April 23, 2022
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There are now THIRTEEN blades and tools that Cricut has for their Makers - I am currently in possession of seven of these, so I have a lot of blades to collect still. Let's dive into the best Cricut blades to have and what each tool does.
There are three categories on the Cricut website when you're looking at the blades/tools they carry.
Blades are full housings meaning they serve one purpose and you can't swap out the blade. These are available for Cricut Explore Airs and Cricut Makers. There are five available blades:
These are still a form of blade in my opinion but the main difference here is the bottom is an attachment. You can only use these in the Cricut Maker series. I was blown away when I realized I could switch out the bottom of these and honestly so confused because I kept seeing the option to just buy the bottom pieces and then it clicked. There are six QuickSwap attachments:
These are in their own category (and technically there are three making for fourteen Cricut blades/tools) and only one is really a "blade". These are available for Cricut Explore Air and Maker.
I don't know if I would consider the Roll Holder under a blade - technically there is a blade on it to cut the materials but it's not exactly a crafting essential.
This is your standard blade - it comes with every Cricut so you can start cutting right away. However, it isn't meant to cut every material. The fine point blade does a great job with card stock, vinyl, and acetate but if you're looking for something to cut foam, wood, or fabrics this isn't going to "cut" it. *Sorry for the bad pun*
Make sure to clean your blade regularly as well - these can clump up with tiny bits of vinyl or glitter. The best trick is to keep a ball of aluminum foil near your machine and stab your blade into it a couple times. This will get rid of any bits stuck to it and give it a little sharping.
As for replacements - I get mine on Amazon in bulk. They are such a steal in terms of price and I change them probably every 2-3 months or so which means they last (because you get about 40). According to the Cricut warranty program just be aware if you use any off brand tools (including blades or mats) it voids out.
This is on my wish list! The Deep Point Blade has a steeper angel of 60 degrees and a harder steel compared to the Fine Point. You are able to cut materials like chipboard, magnets, and foam. It must be used in its specific housing and is compatible with the Air Family.
I personally would like this for my foam pieces when I make shaker cake toppers and card and I would love to try and make my own stamps. I haven't taken the plunge on this one just yet, but I am sure I will soon.
This blade is specifically for cutting fabric (as the name suggests). So what is bonded fabric: it is a material that has fibers held together by an adhesive or glue to form a sheet. So in other terms, it has an iron on capability or a sticky side and a fabric side.
Now, I personally do not own this blade but from what I am seeing it is extremely similar to a fine point blade except it is pink to match the FabricGrip mat. This way you keep your fabric blade separate from your other materials blade. So, you can either buy a whole new housing (the pink) OR if you're on a budget like me just keep a separate fine point blade and color it with a permanent marker on the top as a reminder to use it only with fabric.
Back in the day, the Cricut Maker (not the Maker 3) came with the Rotary Blade, so I am lucky enough to have one in my possession. The Rotary Blade can be used with fabric, paper, vinyl, leather and my most used: foam sheets. It's best used for cutting materials that are difficult to hold down with a standard blade (like fabrics). The rotary blade is ideal when you need to cut thick or even multiple layers of material at the same time. It's especially helpful when I cut my foam for shakers that are round!
The Knife Blade is the most powerful blade in the Cricut arsenal. It can cut through thick materials that would otherwise be impossible to work with using a regular blade. However, this power does come at a price: precision and speed. The Knife Blade makes incredibly deep cuts in thick materials, but it does so very slowly, making it unsuitable for use in large projects such as scrapbooking or card-making.
I have used my knife blade a numerous amount of times for cutting basswood sheets 1/16th inch and it takes FOREVER. Like over an hour because it has to do the cut over and over. So, although this function is cool, if you are thinking of cutting thick materials just set aside a good amount of time to do so.
With this tool, you can score paper, cardstock, foil and other thin materials so they can be easily folded or bent. You can also use it to make a relief pattern on thicker materials like foam sheets or felt! This is great for personalizing gifts and making decorative accents in your home decorating projects. I do find that my scoring wheel can be hit or miss on the amount of pressure into the material I am using. Sometimes I prefer to use my scoring stylus! It's handy to work with but keep in mind, you will have to switch blades in your Maker when using this accessory so in terms of time, this adds on a step.
I just bought this QuickSwap attachment and have yet to try it. I will have to come back with an update when I do!
Thus will etch a sunken image into your material to leave behind an "embossed design." This blade allows you to tackle projects that require a special touch. Materials like card stock, foil poster board, and kraft paper are perfect to use with the fine debossing tip!
Its purpose is to create intricate cuts and designs on metal, leather, acrylic and wood. For example: if you wanted to make fun dog tags - this is the tool you need! I have been eyeing this tool as well but I don't have enough uses just yet even though I would love to make engraved cake knives *adds to cart*.
I already had bought the scoring wheel and felt I could pass on this, but every once in a while I wish I had purchased this attachment instead. The perforation blade makes perforated lines for easy tearing and folding. People love to use this attachment for their 3D letters so that they are easy and crisp to fold! You can easily change your score lines to perforated lines if you have this blade but you can also opt to make your own scored lines in inkscape if you are creating your own SVGs.
I am not going to lie - I am CLUELESS to why you would need this and maybe I am just ignorant to its use but it literally just makes wavy edges. I can see its use and understand what it does, but I also know that you can make SVGs with a wavy edge (although thats not the easiest thing to do). So, this is not on my must have list but if you want to make fun wavy edges: grab yourself this blade.
The last of the Cricut blades to go over. I just started using this tool and it is not user friendly. I have already gone through 4 of my 6 sheets of gold foil within a week and have yet to successfully fully transfer to my project.
Now, I know there is always trial and error so I am not giving up but just be prepared that it might not go as planned at first. I suggest using this tool with outlines and writing fonts as it's a thin scribing transfer with three degrees of thickness.
The kit comes with the tape to hold the foil which is similar to a washi tape and 12 small transfer sheets. I am going to look into other brands of foil sheets in the future but Cricut does have a good variety to begin with.
You can also transfer onto faux leather!
I will include this although it is technically not a blade. You can read more about Cricut Hand Tools here. The scoring stylus can sit in the A attachment of both your Maker and Explore machines so you can skip scoring by hand. However, it's not a blade attachment! It is considered a hand tool. I love using mine in my Air for ease but it can have some technical problems in your machine (like jumping out of the attachment).
There are 13 blades that are available for these machines, each one having its own specific purpose (sort of). But, that does means the possibilities are endless when you're creating a project.
Which blade is your favorite?
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