The Cricut Accessories You Actually Need

Buy three things immediately: a weeding hook set, a standard grip mat, and transfer tape if you are making decals. Everything else can wait until a specific problem makes it obvious you need it — which is a much better buying signal than a starter bundle's contents list.

Quick picks

#	Product	Best for	Price
1	Vinyl Weeding Tool SetThe single accessory that changes a beginner's experience most — weeding with a pin is miserable, and a hoo...	Buy first	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
2	Vinyl Transfer TapeNot optional. Without transfer tape you cannot move a weeded multi-piece decal onto a surface with the spac...	Buy first, for decals	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
3	Cutting Machine MatsMats are consumable, not permanent — plan on replacing them, and match the grip to the material rather than...	Buy first, then replace	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
4	Replacement Fine-Point BladesA dull blade is the most common cause of a machine that has apparently 'stopped cutting properly' — and the...	Buy when cuts go ragged	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
5	Craft BrayerA small roller that presses material flat onto the mat — it prevents the lifted corner that ruins a cut hal...	Buy if material keeps lifting	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify
6	Heat Press MatThe cheap accessory that fixes most failed presses: it gives you a firm, even, heat-safe surface instead of...	Buy with a handheld press	Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. We do not publish prices — they move constantly, and a stale number is worse than none.

The buying order

How we picked

We ranked accessories by whether they solve a problem you will genuinely have, and when. An accessory that solves a real problem in month six is not a day-one purchase, and treating it as one is how starter bundles get padded. Our methodology.

The accessories in full

1. Best for buy first

Vinyl Weeding Tool Set

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

Every single cut gets weeded, and doing it with a pin or a fingernail is genuinely miserable. A hook set costs very little and is the best value purchase in the hobby relative to frustration removed. The scraper in the set doubles as your burnishing tool for transfer tape.

What works

• Turns the most tedious step into a manageable one
• The scraper doubles as your transfer-tape burnishing tool
• Cheap, and a set lasts years

What does not

• Cheap sets have soft points that dull quickly
• More pieces than you will actually use

Not for you if

Nothing — if you cut vinyl, you need at least a hook.

Key specs

Typical set

Weeding hook, fine tweezers, scraper, spatula, scissors

Used for

Removing the vinyl you did not cut out of the design

Also fits

Every brand of machine — nothing here is Cricut-specific

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2. Best for buy first, for decals

Vinyl Transfer Tape

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

Not an accessory so much as a requirement. Without it you cannot move a weeded multi-piece decal onto a surface with the spacing intact. Gridded versions make straight application genuinely easy, and they cost barely more.

What works

• Turns an impossible alignment job into a single motion
• Gridded versions make straight application genuinely easy
• Cheap relative to how much frustration it removes

What does not

• High-tack tape can pull thin vinyl off its backing and tear it
• Not used for heat transfer vinyl, which has its own carrier sheet

Not for you if

You are only making shirts. HTV comes with its own carrier and needs no transfer tape.

Key specs

Purpose

Lifts a weeded decal off its backing and places it as one piece

Tack

Medium tack suits most craft vinyl

Format

Rolls, usually 12 in wide; gridded versions help alignment

Reusable

A sheet can usually be reused several times

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3. Best for buy first, then replace

Cutting Machine Mats

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

One standard grip mat covers vinyl, heat transfer vinyl and cardstock. Treat mats as consumable rather than permanent — a worn mat causes cutting failures people blame on the machine. Third-party mats cost noticeably less and perform fine.

What works

• Correct grip prevents both torn material and material sliding mid-cut
• Third-party mats cost noticeably less than brand mats
• Tack can be partly restored with gentle washing

What does not

• They wear out, and a tired mat causes cuts people blame on the machine
• Strong grip can shred thin paper

Not for you if

You only ever cut Smart Materials matless. Even then, keep one standard mat for the day you buy ordinary vinyl.

