Cricut Maker 5 review: Home crafting levels up

Cricut Maker 5

    

Price: €400

Where To Buy: Cricut

I am a serial hobby offender. It started off with knitting and crochet, then sewing and embroidery. Clay crafts, latch hook cushions, macramé kits - I have an unearned confidence that I can master any task and an unhealthy dependence on the Lidl middle aisle, which feeds the appetite for new materials and kits to try.

Some didn’t take. I made one lot of home-made bath bombs before sneezing into the ingredients. The soap-making kit has also remained unused, despite my best intentions and a social media algorithm that tries to steer me towards beautifully made creations. Some things are worth paying someone else to tackle.

But one thing that has stuck is the Cricut machine. If you aren’t familiar with the brand, Cricut has a range of digital cutting machines that help you create home-made cards or fabric hair accessories. You can slap a logo on a canvas bag (with a heat press) or customise some T-shirts with slogans and graphics. All you need is access to a laptop, tablet or smartphone that can run the Cricut Design Space software, and a bit of imagination.

The gateway drug is the Cricut Joy, the mini-machine that will tackle small projects and is compact enough to tuck away. But before long you progress to the Maker, which will take on all sorts of projects, whether you want to make personalised gift boxes, create your own stickers, personalise your clothing or create signs.

It cuts a wide range of materials, from fabric and paper to vinyl and wood. Add in a few extra tools, and you can engrave metal with it – once it fits through the machine – or deboss leather. Before you know it, you are fully kitted out with the complete range of tools, the heat presses for hats and mugs, and Cricut has officially taken over your life.

[ Cricut Joy 2 review: updated machine is a mini crafting powerhouseOpens in new window ]

The Maker 5 is the latest machine to hit the market. The updated Cricut will cut thicker material than before, which makes it more versatile and less frustrating to use. Despite that, it is more compact than its predecessors, which makes it easier to stash away. Cricut has ditched the lid and the small holder for tools on the left side of the machine to trim down the size, which is no real loss.

The first thing you notice about the Maker 5 is that there is no power button. You plug it in, and it switches on. On one hand, there is one less thing to mess around with; on the other, I now need to unplug the machine every time I use it to turn it off, which is awkward to get to. If you encounter a problem – a material gets stuck, for example – and the machine needs to be rebooted, you also have to unplug the power supply to restart it.

Getting started, though, is easy enough. Cricut’s Design Space software guides you through the entire process, registering the machine to your account and performing a test cut before unleashing you on the crafting world.

The first problem you might encounter is the sheer choice of things you can make. Home-made cards, cake toppers, decals for walls and windows, leather keyrings, hair bows – Cricut has a range of projects ready to make. Some of these are locked away behind Cricut’s Access subscription service, which will cost you an extra €125 a year but gives you access to images, fonts and thousands of ready-to-make projects, and gets you a discount on Cricut’s store.

[ Cricut Joy Xtra: The perfect introduction to craft cutting machinesOpens in new window ]

You can also create your own project from scratch, either by designing it yourselfor through Cricut’s AI helper. You come up with the idea, and Cricut helps you make it.

Of course, the success of that will entirely depend on your idea. If you are a complete beginner, then you might want to temper your expectations about what you can achieve with a little imagination and some paper and glue. Start with something a bit easier than an elaborate gift box, for example.

You can use Cricut’s own smart materials – vinyl, cardstock, paper and so on – that don’t require a cutting mat to run through the machine. But to be more flexible and to keep costs down, having some compatible cutting mats on hand is a good idea. That way you can buy materials in your local craft shop (or Lidl) and it opens up a wider range.

As it is Halloween, the obvious choice was some spooky decor and accessories. Some window cling vinyl ghosts, a few Halloween-themed treat boxes; you get the general idea. It tackled all of them with ease.

The second important thing to know about the Maker 5 is that it is faster than its predecessors. I spend more time waiting for the machines to cut than I do assembling the final projects, so the difference was noticeable. It was also more reliable than my ageing Maker 3, with fewer jams and errors.

Good

The Maker 5 is fast, reliable, and more versatile than its predecessors. It cuts thicker materials, runs quicker, and if you are a beginner, it will hold your hand through the difficult early days of getting started. An AI assistant, powered by ChatGPT, will also help you with project assembly, helping you troubleshoot if something goes wrong.

Bad

If you are already a Cricut user, be aware that some accessories are not compatible with the Maker 5. For example, the scoring stylus is no longer an option; you can only use the scoring tool or wheel.

The pens that worked with older Cricut machines are also not compatible with the Maker 5, although the Joy pens are. Cricut includes an adaptor in the box now to make the pens work with older machines.

Everything else

Cricut Access is included for a month free of charge; after that you have to pay for the monthly or yearly subscription. I found it helpful when getting started, but if you are confident of designing your own projects, you may not need the extra expense.

Go for the Essential Bundle (€450, Harvey Norman) to make sure you have enough materials and tools to get started.

Verdict: Four stars

The Maker 5 is a versatile machine that helps you unlock your creativity. Christmas looks like it might be levelling up.

Cricut.com