When I got my Cricut Explore, I immediately wanted to cut everything in my craft room. Cardstock, vinyl, felt, faux leather, that weird metallic wrapping paper from last Christmas — everything. Here's what I learned about which materials it actually handles well and which ones are more trouble than they're worth.
Cardstock: the sweet spot
The Cricut Explore was basically made for cardstock. Anything from 50lb to 100lb cuts beautifully with the standard fine-point blade. For 110lb+ or glitter cardstock, switch to the deep-point blade and do two passes. I've never had a problem with clean cuts on cardstock — it's the one material where the Explore truly shines every single time.
Adhesive vinyl: nearly perfect
Standard adhesive vinyl (like Oracal 651) cuts great. Matte, glossy, metallic — all good. The only tricky part is weeding small details. If your design has letters smaller than about half an inch, the vinyl tends to tear during weeding rather than peeling cleanly. My workaround: slow the blade speed down one notch from the default setting. Takes longer but the cuts are cleaner.
Heat transfer vinyl (HTV)
HTV works well but remember to mirror your design before cutting — the shiny carrier sheet faces down on the mat. I forgot this exactly once, wasted an entire sheet of iron-on, and now I have a Post-It note on my Cricut that says "DID YOU MIRROR IT?" in angry Sharpie.
Fabric: proceed with caution
Cotton fabric with a stabilizer backing (like Heat'n Bond) cuts surprisingly well. Fabric without stabilizer? Disaster. It shifts on the mat, frays at the edges, and the blade pushes it around instead of cutting through it. If you want to cut fabric, iron on a stabilizer first. Every time. No exceptions.
Materials I wouldn't bother with
Thin balsa wood technically cuts, but it splinters and takes 4-5 passes. Buy a scroll saw instead. Cork sheet works for simple shapes but anything detailed just crumbles. And tissue paper? Don't. Just don't. I spent 20 minutes cleaning tiny tissue paper confetti out of my blade housing.
Stick with cardstock, vinyl, and stabilized fabric and you'll be happy. The Explore does those three things exceptionally well.
For more on this topic, check out my guide on finding the right cardstock.