Cricut Easy Press Review – Can It Beat an Industrial Heat Press?

Welcome to the Cricut EasyPress 2 Review!

After spending 18 hours ironing and having a blast, I’m ready to share my findings in this review. All this was only possible by skipping bedtime stories for the kids (sorry, honey…).

I’ve been crafting ever since I quit my corporate life. I’ve always wanted to sink my teeth in custom shirts and T-shirts , and I was afraid of getting a monster heat press for the job.

So:

The Cricut EasyPress 2 was the perfect tool for the job. In short, with the help of this heat press, you can easily do HTV, shirts, T-shirts, bags, and even sublimation.

If you want to do sublimation with your Cricut, be sure to stop by this guide on How to Do Sublimation With Cricut EasyPress!

On a side note, it can be used as an iron for normal clothing, and it’s faster than a regular iron.

This review covers everything you need to know, from the materials you can use it on to its ease of use and its cost.

Let me share with you why this cute heat press is the best choice for many crafters.

Let’s get started with this Cricut Easy Press review.

Looking for a fun and easy Cricut project? We show you How to Make Koozies with Cricut this short guide!

Cricut Easy Press different versions

The latest version of the Cricut Easy Press is version 2. I will be talking about this one, because it’s the newest one. Plus, to my knowledge, the first version is in the process of being phased out. In a bit, I will compare both versions, side by side. So if you are planning to upgrade, you will see whether it’s worth it or not.

First of all, who’s the Cricut Easy Press for?

This depends on what you are working on. Do you add decals to fabrics or different materials? Then yes, the Cricut Easy Press is for you. If you are stuck with your Maker, here’s a perfect step-by-step guide on how to use the Cricut Maker.

You could use it as an easy and safe portable iron for your own clothes, but why? This machine was created specifically for crafters who are working in the iron niche.

If you are a newcomer, don’t sweat it. There are useful tips that will get you started. Before I got my Cricut Easy Press, I looked at the market and didn’t find a better product in terms of value for the price.

Read our related article on How to Print On Fabric With Cricut for additional info!

Why is the Cricut Easy Press different from other ironing tools?

Let’s look at a traditional iron, and at the Cricut Easy Press. First of all, new ironing machines tend to have holes in them, so they can let steam out. This is good for clothes, but it’s pretty bad for iron-on vinyl.

You see, those small holes are cold. So if you are using a traditional iron to stick vinyl on a t-shirt, you need to move it left and right, and press down hard. The time it takes to make sure you have ironed a shirt is superior to the time it takes when using an industrial machine or the Cricut Easy Press.

Imagine if you pressed it down and left it on for 30 seconds. If the vinyl happens to be right under a hole, it won’t stick, and when you’ll remove the transfer tape, two things can happen. You can either catch it on time, put the transfer tape back, and start the ironing process all over again, thus losing time. Or it gets worse, and you can destroy the design and lose the shirt. That’s an expense that can be avoided.

Read our related article, How to Use Cricut Transfer Tape! If you’re a new crafter, this guide is for you.

Cricut Easypress compared to industrial heat presses

Let’s take a look at industrial scale irons. These are supposed to be the best of the bests. Well, not quite. There are a few drawbacks. I can notably think of two. First, they’re expensive. Second, you need a lot of room to maneuver.

Plus, once you have seen one industrial iron, you have seen them all. There are no holes, so the heat is universally dispersed. This is good because you don’t have to move that heavy plate around.

This is where the Cricut Easy Press comes into play. It brings the best of both worlds. It borrows certain features from home irons, and some from industrial-grade ones.

Plus, it looks cool. The sleek white and red colors make it pop. If you own any Cricut machine, you know how much importance they put into the looks. I wouldn’t miss the mark if I said that they are the Apple of the crafting/vinyl world.

