Finished: Tell us why you bought a Glowforge

bwente · February 21, 2018, 3:56am

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.

josephtpage · February 21, 2018, 4:41am

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!

danielleamorgan · February 21, 2018, 4:41am

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.

danielleamorgan · February 21, 2018, 4:43am

Would love to see the pictures of the pinewood derby car!

Jules · February 21, 2018, 4:45am

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.)

jennacarstensen · February 21, 2018, 4:55am

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!

thejambi · February 21, 2018, 4:58am

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!

rpegg · February 21, 2018, 5:12am

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.

jakerember · February 21, 2018, 5:15am

I happened across an article about it the morning the preorders started.

I have long wanted a laser cutter for myself. However, there were a number of issues which prevented me from being able to get one. Most laser cutters are extremely expensive compared to the Glowforge. Further, a lot of the options at the time required a lot of space and a lot of additional parts (air compressor, external coolant reservoir, etc…). The Glowforge did not require any sort of change to how my workspace was wired. It basically only put the load in a microwave. Lastly, and probably most importantly was the focus on usability. The drag, drop and cut workflow was huge. It is a complete departure from basically every laser on the market at the time.

It really took me no time at all to decide I wanted a Glowforge. I did call my wife and double check with her first though . I had already done a lot of research and recognized the value of what the Glowforge offered.

My goal with purchasing a Glowforge was mostly centered around two reasons.

I am a maker and I enjoy making all kinds of things. I really like to be able to take an idea to a physical object quickly. It helped to flesh out a set of digital fabrication tools that currently include a 3d printer (self-built Prusa i3), a small 5 axis CNC machine (PocketNC) , and a CNC router (Shaper Origin).

2, I wanted to have a complete set of prototyping tools for my own business. My goal is to be able to do prototyping for usability testing. Both physical and in software.

If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
Overall, I have really enjoyed the Glowforge! Once the lead time on orders gets to the point where it is only a few weeks from a unit being ordered to being at the door I think it will be a market leader. I think the focus on usability is probably the most important part of the Glowforge. A lot of digital fabrication products are only focused on the engineering solutions and that makes one of the biggest bottlenecks for many users.

morganstanfield · February 21, 2018, 5:18am

How did you see it?
Pretty sure it was a Facebook targeted ad, or possibly a share from a friend.

What did you first think?
“I WANT THIS!” The Glowforge looked like the answer to an artistic problem I’d been struggling with for a long time: how to make the process of cutting leather (and some other delicate materials) goofproof, so that I wasn’t spending dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars on a bookbinding or wall-art project only to have a tiny slip of the knife create a bad edge on my leather that could never be fixed or hidden. I had tried using a super-high-end robocutter, the Black Cat Cougar Pro, and it was totally unreliable on the variable consistency of leather and on tiny, delicate curves on paper, the two materials I was working with most. I also instantly saw the possibilities for etching and cutting a huge variety of other materials for other purposes, including clothing and jewelry design, tilework, glass etching, etc. It seemed like a path to putting some of my designs on durable materials in an economical, reliable, immaculate way, which is pretty darned exciting for a visual artist and designer.

How long did it take you to decide?
I think it took about three weeks. I probably saw the ad in the first few days of the crowdfunding campaign, and bought in on the third week.

What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
The most important discussion I had was with my fiancee. I definitely would not have spent the money (which was more than I’d spent on anything in my life except one of my cars and my college education) had he not strongly encouraged me to do it. I had plenty in savings to pay for it, but my job at a startup was feeling insecure, so it was a big risk. My partner really wanted to use it, too, though, and wanted me to have the happiness that he saw that I could have with the Glowforge, so he not only strongly encouraged me to buy it, he gave me a fairly large chunk of money as a gift toward its price. As the deadlines for delivery were missed over and over and I lost my job, he also encouraged me to not ask for a refund.
Prior to purchasing the Glowforge, I also read up on Dan and his partners, and I also personally knew Brad Feld and knew he/Foundry were unlikely to have invested in a fly-by-night venture.

Was anyone else a part of the decision?
See above answer about my fiancee.

