Lasers at woodcraft

[rjweb]

I was looking through woodcraft monthly sale today and noticed now they are offering lasers, I guess tools are changing, I am too old to learn, I have enough trouble doing what i have, RJ

[Fab4]

Hi RJ:
Your right, about the tools (AND METHOD)
I think the best way to put it is: 
TO EACH HIS OWN, 
Fab4

 

[JJB]

The F1 laser that Woodcraft is carrying in the store is very user friendly. We have a had a great time learning how to use it and the customers are amazed at how fast you can design/ engrave a project. I have started using the laser to engrave all of my projects when I complete them.

[kmmcrafts]

They sure are pricey for what you get.. Maybe they are much more durable than a Co2 laser.. I don't know much about the diode type lasers as I've never used one. I have one that came with my CNC router but everyone on the CNC router groups say they aren't worth using as they are way too underpowered and very slow to do a job. 

They've come a long way with these diode type lasers though and many claim they can cut through wood comparable to a Co2 laser.. however the price of this so called 40W laser is more than buying a decent 60W Co2 with a larger work area so I'm not sure I'd ever recommend going with something like this. I say so called because a lot of these diode lasers are "claimed" to be X amount of watts but that is not measured the same way as a Co2 type laser.. I recall reading that the diode wattage is not the output power but more like a power consumption.. or something like that. where as a Co2 is the output power. They say a 40W diode is really about the equivalent to around a 10W Co2.. 

I think it's pretty hard to beat the power / price cost of the Omtech Co2 laser line up.. They are cheap China made lasers but they are pretty good quality for the money (Though most all the diodes are also China products) Their "polar" laser is a copy of a Glowforge. The polar is around $3000 last I knew, and a Glowforge starts at $6000.. https://omtechlaser.com/collections/omtech-laser-engraving-cutting-and-marking-machines I've got two of their 40W machines but back when I got mine they was about $300. The second one I picked up used and came with a lot of extra goodies for $250 a couple years ago. 

Bottom line in my opinion is.. Do Your Research and decide what laser is better for the money for the projects you plan to do.. 

 

 

[JJB]

26 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

They sure are pricey for what you get.. Maybe they are much more durable than a Co2 laser.. I don't know much about the diode type lasers as I've never used one. I have one that came with my CNC router but everyone on the CNC router groups say they aren't worth using as they are way too underpowered and very slow to do a job. 

They've come a long way with these diode type lasers though and many claim they can cut through wood comparable to a Co2 laser.. however the price of this so called 40W laser is more than buying a decent 60W Co2 with a larger work area so I'm not sure I'd ever recommend going with something like this. I say so called because a lot of these diode lasers are "claimed" to be X amount of watts but that is not measured the same way as a Co2 type laser.. I recall reading that the diode wattage is not the output power but more like a power consumption.. or something like that. where as a Co2 is the output power. They say a 40W diode is really about the equivalent to around a 10W Co2.. 

I think it's pretty hard to beat the power / price cost of the Omtech Co2 laser line up.. They are cheap China made lasers but they are pretty good quality for the money (Though most all the diodes are also China products) Their "polar" laser is a copy of a Glowforge. The polar is around $3000 last I knew, and a Glowforge starts at $6000.. https://omtechlaser.com/collections/omtech-laser-engraving-cutting-and-marking-machines I've got two of their 40W machines but back when I got mine they was about $300. The second one I picked up used and came with a lot of extra goodies for $250 a couple years ago. 

Bottom line in my opinion is.. Do Your Research and decide what laser is better for the money for the projects you plan to do.. 

 

 

I agree Kevin. The laser Woodcraft is currently carrying in the store is the smallest laser Xtool has. They have other offerings and from my research they have some pretty good products. I think the Xtool is more marketed toward the casual user that does not need a lot of features but still wants to be able to do some laser work. Plus the software is very easy to use, not a huge learning curve. The F1 specifically is a small limited unit, but I have seen a lot of people wanting to buy one because of it's portability, i.e. being able to personalize items on the spot. I do however agree with your bottom line; Do Your Research.

[John M]

You definitely have ro research for what your needs are. I have a diode that I strictly use for engraving. I myself would stay away from x tool. Too pricey and crappy customer service.

Edited April 16 by John M