December 2021 Update

Let me tell you about my weekend.

This weekend, like many families, we celebrated Thanksgiving. But we also had another celebration.

You see, our twins turned 13 this year. And in our family, that means it’s time for a big celebration: their bar and bat mitzvah. I did it when I was 13. My parents did it when they were 13. And so on and so forth, back a few thousand years as best we can tell.

Our kids’ version was a little different. A triple date with a pandemic and Thanksgiving.

It happened in our yard, under an REI pop-up tent, wearing masks (and ear savers). That was the kids’ idea - they had family visiting who are pushing 100 years, and the kids decided they were going to do everything possible to keep them safe at their event.

So we had Thanksgiving in a tent. We had a bar and bat mitzvah in a tent. We had my brisket and mom’s chicken soup and grandma’s pumpkin pie in a tent. Oh - and we had turkey with cranberry sauce and stuffing in a tent. So much turkey!

It was wonderful, and I hope someday my kids tell their grandkids about it.

Because when we make things, with ovens and lasers and with our own two hands, we don’t just make things. We make memories. And those memories last for years.

Did I mention the toilet in the basement that we remodeled ourselves exploded during the ceremony? When we make mistakes, we make memories too.

Now, the house is quiet. We made a fire in the backyard tonight and toasted marshmallows. The kids did math homework and practiced their instruments and wrote thank you cards. Now they’re asleep and I’m writing this to all of you, while my Glowforge is humming behind me.

This time of year, I can’t help but count up how many more of these holiday seasons I have with them here at home before they run off to college (or the circus). I’m not ready.

That’s the thing about time, though: it doesn’t wait around for us.

Speaking of: just two topics this month, but they’re both huge.

First, we are beginning to offer extended warranties at more than 50% off to some eligible existing Glowforge owners.

Second, we’re able to to add a few more days to our 40% off Proofgrade sale so you can stock up at some of the best prices of the year.

Let’s jump right in.

If your printer’s under warranty, we can do something amazing for you.

Short version first:
For owners in the US who are still under warranty, we’re going to email you a link extend your warranty until 2025 for more than 50% off.

Now here’s all the details.

I’ve been looking for years for a way to offer extended warranties with our printers.

There are a host of byzantine laws here, though. Many states have laws that restrict companies’ from offering extended warranties on their own products (???). Then, many of the 3rd party extended warranty companies require the manufacturer to have years of history, demonstrating that they make reliable products, before they’ll back them. And when we finally built up the history of quality to find a great partner, most of them just wanted to offer it with new purchases. And we could only find vendors who would support customers in the US. Which is great and all, but our priority was first to support as many of you as we could - the creators who own their Glowforge today.

And finally we found a solution - at least in part.

This month, we’re partnering with Extend to offer up to 3 year warranties for US Glowforge owners who are still under the manufacturer’s warranty.

Now, this disappointed me. I wanted to be able to offer warranty extensions to all our customers. And our team searched and searched for a way to make this happen.

But unfortunately, between country and state regulations and the warranty partner policies, we can only offer this to US owners with units that are still under warranty.

HOWEVER - if that’s you? Well, I have some great news to go with your good news.

This month, we’re able to extend your warranty to 2025 for more than half off.

(That’s as little as 55 cents a day, to not worry about your Glowforge for more than three years.) We convinced Extend, our warranty provider, to make three year protection incredibly affordable this month so that everyone eligible could take advantage of it. In December, three year protection is less than half the cost per day of the regular, one-year pricing.

Now, I don’t know if this is for you. Personally, this speaks to me. I buy the Care warranty package for every phone I own, and it has always paid for itself. And I mean in dollars and cents, nevermind the peace of mind I get from knowing I’m protected. But some folks prefer to take the risk on themselves - and that’s OK too! We’ll continue to offer out-of-warranty service. But here’s the thing - after just one service call, and you’re probably ahead.

And here’s something else awesome. The Extend warranties are fantastic. What does that mean?

  • There are no fees to use the extended protection plan.
  • There’s no deductible to get any service you need.
  • You can still get support from Glowforge Support under your extended warranty.

And most importantly:

  • All service under your extended warranty will be performed by the Glowforge factory, with Glowforge parts, tested to Glowforge standards.

Oh, and here’s where it can really pay for itself:

  • All components are covered by the warranty, including the laser tube!

It took us a while to find the right partner for this – not all warranties are created equal. But we found the right partner in Extend. We’ve worked with them to make sure that getting extended Glowforge coverage actually makes your life easier, so if you need it down the line, you don’t have to worry about paperwork in addition to everything else going on. And they use us for the repairs - so we can be sure you’re taking care of.

If you can’t take advantage of this, I apologize. I wish I could have made it happen for all our customers.

If you can - I’m excited to give you the confidence that your investment will be printing for you in 2025 and beyond!

If our records confirm that you’re eligible, we’ll send you an email with a unique purchase code by the end of the week. If you don’t get an email from us by Monday December 6 but your Glowforge is under warranty (6 months for Basic and 12 months for Pro), email support@glowforge.com to get your invitation.

You can learn more about coverage, eligibility, and more here.

More of a good thing: a few extra days on the 40% off Proofgrade sale

Proofgrade got a big discount for Black Friday, and the team gave the green light to keeping it running all week long! For a few more days, you can still get your favorite Proofgrade materials at up to 40% off. And that includes these newly-added Proofgrade materials:

  • More Light Plywoods
  • Additional Acrylic colors
  • Pro Passthrough sizes
  • and more!

These new materials totally exceeded my expectations – they’re already fan (and Dan) favorites.

Plus, if you’ve ever used them for one of your projects, you already know they’re the fastest, easiest way to print beautiful, homemade gifts for the holidays.

Shop now (while supplies - and the sale - last).

Time to wrap up

If you’ve been reading these announcements long enough, you know I’m always happy to talk your ear off. Or type it.

But this month there’s presents to make (and wrap), cards to send, guest rooms to tidy, and kids to embarrass (they got these tonight). We’re all on a pretty tight schedule. You are too: I checked this afternoon, and you all are averaging 10,000 prints per hour (an all time record).

And so are we here at Glowforge, where the whole team is working through our busiest holiday season ever. We’ve sold out every year to date, but from the numbers so far… never this fast. Maybe in January we’ll have time to catch our breath.

Between now and the New Year, I know you’ll be earning your holiday break too.

Happy holidays!

– dan

P.S. Once it won’t ruin the surprise, I can’t wait to see what you made to gift this year!
P.P.S.: You can discuss this in the forum here.

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