Cricut Easy Press 2 Review

If you’re set on buying an EasyPress but you’re not sure whether to splash out on this newest model, we’d advise you that it’s definitely worth the investment.

Sure, it’s slightly more expensive, but the initial outlay will pay off in spades when you start your crafting.

It heats up hotter, faster, and makes for more effective presses. Especially effective when using thick materials like glitter HTV.

Simply put, it’s much closer to an actual heat press than the original EasyPress, without getting rid of any of the safety and efficiency features that we love so much.

If the original EasyPress was seen in some circles as a glorified iron, the EasyPress 2 can definitely be considered an underrated heat press.

We can’t say enough good things about it 😍

We’ll have something to say about all the different size models at some point, but suffice to say that we’re real fans of the 12″ x 10″ version — the Jumbo.

One of major critiques of the original is that we were restricted by its size to smaller heat press projects. This won’t really affect you if you stick with the normal size or opt for the mini one, but we absolutely love the Jumbo.

Suddenly, a host of new, bigger projects are on the horizon that were off limits without a traditional heat press before.

First stop, Fall blankets!

We said it about the original and we’ll say it again for the 2, but the EasyPress really is a dream when it comes to delivering high quality results.

It’s a completely different experience to using an iron, which can make for uneven adhesions and burnt edges (we can’t be the only ones, right?!).

HTV stays stuck — even through multiple wash cycles — and always adheres evenly.

And because the EasyPress 2 can reach even higher temperatures than before (up to 400°F), you can work with more materials than ever before.

It really does feel like a heat press in a more compact package.

Of course, one of the things we love about the Easy Press line is that they’re not heat presses.

Traditional presses are fiddly to set up, often time-consuming, and often much too susceptible to burning the fingers of whoever’s operating them.

You don’t have to worry about any of that with the EasyPress 2.

It heats up super quickly and evenly at the touch of a button, and there’s no complex assembly required.

Plus, once you’re using it, it’s super safe. The low profile means that it can’t be tipped accidentally out of it’s safety base to burn you or your craft table.

We always recommend strict supervision over children when they’re using devices like this, but we’re much happier with our kids letting loose on the EasyPress than we are with a normal heat press.

We always say that mastering HTV is one of the hardest things to do in the world of craft cutting.

It’s certainly not something we’d usually recommend for newbies to attempt.

But with the EasyPress 2, we’re tempted to change our minds.

It is incredibly simple to use with minimal set up and clean-up. The buttons and screen are intuitive to follow and manipulate, and you can get started immediately.

Kids love it, and we think even the least tech-savvy crafter could get their head around it!

Infusible Ink is Cricut’s amazing heat transfer sublimation system which sees the ink actually merge with the fabric — as opposed to heat transfer vinyl which simply sits on top of the fabric.

There’s no color fading or peeling like you get with normal HTV.

The EasyPress 2 is the ideal heat press to complement the Infusible Ink system thanks to its professional operation.

We’ve got to be honest, we’re not really sure of the value of the 6″ x 7″ model.

The 9″ x 9″ — the same size as the original — is pretty small as it is, so already a good choice if you’re short on space.

In our view, the small one simply isn’t cheap enough to validate its existence. Sure, it’s well sized for small designs, but so is the Medium.

Some Cricut fans are describing it as the perfect travel companion but we’re not convinced. We love crafting, but I can’t think of any holiday or travel excursion that would have benefited from us whipping out some HTV and a heat press to have a go with.

And if we’re travelling to a specific crafting event that would require us to use the EasyPress 2, I’d rather just make a little extra room for the 9″ x 9″.

Maybe it’s just us 🤷🏻‍♀️

Cricut released the EasyPress Mini in Fall 2019 and, conversely, that does seem to have a lot of value.

It’s seriously tiny — the plate size is just 3.5″ x 2″ — but it’s so small that it’s perfectly sized for small projects. The small EasyPress 2, in comparison, is just a bit too big for the smallest projects and not nearly as portable.

If you buy the EasyPress 2 and you expect it to work just as well as a professional heat press, then you’re going to be disappointed.

As we’ve emphasised time and time again, the Easy Press is designed to hit that perfect sweet spot between an iron and a heat press .

There are some compromises: it can’t reach the highest temperatures and it’s not so good for multiple applications of the same design over and over again.

Having said that, we think it’s the right fit for most home crafters. It’s certainly more efficient and easy to use than a traditional heat press.

