Cricut Explore 5 Essential Bundle: My First Look at Cricut’s Newest Cutting Machine

If you love crafting, DIY projects, personalised gifts, or party styling as much as I do, you’ll know that the right tools can completely change what’s possible.

That’s why I was so excited to get my hands on the new Cricut Explore™ 5 Essential Bundle, the next generation of one of Cricut’s most popular cutting machines.

This machine is designed for creators who want to take their crafting to the next level, whether that’s making custom clothing, stickers, party decorations, signage, personalised gifts, or even specialty projects like magnets and rubber stamps. And after unboxing it and creating my first projects, I can already tell it’s going to be a game changer.

Meet the Cricut Explore 5

The Cricut Explore 5 is a smart cutting machine that allows you to design projects digitally in Cricut Design Space and then cut, draw, score or foil them with incredible precision.

What makes this new model exciting is that it’s been redesigned to be smaller, smarter and faster while still keeping the powerful 12-inch cutting capability that creators love.

Key Features

Modern Compact Design

The Explore 5 is 30% more compact and lighter than previous Explore machines, making it easier to fit into a craft room or creative workspace.

Precision Cutting Across 100+ Materials

From vinyl and iron-on to cardstock, printable materials and more, the Explore 5 can cut a huge range of crafting materials with impressive accuracy.

Write, Draw, Foil and Score

The machine works with Cricut pens and markers to add handwritten details, score cards or create foil accents.

Print-Then-Cut Sensor

One of my favourite features is the Print-Then-Cut technology, which allows you to print designs from your home printer and then have the Cricut cut perfectly around them. This makes creating full-colour stickers and labels incredibly easy.

Smart Materials Compatibility

With Smart Materials, you can create projects up to 12 feet long without needing a cutting mat.

What’s Inside the Essential Bundle

The Cricut Explore 5 Essential Bundle is perfect for getting started because it includes everything you need to begin crafting straight away.

Inside the box you’ll find a curated collection of tools and materials including:

• Value cardstock in multiple colours

• Smart Vinyl sheets

• Smart Iron-On for custom clothing

• Transfer tape

• Printable vinyl for stickers

• Insert card sets for handmade cards

• Light grip cutting mat and card mat

• Premium fine point cutting tool

• Scoring tool and dual tip marker

• Crafting tools including a weeder, scraper and spatula

• Paper trimmer and ruler

It’s essentially a complete creative starter kit, allowing you to jump straight into making multiple projects without needing to buy extra materials.

The Possibilities Are Endless

One of the things I love about Cricut machines is that they allow you to bring almost any creative idea to life.

For my first set of projects using the materials from the bundle, I created multiple designs that showcase just how versatile the machine is, from personalised items to decorative pieces that are perfect for parties and gifting.

It’s amazing how quickly a simple idea can turn into a polished finished product.

Where to Buy the Cricut Explore 5

The Cricut Explore 5 Essential Bundle will be available in Australia at Spotlight, Harvey Norman and Officeworks with a recommended retail price of $499 AUD.

Final Thoughts

After unboxing the Cricut Explore 5 Essential Bundle, it’s clear this machine was designed with creators in mind.

It’s compact, powerful and incredibly versatile, whether you’re crafting for fun, making gifts, decorating events or even starting a small creative business.

And the best part? Once you start using it, you quickly realise there are hundreds of projects you can create from just one machine.

I’ll be sharing more of my Cricut projects soon, so stay tuned for tutorials and ideas you can recreate at home.