WHAT IS THE CRICUT MAKER?

~ Jenny
Learn about the newest machine, the Cricut Maker, and what is does differently than the Cricut Explore. The all new Cricut Maker This post contains affiliate links. This means, if you make a purchase through my links, I’ll receive a small portion of your purchase at no extra cost to you.

I just got back from the most wonderful time at the Cricut Mountain Make-a-thon in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not only did I get to meet more of the wonderful people from Cricut, I was with hundreds of others influencers and consumers when they announced their newest product that has been in the making for over 3 1/2 years………………….. the Cricut Maker!

What is the Cricut Maker?

The Cricut Maker is the all-new adaptive tool system cutting machine. It has been completely reengineered to be able to cut with more power (10X more than the Cricut Explore Air 2) and cut more materials (hundreds more fabrics and thicker materials) with two NEW blades- the rotary blade and the knife blade.

Rotary Blade– This new blade is a game changer for fabric cutting. It can cut through HUNDREDS of different fabrics from delicate tulle to thicker fabrics with ease. It has an all new gear which allows complete control over the blade. This means the machine can control if the blade is moving left or right, up or down, and it knows which direction the blade is facing.  This new technology is amazing!

Knife Blade– This blade is the answer to cutting thicker materials like mat board, balsa wood, heavy chip board and genuine leather. Cutting thicker materials will allow you to add more dimension and depth to your projects. This blade also has intelligent variable pressure. For each type of material that the machine cuts, Cricut has optimized the pressure for each pass so you get the cleanest cut possible.  As I mentioned before it cuts with 10X more pressure than the Cricut Explore Air 2 with 4 kg of force!

With the introduction of this new machine, Cricut has partnered with Simplicity and Riley Blake Fabrics. This means that there are hundreds of digital patterns that you will be able to cut out with the machine and there will be lots of cute fabrics to make your designs.  Patterns will range in price from $2.99 to $9.99.

How much does the Cricut Maker cost and when can I buy one?

UPDATE! Get yours now! Click the words below for the link to buy the Cricut Maker!

Buy HERE–>Cricut Maker<—–

The Cricut Maker will be available August 20th and will cost $399. This price includes the machine and rotary blade and two mats- a light grip and a new fabric mat. The knife blade will be available for purchase some time in October.  This is the most expensive of the available Cricut machines but the plan is that all the future tools they are working on will fit in this new machine system. That way you can keep keep your machine but update it with the new blade technology when it is released.

Other features of the Cricut Maker

There was a lot of time put into new design features and details. The machine is really beautiful and sleek with a champagne colored top and metal trim.

There is no open button and no more smart dial. You simply lift the lid to open the machine. Instead of the smart dial, simply choose what material you are cutting in Design Space.

Charging port and holder. The machine now has a place to hold your phone or iPad and a USB port to charge it.

Two tool cups. They have made one of the tool cups deeper which is nice to hold your larger tools and both are lined with silicon which will keep your tool blades and tips sharp.

They have also made a deeper front tool storage which allows for easier storage of more of your tools.

Other New Items 

Also, with the new machine they are releasing a new Sewing Tool Set, a new washable Fabric Pen and a new FabricGrip cutting mat. These new items will make working with fabric so much easier. Isn’t that little Cricut pin cushion the cutest?! They even have engraved the word Fabric on your scissors to hopefully prevent other family members from using them for anything else!

The Print then Cut feature has also been improved to allow you to print on colored paper! Before the sensor on the Cricut Explore could only read the marks on white paper. With the new machine it can read the marks on light-colored paper.  This will be nice to save on ink.

What about the Cricut Explore Series?

I know many people were afraid that with the release of the new machine that Explore series would be going away. That is NOT the case. They will still offer support and new tutorials for the Explore. The Explore machine is still an awesome machine. And if you aren’t planning on cutting thicker materials or fabrics it will still work very well for you.

I am very excited for this new machine and excited to use it more. I had the opportunity to use it a little bit at the conference and I loved the new fabric pen and fabric cutting capabilites. I sewed a cute little cosmetic bag and it was so easy!

(Click HERE for a link to buy that cute fabric)

If you have any other questions about the Cricut Maker please let me know in the comments below.

Everything you want to know about the new Cricut Maker. Questions like what is does, how it's different, when you can buy one and what is happening to the Cricut Explore. Learn all about it!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

27 thoughts on “WHAT IS THE CRICUT MAKER?”

  1. I am excited about the new machine because I am an avid sewer, yet sad because I just purchased an Explore Air 2 a few weeks ago. Will any of the cutting tools work with the Explore Air 2?

    1. Hi Christina! Unfortunately, the two new blades (rotary and knife) only will work in the new Cricut Maker machine. The plan is any future tools will fit into the new Maker, however. The Cricut Explore Air 2 also has the deep cut blade which allows you to cut a few thicker materials.

  2. Can it scan and cut like the Brother machine? I already have a Cricut and Silhouette. I also do a lot of stamping and the Brother Scan and cut machine would save on the dies that go with the stamps.

    1. The Maker does not have a scanner. However, you can upload your own images and cut them out so that means endless possibilities.

