18, 2020
posted by Marky at 7:31 PM on December 18, 2020
Can I un-sell you? Really this is just a suggestion that you do some research.
I owned one a few years back. I never got it to work. The software worked only with Windows 8. I had to find a copy and a computer, install and register it, and install the Cricut software. I never made it to that point - it didn't like my copy of Windows, even though it was the right one.
I tried everything for about a week, then returned it. They didn't want to take it back, because Cricut's policy i that they never have to be returned, but i convinced them.
During that week I did a lot of research. I read about machines dead on warranty that couldn't be fixed, sofware that wasn't compatible with anything, designs purchased and found unusable, others lost when the program was updated or a new version came out, and nothing ever compatible with a newer machine. I heard over and over about a company that sold machines and abandoned their users once they had the money.
Most companies have customers that love them and some who don't. A staggering number of the people who posted reviews wanted to see the Cricut management taken away in chains, the factory burned, and their memory erased. The amount of hate for the Cricut company was horrifying. Blog writers despised them and abandoned them for other machines, and they weren't afraid to say so.
I also found that there was aftermarket software which was a huge improvement, but they'd brought legal action and had the authors shut down. Nothing else worked, including high-end Cad software.
I thought my Cricut was going to be the greatest thing ever, and I was bitterly disappointed. I still haven't replaced it, even though I had a lot of projects in mind.
Things may have changed, but I will never trust Cricut. Corporate behaviour may be hidden for a while, but it very seldom improves. Look for warranty, parts, repairs, compatibility with other programs, and whether you can store your files in a place outside the Cricut machine or software.
Also the Silhouette got good reviews, but I've never tried one.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 11:29 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
I owned one a few years back. I never got it to work. The software worked only with Windows 8. I had to find a copy and a computer, install and register it, and install the Cricut software. I never made it to that point - it didn't like my copy of Windows, even though it was the right one.
I tried everything for about a week, then returned it. They didn't want to take it back, because Cricut's policy i that they never have to be returned, but i convinced them.
During that week I did a lot of research. I read about machines dead on warranty that couldn't be fixed, sofware that wasn't compatible with anything, designs purchased and found unusable, others lost when the program was updated or a new version came out, and nothing ever compatible with a newer machine. I heard over and over about a company that sold machines and abandoned their users once they had the money.
Most companies have customers that love them and some who don't. A staggering number of the people who posted reviews wanted to see the Cricut management taken away in chains, the factory burned, and their memory erased. The amount of hate for the Cricut company was horrifying. Blog writers despised them and abandoned them for other machines, and they weren't afraid to say so.
I also found that there was aftermarket software which was a huge improvement, but they'd brought legal action and had the authors shut down. Nothing else worked, including high-end Cad software.
I thought my Cricut was going to be the greatest thing ever, and I was bitterly disappointed. I still haven't replaced it, even though I had a lot of projects in mind.
Things may have changed, but I will never trust Cricut. Corporate behaviour may be hidden for a while, but it very seldom improves. Look for warranty, parts, repairs, compatibility with other programs, and whether you can store your files in a place outside the Cricut machine or software.
Also the Silhouette got good reviews, but I've never tried one.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 11:29 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Best answers for everyone, thank you so much! <3
posted by Melismata at 8:36 AM on December 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 8:36 AM on December 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
In case you needed another reason to mistrust Cricut, they just tried to force Cricut owners into a monthly subscription in order keep unlimited use of their machines. They've already backtracked twice, first saying they'll grandfather in unlimited uploads to anyone who purchases a machine before the end of the year, and then retracting the whole idea a few days later. What's even more interesting is that they did this literally days before the company's IPO. They walked this one back but I'm sure it won't be long before they try something similar again.
From their SEC filing, courtesy of r/Cricut (which is hopping mad):
“Increase Monetization from Current Users. We believe that by finding new ways to inspire our users with their existing connected machines, we can sell more content and accessories and materials. By enhancing our subscription offerings, we also believe we can grow our subscription base over time.”
posted by yeahlikethat at 5:16 PM on March 18, 2021 [3 favorites]
From their SEC filing, courtesy of r/Cricut (which is hopping mad):
“Increase Monetization from Current Users. We believe that by finding new ways to inspire our users with their existing connected machines, we can sell more content and accessories and materials. By enhancing our subscription offerings, we also believe we can grow our subscription base over time.”
posted by yeahlikethat at 5:16 PM on March 18, 2021 [3 favorites]
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It was a HUGE time saver when I was doing autumn leaves to just cut the leaves out with the Cricut instead of by hand. When I briefly had the machine home during our initial COVID closure, I used it to make birthday signs to hang behind me in birthday Zoom calls.
I initially planned to have students create things and be able to use it, but now that we are socially distanced and don't touch shared surfaces, that was a no go for now.
You should know that it is not a "I bought this once and now I don't spend any more money on it" purchase - you will occasionally need to buy new blades and mats, and depending on what else you're using it for, things like transfer paper and other tools.
I do enjoy using it, and I think if my life was more in order and I was the type of crafter I aspire to be instead of the lazy one that I am, it would be invaluable.
posted by firei at 7:40 AM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]