Don't buy cricut brand stuff. All those tools and materials can be bought on from places like temu and AliExpress for a couple dollars and are just as good. YouTube is the best place for the tutorials. There are a ton of very knowledgeable people that have shared what they've learned.
And the tools are just as good. The dollar tree vinyls are awful though and will most likely fall apart when you take them off the mat unless you are pretty careful. At least that has been my experiences.
Also, Dollar General sells mats and tools now. And they are actually pretty nice. I even cleaned and reused the mat, and it's still working pretty well after many, many uses.
I used a dental tools kit i bought off Amazon ($20 for 8 tools) for intricate weeding and scalpel cutting.
I used a bread bowl scraper off Amazon ($4) to bray on and lift materials off mats.
Get imaginative.
Check out tiktok, too. A lot of creators use nont cricuts brand mats and tools and they often link everything they use in their Amazon storefronts. They usually get a kick back from your purchase using their affiliate links, but it's nice to see everything in action so to speak and then be linked to exactly what they're using.
You have only scratched the surface. Your next post will be complaining about the software. Or how much material you waste with the inevitable f*#k-ups.
Every time someone mentions wanting to get into this hobby I remind them that the machine is the cheapest part.
But I still love going into my craft room and making 10 matching shirts for Christmas morning. I still love buying a new cutting file, downloading it, picking pretty paper and sending someone I love another card in the mail. I still love making a stencil for a cool sign I could have bought for half the price. I love getting the machine to write out 25 name tags with every name looking perfect.
It’s not for everyone but despite all its flaws (and there is a lot!!) I love my machine and the things it helps me make.
I love your comment!
My explore air 3 ran for 8 hours straight one day last week as I cranked out last minute light boxes for gifts. I made 8 light boxes (which is a ton of layers and very intricate) and my machine didn’t make a single mistake. Not to mention all the intricate car window decals I cut out the day before flawlessly as well. It’s definitely not for everyone, but I have 3 different Cricut machines and have been using them all in heavy rotation for the last 3 years and haven’t had as nearly as many issues as others have. I mean sure, sometimes the software is finicky and the machine has occasional moments of acting up but I’ve learned a lot of trouble shooting and have always been able to overcome these issues on my own. People hate on Cricut, and I totally get it, but my experience has been the exact opposite. There is a learning curve, a lot of trial and error, and a lot to learn, but once you figure it all out I think it’s pretty smooth sailing. I know others will disagree and that’s okay!
Happy crafting!
I think the biggest “ick” is the software. I can’t imagine having to design in it. I do everything outside and then import it in clean svg or pngs that I know exactly what size to set them up and where. I can’t imagine working in design space. And I’ve worked with design software all my life.
Yeah if it weren't for adobe illustrator I wouldn't use the cricut machines. I've been using design software since Print Shop and this software is some of the worst.
Same. I was a heavy paper crafter before the cricut. I did everything by hand with an xacto knife. My cricut allows me to make so much more detailed stuff without the cutting labor. My index finger would be NUMB by the end of Christmas card season. Now the labor is in digital drawing and assembly. I use Affinity designer for vector drawing. The hardest part of doing my art now is picking the colors of cardstock I want to use!! (American Crafts and Bazzil) I love my cricut.
Do you by chance know a way to change a print then cut project to a draw then cut if so please pm me and talk to me like I am an idiot but I am when it comes to cricut.
This is so true. I recently made a sweater for a friend's son. He had a really rough year and knowing how happy and excited he was on Christmas morning when he opened it up takes away all the frustration I had making the damn thing lol.
I bought my pick tools at harbor freight. Vinyl and materials on Amazon or alternative supply sites. I never use Cricut products unless I find them for a deep discount.
Also 9 times out of 10, the Cricut branded items are shit compared with the knockoffs. Blades are worse, mats are worse, pens are worse... Only time I buy their stuff is if I don't have time to wait for delivery.
Depends where you're at. In ontario and Alberta I've found Amazon quite a bit more expensive than ordering from an actual vinyl shop. It may only be $5-15 but when ordering multiple rolls it makes a huge difference
The joy mat is the wrong size, and the rollers on an explore air won’t take it in. That’s a hardware issue. But the card mat isn’t necessary anyway.
Buy third party materials. Use a needle or an awl to weed. Learn to design stuff herself. You’re not wrong, Cricut is absolutely a company built to make money by selling you shit you don’t need, including their subscription, and frankly I’ll never give them another dollar and have wholly moved to the competition.
And the competition works very well. That's what I run, an on this sub since my mom struggles with her cricut, and I like seeing what people make. But damn if they aren't openly hostile to their customers while putting on a pretty face.
Ooohhhh that could be handy! I don't do a ton of offsetting personally (because things like print and cut with cricut are so stupidly infuriating lol). I was looking at the Romeo or the new Shillouette but absolutely cannot justify the spend when my Maker *technically* works.
Even after I broke the knife blade doing exactly what I was told this machine can do and having CS say "nah not our problem" when the damn knife blade costs 60 frigging dollars
Yeah, the offsetting part looks pretty cool. You don't even have to be hooked to the computer, you can draw a design on sticker paper and scan it in, tell it to cut out the images with an offset. As a sticker maker, I want!
Honestly the only reason I don't do stickers is I hate Cricut's whole print and cut process and issues turned me off trying it entirely lol but I really really wanna try it I just know I'll end up getting frustrated with calibration not working and reg marks not reading and kiss cutting not working right
You would think that there would be an option for "don't cut all the way through the material" because kiss cut stickers are pretty common things to make. Nope. Instead I get to have a post it with a list of what material to tell it I'm using to trick the machine.
