How did you see it?
I first saw the glowforge from a few different friends of mine sharing the promotional video on facebook .
What did you first think?
My first thoughts were that I had to have it! I had been wanting to get a laser for quite a while but the price of other lasers was a huge factor that was holding me back from actually making a purchase. Being able to purchase a Glowfoge as part of the pre order campaign seemed like a perfect solution to my laserless situation.
How long did it take you to decide?
It’s difficult to remember exactly how long I spent thinking about actually purchasing a Glowforge but it probably took somewhere between 3 days and a week to get my heart rate & breathing back to normal and make a rational decision.
What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
I read the specs from the glowforge website & discussed which features & materials would be most beneficial to our needs.
Was anyone else a part of the decision?
My wife (then fiance) was part of the decision to purchase our Glowforge however she didn’t need very much convincing. Come to think of it she may have even been more excited than I was.
What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I hope to be able to create and embellish things that I had previously not been able to. Very excited to explore working in leather as well as wood and acrylics.
If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
The purchase was definitely a test of fortitude however I am glad to have stuck it out. I haven’t had as much time as i’d really like to put my Glowforge to use but the few projects that I have been able to work on so far have been pretty amazing to say the least. It seems to be opening new doors each time I use it and I am pretty excited to continue exploring all the different possibilities in creating with my glowforge.
I believe I first saw the GlowForge mentioned in a Facebook post and immediately went to the web site. I watched the video and was blown away – I went completely through the web site, reading everything about it – what it was, what it would do, the technical specs, the materials you would be able to use, what you could do with it, what it would cost. I was very thorough, and then I went to other web sites to see what I could learn about other lasers. As a sculptor and artist, I had started expanding my repertoire of technical tools and had gotten into 3D printing a few years ago, after years of watching and learning (being able to print in PLA was my deciding factor there). As I began seeing what I could do in the 3d printing arena, I had started to look at CNC machines and/or lasers to further expand my capabilities. At that time, I was not terribly taken with offerings available. The cost for what I would need seemed very high, the space required for the machines looked greater than what I could manage, and the knowledge to get them to do what I wanted to do seemed complex. When I saw the GlowForge though, I was immediately taken with it – the ease of use, the look of the machine, the size and dimensions of the unit (it would fit perfectly in my studio), the capabilities of what it would do, the professional unit for the pass-through option giving greater sizes and versatility with a relatively small footprint, the air filter that would ensure not having to constantly vent to the outside. I thought quite hard about it for a day or two, then talked it over with my fiance (now my wife) and she was as equally impressed with the video and the web site – and immediately extremely supportive in taking the leap with a GF. We placed our order for the Pro unit with the air filter, and never looked back. I think it was only a total of 3 or 4 days from my discovery of the GlowForge to placing the order. In the intervening months between then and the delivery, I began to read up everything I could on lasering – what materials you can and cannot use, how you design artwork for it, what the pitfalls can be. I joined the GF forum and began reading all the threads, trying to soak up as much as possible. I found the forum to be a remarkable and growing community of people with similar interests and a wide range of backgrounds and experience that was incredibly gracious and helpful – so willing to share their knowledge and advice. I found that GF was an active participant on the forum, forthcoming and very transparent, and even with the delays, I knew I had made the right decision. I began to plan and explore ideas to put into my own artistic “Hopper” for using the GF and for making projects that would stand alone as well as fit into the workflow of other projects. Acryllic etchings edge lit with LED’s, jewelry such as earrings and pendants, beautiful etched boxes and mobiles, mountings for sculptures, inlays – all these were planned and are now coming to fruition. Now that I have my Pro named Ildanach (“many skilled” after the Celtic Tuatha De Danaan warrior/poet/artist/god Lugh), it is proving more useful, more beautifully effective than I had even dreamed it would be. I am just now starting (with a gifted artist friend) in the design phase for the production of etched wood medallions to be used as vendor identification for a fantastic summer festival that every year has uniquely crafted pendants and medallions for this purpose. I am also designing plaques for the mounting of individual, one-of-a-kind sculptures, and signage to attract and direct the public to our row of artist studios in this building for the monthly summer/fall art walks. I don’t believe I have ever been as pleased or satisfied with the purchase of a technical tool as I am with my GF.