      I have examples of uploading my own pictures on these posts with the Cricut Explore Air 2. The Cricut Maker will also have the ability to upload your own images.

      http://www.everydayjenny.com/diy-cameo-decor-using-the-cricut-explore-air-2/

      http://www.everydayjenny.com/how-easy-it-is-to-upload-my-own-images-to-the-cricut-explore-air-2/

      And here’s an example of doing my own handwriting and then cutting it out. I noticed on one of the Brother videos they talked about doing that.

      http://www.everydayjenny.com/cricut-brightpad-review/

  3. Is the new 4 kg force compatible with the new knife blade our is that force ubiquitous for all cutting. (I do realize that the upgrade of force is primarily needed for the cutting wood option…)

    1. Pauline, I believe it it for all cutting. The new machine now has the ability to sense the pressure it is using so it can adjust the pressure depending on the material being cut. So thin material like crepe paper would have a lighter pressure cut and then thicker material like a fleece would have more pressure. I will double check for you on that answer though.

  4. This is super helpful information! We were about to purchase the Air 2, but then decided to wait for the Maker. I am BRAND NEW to the Cricut…any suggestions on what I need to have to get started with the Maker? What are the essentials?? Thank you!

    1. Hi Liz! So exciting! The new Maker is awesome! The machine will come with a light grip and fabric mat but I would recommend buying a few other mats for other materials. Here’s an affiliate link to the other types of mats. I would recommend a strong grip one- http://bit.ly/2wARZHe

      You could also look at my post about the essential tool set. Tools make it a lot easier to weed various materials. I use mine for every project.
      http://www.everydayjenny.com/what-tools-do-i-need-for-my-cricut-explore-air-2/

      Also, you could look at some of the fun materials you can cut and maybe get a few so you are ready for your first project! Here’s a link to a post I did about different materials:
      http://www.everydayjenny.com/what-materials-can-i-cut-with-my-cricut-explore-air-2-and-diy-valentines-home-decor/

  6. Does the new Maker use the same housing as the Explore series? Are the pens/markers we’ve been using in the Explore Air 2 interchangeable for in the Maker?

  7. I have the Air, and just purchased the Maker. I am wondering if I can still print and cut planner stickers with the Maker. I’m planning on selling my Air. I won’t if I can’t make planner stickers. Thanks!

  8. I am new to this and just purchased the new Cricut maker and can you please explane to me how to bring it my own images and upload images from the internet. i have lot of designs on cd’s i can put on a usb port. I have looked everywhere.

    THANKS , PATRICIA M.

    1. Hi Patricia! I’ve written a post about uploading your own files. You can read it here. http://www.everydayjenny.com/how-easy-it-is-to-upload-my-own-images-to-the-cricut-explore-air-2/ Basically you will open Design Space, click on Upload button and then Browse the files you want to upload. If they are saved on an USB you will browse the files on there. The pictures look a little different in the post because its the old Design Space, but the concept is the same. Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks.

  10. Hi Jenny!
    I just got the Maker for Christmas (yay!), which came with the rotary blade and the knife blade. I also bought the scoring tool. In your photo above (adaptive tool system) it looks like there are three more tools, what are these? Do I need those too?

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Kristin! Yay on getting a Maker! The Maker comes with the rotary blade and the fine tip blade. The knife blade has not yet been released. In the picture above you can see the bonded fabric blade (pink housing) the deep cut blade (black housing) and the fine tip blade (silver housing) all in the bottom row. The rotary blade and the knife blade are the top two. The three bottom ones are all interchangeable with the Cricut Explore Air 2. The knife and rotary only work in the Maker. The pink bonded fabric blade is for material with a backing. Because you have the rotary blade you can cut both backed fabric and fabric with no backing (and lots of different kinds!). I don’t think the pink bonded fabric blade is something you would need. Same with the deep cut blade. It is used to cut thicker materials but once the knife blade is released that also will cut thicker materials. I see those blades (pink and black) as being more for the Cricut Explore series although they most certainly can be used for the Maker if you wanted to do so. Hope that helps!

  13. I’m a little confused, I want to get the maker pretty soon here but I want to be sure that I know what I will need before. What can the maker cut with the blades that it comes with, and what other cutters do you recommend. Also, does the maker come with the tool to write with markers, or is that sold separately also? Thank you

    1. Hi Cassidy!

      This is what is included with the Maker when you purchase it (from the Cricut website):

      •Cricut Maker machine
      •Cricut Rotary Blade + Drive Housing
      •Cricut Premium Fine Point Blade + Housing
      •Fine Point Pen
      •FabricGrip Mat 12″x12″
      •LightGrip Mat 12″x12″
      •Welcome book
      •USB cable
      •Power adapter
      •Cricut Access free trial membership
      •50 free ready=to-make projects, including 25 sewing patterns
      •Materials for your first project

      Yes, it does have the clamp where you insert the pens. It cuts hundreds of materials. The rotary blade cuts lots of different kinds of fabric; from delicate fabric (tulle) to thicker fabric like denim. The knife blade hasn’t been released yet but will be able to cut through thicker materials up to 2.4 mm. If you aren’t looking to cut fabrics and thicker materials I love my Cricut Explore Air 2. You can read some of the materials it can cut here.http://www.everydayjenny.com/what-materials-can-i-cut-with-my-cricut-explore-air-2-and-diy-valentines-home-decor/

      Hope that helps!

    1. Hi Christina! It really depends on what you want to do with your machine. If you want the ability to cut thicker materials like basswood, and fabric materials then you’ll want the Maker. If you will primarily be using it for vinyl, iron-on, and paper, then the Cricut Explore Air 2 is a great option!

Leave a Reply