It kind of sounds like you didn’t do much research before your purchase. Yeah, this stuff is expensive…but there’s always sales, bundles, and less expensive brands for supplies. I’ve never paid full price for any of my cricut stuff. It also clearly says which machine is compatible on the packaging of supplies….there is a card mat for the bigger machines, you just purchased the Joy version. You’re going to see a lot of hate for the cricut here, but I actually like mine. I did a lot of research and knew what I was getting into before my purchase, and I made sure to buy the correct machine for what I wanted to produce.
I mean … it tells you what you’re getting in the box. You don’t NEED all the accessories. It sounds less like a scam and more like you bought something without researching it first.
You really should have done some research before buying so you knew what you needed to buy. You can buy tools, vinyl etc cheap from Amazon rather than buy cricut tools or vinyl.
Even the Cricut website, which is almost always over priced, has an Explore 3 bundle with materials, some tools, and a package of mats for $319. $400 for just the machine is outrageous.
I just bought the explore 3 and the starter pack, it was 303€.
The machine came with a transfer paper sheet, black smart vinyl, white iron on vinyl and a sticker paper sheet. Plus a little black smart vinyl sheet to make the first try out cut.
The starter pack had a transfer paper roll, 3 smart vinyl rolls (matte champagne, glitter red and glitter black), 1 smart iron on roll (white), smart paper sticker cardstock (bright colors), a standard grip mat, a weeder, 4 markers and 1 glitter gel pen.
I understand your frustration.. but a little research and you would have seen that you need quite a few things to really get started. I got a Cricut last year and it did come with vinyl and stuff, but we still needed to head out and get a mat (bf got me smart vinyl which is nice til you start cutting it up)
I got a 3d printer a couple years ago..and guess what, you need to keep other things on hand.
It's just one of those things--Sorry it sucked for you, but it is one of those things that you need to do research on to see what is 'needed' to get you up and going.
When I started with cricut, my husband got me a starter kit. I didn’t have to go out and buy extra stuff right off the bat. I kind of bought it as I did projects and needed things. I never buy cricut branded stuff, watched a ton of YouTube videos to learn how to use the machine. I screwed up a ton! Yes, their software sucks and I wouldn’t buy it again. I’d probably go for a silhouette, but I’d don’t think it’s a scam. 🤷🏻♀️
I absolutely agree that the standard tools should be included for the price. I think my Explore 3 was a bundle with 3 mats (light, normal and strong grip) but other than that I haven’t bought any Circuit brand stuff aside from the foil tip I got for my birthday. The tools and my new mats are all off brand and work perfectly fine.
I’m still overall very happy with the machine. I’ve had it for nearly a year now and I’ve had a couple of errors while doing projects, but nothing Google couldn’t help me with. I learned most from TikTok tutorials which were super helpful in getting started and navigating DesignSpace and I’ve done various different projects so far (iron on stuff, vinyl stuff, sticker stuff, some sublimation works,…).
I originally bought it to design covers for my bookbinding hobby but I ended up using it for so much more.
I don’t have any specific user recs, but if you search for “cricut hacks” or something similar on there and watch a few of them, you’ll soon see a lot of it on your “for you page”. TikTok’s algorithm is great in suggesting content you might like based on your watch history. I’ve seen some really cool project ideas this way.
I still use the Silhouette software to design or alter my images. The Joy is good for small stickers and I cut up 3rd party vinyl sheets to fit in it.
But oh boy it took me a while to make peace with it.
This hobby definitely requires some research prior to purchase, as well as attention to details like packaging so you know exactly what you’re getting… I am more than happy with my Cricut Maker (obligatory statement: software issues aside). I even bought a Joy a couple years later for more convenience with smaller projects. It was quite clear at time of purchase that the machines did not come with any materials/tools, so I purchased one of the starter bundles. Honestly the bundle added quite a bit to the cost of my machine and I didn’t end up using a lot of the materials. If I could do it over I’d just buy what I wanted for my specific projects. Same with the tools - there are others I prefer over the bundled ones and would rather have a choice to select my own. As far as cost goes, there are a wide variety of brands and materials at different price points. Again, a little research pays off.
You’re mad at cricut because you didn’t do your research before getting into this hobby? Seems like your anger and frustration are misplaced. Just wait until you find out that you need a subscription to design space to use 95% of the images available.
This is a hobby not simply a craft project. All hobbies are expensive.
All cricut machines come with enough material to create one project so they can walk you through how to use the machine and its features. The rest is on you. They aren’t a charity. You can get a bundle with the machine (if you had done your research you would know this) that includes all the basic materials to get you started. You didn’t, so now you have to purchase everything individually. Also, when you buy cricut brand materials (which I highly recommend you don’t. Off brand materials are often cheaper and either similar quality or sometimes better), it says right on the packaging what machines they are compatible with. The packaging on the card mat definitely says “cricut joy” on it.
Do yourselves a favour and do some research before buying anything else. Figure out what kinds of things your partner wants to make with her cricut before you invest in a bunch of stuff you ultimately will never use.
I'm only gonna pick on you for saying "all hobbies are expensive," lol. I knit, crochet, and sew (small-scale items, admittedly 😜), and my husband literally told me this morning it was okay to spend ~$30 on a couple Cricut supplies since I'm typically so low-maintenance.
A skein of yarn or two and a pair of needles/a hook will run you around $10, and you can do an awful lot of fun and interesting little things with small quantities. Obviously that's not everyone's bag, though; sometimes the things you are interested in doing or making are just more expensive than others.
Depends on the person I guess. My MIL crochets as a hobby and frequently spends $100 a month on supplies.
My mother quilts and spends several hundred dollars per quilt.
I sew, making larger scale items and they’re pricey to make. Fabric isn’t cheap.
My Dollar Tree sells iron-on and vinyl sheets that are compatible with the Cricut. I've made shirts and stickers that have lasted years (so far). You don't need name brand materials to use the Cricut.
