Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

While I have truly enjoyed having the Cricut Maker, I can no longer recommend it. You are FAR better off going with the Silhouette. Here's why: - It is easy enough to get art (vector or raster images) INTO CRICUT, but they are captive from that point on. You cannot export them. They are NOT stored on your local hard drive, they are stored on the 'cloud.' This means you cannot access them when there is a problem on Cricut's end, which always happens on a weekend, when there is nobody at Cricut to solve the issue. - The software is cloud-based. This is convenient for updates, until it makes you update EVERY TIME you try to work on a project, which happens for weeks on end. It has already happened twice to me. - Did I mention your art is no longer 'your' art? If you don't have good internet access, you can no longer access your art, or make new art, or cut out art on your Cricut. Not such a big deal when you are at home, with reliable internet access, but really tough when you take your Cricut to crafting groups, or just want to show someone what you are working on, or you take your Cricut to a class to learn more and cannot use it because of poor internet. - If you have Apple computers or tablets, they have nice, robust apps for them. If you have an android phone or tablet, the app is pretty anemic. It kinda works. Kinda. I have personally begun recommending people get the Silhouette, which does NOT have these same problems. You own the design software and install it on your own computer. You store your files on your own computer. You can export your art into common file types to use elsewhere and share with others. The Silhouette design software is MUCH more robust than Cricuts. I often have to design new art in an external program, then import it into Cricut. In the Sihouette design program, I wouldn't need a more-robust, external design program...it has enough functionality to do really complex art. The cool thing about having to create my files in an external art program, then import them into Cricut is that at least I still have my art on my own hard drive. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you do NOT go down the Cricut path. I did and now I feel like my art is being held hostage.