Let me start off by saying, I loved my Cricuit explore 2. Cutting out vinyl and using it for crafts were easy.
Unfortunately but fortunately, I gave mine to my mother because she wanted one and I really did not use mine as much.
There is a dial you have to turn that will basically tell it how much pressure it needs to cut out what it needs to cut. The dial basically tells what material it is cutting which is nice. This allows it to not cut through the vinyl sheet into the mat. If you are using shimmer vinyl, it enjoys eating the blade. Depending on the type of material the vinyl is made out of depends on how often you need to change the blade.
The blade is not hard to change at all. You lift the front cover up and then there is a tab you flip out and the blade is set free. Mine had a light that told me my blade was not correct or positioned correctly which is nice.
You can basically have it draw the image by using the circuit marker. There is a spot beside the blade where the marker goes which is a nice thing to have.
This can basically do what the maker series can but it cannot through plexi, and card board. If you are looking for something to learn on this would be it since it is not hard to use at all.
You technically do not need a computer for it you can use the phone or tablet since it has an app but if you want to use a computer or laptop to design, go for it.
There are also little flip cubbies on the inside front flap when it opens that you can put your weaving tool and other things in, including the markers.