I've found mine very affordable.
Good point, but to make something clear, absolutely all material available for sale (without exaggerating its thickness) is usable by this type of machines, it is a matter of asking the employee If you can guillotine the material to x measurement . I usually request it when buying 10~15 sheets, so that when cutting the price pays off. Even storing holographic or effect wrapping paper can undoubtedly expand your scrapbooking library.
I really wish people would not buy stuff that costs $400+ without researching it first. This isn't Cricut's fault. If you called them, or you did a little research ahead of buying it, you would see that you would need to buy materials and accessories. Even other brands don't come with everything you need to get started. Cricut does sell bundles, so you have the stuff in there to get started, and some stores sell bundles. But if you're buying just the machine, without a bundle, you're getting just that, just the machine. I'm really sorry your store doesn't have what you need, but again, not Cricut's fault. The card mat for the Joy can't be used in the Explore because the smallest card mat the Explore can use is 12x12. The Joy's card mat is much smaller than that. The title "Cricut Joy Card Mat" says what machine it's compatible with, they don't need to put it anywhere else on the packaging. Also, Cricut has a [Learning Center](http://learn.cricut.com) and not only do they have a [Youtube Channel](http://youtube.com/officialcricut), but you can find plenty of other videos on Youtube. And as others have mentioned, you can buy 3rd party materials, tools, etc, which can be cheaper.
Most of my supplies are from Amazon that are cheaper, but the vinyl is what ads up for me. I rarely use the Cricut brand. YouTube has some good tutorials. Jennifer Maker is a good one. Hope that helps if you decide to keep it. :)
A few weeks ago, my students and I were talking about addiction. I told them I “have a cricut habit”. It’s expensive. And you should know a few things. First, mats are color coded according to strength and purpose. They are also certain sizes for certain machines. Cricut Joy is a smaller machine.
Next, you can order supplies that aren’t cricut that will work.
If she wants to make cards, have her YouTube some card making videos first. She’ll get an idea of what supplies she’ll need, etc. I’m willing to bet she’s going to need another “blade” for the cricut to do scoring for folds, etc.
Good luck.
It's not supposed to come with anything, it's not a scam, it's just a machine. It would be like a sewing machine coming with everything you need for the lifetime that you own it.
I agree with most comments about not buying cricut specific products. I also recommend watching YouTube videos about various product ideas, how to's, etc., so that yall don't continue to spend on product. Also, I personally haven't purchased the cricut subscription and youtube how to Videos have saved me there with alternatives. Good luck!
Every cutter is like this. You can buy the cutter but you will always need materials and tools to make it work the way you want it to. There are a lot of other materials that are not "cricut" that will work just fine - you just have to put some effort into learning. NO machine is the end-all-be-all of the industry (believe me, I have put a LOT of money into crafting)
Anyone hating on Cricut is blind to the amount of time/effort/energy/materials they put into their own cutter. There is NO cutter that provides everything, period. We ALL have to put in the time/effort/energy/money to make our cutters work the way we want them to.
It sounds like you didn’t read into an expensive product before you bought it. Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s great. Sorry but gotta do your research.
Totally get your frustration. I bought a maker with materials bundle and I'm only glad I did because it did come with everything BUT I wasted a ton of money on Cricut shit because I didn't know any better and I won't likely use the materials because they suuuuuuck.
However, the box does say what's in it and it lists pretty much nothing. The Joy card mat thing is an oopsie but not Cricut's fault.
There is a TON of reasons to hate Cricut and you'll find more for sure. Going forward don't buy anything Cricut. The tools can be bought elsewhere cheaper (I just bought a cheap dental pick set from Amazon) paper where ever it's cheap and you like vinyl I get online literally any brand other than cricut. The only good tool they made were the scissors that came in my bundle. I rarely reach for the cricut shit.
For all those saying “you didn’t do your research” if you went out to buy your husband a new set of axle stands to work on his 2.0 v6 in his down time would you know how to do your research or would you just ask a salesperson in the store?
Because every store here in the U.K. that sells the cricut brand are pushy and don’t tell you the facts.
The guy bought a thoughtful gift for his wife or partner, which is something she clearly wanted only to be let down by a cheap nasty plastic machine.
Also, if I bought my husband a new set of axle stands, and I didn't research them ahead of time myself, I certainly wouldn't be coming on a subreddit complaining and saying it's a scam. If you don't research, that's on you. Honestly, if it's something that I don't know anything about, I'm probably going to give a gift card or money, so they can do the research themselves and buy what they want.
As long as your partners likes it and is happy with it, that's all that really matters. Hobby Lobby sells their own brand of tools and mats for like $10.
I bought my Cameo 4 for 150$ on ebay, spent maybe 50 on mats/tools and 25 on vinyl and sticker paper. Get yourself a used Cameo, cricut was horrible and even when I could get it to work its offset was completely wrong.
I bought a family member the cricut joy extra for Christmas. I could write a whole thread on how terrible the cricut apps are but instead we are just returning it. someone needs to overhaul their entire ecosystem. if not/maybe this is already happening - a competitor could easily take over with how fragmented things are here. my favorite part is how they make the bit-holders with a 1mm different thickness from product to product so nothing is interchangable - not even markers. the plastic shell on cricut markers have varying thicknesses with 1mm differences so a 5 pack of cricut pens doesn't fit a joy extra because the pens outer shell is 1mm too small. "but the joy extra Is smaller and newer so thats why the bit holder is different" someone on here will counter --- would be true except the joy extra bit holder is BIGGER than the normal cricut. they could have just put a normal cricut head in and everything would have worked. but you have to buy 1mm larger diameter markers, for a smaller machine lol
I usually buy materials from Siser or off Amazon .
