Live: Cricut Cyber Monday deals - the best new offers as they happen (I'm tracking them for you)

Welcome to my Cricut Black Friday deals live blog! I've been covering and using craft machines for two years now, and at the heart of this has been Cricut. I own a Maker 3, Joy and Mug Press - so I'm all-in and want to share why Cricut's brand of digital craft cutting is so good, and how you can save money this Black Friday.

Let's start with some core advice:

• Only buy a machine that matches your needs, no everyone needs a Maker 3 or an Autopress. 

• The Cricut Explore 3, in my opinion, is the ideal beginner machine, look for deals on this vinyl cutter and bundles to get started.

• Bundles, bundles, bundles… if you're completely new to Cricut or are buying a second machine, bundles offer the best value on Black Friday. The best are usually at Cricut.com. 

• If you're already a Cricut user then Black Friday is the best time to load up on expensive Smart Materials, as well as new tools and accessories.

Whether you're new to Cricut or are considering getting a machine this Black Friday, you really need to take out a subscription to Cricut Access. We have a whole feature on why you need Cricut Access, but essentially this offers monthly exclusive deals, coupons, free projects and tutorials as well as the option to upload and sell your project designs and earn money.

Oh, and right now Cricut Access members can buy one of many teasing Mystery Boxes of goodies from the Cricut online store, all with names like 'Wine O'Clock Mystery Box' and the 'Periwinkle Mystery Box' designed to get you clicking on that Cart.

Mystery Boxes are essentially packages of themed materials - from vinyl to cardstock, machine tools, handheld tools, pens and markers, Infusible Ink, project blanks, and more. Prices range average around $59.99 / £59.99 with savings of up to $100 / £100.

Right now US crafters can get a new Marvel Mystery Box for $29.99 - just saying.

I've listed the best Cricut machine deals around at the moment in above, but Black Friday is not just about hardware, it's also a great time to pick up those accessories you've had your eye on but were just too costly (Cricut's best accessories aren't cheap).

For me, I love Cricut's craft lamps. These have always been high on my list of the best craft lights you can find right now, but in normal times they're very expensive - until now. Below are the Cricut craft lamp deals I can find:

• Cricut Bright 360 Ultimate LED Lamp Bundle, Indigo - $449.98 $199.99
You get the new Indigo floor and table lamps for the one price.

• Cricut Bright 360, Ultimate LED Table Lamp - $199.99 $99.99
The excellent table lamp on its own with 50% off.

• Cricut BrightPad Go - $99.99 $79.99
The cordless LED lightbox is good for crafting and artwork.

Outside of the main cutting machines, like the Maker 3, Cricut excels at some bespoke devices, one of my favourites is the Cricut Mug Press. This enables you to infuse your own designs onto mugs and cups. It works with two sizes of mug and while it is best to use Cricut's own mug blanks you can buy cheaper ones from craft stores.

Right now the Cricut Mug Press has a number of deals. I'd opt for the bundles as mug blanks and heat press vinyl can get expensive. But here are the best offers I've seen:

• Cricut Mug Press Everything Materials Bundle: $313.85 $229.99 at Cricut

• Cricut Mug Press - Infusible Ink Bundle: $257.47 $178.72 at Amazon

• Cricut Mug Press: $199 $149 at Amazon

The other quirky heat press Cricut has is the Cricut Hat Press, which, ta da… presses designs onto hats. The Hat Press does exactly what it says on the box but has that ease of use Cricut excels at. This works with Cricut's own materials as well as most major brands of iron-on (HTV), Infusible Ink and sublimation products; and like the newer EasyPress 3 uses the Cricut Heat Press app for an automated experience - no trial and error saves on waste. 

• Cricut Hat Press Infusible Ink Everything Bundle: $478.84 $299.99 at Cricut

• Cricut Hat Press Everything Iron-On Bundle: $452.38 $299.99

• Cricut Hat Press Infusible Ink Bundle: $202.46 $134.72 at Amazon

• Cricut Hat Press: $149.99 $99 at Amazon

If you're looking at getting one of the fun heat press machines I've mentioned below, the Cricut Hat Press and the Cricut Mug Press, then you need to know these only work with a cutting machine. You need to create your design in the Cricut app, send it to a cutting machine, which draws and cuts it from heat press vinyl, then you can use that designed material with the heat press.

Because both the Hat Press and Mug Press are small machines, transferring designs onto small items, you don't need to spend a fortune on a larger Cricut machine like a Maker 3 or Explore 3. I'd recommend the Cricut Joy or the new Cricut Joy Xtra for creating designs for either Hat Press or Mug Press.

