The Craft Robo and the Cricut Expression are two very different kinds of tools. What they have in common is that they are both electronic and they both cut with a blade. In fairness, you can’t say one is better than the other. They both have pros and cons depending on your needs.
More equitable comparisons would be for computer driven vs. cartridge driven: like Craft Robo vs. Wishblade vs. Pazzles vs. Klick N Kut and then Cricut vs. Cricut Expression vs. Xryon Personal Cutting System.
It really depends on what your needs are and where you think you’ll be going. It also depends on how comfortable you are with graphics programs and computers in general.
The Craft Robo is a computer driven cutting plotter. It utilizes vector graphics and allows for custom cutting. The power of this tool is that you can ‘design your own’. The downside is that it has to be hooked up to a computer, which isn’t always possible in some situations.
The Cricut comes as a cartridge driven cutter. Now with the Design Studio Pack, you can use your computer to modify *cartridge* images to customize them. The downside is you need to own the cartridges in order to cut them. On the other side, with third-party software like Sure Cuts A Lot and Make The Cut, you can actually create custom designs from scratch, but both these programs void warranty. The plus is that it is extremely portable.
If you would prefer a computer driven cutter, but I don’t have the room for one and your computer is not in your craft area, buying a laptop solely for your crafts may be an answer.
I own the original Cricut and the Cricut Expression. I do not scrapbook unless it is a project for a client. I am hundred times happier with the Expression than I am with the original model in that the larger 12″ format makes a world of difference when you are sizing out cards to cut from various cartridges and the Expression will also let you change orientations along with a lot of other useful functions.
So, if you have the space and accommodation for a computer driven cutter and are somewhat computer proficient, I think that Craft Robo would be a wonderful choice — you get much more freedom and aren’t at the mercy of what’s on a cartridge. These machines also tend to have more power and will allow you to cut a more diverse range of materials.
But if you are limited on space, funds and need portability, the Cricut Expression is a great way to get a variety of sizes from a wide selection of available cartridges.
If you want learn more about the whole Stand Alone vs. Computer Base Cutters, check out this post here.