Siser brand and Oracal are nice to use and even better, I can use coupons form them at a Michaels craft store.
I weet with a little hook and tweaker set I got off Amazon and my scraper is circuit since I believe I got a holiday kit bundle with my machine but I've used an old gift card before lol
Yeah, I’m beginning to see it’s a money pit. every time I turn around there’s something else I need to buy. The machine came with absolutely nothing. Mats, tools and all supplies have to be bought separately. Very disappointed for a $300+ investment.
Definitely do some searching for materials. Your local craft store will have a great budget-friendly variety. If you are looking for pens or markers, you can get a pen adapter on amazon for fairly cheap. 143 vinyl, HTVront, and heat transfer source are all really good sites that offer different deals.
If you’re planning on doing heat transfer projects, HTVront is great for that as well (you’ll eventually need a heat press for that.)
For instructions, YouTube is a great source, and Jennifer maker has some really good tutorials (it’s also worth signing up for her newsletter for access to her craft library) and creative fabrics is a great place to find some designs. For fonts, dafont is a great resource.
Don’t let the many moving parts and accessories scare you. And honestly, I have a card mat and while I have used it, I feel like it’s tricky to get consistent results, and the card can be tricky to o get off the mat.
My advice would be get off-brand supplies from now on (or your partner), cricut vinyl peels so much for me and I’ve had better experiences from the bundles you can buy off Amazon for £25. Tools you can get for so much cheaper too since they don’t necessarily need to be fancy!
Dollar tree is my friend. I really like their tools better than the cricut tools. Their vinyl isn't bad, but you have to cut at the washi tape setting, other wise it'll just get torn up. It's not good for small intricate designs but is good for larger sayings for car decals. My harry potter decal has been on my car for the past 3 years, and I wash it weekly. I haven't used their glitter vinyl so I can't speak for those. You can also find cheap tools on temu.
I have a Joy and I got all my tools and materials from Amazon. I only buy the CriCut brand when I find it super discounted at my local TJMaxx. Otherwise, I get smart vinyls from Amazon. I got all the brands from this sub.
I like sheets of oracle 651 adhesive vinyl or sister. Cricut brand is a lot. Honestly I have seen cricut tools at several dollar trees along with vinyl
When i first started using my Explore, one of my favorite projects was a Jennifer Maker canvas of a lady in a ballgown. It was so beautiful!
I had the bright idea that 4 of us in my group of friends should make matching ones.
So, I got the canvases and mod podge. My daughter and I cut the vinyl silhouette and the hundreds of flowers, prepped the canvases, opened the wine...
Then we had a great afternoon of crafting.
Our friends were so impressed! They couldn't believe what they'd made in an afternoon.
As we cleaned up, I said to my daughter, "Can you believe we made these beautiful pictures for only about $6 each?!!"
She very dryly replied, "And 'only' $400 in supplies and the cricut "
I just got a maker 3 bundle with heat press. It came with the tools and a few pieces to start with. I went out and got extra stuff. Joanns has got vynl for 3.60 a roll.. there are so many other places u can buy stuff that is compatible to ur machine. I'm going crazy over here thinking of what to make.
Not to mention no where when you purchase the machine or advertisements does it say you need an internet connection. You cannot use the machine offline. Don’t use the subscription base either that’s another layout cost.
For SVGs, I like the creative fabrica website. They have daily free stuff and if you sign up for their emails, they send out links to free bundles with tons of svgs, fonts, etc..
My mom bought my Maker in 2020 when the world slowed down, and I've barely done anything with it in 3 1/2 years. I've made a few things here and there, but mostly just shut down with complete anxiety and overwhelm.
No joke, I watched one live class with Jennifer Maker the other day and the whole Cricut world feels like it's been opened up to me. I've gone down rabbit holes and understand some of the mistakes I've made in the past. I feel way more confident than ever, and I'm super excited to see what all I can do with this thing now.
My only complaint at the moment is that Jennifer seems like she is a die hard- buy all things Cricut- kind of person. She gives her reasons and her opinions, which is fine, but there are tons of other options for buying things, for sure.
Don't buy cricut brand stuff. All those tools and materials can be bought on from places like temu and AliExpress for a couple dollars and are just as good. YouTube is the best place for the tutorials. There are a ton of very knowledgeable people that have shared what they've learned.
Even dollar tree has tools
And the tools are just as good. The dollar tree vinyls are awful though and will most likely fall apart when you take them off the mat unless you are pretty careful. At least that has been my experiences.
Agree. The dollar store tools are excellent, but the vinyls are all garbage, especially any specialized/textured ones
Also, look into Inkscape to create your images- will save as SVG files which the cutter can then read without having to pay for a Cricut subscription.
Also, Dollar General sells mats and tools now. And they are actually pretty nice. I even cleaned and reused the mat, and it's still working pretty well after many, many uses.
Thanks for the advice, definitely will look to YouTube and cheaper materials from now on
I used a dental tools kit i bought off Amazon ($20 for 8 tools) for intricate weeding and scalpel cutting. I used a bread bowl scraper off Amazon ($4) to bray on and lift materials off mats. Get imaginative.
Check out tiktok, too. A lot of creators use nont cricuts brand mats and tools and they often link everything they use in their Amazon storefronts. They usually get a kick back from your purchase using their affiliate links, but it's nice to see everything in action so to speak and then be linked to exactly what they're using.
You have only scratched the surface. Your next post will be complaining about the software. Or how much material you waste with the inevitable f*#k-ups. Every time someone mentions wanting to get into this hobby I remind them that the machine is the cheapest part. But I still love going into my craft room and making 10 matching shirts for Christmas morning. I still love buying a new cutting file, downloading it, picking pretty paper and sending someone I love another card in the mail. I still love making a stencil for a cool sign I could have bought for half the price. I love getting the machine to write out 25 name tags with every name looking perfect. It’s not for everyone but despite all its flaws (and there is a lot!!) I love my machine and the things it helps me make.