What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I’d like to realize some of the more complex and challenging artist visions I’ve been sketching out over the past few years. I’d also like to continue enjoying the incredible ease and creativity it allows me to engage in, whether I’m making a simple part for a household item or a quick party favor or a truly astonishing gift.

If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
My Glowforge, Longclaw, is certainly the most amazing object in my toolbox, next to my Macbook, beating out my Cintiq, and competing nicely with my partner’s 3D printer. Its ease of use, especially with Proofgrade materials, is astonishing. Learning to use my robocutter, a machine with a similar purpose and much less power and grace, was far, far harder. Even though I’m VERY busy mothering my one year old son and running my consulting business, I constantly think about my Glowforge and the projects I have planned on it. Even the littlest things I make, like sample chips, make me excited, and the bigger things I’ve been working on are amazing. Its functionality was summed up this weekend when I took my party guests downstairs to watch me make a quick acrylic cake topper for my baby’s first birthday cake. From opening Illustrator to having an adorable cake topper was no more than ten minutes, and as my artistic sister-in-law said as the laser beautifully cut the Proofgrade acrylic, "It’s the dream."
I’ll also say that the Glowforge community has been amazing and inspiring. Being part of a troll-free online environment where people are incredibly generous with their time, expertise, and friendship has been wonderful. The Colorado Glowforge User Group (GFUG) is a delight, and I look forward to seeing them every time I have a chance.

natezimmer · February 21, 2018, 5:22am

I saw the Glowforge early in the initial fundraising, but it took me almost the entire campaign to decide to back the product. I’m an avid hobbyist working in leather, foam, wood and photography. I have friends with commercial laser cutters who make a living from their art. I’ve always loved the precision and intricate detail that a laser tool provides, but the price was always out of my reach and borrowing time on someone else’s laser hasn’t been practical. I had no plans to profit from my designs, so it was hard to budget thousands of dollars. I was also very concerned about the cloud computing and need for good Wi-Fi in my shop. Many of my friends suggested that a 3D printer or CNC was a more cost-effective entry point. However, when I saw the cake toppers and trace features in the video my imagination ran wild.
As a father of two small children, it’s very difficult to balance hobbies with parenting. There are sharp knives, heavy tools or little pieces to keep track of in nearly every craft. The Glowforge was the first tool I felt I could easily share with my kids without safety concerns or boredom. I set to work making a list of projects that I wanted to accomplish: household items: like custom drawer inserts in the kitchen, personalized frames and art for my kids, jewelry, wallets, travel items, holiday gifts and more. When the list grew to over thirty items I shared it with my wife and we planned to back the Glowforge.
My Glowforge arrived last December and I’ve started down the list. I’ve made storage units, personalized gifts for everyone and I’m working on a wallet right now. My two favorite experiences have been making a puzzle with my daughter (we peeled back the masking from some proof grade and she colored a picture with crayons before we cut it into a puzzle) and staying up late making personalized valentines to the delight of her preschool classmates.
Since receiving delivery of my Glowforge, I have seen the market on hobby lasers boom. I’ve rarely had any issues with the cloud computing that weren’t user error and any issues with the early software were resolved quickly by support. I was however very intrigues by the competitor which had a removable bottom to allow for etching on pieces of any size, but when I saw the barebones features, rudimentary cooling and venting equipment those lasers were packing underneath their workbenches, I knew I had made the right choice with Glowforge.

redshift · February 21, 2018, 5:51am

How did you see it?

I had been a member of TechShop before moving in 2012. I made lasered goods to sell on Etsy, and enjoyed a modest success. After the move, I toyed with the idea here and there about getting a laser for myself and found the kickstarter campaign in my Googling and internet browsing.

What did you first think?

Sweet! If only I had even $2k… maybe one day.

How long did it take you to decide?

To decide I wanted a laser – immediately. Then I was busy getting married, changing jobs, buying a house, having a kid…

To decide to pull the trigger and fork over the money – apparently two years. I bought during the two year anniversary period of the kickstarter after checking in on it a couple more times. When I saw things were actually starting to ship, I decided to go for it.

