Cricut Maker 3

Love this machine. I have a Silhouette Curio, and it is fairly fussy. I have had it 7 years and NEVER have gotten the hang of it. Enter the Maker. Already easier to use. The smart material is such a bonus too. I am really glad I got the more expensive machine (I was contemplating the one that did not have the smart material compatibility) and having the option is nice. You do need a may if it is not the smart material. And best of all!!! It has Bluetooth! My Curio did not so I was tethered by the cord. What a difference. Technology, right?! Going from one software to the other was not too bad if you are wondering about switching- fairly easy learning curve there. I don’t know if my designs will transfer but that has nothing to do with this machine. I just wanted to ... MoreLove this machine. I have a Silhouette Curio, and it is fairly fussy. I have had it 7 years and NEVER have gotten the hang of it. Enter the Maker. Already easier to use. The smart material is such a bonus too. I am really glad I got the more expensive machine (I was contemplating the one that did not have the smart material compatibility) and having the option is nice. You do need a may if it is not the smart material. And best of all!!! It has Bluetooth! My Curio did not so I was tethered by the cord. What a difference. Technology, right?! Going from one software to the other was not too bad if you are wondering about switching- fairly easy learning curve there. I don’t know if my designs will transfer but that has nothing to do with this machine. I just wanted to mention it if you are a Silhouette customer looking to make the switch to Cricut. No regrets here, but I didn’t have much time invested in the other. Definitely recommend the Maker though!!

Could be so much better

I wish I had done more research before we purchased this item. Yet again tonight I am sitting reading online yet another disappointing fact that if I want to cut matboard it has to a certain size which is less than the size of your cutting mats. Why? Why not make the machine large enough to accommodate all materials you claim you can cut on the size of the mat that we have to cut it on. It’s 1 inch difference and the matboard I want to cut fits within the constraints of the cutting mat. These machines are not cheap and I bought it actually help reduce the amount of work I have to do by hand and I’m not getting as much use out of it as I wanted. Right now it’s looking it like a rather large expensive paperweight that just sits on my desk. It would have been so nice ... MoreI wish I had done more research before we purchased this item. Yet again tonight I am sitting reading online yet another disappointing fact that if I want to cut matboard it has to a certain size which is less than the size of your cutting mats. Why? Why not make the machine large enough to accommodate all materials you claim you can cut on the size of the mat that we have to cut it on. It’s 1 inch difference and the matboard I want to cut fits within the constraints of the cutting mat. These machines are not cheap and I bought it actually help reduce the amount of work I have to do by hand and I’m not getting as much use out of it as I wanted. Right now it’s looking it like a rather large expensive paperweight that just sits on my desk. It would have been so nice to cut these five mats for my pictures with my machine and now am forced to do so by hand. If your mat allows cuts to up to 12 inches wide make sure that all materials work on that size or make the machinean inch bigger to accommodate a deep cutting tool that needs a little bit more space. I’m on the fence of whether I would recommend this to anyone. It seems like you promised it as a more versatile craft machine but in actuality it’s very limited on the things it can do well with. The starter bundle that we got with it was geared towards the things it does well. The thing about it is that those things are not the items that I was hoping get help with. It was the other materials that are actually difficult to cut well by hand.

Defect surfaced just after warranty...now unusable

I loved my Cricut Maker 3 machine very much! But a few short months after the warranty expired, a defect surfaced leaving the machine unusable... I do not even use the machine that much so I am not even a heavy user, and I have taken really good care of it... yet the ESD strip let lose. Honestly if I was a heavy user, this problem would have surfaced within the warranty window which is even more frustrating. This is a recessed part so it should have never come loose to begin with. I understand it is out of warranty but since it is a defect it would be nice for the company to stand by their product and support it so that it lasts longer than 16 months... this was supposed to be the top of the line machine... The Customer Service people were very nice, but they could ... MoreI loved my Cricut Maker 3 machine very much! But a few short months after the warranty expired, a defect surfaced leaving the machine unusable... I do not even use the machine that much so I am not even a heavy user, and I have taken really good care of it... yet the ESD strip let lose. Honestly if I was a heavy user, this problem would have surfaced within the warranty window which is even more frustrating. This is a recessed part so it should have never come loose to begin with. I understand it is out of warranty but since it is a defect it would be nice for the company to stand by their product and support it so that it lasts longer than 16 months... this was supposed to be the top of the line machine... The Customer Service people were very nice, but they could not help me. They did not have replacement parts so that was not an option... My only option is to buy a brand new machine... they offered $50 but considering a new machine with tax is $430, I am sorry Cricut but that does not cut it and I can't justify spending that much on something that will only last 16 months... For a machine that is perfectly good besides that one defect part, I am heartbroken. I am VERY disappointed in Cricut's policy and I am writing this review in hope of change and more support for existing members of the so called "Cricut Family." Cricut, if you are a family please work to better support your existing customers/family members.