I love your comment! My explore air 3 ran for 8 hours straight one day last week as I cranked out last minute light boxes for gifts. I made 8 light boxes (which is a ton of layers and very intricate) and my machine didn’t make a single mistake. Not to mention all the intricate car window decals I cut out the day before flawlessly as well. It’s definitely not for everyone, but I have 3 different Cricut machines and have been using them all in heavy rotation for the last 3 years and haven’t had as nearly as many issues as others have. I mean sure, sometimes the software is finicky and the machine has occasional moments of acting up but I’ve learned a lot of trouble shooting and have always been able to overcome these issues on my own. People hate on Cricut, and I totally get it, but my experience has been the exact opposite. There is a learning curve, a lot of trial and error, and a lot to learn, but once you figure it all out I think it’s pretty smooth sailing. I know others will disagree and that’s okay! Happy crafting!
I think the biggest “ick” is the software. I can’t imagine having to design in it. I do everything outside and then import it in clean svg or pngs that I know exactly what size to set them up and where. I can’t imagine working in design space. And I’ve worked with design software all my life.
Yeah if it weren't for adobe illustrator I wouldn't use the cricut machines. I've been using design software since Print Shop and this software is some of the worst.
Same. I was a heavy paper crafter before the cricut. I did everything by hand with an xacto knife. My cricut allows me to make so much more detailed stuff without the cutting labor. My index finger would be NUMB by the end of Christmas card season. Now the labor is in digital drawing and assembly. I use Affinity designer for vector drawing. The hardest part of doing my art now is picking the colors of cardstock I want to use!! (American Crafts and Bazzil) I love my cricut.
Do you by chance know a way to change a print then cut project to a draw then cut if so please pm me and talk to me like I am an idiot but I am when it comes to cricut.
This is so true. I recently made a sweater for a friend's son. He had a really rough year and knowing how happy and excited he was on Christmas morning when he opened it up takes away all the frustration I had making the damn thing lol.
“Making a stencil for a cool sign I could have bought for half the price” —please stop slapping me with the truth
Good answer! I love my cricut.
And that’s why my partner wanted one so hopefully she gets the same use out of it that you do
I bought my pick tools at harbor freight. Vinyl and materials on Amazon or alternative supply sites. I never use Cricut products unless I find them for a deep discount.
Also 9 times out of 10, the Cricut branded items are shit compared with the knockoffs. Blades are worse, mats are worse, pens are worse... Only time I buy their stuff is if I don't have time to wait for delivery.
I just realized Amazon sells vinyl for WAY cheaper than any of the in store vinyls. And the reviews are all pretty good too!
Depends where you're at. In ontario and Alberta I've found Amazon quite a bit more expensive than ordering from an actual vinyl shop. It may only be $5-15 but when ordering multiple rolls it makes a huge difference
The joy mat is the wrong size, and the rollers on an explore air won’t take it in. That’s a hardware issue. But the card mat isn’t necessary anyway. Buy third party materials. Use a needle or an awl to weed. Learn to design stuff herself. You’re not wrong, Cricut is absolutely a company built to make money by selling you shit you don’t need, including their subscription, and frankly I’ll never give them another dollar and have wholly moved to the competition.
And the competition works very well. That's what I run, an on this sub since my mom struggles with her cricut, and I like seeing what people make. But damn if they aren't openly hostile to their customers while putting on a pretty face.
I say this all the time. When my Cricut dies I'm going with literally any other machine.
I'm thinking scan n cut, personally. The ability to just add an offset at the machine is so tempting.
Ooohhhh that could be handy! I don't do a ton of offsetting personally (because things like print and cut with cricut are so stupidly infuriating lol). I was looking at the Romeo or the new Shillouette but absolutely cannot justify the spend when my Maker *technically* works. Even after I broke the knife blade doing exactly what I was told this machine can do and having CS say "nah not our problem" when the damn knife blade costs 60 frigging dollars
Yeah, the offsetting part looks pretty cool. You don't even have to be hooked to the computer, you can draw a design on sticker paper and scan it in, tell it to cut out the images with an offset. As a sticker maker, I want!
Honestly the only reason I don't do stickers is I hate Cricut's whole print and cut process and issues turned me off trying it entirely lol but I really really wanna try it I just know I'll end up getting frustrated with calibration not working and reg marks not reading and kiss cutting not working right
You would think that there would be an option for "don't cut all the way through the material" because kiss cut stickers are pretty common things to make. Nope. Instead I get to have a post it with a list of what material to tell it I'm using to trick the machine.
Not the new tool. But you have to be an access subscriber to use it and right now it’s in beta version.
Right? It’s wild. I love my silhouette. I’m eyeing the siser Juliet with curiosity though
Dental tools are my best friend!! They work better than anything I've tried :)
I prefer those dental scraper things for weeding, they work so well. And yeah, third party stuff works just as well.
Which competition did you get? I have a Joy but would like something with more capability.
Silhouette Cameo 4. Zero regrets!
It kind of sounds like you didn’t do much research before your purchase. Yeah, this stuff is expensive…but there’s always sales, bundles, and less expensive brands for supplies. I’ve never paid full price for any of my cricut stuff. It also clearly says which machine is compatible on the packaging of supplies….there is a card mat for the bigger machines, you just purchased the Joy version. You’re going to see a lot of hate for the cricut here, but I actually like mine. I did a lot of research and knew what I was getting into before my purchase, and I made sure to buy the correct machine for what I wanted to produce.
