Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
It never fails…I miss the new hotness boat by just a smidge. I decide to buy a machine and three months later they release a new version. Just like the announcement this week about the new Cricut hotness: two new machines and an accessory that are that amazing. It’s mostly because I’m not an early adopter of technology…usually. That is changing as the technology improvements are increasing exponentially.
That being said I’m excited because Cricut just announced that they are releasing new versions of their Cricut Smart Cutter lines. Starting June 10th, you’ll be able to order the new Cricut Maker 3 and Cricut Explore Air 3.
The new machines are taking the best part of the Cricut Joy machine and moving to the larger format: Smart Vinyl. This means you will now be able to cut vinyl without a mat that is 11.5 inches tall and up to 12 feet long. 12 FEET, MY FRIENDS. The 11.5 by 23.5-inch limitation is busting wide open.
This is a game-changer
I once did a job that was 5 feet long and 6 inches tall and I had to make the cuts in 6 different pieces. It took me about 4 hours loading and unloading the mat, cutting the vinyl, weeding, cutting, placing the transfer tape, and prepping it for transport. Whew! I’m excited imagining a lot less time being spent on large projects like that.
The new machines are faster too; up to two times faster. This means that cutting time will be significantly reduced as well. Really complicated cuts take a good chunk of time to complete. I’m a commensurate multitasker but multiple cuts take up precious time.
This new technology will cut down my creating time significantly. I’m super excited about it. That’s not all though. They announced a new accessory tray for the Smart Vinyl that has a cutter built into it. The accessory connects directly to the tray on the new machines so it will feed the Smart Vinyl into the machine directly, then you just cut when you’re done. This is also a game-changer–no rolls flopping around on the table and rolling onto the floor! Sometimes it feels like a juggling act when I’m trimming vinyl and this will make that soooooo much easier too.
Even better the new machines will be the same price point as the Maker 2 and Explore Air 2, $399 and $299 MSRP. This presents an opportunity for those of you who haven’t purchased a machine yet as well. Any time a new model comes out that means the old model is discounted and you can get an amazing deal. There are probably some people that are upgrading that will list their older models on eBay and Offer Up so you can join the smart cutter community at a comfortable price point for you!
Looking forward to new avenues in making
I have the Explore Air 2 and I love it. It works well for my current needs. I intend to purchase the Maker 3 next month. This means I will use the Explorer Air 2 for everyday cutting projects and use the Maker 3 for any larger format cuts or the series substrates like fabric, leather, basswood (so excited for this), and for large orders where I can run cuts from my computer and from my phone or tablet at the same time, hopefully. I’ll need to test that out.
Best part about the new machines is that all of the tools I already have will still work with them. You can still use mats and all of the materials that you already have so that’s great.
I’m really looking forward to improving my workflow with this technology. I’ve been wanting to create large format wall décor and this will make this so much easier. I’be been thinking about getting a Maker so that I can do some leatherwork and also for the possibilities with the balsa wood option. The Explore Air will cut veneer but…balsa wood…all the custom options for building board game storage that wrangle all the expansions.
If you haven’t done so already, go to Cricut’s home page and sign up for their newsletter to get a notification when the new Cricut hotness is ready for purchase.
Happy Creating!