I retired in 2013 and I have been keeping myself busy with several types of handcrafted items such as coin rings, transit token pendants, wire inlay art, stained glass art and woodworking with my CNC machine & selling them on Ebay & Etsy. I was always on the lookout for something new & had researched other laser engravers & then wham I saw the Glowforge video posted on Facebook back in 2015 and I said to myself I really need this. I then showed my wife the video and she said you really need this. I researched other laser engravers and they were way out of my reach financially. My wife & I made a decision in about a week after viewing the video to purchase the basic unit. I believe we watched the video at least a dozen times and read up on Dan Shapiro & the company before we made the purchase. My wife & I were thinking if the Glowforge could do all these fantastic things with out hardly any learning curve then it would be a no-brainer. My wife & I love making handcrafted items and keeping busy together. Shortly after placing our order the company I purchased my CNC machine changed their carving bit assembly and the carving bits I was using were getting dull & it would cost me a bundle to upgrade to the new assembly so I decided to purchase a new scroll saw rather than invest more money into the CNC machine and I watched videos on how to do scroll sawing and this kept me busy till my Glowforge arrived. I am having the time of my life making things I never would have thought possible. I now make gifts for friend & family for Christmas, Valentines Day and soon all the other holidays. The excitement that surrounds us when we see the expression from friends & family and the big question they ask us" did you make this?" Wow! and can we watch you make something? I anticipate we will be making things with our Glowforge until the end of time. We have learned so much since purchasing the Glowforge such as designing in Inkscape and watching others who have designed and made things with their Glowforge. Every day I wake up I say to myself what am I going to make today. The possibilities are endless. The Glowforge is really making my retirement a fantastic journey. Thank You Glowforge and everyone that has a hand in bringing this remarkable tool to our home.
Finding out about the Glowforge was a long time ago, but best I can remember I was examining new 3D printer supplies and ran across someone talking about a ‘new laser thing’. I had already been moving toward a Laser, so there was an attraction.
I have a lot of CAD experience and that helped a lot with doing 3D Printer work. I had no past experience with a laser cutter, but had examined them and was aware of some pitfalls and the rabbit hole of a new learning curve. I suspected it would take awhile to be productive, the same as when I started 3D printing. 3D printing is a great hobby, but working with wood has always been my love. That means a CNC or a Laser.
So then I watched the video and I was pretty much sold. The more I examined the specs, the more your product seemed to take the 'set up’ fiddly bits into account and there was a large effort being portrayed that would eliminate a lot of the DIY mentality of other low cost Laser cutters.
Built in safety features were a large selling point, something a lot of low cost lasers seemed to lack or leave up to the customer.
So the question was, spend a lot of money for a huge machine, or take a chance on someone who seemed really motivated to give an outstanding product at a cut-rite price for early entry.
The wife agreed that it looked like a sweet deal and something she could work with. It would enhance her activities with the vinyl cutter and her hand made holiday gift trinkets. That was it, we were aboard.
Now that we have it up and running (in minutes btw), she is happier than ever. Making knickknacks and one-off gifts has become amazingly easy.
I have even sold some items (see disclaimer) that were built on demand. It is very easy to make people happy with this Glowforge and ‘word of mouth’ is the best and easiest form of advertising.
Disclaimer: The Wife has sold some items. I usually give them away. Glad to have her on the Glowforge team…
Speaking of the team, the forums for Glowforge are a huge plus. So many people striving to make sure everyone is enjoying the ride. Best forum ever.
I believe I first saw the commercial for the Glowforge via Facebook, more likely a targeted ad with my purchase history and hobbies. The ad was very well done, but the product had me immediately thinking of the almost unlimited possibilities, I knew I wanted it.