What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?

I bought the Glowforge before really deciding. For a while I was saying “I bought a laser and may reboot my Etsy shop, but I can cancel at any time.” Then I dove into the forum and spent as much time as I could learning about it, seeing projects, thinking about the potential. It slowly went from “I can cancel any time” to “this really excites me and now I can’t imagine canceling!” It’s this amazing group of users that really sold the machine in the end.

The only major discussion was with my husband about exhaust and fume safety, but we have a plan that we’re both happy with (and it doesn’t involve the spider-filled garage).

Was anyone else a part of the decision?

Other than informing my husband that I bought a laser, and the ensuing conversation about fumes, it was all me.

What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?

I’ve been desperately missing a creative outlet for about 5 years now. I hope the Glowforge gives a tool for creating again and to re-open and expand my Etsy shop (without ditching the day job… for now). Plus, if I can make a little money doing something I enjoy instead of housework, then I can pay someone else to do the housework!

With an engineer for a husband and a little one, I’m sure we’re bound to find all kinds of fun things to do on the home front as well. The forum is a bounty of inspiration. I especially love the “practical cuts” threads and ideas for personalized gifts – cutting boards for everyone!

If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!

Ask me again soon – only a few more weeks until my email date!

rbtdanforth · February 21, 2018, 6:12am

Sometime back it has been widely noted that robots being more productive will outperform humans at many tasks, and it occurred to me that those who owned a robot would be able to produce results at the same level as other robots, but increasingly the creative part will be ever more important as Robots cannot have the same creative ability, and masses of robots even less as the creative part will take the same time no matter how many robots can be turned to production, and so will be the limiting factor. In this, any human can and still will create at individual to individual levels, and as the robots get ever more flexible the power to create in a widening sphere will fall to the individual.

I was looking for something. the 3D printers were not productive enough taking days to make large things and then you had only one, and then days for another etc.
Lasers looked really good at first, but the dangers and technical trickiness of the software made it likely to be more problem than profit. I had spent $7k on a very heavy brick that was claimed to be a cnc.
Wandering the Web I came upon Glowforge and Dan,s long tale with the leather cutting etc and noted that the point was to have it be for the artists and not only geeks could manage them. It was Unique compared to what was out there. It was at the start of the wave instead of after everyone else had come and gone.

The Cloud programming meant that buying or updating to the latest was not an issue. The ability to produce even a complex product in hours and not days meant that there could be reasonable productivity, and lesser stuff printed in minutes meant that experiments would not take the hours. The price of materials per pound was far less than 3d printers, and many like leather and some other stuff I already had. the idea that it worked in the office desktop like inkjet printers was also nice as I have little room.

The filter that was supposed to be there would allow it to work inside and even now I am slow setting up for not having it, and it is in the Dining Room and not the back office that was planned for it as that is the only window to shove a hose out of. Even now It is limited by the exhaust issues but I am chomping at the bit to get going.

I have far more places to go design-wise than time to do it, and the range of the Glowforge is a good start. No matter how big there will be a need for bigger and the passthrough slots are also a good start in that direction but much of my design efforts have been how to make big things from smallish parts.

rhenley · February 21, 2018, 6:18am

So there I was, innocently going about my day doing the stuff I always do at work – namely, trying to avoid said work. I always feel guilty about this, so since I work in IT I try to relieve my guilt by wasting my time on tech sites like Ars Technica. It was there that I stumbled across an article (this one) about this laser cutter thingy that sounded like vaporware but wasn’t. I’ve always wanted a laser cutter, but last I checked they were upwards of $10k which no-way, no-how was going to happen since this would just be a hobby toy to me. This article, though, said I could preorder this unicorn for only $2k and it honest-to-god actually worked. I watched the video on the Glowforge website with the chant “WANT! WANT! WANT!” going through my mind. Discussed with the wife, pulled out the credit card, and boom! – I owned a frickin’ laser (well, preordered a frickin’ laser, at least). Article to video to drool to conversation with wifey took 1 day tops. Done.