You can get Cricut Joy for $179.99 $99 at Cricut, while the new Cricut Joy Xtra is $199 at Cricut - no deals here just yet but the Cricut Joy Xtra bundle for the same price is worthwhile.

Cricut Venture is the largest cutting machine Cricut has, and was released around two months ago. It's designed more for pros and small studios, or for anyone that wants to use a Cricut for DIY and larger projects.

While you can buy the Venture as a standalone machine and use it on a desk or craft table, I would suggest getting the Cricut bundle deal that offers the Venture with its bespoke stand and materials. First, the stand has been designed to hold the Venture securely, passing materials and cuts into a basket below, to keep your home tidy. Second, the stand means you can wheel the Venture into a corner and tidy it away.

Being a larger machine than the standard Cricut craft cutters also means the Venture needs bigger sheets of material, so this bundle is a good choice to get you started and used to the new Venture Smart Materials.

Thinking of getting a Cricut Venture, then my pick is the Cricut Venture + Stand + Everything Bundle for $1,636 $1,249 at Cricut.

Pens, pens, pens… Cricut has a mix of excellent ink and gel pens of varying sizes and colours, including metallics and heat transfer inks, but they can be expensive. Right now Cricut has a clearance sale on some of its popular pens, I've listed them below for easy linking. (These are all compatible with Maker and Explore machines.)

• Glitter Gel Pen Set, Fiesta: $13.99 $6.50

• Infusible Ink Pens (0.4), Watercolor Splash: $16.49 $4.47

• Infusible Ink Pens (0.4), Neons: $16.49 $4.47

• Cricut Markers 1.0 mm, Precious Metals: $10.99 $2.97

You may have missed this one, but last night I posted this excellent Cricut Explore 3 deal - US readers can buy Explore 3 for $319 $249 from Cricut.

UK readers can head over and but Explore 3 Smart Materials bundle for £259 at Hobbycraft. This is a great deal for the UK as the best Explore 3 hardware offer is £259 at Amazon / Cricut, so you're genuinely getting Smart Materials for free here).

Why is the Cricut Explore 3 so good? Because, in my opinion, this is the best Cricut machine for beginners. The new Joy Xtra is muscling in a little, but Explore 3 is a little larger, which means it can grow as your skills and projects get more intricate.

If you're new to Cricut, deciding where to start can be a bit overwhelming initially. The brand has so many different machines now, each with myriad additional tools and materials. That can make it hard to know what the differences are, which is the best product for you or even how to get started with the machine once you have one. 

If you're not sure how to get started with your device, or if you're not even sure what Cricut really is, and you've merely heard that it makes great tools for crafters, I can recommend perusing our guide to how to use a Cricut. That includes an overview of Cricut's tools and resources and a jargon buster, which might help you make more sense of things.

I'm loving Joann at the moment; this is a new store to me but the amount of material it sells is unrivalled. Digging around in its Cricut materials online store I've found a whole bunch of metallic, shiny Cricut materials with 50% off. 

With the Holidays upon us there's no better time than now to start making cards, presents and paper crafts, and these Holographic Sparkle, Smart Label, and Precious Metals Metallic vinyls, amongst other rolls, are just the thing. This mix of material rolls is for all Cricut's, including Joy, Explore and Maker.

As well as Cricut I also use laser engravers and cutters for craft projects, but you needn't spend a fortune on a fancy laser machine to get similar results at home. Cricut machines from Joy up to Maker 3 can score, emboss and deboss with excellent results. 

To do this you'll need a new tool accessory, as one of the best things about Cricut machines is you can swap out the standard blade for different attachments. We have a guide to the best Cricut blades that explains a little more.

This Black Friday you can get up to 50% off a mix of blades at Cricut, from the Deep -Point Blade used for chipboard and rubber to the Engraving Tip to personalise art and jewellery for that laser-engraved finish for less.

I just saw this IDILER Light for Cricut's Weeder Tool and I can't work out if it's genius or a bad idea. I can see how having a light shining down exactly where you're working is good, but surely this bobs around as you work? The IDILER Light is reduced by 20% today, from $16.99 $13.59 at Amazon. Bit of a roll of the dice on this one. What do people think?

This looks great. My wife has a Cricut Mini Press and adores it, but it doesn't come with a case or even a storage bag, so this hard case that perfectly fits the small heat press, stand and cable is an ideal present for any crafter. The same brand, LTGEM, also makes hard cases for EasyPress 3 and EasyPress 2, ideal for keeping these excellent devices clean.