I continued to think about the item for the next 24 hours, thinking how it could take my crafts to the next level. Rather than getting a car, I decided I would continue taking the bus and use that money instead on buying a Glowforge. Within 48 hours of seeing the advert, it had done its job and I had my order confirmation. I did some moderate research about what else was on the market that I could get, but either the prices were too high or the software to use them looked too complicated. I originally thought I was being frivolous with my money, I figured that I could count on my parents to talk me out of such an expensive “non-essential” purchase, I was wrong. I shared the video with them and explained what I thought I could use it for, they both agreed that it would be a good tool for me to have, it was the opposite reaction that I expected, and they were very supportive.
If I’m honest, I sadly have yet to use my Glowforge for the original reason I purchased it. I have been too busy experimenting with other crafts. What I hope to get from owning a GF is what I have already received. It has given me more possibilities, I am no longer limited to what I could cut with a Jeweler’s Saw, I can try new things, speed up production times, and print out a last-minute birthday card for that person I didn’t want to go to the store for.
I still have a long way to go before this purchase pays itself off, but I am looking forward to the journey.
How did you see it?
A Facebook link to the promotional video.
What did you first think?
Sheer joy at the thought of having a such a powerful, creative tool in my home! My husband heard me squealing with excitement and I made him come watch the video with me. I remember him saying “Wow, I’m pretty sure you have to have that!”. 
(Hubby doesn’t get that excited about things like this and that was high praise indeed lol.)
How long did it take you to decide?
About 2 seconds to fall madly in love and a few weeks to gather the funds. Owning a reliable laser was never even a consideration becasue of the cost. It was a no brainier when I saw the Glowforge was in my price range.
What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
I researched basic laser information and compared what other options were available for the same money. I was breaking my own rule of pre-purchasing an unknown product, so I also checked into Dan and the company. Having a guaranteed refund option gave me the confidence to purchase before really knowing a lot about lasers. Having the forum to watch, ask and learn from sealed the deal for me and I never looked back after seeing the pre-release units in action.
Was anyone else a part of the decision?
Dear Hubby.
What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I hope to have something that makes all the art and ideas in my head come to life.
If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
It has exceeded my wildest expectations and allowed me to bring my art to life. I was restricted to just a few mediums before and now a whole new world of possibilities has opened up for me.
My biggest fear was the Glowforge being too basic and limited to beginners. I didn’t want to quickly outgrow my machine and be stuck wanting to upgrade to a more sophisticated laser. After using my machine for 8 months now, I have no doubts my Glowforge will keep up with me and be my go-to machine for a very long time.
My only complaint is there aren’t enough hours in the day to laser all the things!
- How did you see it?
If remember correctly, the first time I saw the video of the Glowforge was part of a Facebook post that came across my feed. It was shown to me, probably, because I was just starting to support different Kickstarter campaigns for 3D Printers. It was different than anything else I had seen so far.
- What did you first think?
I loved the look and simplicity of it. The idea of cutting materials like leather and wood was so enticing, but the price was daunting. It was a lot to invest in and would be the most I had ever spent on a machine.
- How long did it take you to decide?
To be honest, I went back and forth for a long while. I believe I cut it pretty close, not only in deciding on making a purchase at all, but whether to go with the Basic or the Pro. To add the air filter or not. It was a combination of the price comparison to other laser engravers, the projects shown in the video, and the promise of ease to use that ultimately made up my mind.
- What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
I researched price ranges for other similar laser machines. I wanted to make sure it would be worth it.
- Was anyone else a part of the decision?
My family helped me with the initial purchase.
- What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I want to expand my business. I make jewelry, and I hope to be able to use the Glowforge to create pieces that not only can be accents, but focal pieces. I can also see myself using the Glowforge to build unique displays for my pieces.
- If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
I have my Glowforge Pro, but I haven’t been able to use it just yet due to a medical issue with one of my family members, but once I am able to just watch out. I’ve learned a lot by reading the forums. I can’t wait to use my Glowforge to reach my goals and beyond.
-
How did you see it?
On Facebook from a friend’s post. -
What did you first think?
Immediately excited because I’d wanted a laser for quite a while, but what was currently on the market either wasn’t affordable (to me) or non-engineer-friendly. -
How long did it take you to decide?
