My wife and I first saw the Glowforge on Facebook and were in awe of what it could do with the simplicity of use and what it could do with very little experience. We had been using vinyl cutters for over 4 years and also using routers to cut repetitive shapes in our shop. This laser would easily replace and simplify some our sign making(and it has already). In the 1.5 months that we have had the Glowforge we have already started to make money from this machine due to its ease of use and awesome capabilities( that I have still yet to find limits). We had seen the post on Facebook about a week into the crowdfunding and were hesitant at the start. The only thing that slowed us down was a response on some of the capabilities, once Glowforge sent us a response via email we pulled the trigger and purchased one. Some things that led up to this decision were hours of research on what lasers were available and the cost the Glowforge was advertising, the capabilities that the Glowforge had, the size of the laser bed, and the depth of the laser bed. Along with the decision was that I had already had a chinese laser that was very limited and failed within 3 months of purchase(this actually made me hesitate for a little longer than I should have). Along with the hesitation from the Chinese laser, this was the first time I had put forth any money toward a crowd-funded type item and was worried about possibly loosing $4800 dollars that I took out a personal loan for. But after a 2 year and 2 month wait I can honestly say this was a successful investment. In the long 2 year wait I took the time to learn about the Glowforge via the forum(very helpful) because there are so many laser savvy people in the forum as well as multiple graphic design people associated that are more than helpful when I know that they don’t have to be. My wife and I are expounding on our growing business with our Glowforge and absolutely love this machine. I have recommended this laser to numerous people just in the last 2 months that I have had it(was hesitant until I received it) and will continue moving on. All in all, I love this machine and am so happy that I waited out
I first saw Glowforge’s promotional video as an ad on Facebook, about 1/2 way through the pre-sale campaign. At the time I had a CNC and was struggling with everything I’d try to make. Broken bits, misalignment between bit changes, g-code nightmares, rebooting computer from software updates mid-cut, etc. So the implied simplicity of the Glowforge seemed to be speaking directly to me. I watched the video a few times over the next couple of days and eventually pulled the trigger on it. I’d showed it to my wife so she wasn’t entirely surprised when I told her a few days later that I’d ordered it. Then the wait began, and continued and continued and continued. Fortunately she was my voice of reason and talked me out of it any time I considered cancelling due to a new delay.
Fast forward to receiving my Pro this fall. For the first couple of months it kind of sat while life got in the way. Then I made a few things for a vacation rental that we own word started to get around, and before I knew it things had exploded for me.
Just a few months later, this “Facebook ad laser” has real potential to have turned something fun into a legit business for us. Just today I had my first wholesale discussion with a company based out of Chicago. People are seeing our products and searching us out and word of mouth is spreading incredibly fast.
The best part of all of this is that when I ordered the Glowforge, I did it in HOPES of being able to make enough money with it so that in the future if we had a baby, I’d be able to work from home while watching him/her. Well our son was born in July, and if things keep going the way they have been, I’ll be home with him full time MUCH sooner than I could have ever anticipated when this all started.
After the massive headache that was my CNC, I can’t say enough of how thankful I am that the Glowforge just works, and easily!
How did you see it?
I saw a link on Facebook that my friend posted.
What did you first think?
Holy Crap, this is awesome! Rubber Band Gattling Guns!?!?!
How long did it take you to decide?
About 1 week.
What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
I read up on the Glowforge founders (Dan, Tony, and Mark). I also had some discussions/negotiations with my wife. (I had to give up my 3d printer to get the Glowforge). Showing her some laser pinterest pages helped.
Was anyone else a part of the decision?
My wife.
What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
A bunch of fun!
If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
It is amazingly easy to use. I had it up and running in about an about an hour and a half. That includes stopping to feed the baby and have dinner.
@dan/@michelle I don’t recall the specifics around when I first came across the Glowforge but I do remember it was the Kickstarter video. Although I was not incredibly knowledgeable about laser machines specifically, as an engineer I was well versed in the world of CNC and milling operations. My first thoughts were that this project seemed very ambitious particularly seeing has how the other guys had such a hold on the market of 40w range lasers. I had never bought into a Kickstarter and had heard horror stories from folks when projects go wrong. So it seemed like a lot of money to gamble. I had also recently purchased an X-Carve from Inventables and was very much focused on using it for my various projects. As I got into it more I learned that although it is a very capable machine, it wasn’t able to do some of the finer details and create the uniqueness of laser based creations I was looking for. So I decided to try out an attachment laser for the X-Carve but that turned out to be rather disappointing.
