Well, should I? Big bucks, but I can see how it will help improve my cakes. For those that have used Cricut before,are you happy that you purchased this tool? I know that as soon as something has the word "cake" attached to it,the price goes up & I have watched the videos on Youtube. Was wondering if I should just purchase the Cricut Expression. Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. There are some Cricut cakes in the gallery,but there seems to be no more comments in the forum (did they get deleted?). For those that have Cricut cakes in the gallery, which Cricut machine did you use?
I think whether or not you invest in the Cricut Cake, as opposed to a different model, should be in direct correlation to how much business you do. Since I am not licensed, and only do cakes for family and friends as gifts, I couldn't justify spending the $400.00-but that's me. I bought the Cricut Create for $99. at Big Lots, and that's fine for what I do. In a perfect world where money is not an object, I would have loved to buy the Cake, but for me it's not feasible. I think as as a decorating tool, the cricut is very exciting and cutting edge (no pun intended!), and will definitely boost the look of a cake. That's JMHO. Good luck.
If I had the money I would buy it, so if you have the money I say go for it, with that being said, I got this info from my cake decorator's meetup group www.cutncrop has it on sale for $345.00 and use coupon code "CAKE" to get an extra $50 off. until 3-31 and I checked it out, and it is so.
I just bought a Cricut Personal cutter, and if I like it and if I use it enough then I will buy the Cricut Cake.
But since I've never used it I figured I would try the technique out with something that does'nt cost 400$!
I so want to buy it as a gift to myself. I took a class over the weekend at the Austin cake show and saw one of the Cricut Cake machines! It is just like the expression- only that it is food safe. I think you should buy it if you have the money and the will get some good use out of it.
I think it is a personal choice. Yes it is the new cool thing but you have to consider if the expence is worth how much you, yourself, will really use it.
I say absolutely no.
1. ALL the techniques were developed with the Expressions.
2. The Personal is on sale at Joanns until March for $85.
3. The only part that touches the gumpaste is the blade. Dedicate a blade to caking. or sanitize it.
4. It's a gimmick to make to cough up more $.
I highly rec that you buy Make the Cut or Sure Cuts a Lot. That way you don't ever have to buy the pricey cartridges.
i purchased the cricut-(the small one for 85.00 @ joannes) on saturday.
didnt get a chance to play with it, because i went to the CTcake show on sunday.
i saw a demo of the cricut cake. i was very impressed with the machine.
i was talking to the cricut reps. they said that the regular cricut was not consider food safe because of the 'oils' used in the machine. but they know alot of cakers are using it with the deep blade attatchment.
all the cartidges are interchangable. no matter what cricut you have.
after attending the cake show- and seeing the awesome cakes. it got me thinking.......
this is only my opinion:
1)i think to offer a cricut at a price of 400.00 is a bit high. plus the costs of the cartidges...wow! that will add up. i guess if you will use it alot and can justify that expense in your business/hobby then go for it.
2)this machine/technique reminds me of mass production. are cakes going to start looking so similiar that theres not much difference between cake decorators and store bought cakes.
3)something that buddy said at the cake show yesterday registered with me, he said to "keep your cakes orginal" he wasnt referring to cricut someone had asked him during a Q & A - for advice on having a successful cake business.
after much thought yesterday and today i decided to return the cricut- even though i was soooo excited to get it.
im a hobbyist and the cost of the machine in addition to the cartridges really doesnt make sense. i dont make cakes that often - so i wouldnt get much use from it.
good luck with your decision. ive heard so many good things about the machine. but its not for me.
i purchased the cricut-(the small one for 85.00 @ joannes) on saturday.
didnt get a chance to play with it, because i went to the CTcake show on sunday.
this is only my opinion:
1)i think to offer a cricut at a price of 400.00 is a bit high. plus the costs of the cartidges...wow! that will add up. i guess if you will use it alot and can justify that expense in your business/hobby then go for it.
2)this machine/technique reminds me of mass production. are cakes going to start looking so similiar that theres not much difference between cake decorators and store bought cakes.
3)something that buddy said at the cake show yesterday registered with me, he said to "keep your cakes orginal" he wasnt referring to cricut someone had asked him during a Q & A - for advice on having a successful cake business.
1. The MSRP of the cake is $399. The MSRP of the expression is $349. When you buy the expression you also have to buy the deep cut blade for $30. So you are looking at a $20 difference. Just like all tech toys they go down after newness wears off.