About a week of talking pros and cons to myself before deciding I had to have it. -
Reading or discussions? No, as I already was updated on laser available at that time.
-
Anyone else a part of the decision? No
-
What do you hope to get from your Glowforge? My favorite question. I’ve received my golden email, so very excited to get it soon! I am a jewelry artist working with metal clay. My work can be seen at cindysilas.com. Most of my designs use stencils, stamps, and molds. I’ll be able to make all of these tools and more with the laser! I’m especially excited about the hi-res 3D engrave. Ready to get started!
-
Please deliver soon and I’ll be able to answer this!
:)) Cindy
I first heard about the Glowforge from my daughter. Her graphic design teacher in college shared the Kickstarter video to the class. My daughter called me and said: Mom you’re going to want to get this. I went to the Glowforge website and watched the video for myself (the campaign had already ended).
I was blown away! The precision and apparent ease of use was amazing! The demonstration projects were beautiful. I had previously looked into other laser cutters, but the price was beyond my means. I figured I would never own a laser cutter. The Glowforge price range raised my hopes.
For about a week I contemplated whether or not to purchase the Glowforge. I watched and rewatched the videos of what this amazing cutter/printer could do. I talked with my husband about it and shared the videos with him. He was convinced right away and said I should get the Glowforge. Knowing that this machine was well worth the price, I still wrestled with the idea of spending “that much” for a hobby. Then about 11:30pm, one night while laying in bed, I made my decision. Thirty minutes later, I was the proud owner-to-be of a Glowforge.
I am looking forward to creating fun, beautiful, as well as practical projects with the Glowforge. I have a creative family who is just as excited as I am to get forging. I’m glad my daughter called me to let me know about this amazing machine. She was right: I was going to want to get the Glowforge. And I got one.
I believe I first saw an ad for the Glowforge on facebook. I can’t remember if it was paid or someone I knew shared it.
I instantly wanted it and was trying to figure out how it could be mine! haha!
It took about a week to pull the trigger from when I first saw it.
I had to talk it over with my husband, and I didn’t know anything about Dan or Glowforge at all…but to be honest, I had peace about it. I follow my gut a lot and I didn’t feel any red flags, so we went for it…and I so glad we did!
The biggest discussion was about the funds…and even though it was within the first 30 days…that is a lot of money for us to come up with, and I would have loved to have purchased a pro, but as it was, we were scraping together what we could to at least be able to get a basic.
What I hoped to get from my Glowforge, I already got! My ideas brought to life! 
It is what I was hoping it would be, plus some!
Besides getting an awesome machine, we also got a really awesome company that came with it! You all have surpassed my expectations with customer service, AND have provided a machine that you promised from the start. Yes, I know a bunch is still in beta, like the software, but I have confidence that that will grow into what you promised too. This was a huge undertaking, and it can’t be fulfilled overnight. I am so pleased with the machine and with the company and I would recommend them to anyone! As it is, I rave about you all every chance I get! 
I saw the Glowforge on Facebook well after the initial campaign was over. The video was slick and the projects featured in it looked like fun. I didn’t immediately order, but I kept seeing the Facebook ad. I discussed it with a coworker who owned a mechanical computer controlled engraving tool. A few weeks passed before I placed my order. I’m not particularly handy–I don’t even have a shop–but I have played around with computer graphics (ray tracing and the like) for decades. I figured I could use it to make personalized gifts for my family and friends. The Glowforge website made it seem easy enough to use, though I don’t have any previous experience with lasers.
The decision to preorder the Glowforge was mine and mine alone. I ordered the Basic version and the added filter unit.
I expect to use it for personalized gifts, and to help my kids with school and personal projects. I’ll soon be building a new home, so I want to use my Glowforge for home decor, such as custom engraved tiles for a kitchen backsplash and wood engraved movie star photos to decorate a home theater. I’m sure I will come up with other uses once I’m comfortable with using it. Perhaps I’ll eventually start making things to sell. Since I placed the order, I have retired, and I could use some “earned” income for tax reasons.
