Cricut US Reviews: Crafting Genius or Overhyped Hobby Gear?
We all know the simple struggle of spending hours trying to cut everything either with scissors or controlling endless dies, and that is just one reason we love a Cricut. They offer to transform the clumsiest DIY novice into an oracle of design, at the click of a button and whirring below.
Here, in this friendly deep-dive review, we slice through the marketing gloss and scrutinize Cricut's complete range of cutting machines, tools, accessories, and materials. Product quality, value-for-money, shipping/service and the making experience are what we will focus on when asking if Cricut is really genius or just hype for crafty hobbyists.
So, as connoisseurs of all things digital (and also services), we grabbed a Cricut and have been hacking with it for the past two weeks to bring you our unbiased comprehensive review. We combed Product Details and User Reviews and went through Reviews Of Top 3rd Party Sites to actually know the truth behind the brand.
So here are the things that we will unbox in this review:
- The most straightforward way to explain what Cricut is.
- A comprehensive list of cons and pros and both are written based on real user experiences.
- The verdict as to if it so much worth the rave that cricut receives.
- Frequently asked questions and how to get started with it.
Weeks now have gone by & you are wondering, when are we going to cut through the noise and tell you is Cricut US a scam? Let's dive in!
About Cricut US
Cricut® manufactures smart cutting machines that enable people to create personalized DIY projects. With a simple design app, these machines can be incorporated into absolutely any lesson where you want to create a solution from scratch or use their huge library of designs. This process is about creating the design, customization with colors, fonts, and effects to finally have a machine cut the design with extreme precision.
Between the pint-size Joy Xtra™ and all-rounder Explore® 4, to ultimate Maker® 4 that cuts wood and metal too, Cricut has a lot of models in its arsenal. They also have heat presses available and are a great group of makers.
Cricut US Meta Review - Insights and Highlights
Discover firsthand opinions about Cricut US. Is it a hit or miss? We’ve aggregated user and pro reviewers feedback for you. below are the key takeaways:
Pros:
"You can create or upload an image or design on your computer, tablet or smartphone, press the MAKE button, and Cricut will draw, score or cut your design on or out of over 200 different materials!"
"You can seriously cut hundreds of materials quickly and accurately."
"Cuts a wide variety of materials, including paper, vinyl, fabric, and even wood and metal with Maker series."
"Cricut Maker 4 is the most capable Cricut machine you can buy. Every Cricut cutting machine can cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, and similar materials, but only the Cricut Maker series can cut thick materials like wood and leather. It’s strong enough to engrave aluminum sheets, but delicate enough to cut fine details into felt."
"Cricut did some overhauling under the hood, too. The Maker 3 is up to twice as fast as its predecessor, with ten times the standard cutting force over models like the Explore 3. "
"Cricut Maker 4 makes precise and delicate cuts at an astonishing speed, resulting in a final product that looks professionally produced."
"Cricut machines come with 13 diverse cutting tools, enabling everything from cutting fabric and leather to fine engraving."
"If you don’t have a Cricut machine yet, the good news is that the new Cricut Maker 4 starts at a lower price than before, and bundles are available that give you everything you need to jump into crafting on day one."
"I’m a complete newbie to using a cutting machine. I find the owners manual and Cricut support website are easy to understand and comprehend. I also like the Cricut Design Space interface (how you program your machine to cut) because it is intuitive and easy to use."
"The good news is that it is easy to get help. There is a huge community of crafty people who share tips and offer advice."
"Cricut machines are creative and bring joy to your regular crafting. Cricut has launched various models on the market, like Cricut Explore, Cricut Maker, and Cricut Joy. All Cricut machines are the best in their work and help to provide your desired DIY projects. These machines are integrated with Cricut Design Space, a software program that helps you to make unique designs or upload pre-made designs from the Cricut Library."
"I love how compact the Cricut Maker is. When I’m not using it, it’s compact and fits on a shelf with space for all of my tools and gadgets. As a bonus, the design is sleek and has a docking slot that can hold your tablet or smartphone."