2. In a way I see your point, however if you use any type of cutter you are doing the same thing. Mostly we use it to cut shapes such as hearts for valentie's day. Where I am limited on the size of heart I can cut with my manual cutters (only have two sizes) I can adjust (with one knob) from 1/4" to 12" depending on what I need. Just because someone can cut a shape does not mean they know what to do with it. As far as the scroll cake below, I have done that by hand also. Using the cricut I was able to do the design in 4 hours, doing it by hand 14 hours. I am being just as creative. It is still a one of a kind design. The customer is happy because instead of paying $2800 she is paying $800 for the design not including the cake. In the end I am in this business to make money, and although $2800 is more money, more than likely she would go somewhere else and try to find something cheeper.
3. I think that the cake below is an originaldesigned by me. You are not limited to the cartridges only your imagination and computer skills.
This is just my option as well.
Jennifer- your cake is stunning! Just to have a fraction of that talent....wow!
I understand what you are saying too.
I guess its really a personal decision and if it fits into the budget and your business can grow- then go for it.
A hobbyist like myself there usually isn't a budget-haha.
I bought one yesterday and can't wait to try it out. I've seen the work of other cake decorators using the cricut and they converted me over.
Stephanie
If I had the money I would buy it, so if you have the money I say go for it, with that being said, I got this info from my cake decorator's meetup group www.cutncrop has it on sale for $345.00 and use coupon code "CAKE" to get an extra $50 off. until 3-31 and I checked it out, and it is so.
Thank You soooo much for the info Uniqueask !!
I preordered at the site Uniqueask mentioned - $306 shipping included. I had planned on getting the Expression. I figured while it was a little more than I could get the Expression for, it already came with the blade I would need and would food safe. I can't remember the blog where the shop posting a comparison, but from what they already posted about certain parts being sealed or better designed for easy cleaning, I'm happy with my purchase. Even though I have to wait 3 months to get it!
I got an Expression this weekend at Michaels. They matched the Joanns price 249.99 (thru 3/6). I got the Pink Journey bundle with a PINK machine and the breast cancer awareness cartridge. A lady at the store was suggesting an online place to order, but when I figured the price of the third cartridge, it was as good a deal to just get it then.
I plan to get it out and play tomorrow, as I am doing cookies for Relay for Life for this weekend. So that cartridge is ideal!
I need to pick up the deep cut blade set, maybe Wednesday.
So am I to understand the Cricut Expression is safe to use on food? What kind of blade do you need to cut fondant with? Does anyone know what the advantage of waiting to buy the Cricut Cake would be?
Does anyone know if you can use the cricut cake for paper as well? I think I'd rather have one that has the capability to do both than one that can JUST do cakes. Especially if I can retrofit an expression with food safe parts.
Yes you can use the Cruicut Cake with paper. My new blog will be up and talk about how it can be done.
www.cuttingedgecakeart.com
Can the Cricut Expression cartriges be used on the Cricut Cake?
Yes, all the cartridges are fully compatible - we used the Cricut Cake with all of our cartridges from the Expression and it worked just fine.
Tobias
I also took the cricut cake class with the Two Sweet Sisters this weekend in Austin. It was wonderful! One thing to consider if using the Expression, the roller blade (that rolls the paper/fondant) is not stainless steel and has rubber grips on it to grab the paper to roll. If using for fondant or gumpaste, the middle grips will need to be cut off and removed in order to keep dents from being pressed into your medium. Once these grips are removed, from my understanding, the warranty is void. If you do plan on spending money on a machine, in my opionion, it is worth spending a little extra just to be able to keep the warranty. As for the roller on the Cricut Cake, it is stainless steel.
jenniferatwood...went to your blog, great information. I have the expression, but am waiting for cake release. I use my expression all the time with paper (scrapbooker and crafts) and don't want to mix it up. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jennifer, Tobias and Linda, for all of your information re the Cricut. Jennifer, your testing side by side is wonderful. Did you use the Deep Cut Blade on the Expression for all testing? Is the new blade cartridge useable on the expression?
TIA
I purchased a cricut xpressions a couple of weeks ago and now that I have tried it few times and considering the cost, I am returning mine. If I did a lot of cakes I would consider keeping it but for the few cakes i make I can't justify spending $400.00 dollars. You can do amazing things with it but I just wouldn't be doing any of those tings or often enough to warrant it.
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