Love/Hate relationship with my Cricut...Help!

[TinkerBean]

How often do you find you need to change the blade on your cricut? I've only been cutting regular cardstock and it seems that I am forever changing them.

It seems to be working great - then I load up a page - program everything in - watch it start OK - and next time I look over I have a page full of rips and tears...

What do you all recommend for depth and speed for...

Regular cardstock

Bazzill

Vellum

Is it the thicker the paper the faster the speed or the other way around

Any other tips would be great.

Thanks

Rhonda

 

[party of 3]

i'm sorry tinkerbean that i have no answers for you, BUT, i too have the love hate relationship with mine.......sorry. but i am curious to know the answer to this.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Me the Cricuts - ya we got that relationship too.

Sometimes the cuts work great and then they don't.

Me the mats, if I didn't need them, out the door they would go. I'll think the paper is good and stuck down and then I'll look up and the paper is all over the place with it ruined for anymore cuts.

Bazzill, we don't hang well with the Cricut. I have learned to save it as the shadow or background that the cuts go on.

I've only cut vellum once, and it turn out okay.

I've also noticed a difference with the brand of regular cardstock. The more compressed the fiber, the better it cuts. If it is closer to constuction paper, DON'T use it. It'll tear and leave bad lint on the mat.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

Exactly what AWM said!!!!

The different fiber content drives me crazy...
Bazzil is very hard on the blades.. I leave it for special projects or just for myself so that if there are imperfections only I notice (or hope I'm the only one that notices!)

 

[TinkerBean]

Do you have a favourite brand of card stock?

Thanks for the tip on the "fiber content"...Kinda like me on my diet Ok TMI,

I am going to buy my 4th set of Mats today...

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I go through mats & blades quicker than what they say I should. I'm also sure that the Cricuts weren't meant to mass produce items like we do.

I've had the best luck with ColorMates cardstock. I found that at Hobby Lobby. The smooth stock. Not the textured stock.
The stuff I picked up from Big Lots. I have no idea who makes it, but the darker colors cut great. I haven't cut the lighter ones on the Cricut yet.

 

[aroyer]

I think I am doing something wrong. I have had my Big E since August and I have yet to change a blade. Of course I am not mass producing anything for swaps, so I am sure that makes a difference.

I usually set my speed on slow or medium so that it doesn't tear and I have had pretty good luck going that route. And if it is still tearing at a slower speed that is when I adjust the pressure. HTH!

 

[mantaz]

I have had mine for a year and I don't mass produce either. I have a spare pack of blades but I yet to change them. I have cut vellum several times and they have all turned out great. I just change the speed and pressure depending on the type of paper. I usually crack open the book to look and see which way the dials need to turn. I can never remember otherwise. I think it is a trial and error type process. Maybe see what kind of guide you can come up with yourself.

 

[hopemax]

I use primarily Bazzill. Unless I am using a brand new mat, I tape it down with masking tape. I reuse the masking tape for several cuts.

I've found that different textures require different settings. Usually, I set the blade at 5, pressure 4, and the speed depending on the detail of the cuts. Lots of detail like a Disney character, usually a 2. But like with the corduroy or washboard textures I have to have the blade at 6. And sometimes I have to put the pressure at 5.

The faces, I usually cut with a non-textured cardstock. And I have the blade at 4, pressure 4. Patterned paper it's usually blade at 3, pressure 4.

I've gone through quite a lot of blades, Bazzill Bling is just murder on them. I don't throw them away. Sometimes one seems dead, but then I put it back in later, and it is fine for awhile.