The Ultimate Guide to Cricut Blades

When it comes to your Cricut cutting machine there’s a bit of a learning curve. Maybe you’re new to Cricut and unsure what all the terms mean… or perhaps you haven’t decided which machine is right for you. Either way the line of Cricut blades is a big part of the Cricut System… it’s what makes it work after all.

When it comes to the Cricut the machine itself can hold different blades, pens, tips or attachments. The machine will move in the same pattern on the same track… and whichever blade you load into the machine will cut, write or score your project accordingly.

So picking the right blade for the right job is an important part of the process!

Luckily Cricut takes most of the guess work out of the equation… when you’re working in Cricut Design Space (Check out my full Cricut Design Space overview here if you’re not familiar with the software) it will ask you which material you’re using and then suggest the proper blade.

So if you tell Cricut Design Space that you’re cutting out Felt Eucalyptus Flowers with your Cricut Maker it will tell you to grab your rotary blade. On the other hand if you’re using your Maker to cut a wooden name sign for your friends nursery Cricut Design Space will let you know that the knife blade is the best tool for the job.

Of course, even if Cricut’s software makes picking the right blade for the right project a breeze it’s still important to know the differences between the blades… and tips that are available for your Cricut Machine.

Let’s start by going over a bit of blade basics and then we’ll jump right into the full line-up of Cricut blades and tips.

What is the Blade Housing?

Blades & Tips come with a standard housing or a drive housing which is specifically design for the Cricut Maker’s adaptive tool system. It’s easy to differentiate between the two because the standard housing is sleek and smooth… a solid cylinder with a plunger at the top and the blade opening at the bottom.

The drive housing has a golden gear at the top covered by a clear plastic cover and a connector at the bottom to attach all of the corresponding blades and tips. The drive housing works exclusively with the Cricut Maker and gives these tools a bit more oomph… they’re faster and stronger because of that adaptive system.

Now that we know the difference in the two types of housing let’s jump into all of the available blades (and tips) that work with your Cricut Machine!

Fine Point Blade

Check out my Full Overview on the Fine Point Blade (Complete with a Cricut Access Tutorial!) HERE.

Machine: Maker & Explore Series

Materials: Vinyl, Iron-On, Paper, Cardstock, Corrugated Cardstock, Infusible Ink, Adhesive Foil, Fusible Fabric, Duct Tape, Poster Board, Paint Chip, etc

The fine point blade is the most commonly used blade and comes with all of the Cricut machines. You’ll use the fine point blade to cut vinyl for wooden signs and iron-on for t-shirts… which are things I make alllll the time!

This blade is perfect for making intricate cuts like fonts with swirls or other curly-cue’s and it’s designed to cut medium-weight materials. It used to be silver, but it now comes in a beautiful golden color.

Note: Besides color (from silver to gold) there’s no difference between the housings silver and gold housings, including the blade there’s inside it when you initially purchase your machine. The replacement blades will work with either the silver or gold housing so don’t worry if your housing is a different color than your friends.

One thing to point out is that while the fine point blade for the Maker/Explore Series and the Joy are technically the same blade they do have separate housings that are not interchangeable. The fine point blade housing for the Joy is quite a bit smaller than the one for the larger machines… but just as powerful! I grabbed my Joy to whip up these custom gamer mugs for my brother and they turned out amazing!

Grab the Fine Point Blade HERE.
Grab a Fine Point Replacement Blade HERE.

Projects:

Deep Point Blade

Check out my Full Overview on the Deep Point Blade (Complete with a Cricut Access Tutorial!) HERE.

Machine: Maker & Explore Series

Materials: Aluminum Foil, Gel Sheet, Genuine Leather, Magnetic Sheet, Matboard etc

The deep point blade has been around since the beginning and tends to get left behind for newer fancier blades like the knife blade or the rotary blade. It’s definitely not one to over-look though. Depending on your project the deep-point blade could be your perfect answer. It’s very similar to the fine-point blade but this blade is made of a more durable, harder steel allowing intricate cuts in thicker materials such as foam sheets, cardboard and thick cardstock.

Think of it as having the ability to cut delicate, intricate cuts like the fine-point blade but with thicker materials like the knife blade. It’s a bit of a chameleon!

It has a steeper blade angle (60 degrees vs 45) which lets it cut through thicker materials. It’s harder and made of a more durable steel so that it can stand up to harder materials. Basically if you’re cutting a project with the fine point blade and find that the cut isn’t going allllll the way through or that the material keeps catching with out finishing the cut? Chances are you need a deep point blade.

Grab the Deep Point Blade HERE.
Grab Replacement Deep Point Blades HERE.

