Black Friday deal alert: Normally priced at $399, the Cricut Maker 3 is now available at a 27% discount for Black Friday, bringing the price down to $280. That’s not only a great bargain, but it’s your new excuse to score one of the most creative crafting machines on the market.
One of the things I enjoy most about my Cricut is the many ways I can use it. While the clever car decals and cutesy T-shirts are fun, it’s not always obvious how much this machine can do until you have one in your home.
I’ve made a puzzle with a photo of my sister’s favorite family, custom place cards for family dinners and unique vinyl runners for my kitchen cabinets — all from this same machine. I’ve even made acid-etched glassware as gifts for a bridal party, which was its own adventure.
My friends and family frequently ask me which Cricut is the right one to buy, and for the last four years, my answer has always been the same. Even though Cricut just released its new Explore 4 and Maker 4 machines, I think the best Cricut for the money right now remains the Maker 3. And since it’s not the latest model, you can get it for much less than the newest machine.
Right now, the basic Cricut Maker 3 is available for $119 offduring Amazon’s Black Friday sale. That drops the price down to $291 from its usual list price of $399.
When the Cricut Maker 3 was released, it represented a massive shift in the crafting world. Cricut as a company had already become something of a household name in maker circles, but the Maker 3 is effectively everything you need to start a small craft business wrapped up in a single machine. It supports over 300 different materials and allows you to easily swap out the primary cutting tool for a ton of other options.
Whether you’re printing out a sticker for a custom candle or faux suede for decorative roses to add to a flower crown, the Maker 3 gets the job done quickly and consistently. A lot of this ease of use comes down to the excellent Design Space app, which runs on just about every type of device and makes creating new projects wildly simple.
On the Cricut Explore 3 and Maker 3, these Smart Materials cut the fastest and are widely considered to be a more reliable product despite the added cost associated with the brand name.
With the Cricut Explore 4 and Maker 4, a lot of third-party vinyl and iron-on material will cut faster than the previous models because these new machines are able to apply more precise pressure to the cutting mats. These speed improvements do not quite reach the performance level of Smart Materials, but it does make it possible for someone running a small business to consider using alternative materials without slowing down the production line by much. And if that’s something you’re concerned about, the Maker 4 may be worth a closer look for you.
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