An Honest Cricut Heat Press Review

We purchased one of the new Cricut autopresses and gave it a test drive to see how it works with Transfer Express products.     If you are in the market for a heat press, spoiler alert, we distribute the Hottronix heat press line so that is our recommended press.  But we know Cricut has a loyal following and want to help those that purchase this press to have success when moving to larger orders that they may not want to weed, or full color work.

Temperature

We used heat strips and a heat gun to test the temperature and the Cricut was 40 degrees off.   To use the Cricut press you will need to add this discrepancy to the application directions provided.    For example, we recommend applying our best-selling Goof Proof transfers at 365 for 4 seconds, but to achieve the 365 temperature on Cricut, set the press at 400 the max temperature setting.

Pressure

We loved the auto pressure feature but unfortunately it was not the pressure setting needed for our screen printed and digital transfers.   To overcome this we added extra pads to the bottom platen, therefore increasing the pressure.   We really wish there was pressure adjustment, maybe in a future model!

Size

The platen size is 15” x 12”, big enough to press a standard adult size transfer (11 x 11).    The comparable auto open Hotronix clam is 11×15 with larger, 16×16 and 16×20, sizes available.

Ease Of Use

This is where the Cricut shined.   Other than a little cumbersome set up (before you start you have to register the press) this press was easy to use.    We liked the small space needed, how easy it was to store, the big opening to work, the control panel with presets, and the zero effort easy open/close.

Warranty

The Cricut came with a 1 year limited warranty.   The Hotronix presses include a lifetime warranty on the heating element, 5 year on the framework, 2 year on the circuit board and 1 year parts and labor.

Conclusion

So with adaptations the Cricut press can be used for more than Cricut HTV application.   But at that price point there are presses out there than can do it all out of the box.

Watch our video and see the Cricut Heat Press in action!