I only wish my father (who passed away a decade ago) could have lived to see this. He WAS handy (a natural engineer), and he would have been thrilled and amazed with the Glowforge.
Today was my Estimated Shipping Notification Date, and I received the email this afternoon. I provided my shipping address, and now I’m waiting for confirmation that my unit has shipped. I hope to be able to report that it was wildly successful.
Wow, Joe and I have a lot of similarities!
I believe I first saw it through the Tested youtube channel, but it was also coincidentally when I was looking at lasers and 3D printers. When I first saw it, I was just blown away - I had never even seen a laser in person, and the marketing video had me hooked. In fact, I showed everybody that I knew the video and asked if they thought I should get one (which they all obviously did, because your friend getting a laser is just as good as you getting a laser). It took me about a week to decide, as well, but I was lucky enough that I was early in the pre-order campaign.
As for the reading and discussions, these were all things that I had already been doing, but for the epilog brand lasers. I was so captivated by lasers that I had requested some information from Epilog and they sent me their 3D engraved Mayan calendar as well as some veneer (I have the veneer still waiting to be lasered by my glowforge!). Glowforge happened to be doing their marketing campaign during the same time that I was looking at lasers, and because of the price, I couldn’t pass it up. My wife was a big part of the decision making, but we have had an arrangement for a few years that whatever she wants she can buy, and vice versa. She’s certainly not the type of person to randomly buy a laser, though, so you could say our arrangement is a little unfair 
.
My hopes for this machine have constantly changed. When I bought it originally, I had no idea of the capabilities, and at the time it was going to be more for hobby stuff, but as I’ve been making more things, I’ve been really enjoying the idea of making my own business! I suppose I have started small sales and commission work, so you could say I have started a business 
My real hope is that the Glowforge team will grandfather my original purchase price and allow me to purchase another machine, because I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one knowing what I do now!
To say that this purchase was successful is putting it mildly. It has literally brought, not only me, but those around me, heaps of joy and amusement. I haven’t necessarily considered myself a very creative person, but this machine has enabled me to consider myself a maker, and that has always been one of my dreams. It’s hard to beat a tool that can open as many doors as this one has.
I still read blogs. I been reading them for over 15 years. I still read one of the first major blogs boingboing.net every day. I saw a post back in October of 2015 about the Glowforge and wanted to learn more. I had a Silhouette Cameo and used it to make paper models and stencils, but wanted to cut thicker materials. I was looking at CNC machines, a neighbor had a Carvewright that was loud and slow. I looked on instructables about making my own from scratch, or other sites for kits, but just kept waiting.
When I saw the Glowforge I thought it would be the best of both worlds, an indoor machine that also could cut through thicker materials. When I saw the video it was like magic. It was like no other laser cutter that I had ever seen. It looked like something from Cupertino. It took me two weeks to decide, I was close to the wire on the deadline. Mostly of the internal debate was between the Regular and the Pro. It was still a lot of money, but I convinced my wife I would get a few side hustles to pay it off.
I had seen a laser used once in person at a makerspace open house. They had to use a ruler to measure the height and had a computer connected to control it after entering the distance. It looked very industrial and not at all consumer friendly. After I made the decision to buy one, I told everyone I would have one by Christmas (boy, was I wrong). Everyone asked what I was going to do with one, and I said “I don’t know yet.” I still don’t know what I will make tomorrow.
It was a long and grueling wait. The only saving grace was the forums, if it wasn’t for that I am sure I would have asked for a refund. The forum is like a virtual makerspace, the real value isn’t the tools or the space, it is the access to the members.