• LTGEM Hard Carrying Case for EasyPress Mini: $22.99 16.72

• LTGEM Hard Case for Cricut EasyPress 3 9x9: $36.99 $29.59 

Hi there, it's CB Editor, Georgia, taking over from Ian for the rest of the night. I hope you're enjoying the stellar Cricut deals we've got for you. While I get my bearings, please do peruse the deals we've found for you above... I'll be right back!

If you're wanting to try Cricut but you're stuck for inspiration fear not, we can help. We've got a guide with lots of delicious Cricut Christmas projects – it's full of video tutorials on making everything from gifts to baubles, Christmas cards to decorations. Enjoy!

You might want to know more about Cricut. And we've got answers for any questions you might have. Some of the most commonly asked questions are below, and our expert answers:

One of my favourite deals today is on the Cricut Maker 3, the current flagship machine. It's cut from $429.99 to $349 at Joann. This latest version added support for Cricut Smart Materials, and is faster and quieter than the old Maker (by a lot, really). This offer at Joann is the best I've seen so far.

If you're still up in the UK, there's a good deal on the Maker 3 there as well £429.99 £384.99 at CraftStash. 

This is the cheapest Cricut Maker 3 in the UK right now. Amazon's best deal is £413.94 and Hobbycraft for £388, which is good, particularly if you love this store.

What we love about Cricut is it's got so many potential users. Crafters doing it for a hobby, wanting to start an Etsy business or larger scale professional businesses. Whoever you are there is a machine for you. Check out our Cricut for beginners post if you are at the newbie end of the scale.

We usually see an abundance of bundle deals (an abundleance, if you will) over Black Friday, and this year is no exception. 

I especially like this Cricut Explore 3 Everything Materials Bundle, which is reduced from $582 to $289 at Cricut, and this Cricut Maker 3 Essentials Materials Bundle: $627 $469 at Cricut . We think bundles are the best way to get into Cricut – but they're great for aficionados too, or someone trying a new machine.

Okay it's pretty late now, so I'm going to clock off for the night. We'll be back tomorrow with more Cricut deals hunting and advice. Night night.

Cricut machines don't come cheap, but right now at Amazon the Cricut Explore 3 is 14% off, down from £299 to £259. It's number 1 bestselling die cut machine on Amazon, and we raved about it in our Cricut 3 review. 

Never used a Cricut machine? You're missing a treat. Check out our guide on how to use a Cricut for all the info. 

Clicked and treated yourself to a new Cricut craft machine? Then we can help you get up and running with some great projects just in time for the holiday season. Take a look at our round-up of the best Christmas tutorial projects and we've found some excellent free SVG files to download and try. If you've yet to get a Cricut, I'd suggest the two deals below for beginners:

UK
• Cricut Explore 3 + Essentials Materials Bundle: £458.91 £319.99
• Cricut Joy Xtra + Materials Bundle: £457.80 £319.99

US
• Cricut Joy Xtra + Everything Bundle + Cricut Access: $282 $199
• Cricut Explore 3 + Everything Bundle + Cricut Access: $595 $289

You need a tablet, smartphone or computer to use a Cricut via its Design Space app, which means Black Friday can be a great chance to grab a deal on a new tablet for your existing cutting machine. We have an Apple Black Friday deals blog for the latest offers on iPads of all kinds.

Of course, you can also run Design Space on Windows and now Chromebooks, so you needn't spend a lot on Apple tablets. Take a look at our guide to the best laptops for Cricut for my picks of what works best with these craft machines. Or, here's a couple of picks that would work nicely with Cricut for less:

2021 Newest Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5: $849 $364.99 at Amazon

LG gram 14-inch 2-in-1 Lightweight Laptop: $1,299.99 $799.99

ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip: $699.99 $589.99

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Wi-Fi 10.9-inch: $499.99 $399

The Cricut Joy Xtra Everything Bundle, exclusive to Cricut, is a genuine bargain. You can get the Cricut Joy Xtra, materials, tools and a subscription to Cricut Access for $199 - the craft cutter alone costs $199, so these extras are actually free.

For free, you get: Premium Fine-Point Blade + Housing, Fine Point Pen, Mini Weeder, Cricut Joy Xtra Light Grip Mat, Starter Tool Set, Printable Sticker Paper, Glitter Gel Pens, Smart Iron-On materials, Smart Vinyl materials, Transfer Tape, and a subscription to Cricut Access Standard.

Cricut Joy Xtra Everything Bundle, $199 at Cricut

Just like all top brands, older models released by Cricut are still very good, particularly if you're a beginner or newcomer to digital craft cutting.

