Is the Cricut all it’s cut up to be?

11/24 2009

I was traveling south of the Mason-Dixon line today to visit family in Raleigh, NC. I took some pictures and worked on some posts before I left (and they have WIFI and I brought my laptop), so my blog and readers will not be neglected. Don’t forget to enter the Frog Tape giveaway in the post below!

I’ve mentioned using my Cricut in a few past posts and had some questions about what it is and how it works. Basically, the Cricut is a cutting machine. It’s primarily geared toward “scrapbookers“, but has many home decor applications. I purchased one when I started Mustard Seed Creations, my decorative painting & mural business and it was a smart purchase. I’ve used it to primarily cut vinyl lettering (pictured below), but I have recently experimented with chipboard and card stock.
The vinyl lettering is a great enhancement for murals, like this verse applied over a scene I painted in a client’s kitchen. I have a very steady hand, but it’s almost impossible to get lettering this crisp with a brush alone. The vinyl looks sharper and is much faster.

I’ve also cut vinyl for advertising MSC on my van and for the door & windows of our new shop.
So, here’s the Cricut Expressions machine. The number of buttons and dials can be a little overwhelming, but it’s pretty user friendly if you read the directions.

In order for the Cricut to work, you have to insert a cartridge and keyboard overlay. There are tons of cartridges (ranging from $20-$80) available that offer a variety of fonts, designs, greetings, motifs, etc.

The keyboard overlay is really pretty cool. You place it over the keyboard and it totally changes how the buttons are used with each cartridge.

You apply your paper (or vinyl, chipboard, whatever you want to cut) on the sticky cutting mat, load the paper, select the design or letters you want to cut, set the blade depth and speed, and let the Cricut do it’s work.

It makes perfectly clean & sharp cuts.

I covered this flower cut out of a cereal box in German glass glitter and made it into a Christmas ornament.

I also used the Cricut to cut the Wish banner I featured last week…

…and this bird ornament. Can’t you tell I’m on a glitter kick?

So, should you go out and buy one? Or ask for one for Christmas? Here are the pros & cons –

Pros ~

1.) This machine does A LOT. You can use it to scrapbook, for school projects, to make cards, cut stencils, vinyl, chipboard, sheet magnets, all kinds of materials. It also has ink cartridges to print images onto paper.

2.) It is easy to use and has a good customer support system.

3.) It makes perfect cuts (as long as the blade is sharp and your mat is sticky.)

4.) It is much faster and more precise than cutting things by hand.

5.) It has really cute fonts & designs. You can create amazing things with this machine and customize your lettering and designs for the look you want.

Cons ~

1.) It’s expensive. The larger version of the Cricut (the Expresion, the one I have) runs about $300 and the smaller version is about $100. That doesn’t sound too bad, but this is a machine that requires LOTS of accessories that really add up. You need cartridges ($20-80/piece), cutting mats ($6-18/piece), blades ($7-15/piece), and blade housing ($15-30/piece.)

2.) The blades & mats have to be replaced pretty often. If the blade is dulled or the mat isn’t sticky, the paper shifts and snags.

Bottom line ~ This is a great tool if you do a lot of scrapbooking, card making or crafts. It’s especially worth it if you’re in a profession (like mine) where you would use the Cricut a lot. I would imagine this would be great for teachers or homeschooling moms in addition to those in the design industry. If you only do an occasional craft, I would suggest you purchase pre-cut pieces for your projects instead of spending the money on a Cricut.

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Comments

Anne says:

11/24 2009 at 6:01 pm

Thanks for the review! I think JoAnn Fabrics will have a Cricut machine in sale the day after Thanksgiving for $75 … I believe it's the $200 model that will be this cheap.

Lisa@Pickles and Cheese says:

11/24 2009 at 6:04 pm

Thank you so much for posting this. I was wondering if a Cricut was something I should invest in. I've never seen one nor do I know anyone who owns one. So all of your information was extremely helpful. Thank you!!

Stephanie says:

11/24 2009 at 6:16 pm

I'm so glad you posted this! I have been eyeing the cricuts but wasn't too sure…thank you ma'am!

bj says:

11/24 2009 at 6:17 pm

I can't wait to see your black candlesticks…if they are prettier than mine, I'll have to throw a hissy fit !! *wink..
xo bj

Shannon says:

11/24 2009 at 6:17 pm

I have been wanting one for a while. I scan the craigslist ads every so often, there are always some on there. My sister and I have talked about even sharing one, to save on the cost. Thanks for giving the pros and cons about it.. It is helpful to hear from somebody who actually has one.

caroline joy says:

11/24 2009 at 6:20 pm

I saw that same Joann's ad and thought of MMS! So, you do have your secret weapons after all

Vintage Junky says:

11/24 2009 at 6:41 pm

Thanks for the great review! I am forwarding this to Mr. Hughes to check out. I think it is great!

Smiles~ Michelle

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says:

11/24 2009 at 6:41 pm

Thanks for the in-depth information on this. I have been reading how other bloggers have used it and wondered what was involved. It wouldn't be a good purchase for me because I wouldn't use it enough. I do like the idea of the different fonts and letters it would do, but I can get vinyl lettering pretty inexpensively and I find a lot of the vinyl places will do a custom order.

Caro says:

11/24 2009 at 7:13 pm

A much better option, less $, is the Silhouette system. You dont need any cartridges, you just use fonts and stuff from your computer So you can do anything you want!

