Think about what youre going to be cutting on these mats and then you can choose the most appropriate one. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your email address will not be published. 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. Use them to clean your mat after each project session. Learn how to clean your cutting mats here. Remember that will all of the mats, if they are damp (whether from the baby wipe or from water), they will not be sticky. The blades are shaved to three levels of steepness. There are two main criteria to follow when looking for an alternative to a self-healing or other cutting mat. I dont have any of the dedicated tools. You can use a tool such as a scraper tool to help it adhere to the mat. To learn more about those alternatives just continue to read our article. The following reasons are a mixed batch combining several positive reasons for a variety of different cutting mats. I go through a lot of materials to make crafts for this site. Over 50 tips, tricks and ideas on how to save time, money and effort when using your Silhouette CAMEO, Cricut or any craft cutting machine. I dare say I might like it better than the Cricut branded ones. When in a pinch for transfer paper, use a roll of adhesive lint remover! I have no had issues with this. So, you might prefer to wait until the warranty has expired. 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. Today, were going to do a cutting mat comparison that might just blow your mind. I have been thinking about this post for a long time since I have developed quite a few little tips and tricks to save time and money with my machine, but when I asked for more ideas in the group, I was overwhelmed with all of themany genius time and money savingideas they had and were so generous as to let me share with you. We are all great friends and are always having a blast when we are together- you will see this on camera especially during live streams! As a new Cricut owner, I often wonder if all the Cricut brand materials are worth the huge difference in price. Other important criteria include the material should be smooth so your cuts are not affected; lightweight so that they are easy to maneuver when you need to store them and the right size for your space and needs. No, you don't need a self-healing cutting mat nor do you have to have one. There are many different types of cutting mats on the market and usually, the self-healing ones are the better option. Add a reminder right on your machine to flip or mirror your image if you do a lot of HTV projects. Now, lets look at pricing. There are many alternatives to using a cutting mat that work just as well. You can use a lint roller to remove bits of paper from your mat. If you want in on all of the fun, you can request to join us here! Clorox wipes can also be used to clean cutting mats between projects. Wash mat with soap and water to regain stickiness. When looking at the overall performance of these mats, the Paper Studio mat just doesnt work as well as the other two options. If you can adhere it well enough to keep it flat while feeding it into the Cricut machine, the rollers will help to do some of the work in holding it down. Meet the Makers Gonna Learn team! Ive never bothered with the Cricut branded paper. I am so excited to give many of these a try. A lot of extras, those darn things like to disappear in a blink of an eye! I have to warn you, the standard vinyl cutting setting is a little deep so its not perfect. Note the name and size of the font used off to the side of each design in case you need it again. Best Generic OFF BrandS Cricut Tools and Materials. But really, whos going to find out with some of these. Thanks so much for this helpful information! The generic stuff I can only reliability cut with the rotary blade which is limited to the Maker. 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. 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. With our preferred method, it helps reduce the amount of curling you might get. 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. E 2 to create jaw-dropping AI art, Sony just turned the iPhone into an Apple PlayStation Switch, The 12 best social media platforms for artists and designers, Exclusive insight from the world's leading creatives, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Prices being what they are make finding the right sized cutting mat at an affordable cost something of an adventure. Its important to note here that the quality of a mat is not determined by its stickiness. Cutting mats are specialized tools so they carry a specialized price tag which some may not be able to afford. If you want to use the best cutting mat with your Cricut machine, youre going to want to check this out. It makes faux wood projects look so good! The sky is the limit or rather my amount of free time and our budget is the limit. Please be sure to check the pricing for yourself. save some serious money on die cutting supplies. Always make extra dots for the tops of js and is or periods. Its important to remember that as you use the mats, they will become less sticky over time. Glitter vinyl is one of the trickiest materials to place on your cutting mat. 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. You need to allow them to dry completely and then they will be sticky once again. Wood Veneers I love the Walnut wood veneer. Here are some ideas that can serve as an alternative to a regular sewing cutting mat: One problem that some self-healing cutting mat owners experience is the fumes. 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. A credit card works too. There was no curling or tearing. This mat is just too sticky. We are going to compare 3 different brands of cutting mats for die cutting machines. They are super sticky and peel off with some materials. We chose these because they seem to be the three brands that people are talking about the most. Plus, you should use some type of fan near you to keep ventilation moving and the air around you fresh and safe. This will keep vinyl from unrolling and help it stay organized. There is no non-branded knife blade so you will have to pay full price for the time being :-/. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); How can I use the negative pieces of a design left behind on my mat. hmm, thats a tough one. Prices change all the time and you may be able to find a sale or a coupon to use. We have everyone from people about to purchase a machine, to extremely seasoned pros! We hope you enjoy this informative article and video all about why you shouldStop Buying Cricut Brand Cutting Mats! If you cannot afford a real cutting mat currently, you are not out of luck or choices. We are going to use Cricut Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl for the test. (big surprise!) If you cant afford a regular cutting mat, then you can try cardboard. Cricut Leather Both the metallic and genuine leather are beautiful and more importantly, cuts well with all Cricut Machines. Read my disclosure policy here. Check this blog post for more tips and tricks when it comes to cleaning cutting mats. Plus, the pens are like the cheapest accessories they have! We have 3 different methods that we use and well show you just how to use them. If you own a Cricut, odds are youve been using Cricut mats the entire time. The hard surface makes it easier to apply more pressure to get it to adhere well. When we went to reposition the cardstock and lay it down again, we wanted to make note of the fact that the moment it touches the adhesive, the mat grabs hold of the material and there is really no give to allow you to shift it a little bit. EWISWAY Blades Nevermind the terrible name, there are just as good as the real stuff and cost a fraction of the branded ones. Boom instant light box. Use code "FLASH30" and save $30 on your best value membership today! HTV, glitter, metallic The rest of the varietals are a mixed bag in performance and no notable winners. Ill be honest, I dont use a lot of glitter. Ilyssa has not used the non-cricut branded smart materials yet so shes not much help there. Monicut This one is just as good but I find it smells even worse. Going for an alternative is their answer to preserving their budget. Im sorry I cant be more help :-/ You can always make your own with some contact paper and untreated chipboard? Even $14 for an 18 by 36-inch mat can be very expensive to some people on a small budget. 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. I find theres plenty of other cardstock brands that have a better color selection. Bear in mind that with a stickier mat, certainly you might find it a little trickier to remove items like paper from it when its brand new, but as it gets some use, it will lose some of its stickiness and become easier and easier to use with some of those more delicate materials. They may know of some local outlets that have good alternative material you can use. Tape a piece of paper across the entire width of the loose end. Hi Marzia, What Is a Blanket Stitch? 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. The Standard Fine Point blade (Cricut brand is the white cap) is equivalent to the Red cap off brand blade. Mom of 3 and Chief Creativity Officer at The Pinning Mama. The good news about cutting mats is that they are not all made solely to help you cut material. Oracle 651 I find this is probably the closest for adhesive vinyl. The top blade is the Cricut branded one, the rest are generic brands. They smell a little but I just put it by a window for a day and its fine. (How To Blanket Stitch Tutorial), What Are The Different Types of Pleats? 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. Also, something happened with the recent batches of Cricut Standard Grip mats. Thank you for this awesome article. I have not used that specific one, Ive only tried a few select regular vinyl rolls from Cricut. Since this is such a shiny material, you are unlikely to find a mat where it will stick perfectly. 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 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. Get more use out of them! I can pick them up with double sided tape but cant work out how to transfer them to a project. Yes, the Joy mostly requires its own Cricut branded equipment from blades to pens to mats. The Nicapa mat cleans pretty much the same as the Cricut mat. Theres some reviews on Amazon that talk about how the size of the mat is wrong. Lets find out how easy that is to do on each of these mats. These off brand Cricut mats are cheap but just as effective. Some of them may save time or money at the risk of damaging your machine or creation. 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. The Cricut branded blades always have a colored base where as the generic brand blades mostly just have a silver metal finish. In our experienced opinion, we think all 3 of these mats could be used to cut glitter vinyl but some will need a little extra work to get it to stick. In fact, when we peel the protective sheet off of this Nicapa mat, we can hear the difference between them. it looks at this topic and provides you with the information to help you find solutions to your cutting mat issues. The mat is just a little too sticky to work well with a wide variety of materials paper products in particular. Ive tried all of them. 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! Plus, they cut better than scissors do. Thanks. Take out the inside felt andink inside a, Favorites to use in place of sketch pens include, To get a chalkboard look on black paper use. I just use my cast iron pan scraper and tweezers. The only difference between these mats and normal cutting mats is that they help cover up rotary cutter marks or grooves. 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. What can I use instead of a cutting mat? Turn the mat upside down and use gravity to slowly pull the mat away from the cardstock instead of the other way around. A stickier mat like this is not the best for projects made with paper. There are substitutes for cutting mats so you are not stuck paying high prices when you need a larger mat than usual. You have lots of materials that will work as a good alternative. Is there anywhere you can recommend online? Cricut Pens People on the internet love to talk about hacking their way with other branded pens. Reverse weed small designs or monograms. At NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU, I will earn a small commission, if you purchase them. Dear Sharon, All of these are standard grip mats. The best thing to do is talk to your local fabric store personal and see what they recommend as an alternative. It definitely has a little more pull to it, indicating that it is stickier than the Cricut mat. There are many alternatives to using a cutting mat that work just as well. It is your choice. Basswood If you are doing any wood cutting with your Cricut, I would highly recommend the branded stuff.