I first found out about the Glowforge while I was at a professional development training where we were visiting another high school’s makerspace. After learning all about their makerspace and seeing all of the equipment, the lead teacher of the school told us how much the Epilog lasers he had cost. This put us all off a bit as we didn’t have the budgets to afford them. He however said, let me show you this video of this new product coming out. So we watched the promo video. My first thought was that I really hope this thing is for real, because it looks just absolutely amazing. The school’s makerspace ordered two Pro units that night. It took my wife and I about 3 or 4 more days to check finances and make sure it was in the cards to do it and then we did! We had already started a little silhouette cameo based business and I do woodworking for others occasionally so we just discussed whether or not adding this kind of equipment to our capabilities was a good idea. Ultimately though we decided that we would get it for fun and if we happened to make money from using it then that was just the cherry on top. Since, getting our glowforge we have mostly made personal projects and gifts. It made Christmas amazing this year and everyone loved everything. We have had some smaller paying jobs centered around engraved necklaces and just recently cake toppers and as more and more people see the things we make the more word spreads. My son also won best design in the Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts due to some nice little engraved walnut veneer additions. Overall, I am just completely elated with this machine and can’t wait to keep creating!
I first saw the Glowforge video on Facebook the last week of the crowdfunding campaign. A friend who thought it looked awesome had posted the video. I thought it looked great. I went and showed my husband the video. I asked him if he wanted it and decided to purchase it as a Christmas present. I placed my order the next day. I had never looked into other lasers and did not do any research other than looking at the Glowforge website.
My husband is a stay at home dad due to a car accident, but was a welder fabricator prior. When we placed the order we lived in Hawaii. The original plan was to make items to sell at farmers markets and our friends jewelry shop. Selling a personalized souvenir seemed like a great market.
Unfortunately, due to the cost of living in hawaii we decided to move back to Washington state. We have had our Glowforge for just over a month now. Since our original business plan is not currently an option we have only made a few things so far. We did just spend the weekend sourcing some materials.
We hope to start and Etsy business with a few ideas we have in mind. We have also made a local contact at a handmade furniture store that said he would be interested in selling some of our items and commissioning a few of his own.
Would love to see the pictures of the pinewood derby car!
The Glowforge was first brought to my attention the day the campaign launched by a group of co-makers on a 3D printer forum. I had never thought of getting a laser, and really had no intention of ever buying one, but the Glowforge was interesting to me for a couple of reasons. I liked the idea of having the machine inside, next to me in an office, where I could monitor progress. (It’s a requirement for the machines I buy.) And it looked very well designed with its included cooling and filter setup. In it I could also see an opportunity to expand into natural products like wood (as opposed to plastic) and I could see a lot of benefit to a faster processing time for getting prototypes out…3D printers are wonderful but so slooooooow.
I spent a couple of days doing significant research on it, and lasers in general, and spent a great deal of that time listening to horror stories from the very people who pointed out the machine to me in the first place. Wow, did that little machine trip some people’s triggers! Mostly they dealt with the potential for getting the units out by December of 2015, but that wasn’t something I expected, I knew it would take a couple of years to develop, (and I was busy anyway), so it was a non-issue in the decision making process. I liked the fact that I would be getting enough of a discount as a backer to make what was essentially a “hobby” laser for me feasible. Like I said, I didn’t actually need a laser. But I knew I could figure out how to design for it, and it looked like a fun little addition to the stable.
So, with people essentially trying to talk me out of it, I decided to buy one of these things. I promised myself I wouldn’t get involved, and that lasted for a few months while I was working on other commitments, but then I wound up getting rather captivated by the Glowforge team and the customers on the forum, so here we are.
As far as what I hoped to get out of this thing, it has been so eclipsed by what I’ve actually gotten, that I can’t even begin to list them all. The joy I’ve had watching something as intricately detailed as anything I have ever cut on a digital cutter appear on the thick wood in the machine was beyond description. What I’ve made, what I’ve done with it, has gone so far past those fledgling initial ideas that it’s an order of magnitude or two. And there are things that I will be able to do with this machine going forward that I haven’t even had time to fully explore yet – the photo engraving and 3D engraving techniques, and expanding into other materials. I can make anything I can dream up, and it’s going to provide a chance for me to grow. A lot.
I love a machine that grows with me. The people around me are fantastic, clever, artistic people that provide an incredible never-ending pool of inspiration for projects, and it’s going to provide years of enjoyment down the road.
Well worth the wait. Was it a good decision? You betcha!