Tattered & Timeless says:

11/24 2009 at 8:01 pm

The one two things the larger cricut can do that others can not is that it can cut chipboard (thicker materials) and it can cut letters up to 24 inches tall. All others do letters maybe up to 6 inches and do not cut chipboard.

I really want one bad but it may not happen this year.

Jane says:

11/24 2009 at 8:09 pm

That was a very accurate review of the cricut. My husband gave me one for Christmas last year and I have used it for a few of my projects. Like you said, it is very user friendly. I have 2 cassettes and for my purposes that has been all I have needed.
Thanks for the posting the review!
Jane

{ L } says:

11/24 2009 at 9:41 pm

Thank you for posting this! I have wanted one for awhile. It's on sale on Black Friday at Wal Mart for $188!! (the big size!).

This review you wrote is VERY helpful! I so appreciate it. And you've created some beautiful things too by the way.

Sandy says:

11/24 2009 at 10:32 pm

I bought mine used on Craigslist for $75.00. I love it! I wanted one for a long time, but so pricey. So I looked for one on Craigslist every day last summer, I am very happy with it.

Funky Junk Interiors says:

11/24 2009 at 11:37 pm

Ahhhh, gotcha! It's a small variation of the mammoth vinyl cutter I use for vehicle graphics. Very cool!

Thanks for the info! Now I know what the masses are talking about.

Enjoy your travels! What's with bringing the (ahem) laptop?!? Nevermind. I totally get it. My travel version is called the iPhone.

Donna

Michele says:

11/25 2009 at 12:24 am

I have a large commercial vinyl cutter, the large Cricut and the small Cricut. Hands down, the large Cricut {Expression) is my favorite. I can cut more than just vinyl.

Two tips….
First,there is a program out called Sure Cuts A Lot that lets you use your Cricut (once you hook it to your computer) with ANY font on your computer. Even better, it will use ANYTHING vectorized (in a SVG format). So the possibilities are endless. Goodbye cartridges!

Second tip for your mats, don't toss them after they have lost their adhesion. I simply tape off the area of the mat and spray it with my 3M spray adhesive. I let dry and viola, we are ready to go!

If I ever figure out how to save on the blades I will let ya know! LOLOL

Little Lizard King says:

11/25 2009 at 12:32 am

Great post. I've been questioning whether to put this on my wish list. Will the Cricut cut fabric and felt? I could see a great application with applique.
Thanks!

Petit Design Co. says:

11/25 2009 at 6:45 am

I recently purchased the new Sihouette SD (brand new for $140) after much, much research. I kept going back and forth vs the cricut. Here were my cons:
cheaper, no cartridges to buy, you can download single designs for $1.99 each (on sale this weekend for .99 each) you can make your own designs, you can use the fonts already on your computer, cuts up to 40" in length, can work with an SD card (no tying up your computer)

cons: cuts only about 9" in width, I'm not sure if it will cut super thick materials but I think it's supposed to be able to cut chipboard

Miss Mustard Seed says:

11/25 2009 at 7:29 am

Michelle, You are my hero! I didn't know about that program. I noticed the USB port, but when I researched it, I only found the design program. I will be buying that. And great tip about the mat, too!

Lisa says:

11/25 2009 at 7:30 am

Thanks for sharing all that info. Everytime I walk into Michaels, I stare at that machine. I want one. It's good to hear that despite the expense you still recommend it. It might just be my Christmas present to myself!
Thanks again
Lisa

Michelle says:

11/25 2009 at 10:55 am

Thanks for sharing about the Cricut. Ya know, I really would LOVE to have one…then I am just not sure it would be worth the expense of everything…my cousin has one and I'm able to have her cut me whatever I need. The downside is she lives an hour away from me!

I also wanted to thank you for visiting my blog and your kind words about my family pics…so sweet of you!

Have a wonderful day!
~Michelle

dee dee says:

11/25 2009 at 11:20 am

Thanks for sharing such great info with us! I do enjoy seeing all the projects you are able to create with your fun tool. Happy Thanks giving… Dee Dee

Flea Market Trixie says:

11/25 2009 at 2:34 pm

I love the glitter ornaments you made, I want some!!!

Sweet Love of Cake says:

11/25 2009 at 8:13 pm

Another tip for the mats….just use the scrapbooking glue pen (the blue one). I can't think of the name of it but just the 3M adhesive, tape it off and just put the glue everywhere, let "dry" and it becomes sticky again. A friend of mine has the sure cuts alot and she aboslutely loves it. She said it is the best thing that has been invented to work with the cricut. Kind of pricey but extremely good. I have the expressions and it was the best $300 I have ever spent.

Another pro–you can use it for cake decorating!!!

tkglenn2002 at yahoo dot com

Kim @ Cheap Chic Home says:

11/27 2009 at 5:10 pm

I was looking at a cricut in my sale papers. I'm not sure I want to pay for one, at least yet. You are making fabulous use of yours. I am still really loving that glass glitter.
@cheapchichome.blogspot.com

Ngozi says:

07/7 2011 at 9:11 pm

You don't know how glad I am that I read this blog. I was wondering if the investment in a Cricut was worth my family's hard-earned money. I really don't think it is. Nothing against Cricut, but I am not looking to scrapbook. Thanks so much for the candid advice! God bless you.