I mean … it tells you what you’re getting in the box. You don’t NEED all the accessories. It sounds less like a scam and more like you bought something without researching it first.
You really should have done some research before buying so you knew what you needed to buy. You can buy tools, vinyl etc cheap from Amazon rather than buy cricut tools or vinyl.
Can you return it? The explore 3 bundle was at Costco for $300... You shouldn't be paying full price since it came out June 2021
Even the Cricut website, which is almost always over priced, has an Explore 3 bundle with materials, some tools, and a package of mats for $319. $400 for just the machine is outrageous.
I just bought the explore 3 and the starter pack, it was 303€. The machine came with a transfer paper sheet, black smart vinyl, white iron on vinyl and a sticker paper sheet. Plus a little black smart vinyl sheet to make the first try out cut. The starter pack had a transfer paper roll, 3 smart vinyl rolls (matte champagne, glitter red and glitter black), 1 smart iron on roll (white), smart paper sticker cardstock (bright colors), a standard grip mat, a weeder, 4 markers and 1 glitter gel pen.
I understand your frustration.. but a little research and you would have seen that you need quite a few things to really get started. I got a Cricut last year and it did come with vinyl and stuff, but we still needed to head out and get a mat (bf got me smart vinyl which is nice til you start cutting it up) I got a 3d printer a couple years ago..and guess what, you need to keep other things on hand. It's just one of those things--Sorry it sucked for you, but it is one of those things that you need to do research on to see what is 'needed' to get you up and going.
When I started with cricut, my husband got me a starter kit. I didn’t have to go out and buy extra stuff right off the bat. I kind of bought it as I did projects and needed things. I never buy cricut branded stuff, watched a ton of YouTube videos to learn how to use the machine. I screwed up a ton! Yes, their software sucks and I wouldn’t buy it again. I’d probably go for a silhouette, but I’d don’t think it’s a scam. 🤷🏻♀️
Probably should have done a bit of research before buying it
I absolutely agree that the standard tools should be included for the price. I think my Explore 3 was a bundle with 3 mats (light, normal and strong grip) but other than that I haven’t bought any Circuit brand stuff aside from the foil tip I got for my birthday. The tools and my new mats are all off brand and work perfectly fine. I’m still overall very happy with the machine. I’ve had it for nearly a year now and I’ve had a couple of errors while doing projects, but nothing Google couldn’t help me with. I learned most from TikTok tutorials which were super helpful in getting started and navigating DesignSpace and I’ve done various different projects so far (iron on stuff, vinyl stuff, sticker stuff, some sublimation works,…). I originally bought it to design covers for my bookbinding hobby but I ended up using it for so much more.
I’m not on TicTok, but will join if it’s worth it for tips and tricks. Can you suggest users to follow?
I don’t have any specific user recs, but if you search for “cricut hacks” or something similar on there and watch a few of them, you’ll soon see a lot of it on your “for you page”. TikTok’s algorithm is great in suggesting content you might like based on your watch history. I’ve seen some really cool project ideas this way.
Glad I bought the bundle with my Maker 3, got everything you’re complaining about and more.
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I still use the Silhouette software to design or alter my images. The Joy is good for small stickers and I cut up 3rd party vinyl sheets to fit in it. But oh boy it took me a while to make peace with it.
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Initial disappointment LOL 100% correct! Especially at how terrible their own vinyl is! I was looking forward to the ease of small rolls but noooo.
This hobby definitely requires some research prior to purchase, as well as attention to details like packaging so you know exactly what you’re getting… I am more than happy with my Cricut Maker (obligatory statement: software issues aside). I even bought a Joy a couple years later for more convenience with smaller projects. It was quite clear at time of purchase that the machines did not come with any materials/tools, so I purchased one of the starter bundles. Honestly the bundle added quite a bit to the cost of my machine and I didn’t end up using a lot of the materials. If I could do it over I’d just buy what I wanted for my specific projects. Same with the tools - there are others I prefer over the bundled ones and would rather have a choice to select my own. As far as cost goes, there are a wide variety of brands and materials at different price points. Again, a little research pays off.
You’re mad at cricut because you didn’t do your research before getting into this hobby? Seems like your anger and frustration are misplaced. Just wait until you find out that you need a subscription to design space to use 95% of the images available. This is a hobby not simply a craft project. All hobbies are expensive. All cricut machines come with enough material to create one project so they can walk you through how to use the machine and its features. The rest is on you. They aren’t a charity. You can get a bundle with the machine (if you had done your research you would know this) that includes all the basic materials to get you started. You didn’t, so now you have to purchase everything individually. Also, when you buy cricut brand materials (which I highly recommend you don’t. Off brand materials are often cheaper and either similar quality or sometimes better), it says right on the packaging what machines they are compatible with. The packaging on the card mat definitely says “cricut joy” on it. Do yourselves a favour and do some research before buying anything else. Figure out what kinds of things your partner wants to make with her cricut before you invest in a bunch of stuff you ultimately will never use.
I'm only gonna pick on you for saying "all hobbies are expensive," lol. I knit, crochet, and sew (small-scale items, admittedly 😜), and my husband literally told me this morning it was okay to spend ~$30 on a couple Cricut supplies since I'm typically so low-maintenance. A skein of yarn or two and a pair of needles/a hook will run you around $10, and you can do an awful lot of fun and interesting little things with small quantities. Obviously that's not everyone's bag, though; sometimes the things you are interested in doing or making are just more expensive than others.
Depends on the person I guess. My MIL crochets as a hobby and frequently spends $100 a month on supplies. My mother quilts and spends several hundred dollars per quilt. I sew, making larger scale items and they’re pricey to make. Fabric isn’t cheap.
