Walmart has
Cricut Explore Air 2 Daybreak Machine + $30 Digital Content on sale for
$169.
Shipping is free.
Thanks to community member
amszyh for finding this deal.
Key Features:- Cuts a variety of materials - everything from cardstock, vinyl, and iron-on to a range of specialty materials
- Fine-Point Blade for cutting a wide variety of popular craft materials
- Fast Mode for up to 2X faster cutting and writing
- Bluetooth wireless
- Compatible with Scoring Stylus and Deep-Point Blade (sold separately)
- Double tool holder to keep blade and pen always at the ready
- Design Space software for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac
- Upload and use your own images and fonts for free
- Compatible with Cricut cartridges
- Includes $30 of exclusive digital content at no extra cost. See the designs at cricut.com/daybreak
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A few notes:
-These machines are 100% cloud based, so you must have internet to use. Also because they are cloud based they are essentially controlled by Cricut, and there is always the potential for them to no longer support older models (potentially bricking them)
-You do NOT have to pay for the monthly subscription BUT do review the 2020 drama. They are a publicly traded company and have strong expectations by shareholders to monetize existing users. So there is still some uncertainty what the future holds in that regard and what other tactics they might use.
With that, these are very easy to use and if you aren't doing anything major (like engraving, soft wood cutting, leather) the Air can tackle most of what the Maker can at a fraction of the price (again, this price isn't bad especially with the bundle). If you are looking for something a bit heavier duty that would be the Maker BUT I would definitely recommend at that point considering Silhouette which at the same price point as the Maker packs more of a punch in many areas from power to flexibility to design on your terms.
Speaking of design, Design Space (the software required- and there is no alternative as Cricut did an excellent job ensuring third party platforms do not exist thanks to past legal battles against those who tried) has a love hate relationship with most users.
I've had mine for about a year now and personally while design space took some getting used to I don't think it's as horrible as people claim at times, and after some getting used to (both how the software works and how it actually cuts projects- for example the corner of the mat is not truly the corner) you'll be able to make your own custom projects pretty smoothly- unless the cloud decides to reset or stop working and then you have to start over, but with simplicity comes some lack of abilities other companies have. Just keep in mind that they came out with a new maker and explore, so this is now a model behind.
OK that's all I've got hopefully this is helpful if anyone has questions feel free to comment and I'll be glad to give my thoughts!
Update:
As others have corrected me, apparently you can use some functionality without internet. I personally have never been able to get DesignSpace to function without it so this is something I'll need to look into more.
A few corrections, these machines are not 100% cloud based. They are bluetooth and you need a phone or computer to run Design Space and give the machine the commands. Design space does have to be downloaded from the internet but once it is downloaded you can work offline (this was a change then made in the last 2 years, so maybe you just don't know). To access the vast library of designs you will need internet access but you can upload your own stuff and make your own designs offline WITHOUT the cloud. As for the Cricut Access cloud stuff, some things are free, some will require purchase which can be the one specific item/design or you can all of the purchasable stuff with their ~$10/mo subscription. I've had my Maker for 3 years and never paid. One catch to cloud use is that if you want to work on projects across multiple devices then you do need the cloud (I'd like to think that would go without saying but many people don't really understand technology). Sometimes I get a whim of inspiration and I will start something on my phone and then save it and refine it on my Mac or PC later. Also, it is worth noting that most (all?) of these cutters require their own software to cut because it has to direct the machine to move back and forth.
As for the "drama", the tldr is that they were going to require new user to buy the subscription starting in Jan 2022 or if you wanted to remain free then you would be limited to something like 20 design uploads per month. You could still cut as much as you want and use anything that is uploaded for free but if you wanted to upload more than 20 designs per month then you had to pay. Realistically unless you are running a business that likely wouldn't be an issue. Either way their users freaked out and they announced that they would not be changing the policy.
You can use ANY design program (Illustrator, GIMP, Inkscape, Designer, Photoshop, Sketch, Corel...) that you want to make your designs and I personally recommend it if you have the means; it only needs to be able to export to SVG or PNG (SVG preferred). Then you can upload your file to Design Space and have the Cricut cut it.
I don't know if Cricut is the best or not, years ago I did my research and the Maker was about the most recommended then, now things may be different.
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A few notes:
-These machines are 100% cloud based, so you must have internet to use. Also because they are cloud based they are essentially controlled by Cricut, and there is always the potential for them to no longer support older models (potentially bricking them)
-You do NOT have to pay for the monthly subscription BUT do review the 2020 drama. They are a publicly traded company and have strong expectations by shareholders to monetize existing users. So there is still some uncertainty what the future holds in that regard and what other tactics they might use.
With that, these are very easy to use and if you aren't doing anything major (like engraving, soft wood cutting, leather) the Air can tackle most of what the Maker can at a fraction of the price (again, this price isn't bad especially with the bundle). If you are looking for something a bit heavier duty that would be the Maker BUT I would definitely recommend at that point considering Silhouette which at the same price point as the Maker packs more of a punch in many areas from power to flexibility to design on your terms.