That’s when I decided to get serious about a dedicated machine. I looked around at several different options including the Glowforge. For the most part, although the other options were on the lower cost side, the support and capabilities were also much lower. So I started to lurk the Glowforge forums and seeing all the incredible things that people had started making and what the potential capabilities were I was sold. I decided to take the plunge even though from the atmosphere of the forum it seems like I wouldn’t have my hands on it for some time. I’m fortunate that I didn’t have to wait too long and although I’ve only had it for a week, I’m very excited about what I’ve been able to do already. I also very much appreciate the amount of time you guys spend on the forum with us reading posts, asking questions and taking our comments into account instead of just barreling down a narrow path in a silo. What you guys have created is not only one hell of a machine, you have created an experience and realm of possibilities for us that are along for the ride with you on this journey. I can’t wait to see where we go together next! Thanks.
How did you see it?
I followed Kickstarter very closely and this came up on the front page
What did you first think?
how amazing it was, I have seen laser cutters before, but the user friendliness of this machine looked amazing. A large part of my job is designing machines that work with people and seeing something this easy to use was great.
How long did it take you to decide?
It took me a couple days to decide to buy it and that is only because I had to convince my boss that we could use it. It didn’t take much convincing.
What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
I did a lot of research on laser cutters out there at the time of the Glowforge Kickstarter campaign and nothing was nearly as easy to use or had the capabilities as the Glowforge.
Was anyone else a part of the decision?
While I do consider myself a “maker” and very knowledgeable when it comes to things like this, I am simply a software programmer at my work so I did have to get the okay from the engineers/ fabricators in my lab.
What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I hoped to get an easy to use machine that could be easily integrated into our fabrication workflow for robot prototyping/parts. we are constantly using 3d printers for creating covers and prototype parts for our robots/ exoskeletons/ drones, and a lot of these 3d printed parts are flat (perfect for a laser cutter) and the ability to cut cases out of acrylic vs printing out of abs, not only is faster, but much stronger and looks good enough to use on final parts.
If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
This was an amazingly successful purchase, how easy it is to use is the biggest thing for me and all my coworkers that have had the chance to use it. the ability to give a coworker a 5-minute tutorial on how to use it, and then let them go off and start making things without me having to worry about them screwing this up is amazing. Another great thing is that when I am giving a tour of our lab (which I do a couple times a week) if there are any kids in the tour group, I can let them draw something on a piece of paper, put it in the machine and cut out a little keepsake for them to take home and remember their tour, something that would be impossible with a 3d printer due to the print time, and impossible with a different laser cutter as it would not be as user-friendly and easy to show off.
When I see something I like, I don’t covet it. I study it, figure out what I like about it and look for the flaws. I compare it with other things I like. Find out how it’s made. Learn the process. Then, I make my own. I don’t knock off the original source, I make the exact thing that I want. When I first learned about the Glowforge I knew it would be great. I Have a lot a tools in my house. When I bought most of them, I knew I would be the only person that would use them, or even want to use them. When I purchased a Glowforge, I knew that everyone would use it, and want to use it. My wife uses it to make the things we already own better. She loves to engrave. She uses it to make gifts out of leather and fabric for friends, family and herself. She uses it promote her business. My son uses the Glowforge for his school projects. To make his ideas real. He uses it for his robotics team. They use it too, to build robots, test their designs and improve. Even my friends and neighbors want to use it. People that have never made something from scratch in their entire lives want to use my Glowforge. Sometimes they ask for help to fix broken things that they would have thrown away. We don’t just fix their things, together we make them better than they could have dreamed and, we make gifts for their friends and family.
The Glowforge took 20 minutes to setup and begin making things. It’s reliable and easy to use. It’s fun. My entire family makes things together and on our own. Things we never dreamed of before we purchased it.
At the time GF began the campaign. I was actually searching for a laser to use in my home business which is designing and build Radio Controlled museum quality aircraft. The models use a lot of precision cut parts using many different material. What attracted me to GF was the trace and cut feature that would be great to develop test templates with… Sadly it did not work good enough when I first tried it.
I first thought that it was cool looking compared to all the tin boxes on the market at that time.
Time to decide was about 30 minutes. Simply sat down with my wife and discussed the benefits of the perceived features especially the pass through port for long parts. So I ordered immediately.
I’m hoping to really improve the quality and consistency of my build projects. So far this is going very well and gets better the more features that are improved on or added.
What I first thought upon receiving my Pro unit was how nice it looked. The build quality is excellent. However, the UI was something of let down and lead to a lot of frustration. In fact I would curse the day that I purchased the GF. However, the more time goes bye the better the usability is becoming and so far I’m now an happy camper.
In summary… The GF still can be greatly improved upon and I believe the platform design is very capable of going forward for a long time. The more that I use it the more it is becoming my primary tool. I have found many new and innovative ways of building parts that I would never have thought a simple laser cutter could do. Recently I have been making very complex miniature instrument panels by engraving acrylic sheet that actually gives me a 3D part that is excellent. In fact I use the GF instead of my 3D printer due to much better part quality and ten times faster speed.
Cheers Jim Ellis
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 
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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.