As time passed and my Glowforge failed to appear on my doorstep, my confidence that this was a good decision was tested. More than once I came close to cancelling. I mean, $2k may not be much for a laser cutter, but it’s still a lot of money, right? Somehow I held on and lo, my faith was rewarded. The Glowforge may not be perfect (yet), but that creative bug that bites me from time to time now has a wonderful way to express itself. It’s hard to explain how cool it feels to have an idea, whip up a design, and actually hold something in my hand that I only envisioned an hour or so ago. It’s a lot like creating and printing something on your 3D printer except (a) it isn’t made of plastic and (b) it didn’t print for 8 hours and then decide to turn into spaghetti. (Bitter? Nah, not me.)

While I still dream about the day I can quit my corporate job to make a living creating things, right now I’m happy enough to consider this an investment in my personal well-being. Sounds overly dramatic, I know, but I’ve needed a creative outlet like this for years. The Glowforge made it happen.

Edited to add: I completely forgot to mention one of the biggest reasons I held out to the end – the community that has grown around this incredible machine. It wasn’t just the beta users or the pre-release users posting their creations, either. The amount of creative talent that lives here is unbelievable. Had this just been your average, ordinary forum I probably would have cancelled long ago. This forum has become part of my daily routine, has been an invaluable resource to me, and is quite literally a major reason why I’m now a Glowforge owner.

f_debastiani · February 21, 2018, 7:17am

How did you see it?
A Friend of mine told me about Glowforge. He saw it mentioned on a Tech-Blog. Then I searched you via google and came over your website.

What did you first think?
Holy cow, that’s a huge amount of Features in one machine. I’m really hard in woodworking so the Glowforge didn’t let me go anymore. I was really impressed by features like the camera alignment, the double-sided cut / engrave, etc.

How long did it take you to decide?
First I ordered the basic, that decision took about 1-2 weeks, I don’t remember the exact time anymore. Then I updated to the pro, when I heard that there will be some more Features included and that it will have a better cooling included. This decision took about 1 week to take. Of course I thought about upgrading many times before, but not that serious.
Know I’m still not sure if I really need the airfilter. This decision is still pending.

What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
I watched your introducing-film several time and read all the technical data on your page many many times. Then (I’m a metric guy) I had to sketch out the dimensions, because I had no Idea how big the machine or the work area / maximum material-thickness will be.

Was anyone else a part of the decision?
Not really for the first purchase. I wouldn’t have purchased without the promise to be able to cancel and get a refund until the golden email. Then afterwards I would have canceled many times if the stuff and dan were not so present here in the forum.

What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
The ability to integrate it in my shop to ad fine engraves or litte pieces to my work. Also i hope to get continuous improvements and new Features in the software - as promised.

If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
At the moment I can just hope, that the purchase will be a success. I haven’t got my GF yet, I’m one of the nervous but patiently waiting international customer ;).

rbtdanforth · February 21, 2018, 8:00am

65 Years ago (when I was six) I was trying to decide, with all the stuff I could learn, what I should put my energies to. In the first instance what was, if not a waste of time, an endless trip down a hundred rabbit holes (not everything as I see it now, as context arrived long after). That if there was some scheme that was someone’s conjecture, no matter how smart they were it was just that, opinion, and a thousand opinions were as one. You would not really know, so anything that fell into that category, if not ignored at least was not a focus.

The Second area I thought of as Fads, that you might know it well but in a few years nobody would care, and again the effort would be wasted. I did not realize until too late that most computer programs fit this description, as anyone with great skills in Fortran can attest. or my own abilities in LISP

The one area I really liked even then would be called Scientific understanding, though I did not think of it that way at the time, only that everything learned would still be true years later, and understanding some things gave insights into other seemingly unrelated things.

Over time my simple way of dividing things got more complex, and much that I did not care about knowing I learned anyway. But the start till molded the rest. (bear with me a bit as I try to say where I am going with this)

Economics always seemed to be the ultimate case of opinion, just shy of astrology, but much was needed to think about just to get along in the world. However, where Economics as I badly understand it looks harder at the people and gets very generic about the products, I got to looking at the products and more generic about the people. and in doing so came to several kinds of product.

