Which brings us to the second main criteria. Great article, it is difficult to make the decision to deviate from name brand because youre afraid its more of a waste of money. Plus, they cut better than scissors do. I resort to my rotary blade a lot for materials like soft leather, felt and everything else with stretch. But really, whos going to find out with some of these. If you only have an explorer, the Deep Point Blade is a nice alternative. Now, lets look at pricing. Meet the Makers Gonna Learn team! Ive never bothered with the Cricut branded paper. There is no non-branded knife blade so you will have to pay full price for the time being :-/. I live in Australia and am having trouble finding black & white chipboard or equivalent. We are going to use Cricut Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl for the test. In fact, it even ripped the cardstock a bit and there is a little curling. Ive never been to Australia and know very little about that market. Those blades can be very sharp and if you have nothing under the fabric, you can scratch your cutting surface, table, floor, etc., very easily. Plus, the pens are like the cheapest accessories they have! Thank you for this awesome article. Tape a piece of paper across the entire width of the loose end. Cricut StandardGrip Mats Current pricing at time of publication: $15.49 for 2 on the Cricut website (approximately $7.75 per mat), Paper Studio Mats Current pricing at time of publication: $14.99 for 2 (approximately $7.50 per mat), Nicapa Mats Current pricing at time of publication: $12.99 for 3 on Amazon (approximately $4.33 per mat). I have to warn you, the standard vinyl cutting setting is a little deep so its not perfect. Our cardstock design was really easy to remove from the Cricut cutting mat. Thank you! As a new Cricut owner, I often wonder if all the Cricut brand materials are worth the huge difference in price. If youve been a Cricut crafter for a while, you may have noticed that the Cricut StandardGrip mats have changed over time. I have not used that specific one, Ive only tried a few select regular vinyl rolls from Cricut. There are many alternatives to using a cutting mat that work just as well. My friend Dawn from By Dawn Nicole and I have a Silhouette group on Facebook where we trade inspiration with about 20,000 of our closest crafting friends. Tanner will compare 3 different brands of standard grip cutting mats. The Nicapa mat cleans pretty much the same as the Cricut mat. Its already not super sticky so washing it doesnt help much. Silhouette CAMEO Project Inspiration Facebook group. (Box vs Knife Pleats), What Is Chenille Made of? No, you don't need a self-healing cutting mat nor do you have to have one. Remember that these prices may vary from the time we recorded this to the time you are seeing our comparison. They smell a little but I just put it by a window for a day and its fine. Please be sure to check the pricing for yourself. Sharpie the guide line so its more visible. I go through a lot of materials to make crafts for this site. The Cricut branded blades always have a colored base where as the generic brand blades mostly just have a silver metal finish. Rotary Blade The Maker is not necessary but it really opens up a lot of materials mostly because while you can cut a lot with the Explorer, it doesnt cut well or it ruins the mat. When it comes to the Paper Studio cutting mat, the first thing we noticed was that the stickiness of it fell right in the middle, in between the stickier Nicapa mat and the less sticky Cricut mat. Wood Veneers I love the Walnut wood veneer. If youre set on washing your mat, I have a separate tutorial on how to most effectively clean your mat. Knife Blade Again, if you have a maker, the knife blade makes it easier to cut thicker materials. Ive only noticed a subtle difference in cutting some brands of vinyl, I have to put it on the less setting but thats a small sacrifice Im willing to make. The ability to be able to cut anything out that your mind can imagine opens up a whole new world to crafters and makers of all kinds. It is your choice. We find that they are less sticky than they used to be and have a lighter grip than before. They should be stored flat and in warm areas although the cold will not hurt it. Finding alternatives that meet those criteria is not always going to be easy and will be done on a trial and error basis. Remember that will all of the mats, if they are damp (whether from the baby wipe or from water), they will not be sticky. Mom of 3 and Chief Creativity Officer at The Pinning Mama. Lets find out how easy that is to do on each of these mats. So Ive made a little list of all the generic (more importantly, cheaper) brands of materials and equipment that I like and my thoughts on it compared to the Cricut branded stuff. Reverse weed small designs or monograms. If you own a Cricut, odds are youve been using Cricut mats the entire time. I have no had issues with this. I love your site and I tried to sign up, but it wouldnt go through. Can you advise if the non-branded deep cut blade can handle 2.4mm tooling leather? Wash mat with soap and water to regain stickiness. They are super sticky and peel off with some materials. Take a minute or two and see all the reasons you should use a cutting mat when you are using a rotary cutter or even a fixed edge knife. Depending on the type of material used for this style of cutting mat, the rotary or other blade can be absorbed into the material helping your cuts to be smoother. Self-healing mats need to off-gas and should not be stored in closed containers inside the house. If you cant afford a regular cutting mat, then you can try cardboard. I would love for you to leave a comment and let me know if you have a favorite tip, trick or money saving idea you use with your cutting machine or materials! If you want to save moneyon images and cut files, there are a number of sites offering free .svg or cut files. We are here to inspire and support you in your crafting journey! Were using our fingers to apply some pressure and it is still trying to curl up a bit at the corner. With the Paper Studio mat, you can feel that its a little more difficult to remove. Turn the mat upside down and use gravity to slowly pull the mat away from the cardstock instead of the other way around. The material you use should not dull your rotary cutter on the first cut. Thanks. Lisa. Once you modify a font, you can not see what its name it in the Silhouette software. The thing about using alternatives to cutting mats, you have to be very careful the material does not dull your blade the moment you finish your first cut. We love doing these product comparisons for you and giving you the knowledge and real-life experience needed to make an informed decision when making your purchases. Using more than one mat is beneficial as your cuts are not always going to be large nor are they all going to be small. For the Paper Studio mat, because it is stickier, we are having