(And if this winds up as skywriting somwhere… pictures or it never happened! Poor pilot.) 
My mom first showed me the YouTube promotional video and I instantly knew what a huge blessing it would be to have one of these machines in my home. Didn’t discuss this with my family because I knew they would try to talk me out of it but I knew the huge impact it could have on my families future to be able to produce products in a home setting and be capable of making money at home with my 4 children. 3 months later I had enough money together to get one. My plans for this machine is to use it to launch a small business and help to add to my families finances. I am so excited and despite the fact that I hated the wait as a preorder customer it allowed me to market research and put together a sound business plan. Now that mine is shipping I can say I am ready to be an official Glowforge owner!
How did you see it?
I got an email from Dan with the subject line “The Sequel to Robot Turtles” 
. I remembered that there were some special laser-cut rewards to the Robot Turtles Kickstarter and was interested right away.
What did you first think?
I thought, Sweet! and I could make an awesome Paiko and Pai Sho set (board games) with that. and then started showing people. I showed my wife, and she was interested. She thought something along the lines of, I am creative, but I am unsure of how or what to create, and I think this might be the answer I’m looking for. She immediately began to brainstorm a list of ideas of how to start making with Glowforge.
How long did it take you to decide?
When my wife showed interest and thought that it would let her put her creativity into practice, I wanted a Glowforge. Within a week from hearing about it, I was in. Sometimes things like this seem a little fantastic - wow, that’s cool, but not something I could get - but when a friend mentioned that the price was similar to a high-end computer, it made me think, Oh, I guess it wouldn’t be crazy to get this, after all!
What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
We looked through all the Glowforge info we could find, from the examples to the tech specs, and quickly looked for possible similar products. But Glowforge looked like the real deal. My wife and I discussed what ideas we had for things that could be made with it, and talked about how serious we would be about actually using it.
Was anyone else a part of the decision?
It was just my wife and me. Though we shared about Glowforge when we heard about it, we kept it a secret that we had bought one until we actually received it!
What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I hope my wife is able to use it as an outlet for her creative ideas, making art, jewelry, etc. I am making and selling awesome boards and tiles for a strategy board game I helped create.
If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
I’m up and running with an online store selling incredible boards and pieces for a board game I helped create, and I’m sending them all over the world! I never once imagined I would be doing that!
Completely by happenstance, on the first afternoon of the pre-order campaign, I read a tech article announcing the Glowforge 3D Laser Printer.
I previously have had a small amount of hands-on experience with a far more expensive industrial laser cutter at work. But most of the time instead of operating the laser I would just provide a draft design to the dedicated laser operator for clean-up, rework and production. This work laser unit was not “officially” available for my personal use and I had neither the time or the inclination to spend learning the S/W quirks and machine setup.
After reading about the marketed capabilities of the Glowforge, I realized this product would have a prosumer level laser capability at a price I could finally afford. The idea pushed just the right “Impulse Buy” button. Over the next three hours I read an astonishing number of articles and watched videos about the Glowforge 3D Laser Printer. The critical questions I needed answered were:
- Planned Capabilities and Specifications
- Company status and financial viability
- Where exactly the product was in development.
After satisfying myself that the risks were acceptable, though not zero, I pulled out my credit card and ordered a Basic Unit. 24 Sept 5:58PM Eastern. In providing full disclosure I’m not sure how much of my excitement at that time was because I had just ordered a new tech toy, and how much was because during the entire purchase process I was having beers while reading tech news at the local craft Brewery.
Upon researching further over the next month, and active participation on the forum, I decided that a Pro version with the pass thru and active cooling would be a cost effective upgrade. Either way the unit as delivered has been a joy. Easy to use and reliable. I was lucky enough to be selected to receive a Pre-Release version a year ago, and now have my forever unit.
My original planned use was as your typical high-tech toy. More as an exploration of the technology than a production system. However, several of the items the wife and I have produced were received with considerable interest. As a result, we have sold a small number Glowforge produced items in the local craft stores. Enough to pay for the unit in a matter of months without trying. Honestly, I would rather just go and play with it.