What’s the difference between the Cricut Joy, Explore Air 2 and the Maker?

What’s the difference between the different Cricut machines?

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There are three options when purchasing a Cricut machine. You can choose from the Cricut Joy, Cricut Explore Air 2, or Cricut Maker. You can purchase a Cricut machine from several different places, but I think the best place to buy them is directly from the Cricut website. Their prices are usually lower than Amazon, and their bundles include much more. I’ve also seen them for sale at Walmart, Michaels and Costco.


Cricut Maker  

The Pros 

The Maker is the best machine, especially if you want to use it for business use. It does everything that the Explore Air 2 can do, plus more!

The Maker’s Adaptive Tool System allows the interchangeable tools to move in any direction with 10x the cutting force as the Explore Air 2. This advanced cutting force allows it to cut through hard materials like tough leather and wood. The Maker has a variety of different cutting tools that the Explore Air 2 does not.

The rotary cutting blade allows you to cut fabric without the need for any backing. If you like sewing, this is the machine for you!

The scoring tool lets you fold lines for cards and envelopes, boxes, 3D projects, and more.

It has a larger tool storage area and a shelf to hold your tablet, phone, or other smart device. It also has an upgraded 3 Amp power cord so you can charge your phone while your machine cuts.

The Cons

None. Seriously, this machine is awesome.

Cricut Explore Air 2

The Pros

The Explore Air 2 has the ability to cut and write up to 2X faster than previous Cricut Explore models.

You can cut over 100 materials in record time – everything from cardstock, vinyl, and iron-on to specialty materials like glitter paper, cork, and bonded fabric.

It has a max material width of 12 inches, twice that of the Cricut Joy. This means you can cut larger projects on one mat.

The Explore Air 2 features a double tool holder, unlike the Joy that only has one. This allows you to cut and write or cut and score. The smart dial on the side of the machine allows users to easily choose the material they are cutting.

The Cons

Because you can only cut with a fine or deep point blade on the Cricut Explore Air 2, you are more limited on the materials that you can cut. You can cut around 100 materials with the Explore Air 2, while the Maker cuts 300+. The Maker can cut more because it has specialty blades that the Explore Air 2 is not compatible with. You can’t use the rotary blade or knife blade with the Explore Air 2, which means you can’t cut through hard materials like leather or wood.

If you plan on using your machine for primarily vinyl and paper, then the Explore Air 2 is perfect for you. If you want the power to cut a wide variety of materials like wood and fabrics, then you’ll want to invest in the Maker.

Cricut Joy

The Pros

The Joy is the newest, smallest, and most inexpensive of Cricut’s three machines. It’s a compact cutting machine, less than half the size of it’s rivals.

It’s small and light enough to travel with, making it a great machine to bring with you to craft fairs. The Joy would be perfect for personalizing small items on the spot like stockings, elves, Easter baskets, wine glasses and more!

It cuts 50+ materials including iron-on, cardstock, vinyl, paper, and Smart Materials™ – super-easy, super-long cuts without a cutting mat. It cuts individual shapes up to 4 feet long or makes repeated cuts up to 20 feet long. This unique feature makes it perfect for making birthday banners or cards.

The Cons

I wouldn’t recommend getting a Joy as your primary machine because it has a lot of limitations compared to the Explore Air 2 or Maker.

It’s designed to be very simple. It has no buttons and a single fine point blade. It is not compatible with any of the scoring, knife, or other specialty blades. This limits the amount of materials you can cut to around 50. Fifty is still an impressive number of materials to cut, but not compared to the Explore Air 2 that can cut 100+ materials or the Maker that cuts 300+ materials.

You can use a pen in the housing, but you have to take the blade out first. The Explore Air 2 and Maker have 2 housings so you can hold a pen and blade at the same time. This is useful when using the draw and cut feature.

It’s max material width is 5.5″, so it wouldn’t be good for making larger projects like shirts. The Joy would be a great secondary machine to the Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Maker.

Should I buy just the machine, or a bundle?

I would recommend purchasing a bundle rather than the machine by itself. The bundles come with huge savings and tons of useful tools and materials. Having lots of extra materials will encourage you to try new projects that you might not otherwise try without the bundle.

What do I REALLY need just starting out?

When first getting started, the essentials you will need is either a computer, tablet or smart device plus:

The bundles usually come with all that, plus much more. Bundles vary, so make sure you check to see what yours includes.

This Cricut Explore Air 2 bundle comes with a machine, blades, pens, mat variety packs, vinyl sampler, tools, printable iron-on, dry erase vinyl, transfer tape, printable sticker paper, window cling, faux leather, metallic poster board, printable magnet sheets , washi sheets, and MORE! This bundle is currently selling for $269.00, just $40 more than the machine alone.

Cricut Access

Another reason to buy directly from www.cricut.com is becuase they include a free trial membership to Cricut Access (for new subscribers) and 50 ready-to-make projects. Cricut Access gives you access to over 100,000 images, hundreds of fonts, an ever-growing collection of ready to made projects, and discounts on Cricut.com. Read more about Cricut Access here. 

Interested In Learning More?

Watch this fun YouTube video where we make a custom wine glass!