to use a little bit more pressure and elbow grease to get it clean but the debris is coming off with the baby wipe. There are two main criteria to follow when looking for an alternative to a self-healing or other cutting mat. If you cant afford a regular cutting mat, then you can try cardboard. Using sketch pens to outline your heat transfer vinyl can help with weeding. Thanks so much for this helpful information! Im Kimber. This is where I really save money. This is the reason why many people are looking for alternatives. Do You Need a Mat to Use a Rotary Cutter? We often find that we dont lay it down perfectly straight the very first time and need to do a bit of repositioning before we get it right. There are just so many other HTV options out there that are cheaper. After applying the cardstock, we are then removing it so we can see how well it comes off the mat for repositioning. I have used my Silhouette for everything from monogramming everything under the sun, to making templates to cut wood, to painting signs, to party decor, etching glass, and even making custom shirts. Its not just the material cost that adds up, its also the equipment and the accessories that come with like blades and mats. Ilyssa has not used the non-cricut branded smart materials yet so shes not much help there. Add a reminder right on your machine to flip or mirror your image if you do a lot of HTV projects. The rollers still have something to grab when all the length of the vinyl is under the blade when cutting without a mat. The top blade is the Cricut branded one, the rest are generic brands. While some people use cardboard, it is not recommended. Cut empty toilet paper rolls to place around vinyl rolls. Hi Marzia, Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe. Required fields are marked *. It makes faux wood projects look so good! We were happily surprised to see that we were able to remove the cardstock from the Nicapa mat very easily with no curling or tearing. But how ever, you didnt speak much on the Joy. You can of course use non-branded crafting materials but might need to pre-cut them to size. I come across a lot of Cricut users that use nothing but Cricut products and I cringe as there are so many other great products out there! Think about what youre going to be cutting on these mats and then you can choose the most appropriate one. Im sorry I cant be more help :-/ You can always make your own with some contact paper and untreated chipboard? The good news about cutting mats is that they are not all made solely to help you cut material. They are handy to have but as mentioned earlier they do come with a gas issue that can make you sick, lightheaded, and so on. Hi Lisa, This mat is just too sticky. Cutting mats help protect your fingers as well as help you cut very straight lines. One of the first things were going to test with these 3 mats is how easy it is to reposition cardstock. Just make sure those alternatives wont dull your blade, be weak, or cannot last you a long time. Your Download limit has been reached - Upgrade to our best value year membership tier today and get ultimate access to our site! Some of them may save time or money at the risk of damaging your machine or creation. If you are choosing between Cricut and Paper Studio, we think that based on our testing, the Cricut mats win every time, especially given how close they are in pricing. Your email address will not be published. All of these are standard grip mats. Putting ruler marks on the edge of your cutting table so you can always measure correctly without having to break out the tape measure or ruler. The generic stuff I can only reliability cut with the rotary blade which is limited to the Maker. Basically, you are free to use any material that is handy and will work for you without creating more problems when you go to cut. The mat is a good idea if you are using your favorite table or desk to make your cuts. I can pick them up with double sided tape but cant work out how to transfer them to a project. Get more use out of them! With our preferred method, it helps reduce the amount of curling you might get. To learn more about those alternatives just continue to read our article. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box a little to see what is available to use. Yes, you can wash your mats but I like to use the Light Grip mat a lot because it is so much easier to clean up. However, the Nicapa mat performed quite similarly to the Cricut mat and yet provides fantastic savings. I make A LOT of intricate papercraft projects. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Disclosures: Please note that some of this sites links are affiliate links, and domesticheights.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I like to use. If you have had your Silhouette or Cricut any length of time you know that it is AMAZING what these machines can do! The hard surface makes it easier to apply more pressure to get it to adhere well. We hold NOTHING back for our yearly members and want you to have the best experience possible. I go through way more material than what you see in the finished good because I had to test my designs sometimes a dozen times before I get it right. Cricut Leather Both the metallic and genuine leather are beautiful and more importantly, cuts well with all Cricut Machines. The Standard Fine Point blade (Cricut brand is the white cap) is equivalent to the Red cap off brand blade. Cutting mats can be used by both left and right-handers, Comes in durable thick layers that are supposed to last, Most are portable and easy to transport to another location, They can be versatile and can be used for other purposes, Most come with rounded edges so you do not scratch yourself, The materials help keep cutter blades sharp, They can come with both Imperial and Metric measurements, You can get them in more than one color, usuallyb, At least one is electronic and provides 4 hours of light with new batteries, rechargeable battery included and stays cool when you touch it, The surfaces are very smooth with grid lines that are easy to see, Batteries run out of power and you have to wait till they recharge or spend time replacing the battery, Gridlines may be hard to see due to color blindness and other factors, The healing aspect doesnt work that well, May warp on you if stored improperly or if there is too much heat in the room, Only comes with Imperial markings or Metric markings only and not both. Coupons are often available for Cricut brand, so bear that in mind. There are mats where you can pin your fabric, place your iron on them, and press that fabric, and can be used with other sizes of mats to make your work area larger. When purchasing one for your sewing needs, do not just think of one project, think about all of them, and buy the size that will work for all your projects. This is a tip that could show you how to save some serious money on die cutting supplies!

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