Picking the right Laser for the User

I’m in a similar situation in that I’m realizing I’ll need a larger cutting bed and more power than the GF offers, so I’m strongly considering bailing on my GF Pro (no filter) order. Obviously, I have concerns about software and software-related ease of use with other lasers (after all, the software is the primary reason I went for the Glowforge to begin with), but I’m not convinced that said issues would be enough to discourage me. I mean, my primary use is cutting with a little engraving every now and then–3D engraving isn’t a huge consideration and neither is the sketch tracing stuff, as I design everything in CAD programs.

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If you are almost exclusively cutting, then laser interfaces are all but interchangeable. Alignment issues will be your largest cause for concern (and with any but the cheapest of lasers, that is a “do it once” affair. Annual touch-ups at worst).

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Yes, but what about a comparative $2000 Chinese laser? $300 lasers are not even close to ballpark wattage. Those are basically toys.

My $300 K40 does everything my 60W Red Sail one does - just slower (it’s 32W vs 60W) and smaller individual pieces (12x10 vs 18x24"). They are fully functional lasers that just need a tinkerer to use - and they’re a great platform for upgrading electronics, software, etc.

I used to think the little 2W LED ones were toys but I’ve seen some nice stuff from folks using those too.

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That was kinda what I was saying. Something with large bed space and more wattage. I have a work crunch til september, and once thats past Im going to decide whether to build a large base laser or buy a chinese one. Im thinking building is the way to go for me though. So many more options

If you go the DIY route, please create build log of some sort somewhere and let us know where it is located.

yeah, If I’m going to have something to 'mess with", it’s got to be at least fast and powerful, hence the more relative price comparison. a $1800-3K chinese laser will get you in the wattage and size ballpark of a glowforge.

Not exactly. $900-1000 gets you in the size & power ballpark. You want what is advertised on ebay as a 50W machine (the advertised power of these is the upper limit when overdriven which shortens tube life - my “40W” is actually 32W). The 40s have a work surface of about 12x10" depending on the mods you do the the bed that comes with it. Most of us rip out the stock bed and put in our own to get to something in the 12x10" range. The 50W Chinese lasers are almost all at least as big as the GF (12x20).

A 3K Chinese laser starts getting you into the 100-130W and 600 or 900x1200 bed size with adjustable Z-axis and a pass thru.

What it doesn’t come with is good support, local knowledge, auto focus, line trace, proofgrade materials, design library, etc. It may or may have basic safety features like lid interlocks, chiller or air interlocks, etc.

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What it doesn’t come with is good support, local knowledge, auto focus, line trace, proofgrade materials, design library, etc. It may or may have basic safety features like lid interlocks, chiller or air interlocks, etc.

neither does the Glowforge right now.

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lol, I would say that Glowforge already has great support and local knowledge.:innocent:

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LoL.
Yeah agreed!

If you buy from China you will regret it… the only reason I am waiting is because they decided to fabricate in America.

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One simple sanity check to the Wattage Wars is to find out the tube length. There are high and low quality tubes, and some processes that can squeeze extra juice per millimeter, but to a first approximation, tube length is a great indicator of power. For example, if someone’s selling a 1000mm tube, it’s reasonably going to clock in at ~50W but you sometimes see them sold as 80! (The Glowforge is an 850mm tube, if you’re curious).

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Yeah I’m surprised when people don’t accept the physics involved and keep arguing that the vendor said it was X so it must be even though the tube is just too short. The Chinese lasers all seem to overpower their tubes to determine the advertised power. It’s like the old days when we overclocked PC CPU chips :slight_smile:

Technically they’re correct, the tube will generate that power…for awhile. Except you’re hastening its demise. I have a laser power meter that I use to check the power but mostly to keep an eye on the tubes as they age.

One of my operational rules is to never run the lasers at more than 95% power. I’ll run the job a little slower so it still accomplishes what I want. There are people who argue that if I have to run it 10% longer then I’ve put more total stress than if I ran it at full power for a shorter time. But I believe (but don’t have the test bench I’d need to verify this) that the power vs stress (life span) curves are non-linear and there are “cliffs” where the increase in materials stress in the tube (and rate of breakdown of the gas & internal components) goes up exponentially. Sort of like running a car at redline is far harder on it than running it for many more hours at 2K RPM.

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Even the Pro?

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You can get 45W peak out of a standard CO2 tube. There are things you can do to a tube’s design to improve output power within the same length (sometimes requiring a bit more diameter) as well as internal pathway and terminal design. The Pro has improved cooling and I thought I saw a thread where the tube is actually different between the two models. Some tubes (like Reci) routinely get 10% improvement in output vs standard tubes (but at higher $ :slight_smile:).

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This is exactly what we did, I have better immediate use for $4000 than letting it sit in Glowforge’s accounts. We cancelled our order and are going to wait and see what the feedback is for the final product when regular folk start using it in real world situations. I can only assume there will be a version 2 or 3 that will better/faster/stronger at some point. I don’t mind missing out on the pre sale price if I can comfortably invest my money in something that has all the kinks worked out. Besides, the continually delayed delivery timeline already made any of our original plans for the Glowforge null and void. To their credit, they did process the refund quickly and without any hassle.

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“Continually delayed” is a bit of a stretch(so far) as it’s only been delayed once.

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OK… Humor me while I indulge in a little thought process. I really mostly want to do vector cuts and the nearest alternative would be the Full Spectrum. Software is not nearly as snazzy as what we are promised, but usable. The reason the GF appealed was the all in one solution. Such other lasers as I have used had bulky and noisy venting and air blowing pumps requiring building in to proper workshops. Mine will have to be in a room in my house. The question is what external devices exist that could make a usable setup, reasonably quiet ( although we do not know the GF’s sound level) and convenient enough without any requirement for construction. There seems to be a lot of expertise out there, are there any actual use scenarios?

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That was definitely a point in favor of acquiring one of these. Trying to put something outside in a 100+ degree garage in the summers around here would be suicidal.

I expect this will be a little noisy while it lazes, but so are 3D printers, and i expect to be watching it while it does it’s thing anyway. :slight_smile:

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