Cricut Joy?

[rainbowstardrops]

I really like the idea of making labels/T-shirt transfers/maybe cards etc and wondered if the Cricut Joy is up to all of this and if any of you have one, would you recommend it?

I am sick of watching videos and researching reviews between the Joy and the Explore 3 (I think)!!!

I'd love to be 'crafty' and tec savvy but sadly I am neither, so would the Joy be an ok starting point compared to the more expensive Explorer? I don't want to shell out a whole wad of cash if I'm going to be absolutely shit at it but I don't want to waste money on a Joy if people don't think it would be worth it.

Help!!!

I think that if you aren't "crafty" then the Joy might be a good one to start with. I'm not sure about the price differences between the versions.

I have an Explore Air 2 which I bought at the start of the first lockdown. I've probably not used it to the fullest capacity but Ive had a lot of fun with it. I bought mine from here www.gmcrafts.co.uk and they were really helpful and offered great service when I had problems with the first machine they sent and had to return it.

This might be worth a read. The website is very useful for Cricut stuff:

jennifermaker.com/which-cricut-should-i-buy/

Thank you @SoupDragon. I think I'm definitely edging towards a Joy now and thanks for those links too. Really appreciate it

you just need to read up on the limitations of the Joy and see if that will stop you doing what you want. It can only cut narrower things which is the first point to consider.

What wider things do people do?

I've got a Maker.

Joy would be a good starting point but the maximum cutting area is much smaller - I can do 12 * 12 inches. Max width of cut on a Joy using a mat is 4.25 x 6.5 inches.

So it depends hugely on what you want to use it for.

I often cut quite big stuff e.g decals for kids t-shirts, or wall art for work, so a joy wouldn't work for me at all.

That's definitely a factor I've been thinking about. I just don't even know if I'm going to get on with a Cricut machine full stop (I'd so love to be crafty but I'm pretty crap!), so I'm wondering whether to just start small and work my way up if I find I get on with it.
If they were less expensive, it wouldn't be such a dilemma! 😁

I’ve got a Joy, I got it on a pretty good offer. I use it mainly for cards, which it’s perfect for, and T-shirt transfers. Yes the cutting area isn’t huge, but if you orient things length ways it’s not too bad. And for the kids T-shirts I occasionally have to make a slightly smaller transfer than I’d planned, but they’re always happy with the result. I really love it.

When they changed the range the Maker was reduced to the price of the Explore Air 2. I thought about getting it, but decided that for now I’m still fine with the Joy. I guess bigger decals for the back of big hoodies/sweaters might be one of the only things I’d do with it. But if ever there’s a great offer I might crack 😂

Ooh, and print and cut stickers, I’d like to be able to do those. I’d like to make progress stickers for my students.

Is it worth looking on Facebook marketplace or eBay for a second hand one so you can try it out. You can always sell it again afterwards.

Do you have a Hobbycraft near you. My local one runs hands on sessions where you get to try them out.

Like another poster said, basically just bigger things!

I can also cut more things in one go from a sheet of paper/card so time is a factor too.

Thank you for all your replies! I do have a Hobbycraft near me and they also (well they used to) run different taster classes every now and then. I might look into that.