"Some Cricut machines (e.g. Cricut Maker 3) offer multiple functions such as cutting, writing, drawing, foiling, scoring, engraving, debossing, and perforating."
"Cricut EasyPress 3 Heat Press Machine (9"x 9") offers customized heat settings for different projects."
"Cricut Joy Xtra has built-in sensor to cut out stickers printed from an inkjet printer."
Cons:
"Cricut Design Space is a bad piece of software, being buggy and difficult to use. The performance is so sluggish that I often wondered if it had registered my input at all. Options would appear and disappear, and it is hard to figure out how to make things work properly."
"Years in tech and I've never had this much trouble than with the Cricut design space. Even on a gaming computer, this program just refuses to work correctly. I've had projects completely disappear from the cloud, saved them, and go in and a group of text just decides to be all smushed together. God forbid you try to select a group of items to reposition them or worst yet, you click the undo button. Sometimes line spacing has characters arbitrarily way too far apart, other times the font is all messed up looking but when you change the font to what is already selected, it fixes it."
"I had to pay for using my own designs – People who are raving about this must be lying to my opinion. I have been using a cricut joy machine for a few years now. You have to use this app. They want you to pay for everything. I found a way to make my own SVG files and upload them. After not using the machine for some time I logged on and I tried to use a few of my own previous designs which I uploaded and draw myself."
"Cricut machines themselves are not cheap—the Explore Air 2 retails for $250, while the Maker is a cool $400. I think these are fair prices considering how advanced the technology is, but what bothered me was the additional investment on top of the machine itself. To use the machine to its full potential, you have to pay extra for tools, attachments, materials, and even Cricut’s fonts and graphics."
"I’m disappointed. For a company that claims to support small businesses, Cricut’s customer service is absolutely horrendous. The machine works well, but there is zero help when you need it."
"My recent purchase of a Cricut Press directly from the company has been an incredibly frustrating experience. Upon receiving the item, I discovered it was completely dead. What followed was a horrendous replacement process that highlighted significant issues with Cricut's customer service policies."
"This brings me to my biggest complaint about Cricut Maker 4, and all of Cricut’s cutting machines. To use a Cricut machine, you must use Cricut Design Space on your desktop, phone or tablet."
"See that $8 roll of vinyl you just bought? You can go ahead and throw at least 1/2 of it away. Why? That's the amount of material that gets wasted when you cut out designs."
"Sadly, things came to a halt when I cut the basswood layer for my project. While Maker 4 can cut through wood, it requires 14 separate passes with the blade to cut all the way through. My Maker 4 failed during every attempt. It didn’t ruin the wood, it simply stopped cutting and gave me an error message."
Final Thoughts:
"Cricut Maker 4 is a worthy upgrade to Cricut’s astonishing cutting machines. It’s faster and more precise than any Cricut I’ve used, and it helped me produce artistic and professional crafts, clothes and decorations that I could never have made without this machine. There are some bugs, especially in Cricut’s amateurish Design Space software, but if you can power through with patience, it will take your crafting to heights you hadn’t imagined and send you looking for more and more things to make."
"For people like me who are always jumping around from one craft to another, a Cricut is definitely a useful tool to have in your back pocket. Its precision cutting abilities are ideal for everything from card-making to designing custom quilts, and I’ve come to rely on my Cricut for a wide range of crafting needs. Plus, the more you get familiar with the machine and its software, the more you’re able to accomplish with it.
While Cricut cutting machines are undeniably useful, they’re certainly not cheap. The machine itself is a substantial up-front investment (though they do go on sale throughout the year), and you’ll likely end up buying additional tools, accessories, and materials to go along with it. The good news is that there are certain off-brand alternatives, especially for vinyl, as well as workarounds that can help save you money as you craft. I definitely recommend spending some time on YouTube to figure out which accessories are worth the splurge and which you can live without."
"With so many options, it can be difficult to figure out which Cricut machine is right for you. To avoid overspending on features you won't use regularly, I broke down who each machine is best suited for:
The crafting pro...Go with the Maker 3. It offers the most capabilities and can handle the widest range of materials.
The casual crafter...Go with the Joy Xtra. It is easy to operate and can operate most functions, including stickers.
The DIY card maker...Go with the Joy. It fits card sized paper perfectly. It can draw designs and cut paper for easy DIY cards.
The large banner and decal crafter...Go with the Explore 3. It's ideal if you want a large cutting space and don't care about the fancier functions. Teachers, we're looking at you!"
"While Cricut’s hardware is praised for its creative possibilities, overall ownership experiece has suffered due to consistently terrible customer service, but also long delays and unaddressed technical problems — from poor connectivity issues to broken replacements. A 1.6-star Trustpilot score reveals a bankruptcy of support – with most users feeling “abandoned,” lost at sea whenever issues arise, and left in the dark by refund/subscription policies."
"Cricut machines deliver exceptional versatility and precision, empowering crafters to work with over 200 materials—from delicate paper and vinyl to leather, wood, and even metal. Their robust build, intuitive Design Space interface, and vast tooling ecosystem make complex projects approachable, while an active user community offers ample support and inspiration.
However, the experience comes with notable caveats. Cricut’s proprietary Design Space software can be buggy and sluggish, often requiring workarounds. Ongoing costs for subscriptions, branded tools, and materials add up quickly. Customer service and replacement processes have drawn consistent criticism, and heavy reliance on the online app limits offline or third-party integration.
For whom Cricut is a great fit:- Ambitious Makers: Those who tackle diverse, multi-material projects and value precision cuts and broad functionality.
- Crafters Who Learn Quickly: Users willing to invest time mastering Design Space and navigating occasional software quirks.
- Community-Driven Hobbyists: Crafters who benefit from shared tips, project files, and peer support in online forums.
- Budget-Conscious Beginners: Casual users or beginners wary of upfront machine costs plus ongoing subscription and material expenses.
- Offline-First Designers: Those needing fully offline operation or preferring open-source design tools.
- Support-Sensitive Buyers: Anyone for whom prompt, reliable customer service and easy returns are non-negotiable.
Overall, Cricut stands out as a powerhouse for dedicated crafters seeking professional-grade results at home—but it carries hidden costs and software challenges that demand patience and an informed budget."
What materials can I cut with Cricut machines?
Cricut cutters handle a huge variety. You can cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, iron-on (HTV), felt, fabric (with rotary blade), leather, and even thin wood, basswood, and aluminum.
Do I need special software or is Cricut free to use?
The Cricut Design Space app is free to use with your machine. It runs on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. You will need an internet connection to set up and run most features. Cricut also sells a Cricut Access subscription that unlocks thousands of images, fonts, and projects in Design Space (with a free 30-day trial).
How long does shipping usually take?
In practice, domestic shipping often takes about 7-12 days after you order.
Is Cricut Access Subscription mandatory?
No, you don’t have to subscribe. All Cricut machines can use the free Design Space with your own imported images or free shapes. Access just provides extra convenience (unlimited library content and fonts). Many users work around it by uploading personal SVG files or using free graphic tools.
How do I connect my Cricut machine?
Cricut machines typically connect via Bluetooth or USB. You need to ensure your device (computer, tablet, or phone) has Bluetooth enabled or is connected via USB.
What is Cricut's refund policy?
You must request a return within 15 days of delivery, and items must be unopened and in original packaging. Opened or used items typically cannot be returned. Always verify your order immediately upon receipt to see if any issues apply.
Can Cricut machines print?
No, Cricut machines are cutting machines, not printers. They cut designs from various materials. If you want to combine printing and cutting, you can use the “Print Then Cut” feature in Design Space, where you print a design on your home printer and then the Cricut machine cuts around it.
Where can I troubleshoot my Cricut machine?
Cricut provides a comprehensive Help Center on its website with articles, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides. There are also numerous online communities, forums, and YouTube channels dedicated to Cricut users where you can find support and inspiration.