But it won’t be a good buy for people using HTV on a large and professional scale.

With that in mind, some people may find the price tag on the EasyPress 2 a little steep.

It’s certainly more expensive than the original EasyPress, as well as some of the cheapest, lower end of the market heat presses.

Personally, we think it’s worth the investment over a normal household iron.

But you’ll need to decide what it’s value is to you personally, and how that fits within your crafting budget.

One of the most attractive things about the new Easy Press is the fact that it’s available in three different sizes — ideal for anyone who felt constricted by the original.

Here are the sizes:

• 6″ x 7″

This is the small size that’s ideal for smaller scale projects and anyone who wants to cut down on size.

The heat plate gets up to temperature in a little over a minute, meaning that you can cut down on the time it takes to make your project as well.

This one weighs just 3.3 lbs. It’s the travel size heat press!

We’d recommend the mini size for baby clothes, cosmetic bags and bibs.

Also check out the Cricut EasyPress Mini if you’re looking for a pint size heat press for teeny tiny projects. The plate is just 3.5″ x 2″!

• 9″ x 9″

The ‘classic medium’ is the same size as the original EasyPress although, of course, it comes with all the additional features of the new model.

It weighs 5.73 lbs, which is just a tiny bit heavier than the 5 lb original.

It promises to heat up in just over 2 minutes, which is a huge improvement over traditional heat presses that can take anywhere between 7 and 18 minutes.

You’ll be working with t-shirts and larger bags with the 9″ x 9″ model.

• 12″ x 10″

We’re sure that we’re not the only crafters that are most intrigued by this ‘jumbo’ size.

Weighing 8.6 lbs, the jumbo is ideal for large scale heat transfer projects that the classic medium is just not big enough for.

One of our major bugbears with the original Cricut EasyPress was the fact that it simply wasn’t big enough to compete with traditional heat presses. This new jumbo size could easily change our minds.

Heating up in just over 3 minutes, it’s just as convenient to use as the two smaller models as well.

Use the jumbo for projects like banners and blankets — anything big will do!

Not only can the EasyPress 2 reach temperatures of 400° F, but it can also get there quicker than ever.

Some of the best professional heat presses that we’ve used in the past have reached 450° F and most are somewhere in the region of 400°, so Cricut are definitely taking us closer to the heat press power territory than they did with the EasyPress, which could only reach 350°F.

Not only does this mean that the EasyPress 2 will be more effective at pressing, but also that it can take on a wider variety of materials than its predecessor.

The heat-up time has also been improved by up to 25%.

The original EasyPress was already much quicker than traditional heat presses — some of which can take 10 minutes plus to reach their desired settings — but the EasyPress 2 is Speedy Gonzales in comparison.

The mini model takes just over a minute to reach full heat, the classic medium just over two minutes, and the jumbo just over three minutes.

Plus, the EasyPress 2 will remember the time and temperature settings that you used for your last press. This means even more time saved if you’re doing multiple presses that require the same settings. No need to input the details every time!

One of the biggest advantages of choosing a heat press over a normal household iron is that you can achieve a much more uniform temperature.

A uniform temperature means that the design is heated evenly and makes for a more successful end result. Without even temperature, you could end up with a design that’s burning on one side and nowhere near ready to stick on the other side.

A normal household iron has a temperature variant of +/- 100° F over its surface.

It’s easy to see why things can go so wrong with an iron…

The original EasyPress had a much more manageable variant of +/- 9°F and the EasyPress 2 has improved on it further by reducing its variant down to +/- 5°F.

It’s managed this thanks to a thicker heat plate that is better able to distribute heat evenly about the plate.

This puts the EasyPress 2 much more in line with traditional heat presses.

Something touted as an advantage of the EasyPress 2 over the original is that the new one comes with  ‘new streamlined safety base’.

Apparently, this safety base is meant to keep the EasyPress in a protected resting position while also protecting the surface what you’re crafting on.

We’ll be honest, we’ve got no idea what this really means as we always thought the original was ultra safe too 🤷🏻‍♀️

But anything that increases safety is a win in our book!

The final feature that we think is worth getting excited about when it comes to the Cricut EasyPress 2 is the fact that it’s debuting with a glorious raspberry accent.

CUTE.

We enjoyed the turquoise color of the original, but this is pretty much the perfect color to complement the aesthetics of our craft room, so we’re definitely on board.

Take a look at Tanner Bell’s first impressions of the machine: