The Cricut Starter Kit Worth Buying
Build it from components and you get a better kit for less. Here is exactly what goes in it.
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Build your own kit. A machine, one standard grip mat, a weeding hook set, transfer tape, and material in colors you actually chose. Most pre-made bundles pad the contents with material you did not pick and tools you will not use, while leaving out the transfer tape you need on day one.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cricut Explore 5The sensible default for a first machine: it cuts everything a beginner actually uses, and the money you sa... | The machine in the kit | Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify |
| 2 | Vinyl Weeding Tool SetThe single accessory that changes a beginner's experience most — weeding with a pin is miserable, and a hoo... | The first accessory | 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... | Standard grip, to begin with | Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify |
| 4 |  Oracal 651 Permanent VinylThe industry-standard permanent adhesive vinyl, and the one to use for anything that has to survive weather... | Material for decal projects | Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify |
| 5 |  Siser EasyWeed HTVThe default heat transfer vinyl for beginners: it weeds cleanly, presses at a forgiving temperature, and is... | Material for fabric projects | Check price on Amazon #ad · affiliate link · we never show a price we cannot verify |
| 6 | Vinyl Transfer TapeNot optional. Without transfer tape you cannot move a weeded multi-piece decal onto a surface with the spac... | The thing bundles forget | 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 We do not publish prices — they move constantly, and a stale number is worse than none.
What a real starter kit contains
| Component | Why it is in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting machine | Obvious | The one thing worth spending on |
| Standard grip mat | Needed unless you only use Smart Materials | One is enough to start |
| Weeding hook set | Every cut needs weeding | The best value item here |
| Transfer tape | Every adhesive decal needs it | Frequently missing from bundles |
| Vinyl in 2-3 chosen colors | Material to actually make something | Chosen beats a rainbow pack |
| Scraper | Burnishes tape and flattens material | Usually in the weeding set |
| Heat source | Only if fabric | The largest cost — skip for decals |
How we picked
We built the list from what a first project genuinely requires rather than from what fills a box, and we name where bundles typically add things you will not use. Products verified against manufacturer catalogs on the date in the byline. Our methodology.
The components in full
1. Best for the machine in the kit
Cricut Explore 5
Cricut · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27
Full-width cutting, every everyday material, and the biggest tutorial library. The machine is the part of a kit worth spending on, because it is the only component you cannot cheaply swap later.
What works
- Cuts every material a beginner's first ten projects will use
- Matless Smart Material cutting means long banners and decals without a mat
- Cheapest current machine that still handles full 12 in wide vinyl
- Huge community of tutorials aimed at exactly this machine
What does not
- No rotary blade, so unbacked fabric is out
- No knife blade for basswood or thick leather
- Still needs Design Space, which needs an internet connection to set up
Not for you if
You already know you want to cut quilting fabric or thick leather. That is the Maker line's rotary and knife blades, and no accessory adds them to an Explore.
Key specs
- Cuts
- Vinyl, heat transfer vinyl, cardstock, paper, iron-on, faux leather
- Max material width
- 12 in (11.5 in cut width)
- Matless cutting
- Yes, with Smart Materials
- Tool slots
- Two — blade plus pen or scoring tool
- Rotary / knife blade
- No — Maker line only
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2. Best for the first accessory
Vinyl Weeding Tool Set
Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27
Every cut gets weeded, and a hook set costs very little. If a bundle includes only one accessory, this is the one it should be — and it is the one people most often find missing.
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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3. Best for standard grip, to begin with
Cutting Machine Mats
Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27
One standard grip mat covers vinyl, heat transfer vinyl and cardstock. Bundles often include several grips, most of which you will not use for months. 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 material for decal projects
Oracal 651 Permanent Vinyl
Oracal · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27
Permanent adhesive vinyl for hard surfaces. Buy a couple of colors you will actually use rather than accepting a rainbow pack — most bundle material sits unused because it is in colors nobody chose.
What works
- The reference permanent vinyl — settings and behavior are documented everywhere
- Genuinely weather-resistant, which most craft-store vinyl is not
- Wide color range and readily available by the roll
What does not
- Permanent means permanent — removing it from paint or a wall can take finish with it
- Gloss finish is not what you want on a wall quote
- Not for fabric under any circumstances
Not for you if
You are decorating a rented wall. Use removable 631 instead and keep your deposit.
