Cricut Value Vinyl: a "budget friendly" craft vinyl - is the price worth it? Let's review!
I went ahead and got a pack of the value vinyl from Cricut - their new venture which is described as "bringing all the benefits of our premium vinyl, but with less packaging materials to pass on the savings". So, is this true. Disclaimer: I don't love Cricut brand vinyl so this is an honest to goodness review from the heart.... and spoiler alert, I liked the vinyl.
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What is Value Vinyl from Cricut?
This new product from Cricut is their regular permanent vinyl with a lighter backing where they are "passing on the savings." The vinyl itself is not branded and there is no grid. But overall it's supposed to be a better price for the crafting community. Now, I will say again, Cricut vinyl is not my favorite, I prefer to use Teckwrap but I was pleasantly surprised by this product. You can shop Value Vinyl here.
Value vinyl does have two drawbacks - one being that it's limited in colors. In my view review, I said 40 colors but it's actually only 19 colors and there are no specialty vinyls. So, if you are looking for cheaper holographic or glitters, this is going to be a no go. It does have gold and silver though! It's not super shiny but it is included in the pack!
Now, my other issue lies in the "value" in the value vinyl. There are two packs to choose from on Amazon, one being a 50 sheet pack for $35 and the other being a 100 sheet pack for $60 plus tax on both.
Let's break down the cost:
In the smaller pack that I purchased (yes I was not gifted this) it comes out to $0.70 roughly per sheet while the larger pack comes out to $0.60 a sheet.
Now, I wanted to compare this to the other bundles that Cricut offers. Some you can find where each sheet is over $1 a piece which I do see the value in value vinyl then but they have a bundle right now (April 2024) that is 45 sheets for $30 which makes each sheet only $0.66.
I think that the bundle is currently on sale and maybe thats why, where as vinyl value will always keep this lower price. I think the value vinyl is good to have especially if you are new to vinyl crafting and want a variety of colors without breaking the bank.
As for Teckwrap, their matte vinyl bundle on Amazon goes for about $25 for only 21 sheets which is about $1.11 a sheet. So, definitely on the higher end there.
How did the Value Vinyl Test?
To test out the value vinyl, I cut out an SVG file with three colors and ran it through my Cricut Explore Air 2. Now, Cricut has already set up a setting in Cricut Design Space for the Value Vinyl. I decided to try the vinyl with all of the original settings to see how it holds up.
Along with testing the value vinyl, I also tested Cricut Removable Vinyl and Teckwrap matte permanent vinyl to see if you could see a difference in cut and quality.
To my surprise, the Value Vinyl from Cricut cut perfectly the first time through and even more of a shock is that the Value Vinyl setting worked for all three vinyls!
Now, my Cricut Explore Air 2 went haywire on my Teckwrap test, but since we were more focused on the Value Vinyl, I did not recut.
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Transferring the Value Vinyl
I did not buy the Cricut value transfer tape which they have in both roll form and sheets. I have been riding this high of using low grip transfer tape from Teckwrap that I just absolutely adore.
So, to start I transferred the value vinyl, and everything moved over great as well as placed onto my cup perfectly. Truly, I have nothing negative to say about this product in terms of cutting, weeding, and transferring. It worked exactly how it was supposed to. I do not believe it to be any thinner than Cricut regular vinyl or Teckwrap. I think the quality is actually decent.
The other two decals transferred well and so overall, they kind of all stacked up the same.
Final Thoughts | TDLR Cricut Value Vinyl Review
Pros: cuts and weeds well, isn't super thin or too thick, and transferred great.
Cons: I don't know if it's value, if Cricut offers something else for cheaper. The colors are limited - no speciality vinyls.
Now, the last thing I want to say is that this is a newer product on the market and they do claim it to be the same as their other permanent vinyl but just with a cheaper backing. The real test will be if it holds up over time and I will have to circle back with an update on that when more time has passed.
The bigger pack is the way to go if you want to get the true value out of your value vinyl at only sixty cents a sheet. I think this is a perfect pack for beginners to start with to test and try out vinyl.
Overall: I am going to give it 4 out of 5 stars and that truly just comes down to the price. I believe they need to lower the smaller pack slightly to literally just compete with themselves.
Thanks for crafting with me!
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