Just take a look at the Cricut Maker; it’s a beauty. And what’s under the hood is even more impressive. To date, it’s the best tabletop vinyl-cutting machine on the market. Also, the earlier version, the Cricut Explore Air 2, is a formidable contender.

If you need guidance, check how to use the Explore Air 2. But if you’re interested in vinyl cutting, or the Cricut Maker, check out this post. Finally, if you’d like to see the best vinyl cutters, click here. I’ve done a series of reviews and comparison tests as well.

Now, let’s get back to the Cricut Easy Press.

As you have seen on the pictures, the Easy Press doesn’t have any holes. This means that the heat is dispersed evenly. All you have to do is set the right temperature, and wait for the machine to reach it. Then, place it on the desired spot, add medium pressure to it, and wait for the designated seconds. And you’re done!

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Cricut Easy Press Overview

Weight and Portability

Did I mention that the Cricut Easy Press is light? You can easily hold it with only one hand. This makes portability one of its best features.

Since it’s easy to carry, you can go to baby showers or any other event, and create your designs live. Nothing makes a crowd gather and get their purses out more than a live demo.

All you need is one, maybe two people to stand and watch you work, and in a matter of minutes, people will be swarming around you, placing orders.

Now, let’s take a look at the machine itself.

As I mentioned before, the Cricut Easy Press 2 is getting reviewed in this article. This is Cricut’s latest version. In a bit, I will tell you everything about the differences between version 1 and version 2.

At the moment, there are four sizes to choose from. There’s an adorable iron called the Mini, to which I will dedicate a specific part.

As I mentioned earlier, the Cricut Easy Press is aesthetically pleasing. The handle is sturdy, and you can easily press it down with one or both hands.

How to use the Easy Press

Let’s take a look at the controls. You plug in your machine, and press the “power” button. After that, you set the desired temperature.

But first, get out the recommended settings guide, so you know what the ideal temperature is for your project.

The Cricut logo will be orange until it reaches the desired temperature. When the logo turns green, it will make a sound, signaling that it’s ready. Then, place the Cricut Easy Press on the material you’re working on, and apply medium pressure.

Don’t forget to press the countdown button. The machine will make a sound when you should lift the iron.

What I’ve noticed as a small difference between the two versions is that the newest one has a brighter display. This doesn’t affect performance in any way or form.

With the plus and minus buttons, you can set the desired temperatures. And by pressing on the thermometer, you can change the settings form Fahrenheit to Celsius. There’s also a timer that lets you know when the right time to lift the circuit off the material is.

It also has a protective plastic case, where you are storing the machine. The engineers who have created this machine looked at it from every angle! You can’t burn yourself because the protective case covers all sides. Plus, you can put your hand directly below the protective case, and you won’t burn it.

Here’s an important note to remember, however. Even if it’s safe, you should keep an eye on your kids if they are around. As you know, kids are curious, and accidents tend to happen.

Read More: Cricut Heat Press or Iron? If you have a household iron, do you really need a heat press? We compare how these two work for iron-ons!

What should you use the Cricut Easy Press on?

The primary materials to use it on is fabrics. The Easy Press is hands down the best machine to apply vinyl on fabrics. Also, it’s a great tool to use on any flat surface. For example, you could add personalized decals on plates. And if you feel adventurous, you could even use it on mugs.

But for fabrics, this is the ideal machine. It heats up quickly, and it doesn’t take more than 60 seconds. Of course, this depends on which machine you have purchased. As you know, the bigger the machine, the more time it takes.

Plus, with the Easy Press’ new feature, you can heat it up to 405°F.

Good to know before making a purchase

Are you considering buying a Cricut Easy Press?

First, decide on what kind of material and what size you will be it using on. If you are mainly focusing on baby stuff, like onesies, then getting the biggest size (10X16 inches) would be overkill.

Speaking of onesies, be sure to stop by our guide on How to Make Onesies With Cricut!

Do you remember my second rule? Have the right machine for the job. If you are focusing on small designs, then the smaller machine will suffice. Now, if you are working with adult T-shirts, the biggest one is the best.