Projects:

Knife Blade

Check out my Full Overview on the Knife Blade (Complete with a Cricut Access Tutorial!) HERE.

Machine: Maker ONLY

Materials: Wood Veneer, Acrylic, Balsa Wood, Basswood, Chipboard, Craft Foam, Leather, etc

The knife blade is Cricut’s answer to making precision cuts through thicker materials.. It works exclusively with the Cricut Maker (no you cannot use it with earlier machines such as the Cricut Explore Air 2) and gives you crisp clean cuts with ease.

The knife blade requires the use of Design Space® software on a desktop or laptop so you can’t use the knife blade on your phone or tablet. While your Cricut can cut through vinyl or cardstock in a single pass these denser materials typically require longer cut times and multiple passes.

It’s perfect for cutting large objects (or even intricate cut outs) but it is not recommended for cutting images or details smaller than ¾”. On the other end of the spectrum because of the star wheels on your Maker you can’t cut items larger than 11 by 11 (which is slightly smaller than the normal 12 x 12 cutting mat).

Grab the Knife Blade HERE.
Grab a Replacement Knife Blade Here.

Projects:

Rotary Blade

Check out my Full Overview on the Rotary Blade (Complete with a Cricut Access Tutorial!) HERE.

Machine: Maker ONLY

Materials: Fabric, Felt (Bonded or Un-Bonded), Leather

If you’ve been sewing for any amount of time you’ve probably used a rotary cutter… and if not it’s the little blade that looks like a pizza cutter… but for fabric! Rotary blades are round (like a wheel) so that they roll… a long continuous rolling motion that cuts fabric like butter.

That rolling motion is what keeps the fabric from ripping or tearing which tends to be a problem with traditional blades… so it’s about time Cricut came out with a rotary blade that can be used in the machine!

Of course, the second part of cutting fabric is holding it in place… which is where the new Fabric Grip Mat comes into play. It can withstand the force of the rotary blade and is super sticky so that your fabric doesn’t shift during cuts. I use the brayer tool to roll my fabric or felt directly onto the Frabric Grip mat for a super secure bond… the fabric super team if you will: rotary blade, fabric grip mat and brayer!

Grab the Rotary Blade HERE.
Grab the Rotary Blade Replacement Blades HERE.

Projects:

Fabric Blade

Machine: Maker & Explore Series

Materials: Bonded (Heavy) Fabric, Bonded Felt

This little blade is the best at cutting bonded fabric for your Cricut Explore Air 2! It slices through bonded felt and fabric like butter and is strong enough to hold up to long time use. It has been replaced by the rotary blade for most users of the Cricut Maker family but that doesn’t mean it’s out of date.

For those without the adaptive tool system this little pink Fabric blade can still be the star of your arsenal.

Grab the Fabric Blade HERE.
Grab the Fabric Blade Replacement Blades HERE.

Foil Tip

Check out my Full Overview on the Foil Tip (Complete with a Cricut Access Tutorial!) HERE.

Machine: Maker and Explore Series

Materials: Paper, Tissue Paper, Leather,

The foil transfer tip is a little system that works with 3 separate tips (in fine, medium and bold options). You can change just about any line or design to a foil linetype in the cricut system and this little tip will trace the foil onto your project! Basically this little blue housing and tip lets you add foil script or designs to all your favorite Cricut projects.

Unlike similar systems this little baby works with pressure and not heat so you have an entirely different foil type to work with. And yes… you do need to buy the foil separately and it is required. Otherwise this is basically a fancy embossing tool.

Luckily the foil is available in lot of different colors and sizes so you don’t have to waste a large sheet for a small project (and vice versa).

Grab the Foil Tip HERE.
Grab Replacement Foil Tips HERE.

Projects:

Update: Cricut has released a smaller foil transfer tip that works with the Joy! Grab yours here to start foiling everything!

Quick Swap Blades & Tips

Check out my Full Overview on the Quick Swap Blade Set (Complete with a Cricut Access Tutorial!) HERE.

Machine: Maker ONLY

Materials: Metal, Acrylic, Paper, etc

The adaptive system has several different blades with the fancy gold topped gear (the knife blade and the rotary blade!) but it also has a whole line of blades and tips that are interchangeable with the same drive housing system. In this little collection are: the Engraving Tip, Perforation Blade, Wavy Blade, Debossing Tip, Engraving TIp, and the Scoring Wheel Tips.

Grab the Quick Swap Housing HERE.
Grab the Replacement Engraving Tip HERE.
Grab the Replacement Perforation Blade HERE.
Grab the Replacement Wavy Blade Here.
Grab the Replacement Debossing Tip Here.
Grab the Replacement Scoring Wheel Tips Here.

Projects: