Which Cricut machine to choose? Cricut machine comparison

Hello crafters, welcome to the svgcrown. In today's post, we are going to see all the options available in the Cricut machine and which one is the right choice for you.

What is a Cricut machine?

If you are new to crafting you may hear of cutting machines on social media or other places. Cutting machines let you cup different materials as you want. It uses a laser to cut through the material like paper, vinyl, card stock, and even leather or wood and you can make the different depth of cuts using these machines. In the craft and artwork, there are lots of use cases where you need to cut things in some shapes and these electric cutting machines are specially made for that purpose. Many companies developed electric cutting machines that are available in the market and Cricut is one of the most popular cutting machines developed by Provo Craft & Novelty, Inc.

Cricut machines are primarily used for material cutting that you might do manually using scissors or an X-acto knife, more accurately and with better speed.

How cutting machine works- basic concept

Basically, all the cutting machines works on the same concept - you give design using the software interface linked to the machine, provide the required material and it will cut it accordingly. Cricut is no exception. It comes with its software Cricut design space that you need to install on your computer and connect your machine, then you can upload your design in the SVG format(there are many other extensions accepted as well) and give the command to cut the material in that shape. The machine will follow that path and make cuts as per the design submitted.

Different Cricut machines available in the market

You will find 3 different Cricut machines in the market which are developed for a slightly different use and you need to select the best option as per your work requirements.

Cricut released two new machines in June 2024 with some better features and higher efficiency replacing the old series of machines.

So, in total right now there are 5 machines from which you can select. Cricut explore air 2 and Cricut maker will be replaced with the successors. Those two models will still be supported by Cricut and so you may consider them if you find a good deal somewhere.

Let me point out the pros and cons of every machine so you can get a basic idea of which machine suits your needs.

Cricut Explore Air 2

Cricut explores air 2 is one of the best seller machines from Cricut and a major craft community uses this model. It is popular because of beginner-friendly functions with some superpowers for pros. you can cut a lot of different materials including paper, vinyl, fabric and some type of leather. You can work with 12 by 12 or 12 by 24 inches mats that are perfect for big-size decals and T-shirts.

Cricut Explore 3

Cricut explore 3 is a successor of Cricut explore air 2 released in June 2024. It has some new and advanced features compared to Cricut explore air 2 like compatibility with smart materials, comes with 6 different tools including a foil transfer tool, a scoring stylus, fine point blade and deep-point blade. These upgrades will give you more applications.

Another major upgrade to the machine's hardware is the new motor. Cricut explore 3 contains 2X faster and more reliable motors that will speed up the whole process and also let you create up to 12 ft long cuts with smart materials without a mat.

Cricut Maker

Cricut is their flagship machine with the most advanced features and comes with an expensive price tag. When compared to other cutting machines available in the market, the Cricut Maker is a robust machine that can be used to cut up to 300 materials including leather, felt, acrylic, plastic and even wood. There are lots of blades and tools that are compatible with the Cricut maker machine and give you an ultimate commercial-grade experience.

Cricut Maker 3

Cricut maker 3 is the new model - the successor of Cricut maker that comes with more powerful performance with a stronger motor and support of smart material. It is a faster and feature-rich machine compared to other Cricut models.

If you are working on bulk orders and products made of some solid materials and want an efficient machine, this beast is for you.

Cricut Joy

Cricut Joy is a tiny little cutting machine for DIY projects that can cut basic materials and is very easy to set up and use. It allows a maximum cut of 5.5 inches so perfect investment for stickers, labels and greeting card creators. If you are just starting out with your DIY business and not sure about the big investment in other expensive machines, you should give it a try to Cricut Joy. You will get a more clear idea of how these machines work and will be able to complete small cutting tasks with a minimum investment.

As I already described the use of each machine above, you can go with any machine as per your applications. If you are a beginner but want a stable machine for regular use, the Cricut explore 3 will fulfill the needs.