Also, it comes down on the vinyl design as well. If it’s a full A4 format, you’ll need to apply the machine multiple times. For example, if you are covering the whole T-shirt, you will need at least four presses. However, if it’s a smaller design that fits on less than 10X16, then only one pressing should do it.

Are you applying vinyl to wood or glass? You can use the Cricut Easy Press with ease. Just don’t forget to adjust the settings for the right material.

Of course, no reviews would be perfect without the machine’s negatives.

First of all, it’s not the cheapest machine on the market. Still, it’s far superior to others. I believe the price is well justified because it saves a lot of time with the ironing process. Anyways, this is the negative part, not the justification part.

You also need to buy the mats separately for the Cricut Easy Press. Of course, keep in mind that each size has its equivalent mat. Maybe you can find some deals that can save you some money.

Should you buy the same size as your Cricut Easy Press?

It’s a tough choice. Yes, and the biggest one may be good as well. The latter will help you if, later on, you work on bigger surfaces.

Cricut Easy Press limitations

The biggest issue with the Cricut Easy Press is that it can only work on flat surfaces. Adding vinyl to a baseball cap will be a real pain in the neck, for example.

I mean, I’ve seen some solutions, but either way, you will be losing a lot of time doing those jobs. One of the tricks I’ve seen was to add a towel to fill the baseball cap out. But by the time you get it right, many minutes will have passed. So, forget about doing this for bulk orders; it will be extremely difficult.

Another place where the Cricut Easy Press falls short is the mug department. Since it’s not a flat surface, it will take some time to get it right. Plus, you will lose time compared to if you used a professional industrial machine. You will have to use the smallest Cricut Easy Press machine, and you will have to apply it multiple times to make sure that the vinyl sticks to the mug.

On the other hand, if you are customizing plates, you can do it easily with the Easy Press. But it comes down to two conditions.
First, the plate has to be flat. As you have read before, it’s hard to add vinyl with the Cricut Easy Press on curved surfaces.
Second, it’s best to use a transparent plate, because you will be adding the vinyl on the outer side. So of course, if you want to see it, you need a transparent plate.

How do you like the article so far? Are you ready for what’s coming up next? Yes, it’s what you have been waiting for: the comparison part.

First, I will compare the older version of the Cricut Easy Press to the newest one. Then, I will compare it with traditional iron and industrial machines. You will see how the Cricut Easy Press faces these challenges.

Read our related article on How to Decorate a Graduation Cap With Cricut for more fun ideas!

Cricut Easy Press Vs. Cricut Easy Press 2

There are some small, and some bigger differences between the two generations. First of all, the Cricut Easy Press V1 came in only one size, while the V2 already has four sizes, from the smallest one to the largest.

Another difference is that the latest version can memorize the last preset data, which means you don’t have to put the same settings over and over.

Finally, both machines have a 10-minute safety off. There has been a small aesthetic change to the buttons, but it doesn’t affect the machine’s efficiency.

On the V2, the LCD brightness is also higher.

Now, here are the structural differences between the two. The ironing plate is thicker on the newer version, and it heats up way faster than on the older one. They hit it out of the park when it comes to heating up—you’ll see this when I compare it with the industrial machine.

The Cricut Easy Press V1 was already fast, but they managed to make it even faster. The smallest machine reaches 305°F in about 60 seconds. So, it only takes a full minute. Now, the bigger the machine, the more time it takes to heat up. The biggest one (the 10×12) takes about 3 minutes to reach operating temperature.

That blew me away! You can save so much time with the newer version.

Another significant structural change happened to be the protective case. It has become thicker, plus, the venting holes have been redesigned, so the Cricut Easy Press 2 cools down 60% faster than the older version.

We have concluded the sibling rivalry. Now, let’s see how this heat press compares to a traditional iron.