Speaking of design, Design Space (the software required- and there is no alternative as Cricut did an excellent job ensuring third party platforms do not exist thanks to past legal battles against those who tried) has a love hate relationship with most users.
I've had mine for about a year now and personally while design space took some getting used to I don't think it's as horrible as people claim at times, and after some getting used to (both how the software works and how it actually cuts projects- for example the corner of the mat is not truly the corner) you'll be able to make your own custom projects pretty smoothly- unless the cloud decides to reset or stop working and then you have to start over, but with simplicity comes some lack of abilities other companies have. Just keep in mind that they came out with a new maker and explore, so this is now a model behind.
OK that's all I've got hopefully this is helpful if anyone has questions feel free to comment and I'll be glad to give my thoughts!
Update:
As others have corrected me, apparently you can use some functionality without internet. I personally have never been able to get DesignSpace to function without it so this is something I'll need to look into more.
A few notes:
-These machines are 100% cloud based, so you must have internet to use. Also because they are cloud based they are essentially controlled by Cricut, and there is always the potential for them to no longer support older models (potentially bricking them)
-You do NOT have to pay for the monthly subscription BUT do review the 2020 drama. They are a publicly traded company and have strong expectations by shareholders to monetize existing users. So there is still some uncertainty what the future holds in that regard and what other tactics they might use.
With that, these are very easy to use and if you aren't doing anything major (like engraving, soft wood cutting, leather) the Air can tackle most of what the Maker can at a fraction of the price (again, this price isn't bad especially with the bundle). If you are looking for something a bit heavier duty that would be the Maker BUT I would definitely recommend at that point considering Silhouette which at the same price point as the Maker packs more of a punch in many areas from power to flexibility to design on your terms.
Speaking of design, Design Space (the software required- and there is no alternative as Cricut did an excellent job ensuring third party platforms do not exist thanks to past legal battles against those who tried) has a love hate relationship with most users.
I've had mine for about a year now and personally while design space took some getting used to I don't think it's as horrible as people claim at times, and after some getting used to (both how the software works and how it actually cuts projects- for example the corner of the mat is not truly the corner) you'll be able to make your own custom projects pretty smoothly- unless the cloud decides to reset or stop working and then you have to start over, but with simplicity comes some lack of abilities other companies have. Just keep in mind that they came out with a new maker and explore, so this is now a model behind.
OK that's all I've got hopefully this is helpful if anyone has questions feel free to comment and I'll be glad to give my thoughts!
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank SumDuud
A few notes:
-These machines are 100% cloud based, so you must have internet to use. Also because they are cloud based they are essentially controlled by Cricut, and there is always the potential for them to no longer support older models (potentially bricking them)
-You do NOT have to pay for the monthly subscription BUT do review the 2020 drama. They are a publicly traded company and have strong expectations by shareholders to monetize existing users. So there is still some uncertainty what the future holds in that regard and what other tactics they might use.
With that, these are very easy to use and if you aren't doing anything major (like engraving, soft wood cutting, leather) the Air can tackle most of what the Maker can at a fraction of the price (again, this price isn't bad especially with the bundle). If you are looking for something a bit heavier duty that would be the Maker BUT I would definitely recommend at that point considering Silhouette which at the same price point as the Maker packs more of a punch in many areas from power to flexibility to design on your terms.
Speaking of design, Design Space (the software required- and there is no alternative as Cricut did an excellent job ensuring third party platforms do not exist thanks to past legal battles against those who tried) has a love hate relationship with most users.
I've had mine for about a year now and personally while design space took some getting used to I don't think it's as horrible as people claim at times, and after some getting used to (both how the software works and how it actually cuts projects- for example the corner of the mat is not truly the corner) you'll be able to make your own custom projects pretty smoothly- unless the cloud decides to reset or stop working and then you have to start over, but with simplicity comes some lack of abilities other companies have. Just keep in mind that they came out with a new maker and explore, so this is now a model behind.
OK that's all I've got hopefully this is helpful if anyone has questions feel free to comment and I'll be glad to give my thoughts!
As for the "drama", the tldr is that they were going to require new user to buy the subscription starting in Jan 2022 or if you wanted to remain free then you would be limited to something like 20 design uploads per month. You could still cut as much as you want and use anything that is uploaded for free but if you wanted to upload more than 20 designs per month then you had to pay. Realistically unless you are running a business that likely wouldn't be an issue. Either way their users freaked out and they announced that they would not be changing the policy.
You can use ANY design program (Illustrator, GIMP, Inkscape, Designer, Photoshop, Sketch, Corel...) that you want to make your designs and I personally recommend it if you have the means; it only needs to be able to export to SVG or PNG (SVG preferred). Then you can upload your file to Design Space and have the Cricut cut it.
I don't know if Cricut is the best or not, years ago I did my research and the Maker was about the most recommended then, now things may be different.
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