Excellent machine!

I bought this for personal use and the occasional business project. I've done 2 different projects so far and am really pleased with the performance. It is fast, accurate and gives very professional results.It is relatively easy to use with the Cricut Design app but I found that it works better in some projects than others. The Design space is not entirely intuitive and my first project was very frustrating to set up. I needed the cuts to be in very specific places on the sheet but the Design Canvas seems to try and maximize space on the sheet which changed some of my cut placements. I was using the Cricut mat and my own paper instead of the smart materials. I finally found a happy medium with the layout and got very good results.My next project used the 9' Iron ... MoreI bought this for personal use and the occasional business project. I've done 2 different projects so far and am really pleased with the performance. It is fast, accurate and gives very professional results.It is relatively easy to use with the Cricut Design app but I found that it works better in some projects than others. The Design space is not entirely intuitive and my first project was very frustrating to set up. I needed the cuts to be in very specific places on the sheet but the Design Canvas seems to try and maximize space on the sheet which changed some of my cut placements. I was using the Cricut mat and my own paper instead of the smart materials. I finally found a happy medium with the layout and got very good results.My next project used the 9' Iron On roll. My project used the entire roll and did a great job in a single cutting job. I got fantastic results - especially with my layout knowledge from the first project - and I was really pleased with the machine.I would highly recommend the Cricut Maker 3 for it's speed, versatility and results. I have been very pleased so far and my only complaints would be difficulty in layout, how quickly the Cricut Cutting Mats need to be replaced and the fact that I didn't know that you had to pay for the use of any fonts in the Design Space.

Great machine for the price

Unexpectedly started a small business with this. It has so many abilities that it’s so useful. One blade alone can handle a ton of tasks. The program is easy to get started with. You definitely have to research a smidge to learn more abilities, but worth it. My only downfall is you are at a 13” vinyl width on here when most non-cricut brand vinyls run at 12” so you HAVE to use a mat. I’ve personally mastered all this, but you’ll need to evaluate your expectations and do some research. Using cricut brand vinyl works great though. I just need more options in larger rolls from them.

Highly recommended

I love love love my machine! It can do so many things and cut so many different materials. The possibilities with the cricut 3 are endless. I am continously learning through different projects. There is a lot to learn but tiktok and youtube will be your best friend to guide you through the process. I saved for 3 years before actually purchasing as it is very costly. However, so worth it - in my opinion. I would recomend doing your research and ensuring you will use the machine to its fullest capabilities otherwise maybe look at cheaper machine (the joy). Otherwise, i highly recommended! Especially if youre going to turn into a small business!

It works..

I have had 2 of these machines and there is a flaw with the doors and they have not yet fixed it. The reason why I've had 2 is because my first one, the doors broke within a month of basic use, just opening it and closing it, nothing in the way, nothing to cause it to break, it just broke. Then now my replacement for that one has lasted over a year but here we are again and the door broke. I am pretty sure there is no longer a warranty on it so I'm screwed desk space wise as I now can no longer close it. Cricut needs to work on the design of this machine and make it so that the top and bottom doors stop breaking like this. If you do not believe me there are countless Cricut groups on Facebook where so many others have had this very same issue. Most of us use these ... MoreI have had 2 of these machines and there is a flaw with the doors and they have not yet fixed it. The reason why I've had 2 is because my first one, the doors broke within a month of basic use, just opening it and closing it, nothing in the way, nothing to cause it to break, it just broke. Then now my replacement for that one has lasted over a year but here we are again and the door broke. I am pretty sure there is no longer a warranty on it so I'm screwed desk space wise as I now can no longer close it. Cricut needs to work on the design of this machine and make it so that the top and bottom doors stop breaking like this. If you do not believe me there are countless Cricut groups on Facebook where so many others have had this very same issue. Most of us use these for our business so it's so inconvenient for it to just break out of no where. Even though the machine still works, it is super inconvenient to pay $399 for something that will only last over a year before it breaks. Super disappointed.

Monthly subscription of $15 opens all features.