Key specs

Grip levels

Light, standard, strong, and fabric-specific

Standard grip

Vinyl, iron-on, cardstock — the everyday mat

Strong grip

Thick cardstock, chipboard, glitter materials

Light grip

Thin paper and vellum that would tear on a standard mat

Lifespan

Consumable — tack declines with use and is partly restorable

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4. Best for buy when cuts go ragged

Replacement Fine-Point Blades

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

Not needed on day one, and the first thing to check when a machine that worked yesterday stops cutting cleanly. Swaps in seconds with no tools, and third-party fine-point blades are far cheaper and generally fine for vinyl.

What works

• Cheap fix for the single most common cutting complaint
• Swapping takes seconds with no tools
• Third-party blades are far cheaper and generally fine for vinyl

What does not

• Very cheap blades can be inconsistent on fine detail
• Easy to blame the blade when the real problem is the mat or the setting

Not for you if

Your machine is new. Check your material setting and mat tack first.

Key specs

Type

Fine-point blade — the everyday blade for vinyl and cardstock

Lifespan

Varies hugely with material; glitter and cardstock dull it fastest

Housing

Blades swap into the existing housing — you do not rebuy the housing

Symptom of dullness

Tearing, incomplete cuts, ragged corners

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5. Best for buy if material keeps lifting

Craft Brayer

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

A small roller that presses material flat onto the mat so a corner cannot lift mid-cut. Genuinely useful and genuinely skippable at first — a scraper does most of the same job, and you will know quickly whether you need one.

What works

• Fixes lifted-corner cutting failures before they happen
• Doubles as a burnishing tool for transfer tape
• Very cheap

What does not

• A scraper does most of the same job
• One more tool to lose

Not for you if

You cut only matless Smart Materials. There is no mat to roll onto.

Key specs

Purpose

Rolls material flat onto the mat so it cannot lift mid-cut

Also useful for

Burnishing transfer tape onto a decal

Size

Small hand roller, usually rubber

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6. Best for buy with a handheld press

Heat Press Mat

Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27

Only relevant for fabric, and effectively required if your heat source is a handheld press. Pressing on a padded ironing board lets seams and hems absorb the pressure meant for the design, which is the most common cause of one corner lifting.

What works

• Turns an uneven surface into an even one, which is most of a good press
• Protects the table underneath
• Costs very little relative to the failures it prevents

What does not

• One more thing to store
• Does not fix pressure that is simply too light

Not for you if

You have a clamshell press with a proper lower platen. The platen already does this job.

Key specs

Purpose

Firm heat-resistant base that concentrates pressure into the design

Why it matters

Absorbs seams and zips so the design sits flat

Sizes

Sized to match common press plates

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What you can skip

All of these are sold as essentials somewhere, and none of them is.

• Branded scissors. Yours are fine.
• A spatula for lifting material off the mat. Peel the mat away from the material instead — bend the mat back against the cut piece. It works better and costs nothing.
• Multiple mat grips on day one. Standard grip covers your first months. Add strong grip when a material actually needs it.
• Specialty blades. Deep-point, bonded fabric and engraving tips all have narrow uses. Buy one when a specific project requires it.
• Storage systems. Buy them when you have material to store, not in anticipation of having some.
• Branded everything. Third-party mats, blades and tools cost considerably less and work fine for vinyl and everyday materials. This is where ongoing savings actually live.
• A subscription. The machine works fully without one. What it actually buys.

The consumables you will keep buying

Worth distinguishing from accessories, because these recur rather than being bought once.

• Mats. Tack declines with use. Washing gently restores some of it, and eventually they need replacing. Mat guide.
• Blades. Dull faster on cardstock and glitter than on plain vinyl. Blade guide.
• Transfer tape. Reusable several times per sheet, not indefinitely.
• Material. Obviously. Buying by the roll rather than the sheet is meaningfully cheaper once you know which colors you use.

The full cost picture covers these properly, and they are the part of the hobby's expense that beginners genuinely do not anticipate.