Cricut Easy Press Vs. Iron

An iron will be way cheaper than the Cricut heat press machine. There’s no debate on that. But have you asked yourself what the cost of “cheap” is? Yes, you are saving money upfront, but what about later on,  when it takes more time to iron on the vinyl?

As I mentioned earlier, the holes in the home ironing machines are its most significant drawbacks. Since there’s no heat, and you happen to put the vinyl under it, there will be no adhesion. So you have to move it around a lot. This will make the ironing process longer. If you are working by the hour, you will have to work harder.

Plus, there’s no timer on old-school ironing machines, so you don’t know how long you have to keep it pressed down. It will put a lot of stress on your wrist, and you’ll have to move it around a lot. I hope you don’t plan to take on bulk orders this way, because you will end up in a lot of pain.

As you can see, a traditional iron is not the right machine for the job. This crosses my second rule: always have the right tool. If you are serious about making money with a vinyl cutter, then you need to read this guide ASAP.

Now, let’s see how the Cricut heat press compares to a professional machine.

Cricut Easy Press Vs. Industrial Ironing Machine

Industrial machines were created so you can easily do bulk jobs. But what if the Cricut could make them run for the money?

Here are the main differences. First of all, industrial ironing machines cost a lot more than the Easy Press—which wouldn’t be a problem if it was the only one.

The second issue, as I’ve mentioned above, is that you need a lot of space to operate it. Most of these machines don’t have safety features, so they are dangerous for adults. Not to mention for kids.

In addition, they are slow. For example, to heat a plate, it’s not unusual to wait 20 minutes or more. Plus, you need a lot of force to operate the machine.

Compared to the Easy Press, it’s a light machine. The biggest one only weights 8.3 lbs., so you can easily carry it with you and do live demos wherever you go.

However, the Cricut Easy Press is faster and user-friendly. And from my experience, the temperature is more accurate. I’ve seen other crafters burn clothes because the industrial machine’s thermostat called it a day.

Don’t get me wrong, industrial machines have their place. But if you are at home, doing it as a side gig, then the Easy Press is the best option for you.

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Cricut EasyPress Mini Review

Initially, I didn’t want to dedicate a whole section to the Mini, but it’s so cute that I felt compelled to do it.

But besides being cute, what can it do?

The Cricut Easy Press Mini can be used to fix vinyl issues, and work on smaller items, like baby clothes, shoes, and anything with a curve.

Since the Mini is so small, you can quickly fix vinyl issues. For instance, if a part of the design has fallen off and you don’t want to chug the shirt up as a loss, you can fix it. All you have to do is add the missing part and press the Mini on it. Make sure the iron doesn’t touch the other vinyl parts, because it might melt it off, thus making the problem worse.

Besides fixing, you can use it to personalize baby clothing. Since the Cricut irons are not curves friendly, the Mini, which is the smallest one, can help you in this department. It’s so small it can fit most curves, like mugs and shoes. The fact is that you will have to apply it multiple times to get the job done.

Read our related article, How to Use Cricut EasyPress Mini, for a quick rundown on getting started!

Final thoughts on Cricut Easy Press 2

This concludes my review of the Cricut Easy Press. Let me know if I missed anything. Also, please share your experiences; the more you share, the more we learn.

See you in the next post.

Happy Crafting!

Frequent questions from our readers (FAQ):

What is the Cricut easy press for?

The Cricut Easy press is for those crafters who are working on heat transfer projects. The Cricut EasyPress 2 was designed to get these jobs done as fast and as easily as possible every time.

What is the best Cricut EasyPress to buy?

The best Cricut EasyPress to buy is Cricut EasyPress 2. There are three sizes with the Cricut Easypress 2. You can choose from the small, medium, or large. For extra small or fine works there’s also the Cricut Mini. The best option is the biggest one if you’re doing heat transfer t-shirts. With two presses you have done the shirt. If you’re going with a smaller one you will have to do four or more presses which costs you time.