A good option is always Cricut Maker, which remains a powerful and adaptable craft machine. (Its a little noisier and slower than Maker 3, and you can't use Smart Materials so you need a cutting mat).

The Cricut Explore Air 2 is also a good older model, and just like the Maker it remains powerful and easy to use, but also noisier and slower than the newer Explore 3. Below are some good deals on these older machines.

My tip, go for the bundle deals on older Maker machines as they're great value, will get you up to speed and you can use the same tools with newer Cricut machines, should you upgrade in a year or two. Explore Air 2 is best bought as a standalone machine, as the price is incredibly low.

Cricut Maker ChampagneMixed Materials Bundle: $453.96 $319 at Cricut

Cricut Explore Air 2, Lilac: $249.99 $229.99 at Cricut (more colours available)

The Cricut Roll Holder for Maker 3 and Explore 3 is on sale at Best Buy for $54.99 $27.49. It may not be the most exotic of craft tools, but this accessory will enable you to do much more with your craft cutter; it extends the length of Smart Materials you can cut from 4 - 75ft (3 - 22.8 m), ensuring you can create projects like designer wallpaper or simply save on waste by cutting multiple designs on one sheet.

Cricut Roll Holder: $54.99 $27.49 at Best Buy

It's selling for the same sale price at Cricut if you prefer buying direct.

There are some Black Friday deals about on Cricut alternatives too, for example Siser and Silhouette. We actually rate the the xTool M1 as the best since its a dual purpose digital cutter and laser. Amazon has $200 off the machine alone and $300 off a bundle with materials.

• xTool M1 2-in-1 Laser Engraver: $1,099.98 $899.20 at Amazon

For full analysis of other options, be sure you check out our buying guide to the best Cricut alternatives. There we compare cutting machines from the likes of Siser, Brother and Silhouette as well as xTool. However, most of these brands don't seem to be getting into the spirit of Black Friday by offering any savings.

It can be tempting to go for Black Friday deals (sorry Cyber Monday deals now, apparently) on cheap third-party Cricut accessories. Things like this deal on a set of vinyl tools at Amazon. But in my experience, they're really not worth it. Cricut's own tools may be relatively pricey compared to cheap brands like this, but I've found them much better lasting, and Cricut Black Friday deals take their price down much closer to cheap competitors in many cases. 

Cricut's own Weeding Tool Set is reduced to half price on the Cricut website.It doesn't include all the tools in the cheap set above, but the quality is much better.

• Cricut Weeding Tool Set: was $26.99 now $13.49 at Cricut

The same goes for Cricut pens. There are a bunch of pens designed for Cricut machines listed as Cyber Monday deals at Amazon, but, as we noted in our guide to the best Cricut pens, using a non-Cricut pen in your machine could void your warranty. You know Cricut's own pens are going to fit just right, and again, Cricut has its own pen deals running for Black Friday, and some of them are half price.

I'm taking a break from our Cricut Black Friday blog for tonight, but all of the deals linked above are still live at the time of clocking off. Stay tuned because we'll be back reporting on the deals as we move towards Cyber Monday. Although the savings on now are good, I'm not expecting to see anything better, but either way you'll find the best prices here.

Welcome to Cyber Monday! The good news is all the best deals 

It's Cricut Cyber Monday! The good news is the same great deals from the weekend are still around, so if you saw something and needed time to think about it (always a good idea) they're still here to buy.

The good thing with Cricut is there are only a handful of online stores I'd trust for discounts, including Cricut itself, which always goes the extra mile during sales events to offer value. The deals I've listed above are genuine offers and will either save you money or deliver value.

Let's look at Cricut heat presses… Some of the best deals on Cyber Monday remain on Cricut's range of heat presses, such as the new EasyPress 3 and the EasyPress mini. So what are the differences, let me break it down…

EasyPress 2
This is the older heat press and comes in two main sizes, 9 x 9 and 12 x 10 inches. This older device doesn't have Bluetooth so it's a little more manual than the newer machine. Cricut is ceasing to support this one, so deals are good and the device itself remains excellent.

EasyPress 3
The new heat press from Cricut is actually very similar to the EasyPress 2, and comes in the same sizes - 9 x 9 and 12 x 10 inches. The major difference is the EasyPress 3 is Bluetooth enabled and uses the new Cricut Heat Press app, so it's totally automated.

EasyPress Mini
This tiny heat press is actually one of my favourites and is a good buy whether you want to create heat transfer designs or simply need a good iron for sewing and quilting. Its small size is designed to be used with one hand, and it has a even heat distribution, ideal for flattening seams.