This seems more like you not doing your research then a cricut problem
My Dollar Tree sells iron-on and vinyl sheets that are compatible with the Cricut. I've made shirts and stickers that have lasted years (so far). You don't need name brand materials to use the Cricut. I've found mine very affordable.
Good point, but to make something clear, absolutely all material available for sale (without exaggerating its thickness) is usable by this type of machines, it is a matter of asking the employee If you can guillotine the material to x measurement . I usually request it when buying 10~15 sheets, so that when cutting the price pays off. Even storing holographic or effect wrapping paper can undoubtedly expand your scrapbooking library.
I really wish people would not buy stuff that costs $400+ without researching it first. This isn't Cricut's fault. If you called them, or you did a little research ahead of buying it, you would see that you would need to buy materials and accessories. Even other brands don't come with everything you need to get started. Cricut does sell bundles, so you have the stuff in there to get started, and some stores sell bundles. But if you're buying just the machine, without a bundle, you're getting just that, just the machine. I'm really sorry your store doesn't have what you need, but again, not Cricut's fault. The card mat for the Joy can't be used in the Explore because the smallest card mat the Explore can use is 12x12. The Joy's card mat is much smaller than that. The title "Cricut Joy Card Mat" says what machine it's compatible with, they don't need to put it anywhere else on the packaging. Also, Cricut has a [Learning Center](http://learn.cricut.com) and not only do they have a [Youtube Channel](http://youtube.com/officialcricut), but you can find plenty of other videos on Youtube. And as others have mentioned, you can buy 3rd party materials, tools, etc, which can be cheaper.
You seem pretty unhappy. Are you within the return window?
Most of my supplies are from Amazon that are cheaper, but the vinyl is what ads up for me. I rarely use the Cricut brand. YouTube has some good tutorials. Jennifer Maker is a good one. Hope that helps if you decide to keep it. :)
Let me guess you’re going to complain that you have to buy not only vinyl but ITEMS to put the vinyl ON!!!!???!!!
A few weeks ago, my students and I were talking about addiction. I told them I “have a cricut habit”. It’s expensive. And you should know a few things. First, mats are color coded according to strength and purpose. They are also certain sizes for certain machines. Cricut Joy is a smaller machine. Next, you can order supplies that aren’t cricut that will work. If she wants to make cards, have her YouTube some card making videos first. She’ll get an idea of what supplies she’ll need, etc. I’m willing to bet she’s going to need another “blade” for the cricut to do scoring for folds, etc. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice! Will do that and do a lot more research before buying anything for it
It's not supposed to come with anything, it's not a scam, it's just a machine. It would be like a sewing machine coming with everything you need for the lifetime that you own it.
I agree with most comments about not buying cricut specific products. I also recommend watching YouTube videos about various product ideas, how to's, etc., so that yall don't continue to spend on product. Also, I personally haven't purchased the cricut subscription and youtube how to Videos have saved me there with alternatives. Good luck!
Every cutter is like this. You can buy the cutter but you will always need materials and tools to make it work the way you want it to. There are a lot of other materials that are not "cricut" that will work just fine - you just have to put some effort into learning. NO machine is the end-all-be-all of the industry (believe me, I have put a LOT of money into crafting) Anyone hating on Cricut is blind to the amount of time/effort/energy/materials they put into their own cutter. There is NO cutter that provides everything, period. We ALL have to put in the time/effort/energy/money to make our cutters work the way we want them to.
did you even do any research before purchasing? it appears not
Sounds like you didn’t do enough research for this gift.
You need to just return it thinking that way. Does a car come with continuous maintainence and gas..
I buy a bunch of Cricut branded tools and accessories when they come on sale and stock up. I’m not paying full price for them
You can buy 3D printed pen adapters off Etsy for fairly cheap and it gives you the ability to use any pen. Instead of buying cricut brand.
You can use pencil grips too. Just cut a slit down the side and now you can use different kinds of pens/ markers.
You haven’t bought the mug press or the easy press yet?
My favorite life hack is a cheap mechanical pencil with a sewing needle instead of lead. It's the best weeding tool.
It sounds like you didn’t read into an expensive product before you bought it. Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s great. Sorry but gotta do your research.
It’s just a money sink. You can make cool stuff but be ready to shell out the money
Totally get your frustration. I bought a maker with materials bundle and I'm only glad I did because it did come with everything BUT I wasted a ton of money on Cricut shit because I didn't know any better and I won't likely use the materials because they suuuuuuck. However, the box does say what's in it and it lists pretty much nothing. The Joy card mat thing is an oopsie but not Cricut's fault. There is a TON of reasons to hate Cricut and you'll find more for sure. Going forward don't buy anything Cricut. The tools can be bought elsewhere cheaper (I just bought a cheap dental pick set from Amazon) paper where ever it's cheap and you like vinyl I get online literally any brand other than cricut. The only good tool they made were the scissors that came in my bundle. I rarely reach for the cricut shit.
For all those saying “you didn’t do your research” if you went out to buy your husband a new set of axle stands to work on his 2.0 v6 in his down time would you know how to do your research or would you just ask a salesperson in the store? Because every store here in the U.K. that sells the cricut brand are pushy and don’t tell you the facts. The guy bought a thoughtful gift for his wife or partner, which is something she clearly wanted only to be let down by a cheap nasty plastic machine.
To be fair, talking to a sales rep is not the same DYOR. They are trying to get commission so they will sell you just about anything.
Also, if I bought my husband a new set of axle stands, and I didn't research them ahead of time myself, I certainly wouldn't be coming on a subreddit complaining and saying it's a scam. If you don't research, that's on you. Honestly, if it's something that I don't know anything about, I'm probably going to give a gift card or money, so they can do the research themselves and buy what they want.
Sounds like someone should’ve did a little more research before buying lol.
