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If you are interested to set foot in the crafting world, the first two most important things you need are your creative potential and a cutting machine. There are several cutting machines available in the market, but Cricut comes first in the mind of many. Cricut has different products with many distinct capabilities. If you are perplexed on which machine is best for you then worry not, this post will focus on the comparison of various Cricut machines and their aspects.
Older machines like Cricut Cake, Cricut Personal, Cricut Expression, and Cricut Expression are no longer supported by the manufacturer, and Cricut Explore, Explore One and Explore Air were also discontinued.
There are three main products of Cricut that are currently being sold in the market:
- Cricut Joy
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- Cricut Maker
Let's discuss the feature, characteristics, and price of the above-mentioned machines:
Circuit Joy:
The Cricut Joy machine is the smallest cutting machine available, but don't get fooled by its weeny size. Circuit Joy is a compact little machine with a single blade and pen housing. Its cut width is 4.5 inches and astonishing 20 inches of length. It also comes with a card mat that makes it quite accessible for card making. Joy also has a range of specialized tools and materials. Another notable feature of Joy is its matless cutting capability.
The price of Cricut Joy is $180 which can be a bit high for many novices but still, Cricut Joy cutting machine is capable of doing most of the tasks including drawing. It can cut any type of materials like vinyl, papers, corrugated/flat cardboards, thin Faux leather, and foil acetate(plastic).
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Cricut Explore Air 2:
The difference between Cricut Joy and Cricut Explore Air 2 is its size because Explore Air is a full-size machine that can cut over 100 materials with a cut width of 12 inches. A rotating nob at the top makes it different from other machines. The nob is used to quickly select the material.
The housing of Cricut Explore can keep both pen and blade at the same time and supports up to 5 cutting, writing, and scoring tools. The major difference between Explore Air 2 and Cricut Maker is its adaptability. Cricut Maker can adapt a wide range of tools while Explore Air 2 has a limited set of tools.
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Cricut Maker:
The second product is Cricut Maker that has all the capabilities of Cricut Explorer but with a lot of new features. Its most significant feature is fabric cutting with the rotary blade. There is no limit to fabric selection, you can even cut felt. It can also draw and score as well.
Another noteworthy aspect is its ability to cut thicker material like balsa wood with the knife blade. The maximum thickness of the material that can be cut with Cricut Maker is 2.4mm. The housing can hold pen and blade at the same time so there is no need to swap tools like Cricut Joy.
Apart from its basic tools, the Cricut Maker supports a wide variety of tools such as engraving, debossing, wavy, and perforation tools. The manufacturers have designed this machine in a way that it is adaptable with a lot of new tools and features.
The current price of this machine is $330 which is worth considering all the features that it offers. It could be a very handy investment if you are seriously contemplating to make crafting your profession. There are more than 300 materials that can be cut with Cricut Maker. If you are into sewing, paper crafter, or even woodworker then this machine is a must-have.
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| Feature | Joy | Explore Air 2 | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | Hobbyist - for fun little projects | Hobbyist - with a wide range of DIY projects | For Pro level crafters |
| Supported Material Width (max/inches) | 5.5 | 12 | 12 |
| Supported Tools | 2 (cutting and drawing) | 4 (cutting, writing, and scoring) | 12+ (cutting, writing, scoring, and effects) |
| Dual Tool holder | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2X Speed | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free Design Space App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Print then Cut support | No | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity Support | Wireless Only (Bluetooth) | Wireless and Wired both (Bluetooth/USB) | Wireless and Wired both (Bluetooth/USB) |
| Amazon Link | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
Conclusion:
Being a crafter, the most essential item to have is a cutting machine. There are many cutting machines available in the market and deciding which one is the best and suitable for you is no less than a hassle. In this post, we covered three different cutting machines from a leading cutting machines maker, Cricut. Cricut Joy is a tiny and budget-friendly machine, while Cricut Explore Air 2 is a pared-down version of Cricut Maker. Whereas, Cricut Maker is an all-around machine that can cut all the material that you can imagine with a huge range of tools. If you are serious about crafting, then investing in Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Air 2 would be quite advantageous. But if you are a hobbyist then having Cricut Joy will do the job.
