What’s the Difference Between Cricut AIR 2 and Cricut Maker?

The Cricut AIR 2 and the Cricut Maker are two powerful cutting machines from Cricut. Both are great for cutting a variety of materials and can be used to make a variety of projects. But, when it comes to features, there are some differences between these two machines.

Cutting Speed and Pressure

The Cricut AIR 2 has a maximum cutting speed of 350 mm/s and a maximum cutting pressure of 500 grams. The Cricut Maker has a maximum cutting speed of 2,000 mm/s and a maximum cutting pressure of 3,400 grams. This makes the Cricut Maker much faster and more powerful than the Cricut AIR 2.

Materials

Both machines can cut paper, vinyl, cardstock, fabric, and more. However, the Cricut Maker can also cut leather, balsa wood, BassWood, foamboard, chipboard and poster board up to 2.4mm thick. The Cricut AIR 2 is limited to only materials up to 1.5mm thick.

Design Software

Both machines use the same design software – Design Space – but the Cricut Maker has more features available within the software than the AIR 2. For example, with the Maker you can use adaptive tool system (ATS) technology which allows you to set a maximum cut depth for certain materials so that you get precise cuts every time.

Price

The Cricut AIR 2 retails at around $200 while the Cricut Maker retails at around $400. The additional features offered by the Maker mean that it is significantly more expensive than the AIR 2.

Conclusion:


The main difference between these two machines is that the Cricut Maker is faster and more powerful than the AIR 2 when it comes to cutting speed and pressure; it can cut thicker materials; it has more features in Design Space; and it is significantly more expensive than the AIR2.