Key specs
- Type
- Adhesive vinyl — for hard surfaces, not fabric
- Adhesive
- Permanent, solvent-based
- Outdoor durability
- Oracal rates 651 for up to six years outdoors
- Finish
- Gloss (matte available in some colors)
- Typical use
- Car decals, window signs, tumblers, outdoor labels
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5. Best for material for fabric projects
Siser EasyWeed HTV
Siser · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27
Heat transfer vinyl that weeds cleanly, which matters most while you are learning. Sold in single sheets, so you can try a few colors without committing to rolls.
What works
- Weeds more cleanly than almost anything else at this price
- Thin enough that a layered design does not feel like a plastic patch
- Siser publishes clear time and temperature guidance for it
- Sold in single sheets, so you can try three colors without buying three rolls
What does not
- Matte only — no gloss, glitter or specialty finish in the base line
- Sheets cost more per square inch than buying a roll
- Still needs real heat and pressure; a household iron gives mixed results
Not for you if
You want a glitter or holographic finish. That is a different Siser product line, not EasyWeed.
Key specs
- Type
- Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) — for fabric
- Fabric compatibility
- Siser rates it for cotton, polyester and cotton/poly blends
- Thickness
- Thin — around 90 microns
- Carrier
- Pressure-sensitive clear carrier sheet
- Finish
- Matte
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6. Best for the thing bundles forget
Vinyl Transfer Tape
Various · Currently sold · Verified 2026-09-27
Needed for every adhesive decal and routinely absent from starter bundles. Without it you cannot move a weeded design onto its surface with the spacing intact, and you find that out at the worst moment.
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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What bundles typically get wrong
Not all of them, and not always — but the pattern is consistent enough to check for.
- Rainbow material packs. Twelve colors of vinyl sounds generous. In practice you use two or three, and the rest sits in a drawer. Two colors you chose beats twelve you did not.
- Tools you already own. Scissors, a ruler, a spatula. Fine to have, not worth paying a premium for inside a bundle.
- Multiple mat grips. Light and strong grip mats are useful eventually. Standard grip is what you need in month one.
- No transfer tape. The single most common omission, and it is needed on the first decal.
- Material in the wrong family. A bundle heavy on heat transfer vinyl is no use if your projects are tumblers, and vice versa. The distinction.
The minimum viable kit
If you want the shortest possible list that still produces a finished object:
- Machine.
- One standard grip mat.
- One weeding hook.
- One roll or sheet pack of vinyl in the right family for your project.
- Transfer tape, if the project is a decal.
Five items for a decal, four for a shirt plus a heat source. That genuinely gets you to a finished project, and everything else can be added once you know which parts of this you enjoy.
Adding to it later
The natural next purchases, roughly in order: a strong grip mat when you start cutting glitter or cardstock, a replacement blade when cuts go ragged, a brayer if material keeps lifting on the mat, and specialty vinyl once your weeding is confident enough to handle it.
The accessories that genuinely earn their space goes through that list properly, including the ones that do not.
Common questions
What should be in a Cricut starter kit?
Does a Cricut starter kit include the machine?
Are Cricut bundles worth it?
What is the minimum I need to buy?
What do starter kits usually leave out?
Sources
- Cricut official product catalog — Machine, mat and material formats, verified 27 September 2026
How we picked
We verify every product is currently sold by reading the manufacturer's own catalog, compare published specifications rather than marketing copy, and rank on what a first-time buyer has to decide. We do not run lab tests and we do not claim to, and commission never affects the order.
Read this next
What You Need to Start
The genuine beginner checklist — what you need for a first project and what can wait.
The Cricut Accessories You Actually Need
The short list that genuinely earns its space, the longer list that does not, and the buying order.
Are Cricut Bundles Worth It?
How to tell a genuine bundle from a padded one, and what a good one actually contains.
What a Cricut Really Costs
Every component a working setup needs, what recurs, and the costs people meet one at a time.
The Best Cricut for Beginners
One safe default pick, plus the specific cases where a different Cricut — or no Cricut — is the better buy.
Back to Start Here.