Cricut Maker 3 Review

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the original Cricut Maker — it’s an incredibly versatile machine that makes easy work on any cutting job, even fabric.

Well, we’re pleased to report that the Maker 3 is simply a better version of the original, retaining everything that made the Maker brilliant and improving in a few key areas, namely speed and maximum cutting length.

This is all due to the fact that the Maker 3 is compatible with Smart Materials — specialist vinyl, paper and cardstock that is sophisticated enough that you don’t need to use a cutting mat when you’re using them. The Maker 3 can cut these Smart Materials at up to twice the speed the original Maker took with ‘normal’ materials and up to a whopping 12 feet in length. This is a huge improvement on the Maker’s maximum cut length of 24 inches.

So, if you’ve ever felt a little restricted by the max. cut size on the original Maker, the Maker 3 will be a great investment. All the pros of the original, plus extra efficiency and space.

The major selling point of the Maker 3 is just how damn versatile this machine is.

It’s a machine for life.

It can cut over 300 materials and is compatible with over 13 different tools — so while straightforward cutting is its bread and butter, you can also score, embellish, write, punch, foil and much more if you’ve got the necessary tool.

And this versatility will only continue to grow as Cricut release more tools, thanks to the Maker 3’s Adaptive Tool System that works with it’s incredible power and engineering.

This System basically means that you can plug into the dual carriage any of Cricut’s tools — past, present and future — and you’ll be able to use them in the machine.

One of the most popular and loved tools for the Maker machines is the incredible Rotary Blade.

This allows the machine to cut practically any fabric like butter — whether you’re cutting fine silk or thick denim. No need for a separate fabric cutter!

We’ve always enjoyed Cricut’s suite of cutting machines — right from the early days of the Expression all the way through to the later Explore Air line. But with the Maker, and now the Maker 3, they’ve really moved into the ‘pro’ category.

The Maker 3 is definitely the machine to go for if you’re looking for a desktop machine that delivers professional level results. It’s this reason that so many small craft business owners and serious cutting hobbyists opt for Cricut over many of its competitors.

Precision blades plus the whopping 4kg of downward force makes for high level accuracy and efficiency that is super rare in a relatively compact machine like this.

The tools are all impeccably well made, from the Rotary Blade which we’ve already mentioned, to the Knife Blade, which can tackle thick materials with ease and not require numerous passes.

To be expected, the Cricut Maker 3 is not a ‘cheap’ machine. At over $399, it’s certainly an investment.

Honestly, we think it’s worth the price if that’s within your budget. It’s an incredibly versatile, pro level machine that delivers on results.

For craft businesses and even hobbyists who want to perform at the top of their game, it’s a worthy investment for sure.

Where we get a little annoyed is with all the upselling and add-ons which you’re expected to buy.

The Maker 3 comes equipped with the Fine Point Blade and housing, but no other tools or materials.

And the problem is that the reason we’re buying the Maker 3 is for its versatility. So that means investing in lots of other new tools and blades — at least the Rotary Blade and Knife Blade but we’d love to try any of the 13 tools that the machine’s compatible with — and, of course, Smart Materials.

Smart Materials are understandably more expensive than the generic vinyl, paper and cardstock that requires a cutting mat, but of course this is yet another expense. And really, the number #1 way that the Maker 3 stands apart from the original Maker is the fact that it’s compatible with Smart Materials, so you almost have to buy them over the generic version as, if not, what’s the point?

All this to say, the Maker 3 is an investment that doesn’t just stop at the machine cost. Make sure you factor in the price of tools and materials if you’re working with a tight budget.

Cricut Design Space is the software that’s used with the Cricut machines to design and prepare those designs for the machine to cut.

It’s always had a not particularly great reputation — namely because it’s quite basic and not ideal for more sophisticated designing and creations. It also used to be quite glitchy although we think this has improved hugely over the past couple of years.

Regardless, many Cricut crafters choose to use separate applications for designing — CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, Sir CutsALot, for instance — and then upload their finished designs into Design Space in order to send to the machine for cutting.

As long-term Cricut users, we definitely think that there have been worthy improvements to the software over the years, but it’s still not quite at the level more elite users require. Having said that, for ‘normal’ and occasional users, we think it’s at a much better level than it ever used to be.

Bring on the updates!

They’re especially effective for long, continuous cuts and do away with a lot of the faff that comes with using traditional materials and cutting mats. Smart Materials are also really easy to weed and apply.