Cricut Maker 3

Product Link: https://cricut.com/en_gb/cricut-maker

RRP: £399.99

If you are a fan of arts and craft, you may already be aware of Cricut’s machines, and the potential they have for all sorts of projects. The previous Cricut Maker™ machine was a huge success in the arts world and still has many avid fans. However, unlike the name suggests, the Cricut Maker™ 3 is not the third incarnation of the Maker range. It is the second. Though the name is slightly misleading, it does serve a purpose. The Cricut Maker 3 is named as such so that it aligns with the Cricut Explore™ 3, another product by Cricut, both devices are of the same generation – hence the number 3. Now we have got that out of the way, let’s find out more about what the Cricut Maker 3 can do!

The Cricut Maker 3 can work twice as fast as its predecessor when working with Smart Materials™. It also boasts ten times the power of the previous Cricut Explore model, whilst maintaining a professional standard of top-level precision and detail. This new electronic cutting machine is compatible with over 300 different materials. Whether you are working with delicate parchment papers or thicker, stronger materials, such as faux leather, the Cricut Maker 3 can cut it!

So, what is in the box when you order your Cricut Maker 3? You receive the machine alongside the adaptive tool housing, a premium fine cut blade, a USB cable for connecting to a computer, and the power adapter. Each purchase comes with some complimentary materials so that you can get started on a product straight away. We were provided with some Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock, Smart Vinyl, and Transfer Tape. You also get a free trial to Cricut Access™.

Advocates of the Cricut brand will already know about Smart Materials. However, they are still a very recent conception. Smart Materials make the cutting mat redundant. This will be music to many ears, if you make a mistake on the cutting mat you have to start all over again, and this can be a real pain! To use the Smart Materials, simply load these into the Cricut Maker 3 and the machine will do all the hard work for you! One of the key features of the new Cricut Maker 3 is the adaptive tool housing. As the name suggests, this allows you to quickly change the tool you’re using with total ease. There are thirteen different tools that you can use in the cutting machine. Various blades can be used in the Cricut Maker 3, and these include a knife blade, rotary blade, deep-point blade, bonded-fabric blade, and wavy blade. Other tools that can be used in the adaptive tool housing include tips such as a debossing tip or an engraving tip, foil transfer tool, perforation tool, scoring wheels, and various pens and marker pens too.

If you don’t already have an idea of what you would make with the Cricut Maker 3, then don’t worry! Cricut Design Space™ is a handy app to be used with the machine, which welcomes you to the community. You can find inspiration for great projects to make and access plenty of helpful resources, with over 150,000 images and over 500 fonts to get you started. Cricut Design Space is free to use and there are a lot of things you can create. Whether it’s 3D animals, engraved bracelets, or welcome signs, the creative possibilities of the Cricut Maker 3 are endless. Some designs have an additional cost, which you can either buy as you go along, or subscribe to Cricut Access™ to use all of the fonts and images without further cost (excluding licenced images).

The Cricut Maker 3 is a magnificent tool for people who live and breathe arts and crafts. If you want to take a closer look at what other people have already done with their cutting machine, log onto your social media accounts (either TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, etc), and search for the hashtags #cricutmade and #cricutuk. If this doesn’t inspire you instantly, I don’t know what will!

Rating: 5/5

Pros

Very fast
Adaptive tool housing, Adaptive Tool System™
Compatible with Smart Materials™

Cons