Is the Cricut EasyPress 2 worth it?

Yes, the Cricut EasyPress 2 is worth it. It beats the household iron with ease. Plus it can compete with the traditional heat press. The thing is that with the household iron it takes a lot of time to get a simple heat transfer job done. Hence it’s cheap. On the other hand, the traditional heat press takes a lot of time to heat up and the heat settings aren’t that adjustable. Just like with anything else there’s a list of pros and cons.

Is the Cricut easy press better than iron?

The Cricut Easy press is way better than the household iron. Here are the main pros and cons for the household iron it’s cheap and it will take a lot of time to finish a simple t-shirt. Since the household iron has holes you have to move it constantly so the heat is spread out evenly. Or else you might get certain parts to peel off the shirt. On the other hand, easy press 2 delivers the same heat on the whole surface. Plus it comes with a safety base and a 10 minutes auto shut off.  Not to mention it’s easy to store.

What does Cricut easy press do?

With the help of Cricut Easy Press, you can achieve industrial grade heat pressing at the fraction of the cost. Best of all you don’t need a large operational space. Extra bonus you don’t need strength to operate the machine.

Is the Cricut EasyPress 2 worth it?

In general, it’s worth it. It’s at an affordable price. It will get the job done. It heats up fast. Now if you are customizing mugs or baseball caps (anything that’s curved) the Easy press isn’t worth it for you. If you are in those niches then you need to look for a different heat press.

What size Cricut easy press should I get?

This depends on what size you are working on. Either way, I recommend getting the mini Easy press because that can help you fix errors thus cutting losses.

Do I need the Cricut EasyPress mat?

Yes. You need it because it’s designed to help you work faster. My suggestion would be to get the biggest mat you can. It will help you in the long run.

What can the Cricut Easypress 2 do better than other heat presses?

The pros and cons of heat presses are as follow. Pick any traditional heat press and you will know that it’s pricey and takes up a lot of space. Plus these heat presses take their sweet time to heat up. As you know time is money. Even with the lowest heat settings, you have to wait almost half an hour. With the Cricut easypress 2 it’s done in under 60 seconds. That’s a huge time saver right there. Plus it’s small so it’s easy to store. The safety base will keep you from harm’s way no matter the heat settings. Also, the safety base will help with the cool down as well. There has been a lot of improvement with the safety base between v1 and v2. Not to mention the 10 minutes shut off which is for safety purposes as well. The heat presses are great for bulk work. If you need to do a few hundred t-shirts then the heat presses are the way to go.

How well does the Cricut easypress 2 handle heat transfer vinyl?

The Cricut easypress 2 was made for heat transfer vinyl. No matter what kind of surface you want to apply the heat transfer vinyl the easypress will do a great job delivering.

Can you call the Cricut easypress mini a regular heat press?

The Cricut easypress mini behaves like a heat press so it can be considered as one. It can do a great job with a base material such as heat transfers, HTV, infusible ink. The Cricut easypress mini  is the ideal for creating amazing baby bodysuits. However, you won’t need the Cricut access program for the Cricut easypress mini. From all the Cricut products only the cricut easypress mini was the only one that didn’t experience shipping delays or delivery constraints during the holidays.

Does the Cricut Heat press come in different sizes?

Yes, this Cricut heat press comes in three different sizes. There’s the small one which is 6 x 7 inches, medium 9 x 9 inches, and big 12 x 10 inches. The manual comes with tips to troubleshooting the heating elements. The surface area should be the craft table because the surface gets hot.

What are the main features of the Cricut Heat Press?

Here’s a quick list of features: auto-shutoff feature, temperature settings, temperature control. For some, it will be expensive so they can go with a payment plan. According to the heat guide, infusible ink and HTV will work flawlessly. I prefer the infusible ink because it’s much more stylish.

For more information, read our article, What is Cricut Infusible Ink?