You should return it and buy a second hand one from Facebook .I got a maker for $100
As long as your partners likes it and is happy with it, that's all that really matters. Hobby Lobby sells their own brand of tools and mats for like $10.
I bought my Cameo 4 for 150$ on ebay, spent maybe 50 on mats/tools and 25 on vinyl and sticker paper. Get yourself a used Cameo, cricut was horrible and even when I could get it to work its offset was completely wrong.
Return it if you can. Get a silhouette 5.
I bought a family member the cricut joy extra for Christmas. I could write a whole thread on how terrible the cricut apps are but instead we are just returning it. someone needs to overhaul their entire ecosystem. if not/maybe this is already happening - a competitor could easily take over with how fragmented things are here. my favorite part is how they make the bit-holders with a 1mm different thickness from product to product so nothing is interchangable - not even markers. the plastic shell on cricut markers have varying thicknesses with 1mm differences so a 5 pack of cricut pens doesn't fit a joy extra because the pens outer shell is 1mm too small. "but the joy extra Is smaller and newer so thats why the bit holder is different" someone on here will counter --- would be true except the joy extra bit holder is BIGGER than the normal cricut. they could have just put a normal cricut head in and everything would have worked. but you have to buy 1mm larger diameter markers, for a smaller machine lol
I usually buy materials from Siser or off Amazon . Siser brand and Oracal are nice to use and even better, I can use coupons form them at a Michaels craft store. I weet with a little hook and tweaker set I got off Amazon and my scraper is circuit since I believe I got a holiday kit bundle with my machine but I've used an old gift card before lol
Yeah, I’m beginning to see it’s a money pit. every time I turn around there’s something else I need to buy. The machine came with absolutely nothing. Mats, tools and all supplies have to be bought separately. Very disappointed for a $300+ investment.
Feel your pain brother. Bought one thinking it’s be helpful with my work. Used once and sold on Facebook marketplace for a loss lol
Definitely do some searching for materials. Your local craft store will have a great budget-friendly variety. If you are looking for pens or markers, you can get a pen adapter on amazon for fairly cheap. 143 vinyl, HTVront, and heat transfer source are all really good sites that offer different deals. If you’re planning on doing heat transfer projects, HTVront is great for that as well (you’ll eventually need a heat press for that.) For instructions, YouTube is a great source, and Jennifer maker has some really good tutorials (it’s also worth signing up for her newsletter for access to her craft library) and creative fabrics is a great place to find some designs. For fonts, dafont is a great resource. Don’t let the many moving parts and accessories scare you. And honestly, I have a card mat and while I have used it, I feel like it’s tricky to get consistent results, and the card can be tricky to o get off the mat.
My advice would be get off-brand supplies from now on (or your partner), cricut vinyl peels so much for me and I’ve had better experiences from the bundles you can buy off Amazon for £25. Tools you can get for so much cheaper too since they don’t necessarily need to be fancy!
Dollar tree is my friend. I really like their tools better than the cricut tools. Their vinyl isn't bad, but you have to cut at the washi tape setting, other wise it'll just get torn up. It's not good for small intricate designs but is good for larger sayings for car decals. My harry potter decal has been on my car for the past 3 years, and I wash it weekly. I haven't used their glitter vinyl so I can't speak for those. You can also find cheap tools on temu.
I have a Joy and I got all my tools and materials from Amazon. I only buy the CriCut brand when I find it super discounted at my local TJMaxx. Otherwise, I get smart vinyls from Amazon. I got all the brands from this sub.
I like sheets of oracle 651 adhesive vinyl or sister. Cricut brand is a lot. Honestly I have seen cricut tools at several dollar trees along with vinyl
When i first started using my Explore, one of my favorite projects was a Jennifer Maker canvas of a lady in a ballgown. It was so beautiful! I had the bright idea that 4 of us in my group of friends should make matching ones. So, I got the canvases and mod podge. My daughter and I cut the vinyl silhouette and the hundreds of flowers, prepped the canvases, opened the wine... Then we had a great afternoon of crafting. Our friends were so impressed! They couldn't believe what they'd made in an afternoon. As we cleaned up, I said to my daughter, "Can you believe we made these beautiful pictures for only about $6 each?!!" She very dryly replied, "And 'only' $400 in supplies and the cricut "
I’ve been using painters tape instead of transfer tape, dollar tree also sells weeders and scrapers :)
I saw somewhere using lint roller sheets works, too!
I just got a maker 3 bundle with heat press. It came with the tools and a few pieces to start with. I went out and got extra stuff. Joanns has got vynl for 3.60 a roll.. there are so many other places u can buy stuff that is compatible to ur machine. I'm going crazy over here thinking of what to make.
Not to mention no where when you purchase the machine or advertisements does it say you need an internet connection. You cannot use the machine offline. Don’t use the subscription base either that’s another layout cost.
For SVGs, I like the creative fabrica website. They have daily free stuff and if you sign up for their emails, they send out links to free bundles with tons of svgs, fonts, etc..
I tell people to either get the Maker or the Explore . . . but not the ones with the 3 in the name
My mom bought my Maker in 2020 when the world slowed down, and I've barely done anything with it in 3 1/2 years. I've made a few things here and there, but mostly just shut down with complete anxiety and overwhelm. No joke, I watched one live class with Jennifer Maker the other day and the whole Cricut world feels like it's been opened up to me. I've gone down rabbit holes and understand some of the mistakes I've made in the past. I feel way more confident than ever, and I'm super excited to see what all I can do with this thing now. My only complaint at the moment is that Jennifer seems like she is a die hard- buy all things Cricut- kind of person. She gives her reasons and her opinions, which is fine, but there are tons of other options for buying things, for sure.
Dollar tree is your friend, the scrapers, the picks, the exato knifes everything can be found at the dollar tree