I’m assuming you’re reading this section, because an expense as large as this is a luxury. Your wise. Now before you outlay for this machine, please consider the following.There are other brands available for home use as well as this, they are often less well known because Cricut floods its name across social media platforms via Cricut Ambassadors. That roll has seen many come and go since my first delve into cutting machines. That flooding initially left me unaware of other reputable brands which I later transitioned to.Cricut has a history or stunting it’s users when it comes to creative growth byproviding software with less features than other leading brand to steer the user towards purchasing designs. Since putting their company on the stock exchange all ... MoreI’m assuming you’re reading this section, because an expense as large as this is a luxury. Your wise. Now before you outlay for this machine, please consider the following.There are other brands available for home use as well as this, they are often less well known because Cricut floods its name across social media platforms via Cricut Ambassadors. That roll has seen many come and go since my first delve into cutting machines. That flooding initially left me unaware of other reputable brands which I later transitioned to.Cricut has a history or stunting it’s users when it comes to creative growth byproviding software with less features than other leading brand to steer the user towards purchasing designs. Since putting their company on the stock exchange all premium software features are via subscription only. That’s 15 a month in Australia. These high end features like warping designs and text can be purchased for a one time fee on otherplatforms like Silhouette, through software with different tear levels.The highest tier is generally available at discount prices often and equals less then a 1 year cricut subscription. With that though, you get lifetime software that is leaps and bounds ahead of the trickle being offered by cricut. You will not find this luxury ever on cricut as they need ongoing profit margins for shareholder. Cricut is a wonderful machine, I own my original maker and use it. It has tools I enjoy, but, I use graphic design software outside of cricut then upload the finished design into design space. The ability to upload our own designs was not promoted and even under threat until extensive backlash buy the consumers flooded media platforms. Please, just research different brands because what you can do from what you get in the box is not what’s being promoted via social media. The software that gets you the bells and whistles costs you each month $15.00. $0.00 gets you bland empty software that only has value if you can design elsewhere.

Toss up whether it wastes more of your time or your money.

I received this Cricut and ordered a bunch of blades and mats to go with it. I did the setup and successfully produced the test piece, so I chucked the boxes and left it all set up on my desk. The next time I tried to use it, to print 2 labels using the same vinyl sheet as the test cut, it printed one and when I tried to print the second the power light started blinking red. I have soft- and hard-reset the device, forced a firmware upgrade, and of course checked for any mechanical defects. Nothing. Same thing with a calibration of the knife blade using printer paper on the mat. Just a blinking red power light for every job. Now, here's what I don't like about the *working* Cricut. The software is awful. The software must connect to the internet on startup, and ... MoreI received this Cricut and ordered a bunch of blades and mats to go with it. I did the setup and successfully produced the test piece, so I chucked the boxes and left it all set up on my desk. The next time I tried to use it, to print 2 labels using the same vinyl sheet as the test cut, it printed one and when I tried to print the second the power light started blinking red. I have soft- and hard-reset the device, forced a firmware upgrade, and of course checked for any mechanical defects. Nothing. Same thing with a calibration of the knife blade using printer paper on the mat. Just a blinking red power light for every job. Now, here's what I don't like about the *working* Cricut. The software is awful. The software must connect to the internet on startup, and whenever you perform arbitrary tasks. The software downloads updates on startup, without allowing the option to defer them - this may not sound like a big deal, but it takes time, and what if it happens while you are on the last 1GB of your data allowance? All designs MUST be saved to the cloud, or they cannot be saved at all - the "local" save option is actually "local and cloud". The software constantly nags you to buy a subscription for their silly club, and to pay right the right to use simple features that any other software would include. We're not talking clip art here; more like basic shapes and fonts. They'll be charging by line thickness soon. Everything about using this machine is slow. Connecting to the network is slow. Downloading the app every time is slow. Communicating with the machine is slow. The software communicates with the machine a few times during the setup of a "print job", instead of doing a simple handshake and then sending the discrete job for the device to handle. There is no message display on the machine, and the buttons on the machine do nothing until the software enables them as part of a workflow in the software - go ahead, try to feed the material/mat when the software hasn't asked you to. Despite all of this micromanagement of the device by the software, there is no indication of what the error causing the blinking red light on the machine is - in fact the software does not even seem to be aware the machine has an error! If my team made this product, they would be fired, the lot of them. There is not one aspect of this device that I can recommend. If I could get back the money I spent on this machine and the accessories and spend it on a competitor's product, I would do so in a heartbeat.

Worst Company Ever

This is the worst company I have ever dealt with even worst than my cable company!We bought one for our daughter for Christmas, and our unit was broken out of the box and it took over 4 days of constant calls to customer support to get them to send us a new one. Its the original maker not the 3 but that is half the problem they sold us the original on their website but it is now discontinued, probably why we got the last broken one in the warehouse.They finally agreed to send a new one so after all of that it took over 10 days to get a working unit, by then Christmas vacation was over and it was spent not making things but talking with customer support doing the same 10 troubleshooting steps at every phone call and after everyone we talked too.Now 20 days ... MoreThis is the worst company I have ever dealt with even worst than my cable company!We bought one for our daughter for Christmas, and our unit was broken out of the box and it took over 4 days of constant calls to customer support to get them to send us a new one. Its the original maker not the 3 but that is half the problem they sold us the original on their website but it is now discontinued, probably why we got the last broken one in the warehouse.They finally agreed to send a new one so after all of that it took over 10 days to get a working unit, by then Christmas vacation was over and it was spent not making things but talking with customer support doing the same 10 troubleshooting steps at every phone call and after everyone we talked too.Now 20 days after we got the new one that stopped working as well! Bluetooth does not connect, no customer support on weekends when we actually want to use it.Totally ruined it for my daughter now it isn't fun just a reminder of how terrible this company is.