Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, the box it was shipped in looked like it was opened and returned. The Maker was sealed inside, so, we’re giving it a chance. Second, there is no instruction manual, so we had no way to know that we couldn’t update the firmware while it’s hooked up to an iPad. After spending 20 minutes trying to get the firmware to work, we finally went online, and we found a page that explained we needed to be hooked up to our Mac. A simple explanation in the box would have been nice. Especially, since the first thing the Maker forces you to do is upgrade the firmware. We finally got the firmware updated, and moved to making the bear 🐻 cutout for a mug. The Maker cut it perfectly, so we were feeling a little better. We cut out the bear head, and applied the transfer tape include. We properly used the squeegee to apply the transfer tape. ( We followed every step in the video) went to pull off the transfer tape with the 🐻 head, and it wouldn’t come off at all. We broke out a roller, and I’m a 215 pound bodybuilder, and nope, it wouldn’t transfer everything. Not willing to give up I sat there for 30 minutes just putting pressure on the transfer tape, and I finally managed to get it on the transfer tape. Third, the unit comes with nothing; 1 blade, no manual, no mat, no tools, a few sheets of “smart Material,” which doesn’t even feel smart at all. We did a lot of research, and it came down to the Maker, and the Cameo 4, and we chose the Maker because it was billed as “easier to use,” and “less of a learning curve.” Granted, it wasn’t that hard to use. I work with Adobe illustrator, so design space is child’s play, but the Smart Material, and transfer tape provided with the unit, (the meager amount they provided for a 400 dollar purchase), is pretty disappointing. We are a family that crafts, I have a heat press, and a 3D 🖨, we know how to use transfer tape to remove patterns, so, the Maker 3, and provided materials did nothing to wow us. We are going to give it a few weeks, since Amazon has a 30 dollar return policy, but it’s probably going back in favor of the Cameo 4.