The Financial folks hold and operate the Capital and think themselves very if not most important, but what they hold is POWER that they can make the decisions, and they charge dearly for the grace of deciding in your favor so all the wealth that flows to them (and gives them still more power) must be paid off the top of all production they decide to benefit. In the net, they cost Society far more than they produce.

At the next level, you have the service sector, that is necessary maintenance to keep everything running but the value to Society is ephemeral, like getting a haircut, certainly needed but next week or month will be needed again.

Food and other commodities are a similar case as they are a necessary cost but equally ephemeral as they are used and gone.

At the next level is actual useful “stuff”( some discretion is needed as the costs of maintaining it even to physical location and the overall value favors quality over quantity) but even an umbrella stand could be doing its job with grace and beauty for a hundred or more years and many generations far beyond the expense of creating it

At the highest level (and here the Glowforge comes in) is the machinery to make the stuff of value. While an item of value might provide service for many years, The Glowforge is a Font of things that each can provide value for many years.

Thus while Classical Economics tends to add up the price of everything, giving each thing equal weight, at the end of a period of time, the combined wealth of the society will have very different outcomes depending on which end of the list is favored

So the point I set out to make is that the Glowforge empowers creativity to make ideas real and make the world a richer place than if they did not exist, and a hundred years from now, things made on a Glowforge will still be cherished treasures, no matter what else happens in the World.

stilts · February 21, 2018, 9:13am

As a small business owner, artist and, all around tech nerd, I am always looking for new things that can minimize the frustration that can come from trying to prototype a design. We’ve worked pretty heavily with 3d printers, CNC Routing Machines, molding, and plain old hand fashioning, and all of them were time intensive, costly, or prone to error. We had purchased a 40 watt laser previously and dealt with the significant learning curve that a 40W laser can come with (difficult software, struggles with aligning material, the trial and error associated with power levels and speed) and were looking for better options. When we saw the initial pre-order Glowforge video displaying all the amazing and wonderful things it could do we were hooked. I instantly showed it to my wife, who is also my business partner, and she was blown away. Immediately we were able to imagine all the possibilities for projects and rapid prototyping. Having some familiarity with lasers we did do some additional research, looking to see if what Glowforge was offering was better than comparable brands in that price range, and after some deliberation decided it was our best bet based on the innovation with the camera system and trace capabilities. Our initial struggle was financial as we are a very small business. After finding outside financing through a private investor, whom we were able to get as excited about the Glowforge as we were, we decided to place our pre-order. After patiently waiting (ok, maybe not patiently), the day came and we got our anticipated Glowforge! Right out of the box it worked like a champ and met our expectations! We’ve had a blast trying new things and putting it through its paces and it has made rapid prototyping easy! As easy as 1-2-3 and we have a new and amazing thing to touch and interact with in our hands! We are glad we stuck through to the end with the Glowforge and are happy to have made the decision to make this life changing purchase!

marc.simon1 · February 21, 2018, 9:17am

Hi,
I have seen glowforge for the first time in a facebook video that somebody shared. And my first think was : wwwhaaawwwww!!! I want this but I can’t afford it… But I want this so much! But, it’s too expensive and it’s a great risk… But I want this!!!

So 15 days later, I was on the boat to the long road to Glowforge. I’m single so the decision was my own and it was certainly easier for me not to have to convince anybody else than myself. I’ve searched on the internet informations to try to know if this was a serious projects and many sources seems to pont that this was an ambitious but great project.

I’ve always construct stuffs and Glowforgeseemed to be an extraordinary extension of challenges and opportunities to do things. At this time I was on recovery because of an craft accident that costs me some fingers and I was thinking about how to continue my passion to do-it-yourself in another way than with blade tools… So it was a perfect timing for me to discover digital manufacturing.

I was totally ignorant about this type of crafting, 2D and 3D CAD softwares. But I had dreams about things to do, especially upcycling wasted things. And why not have a small business with those projects.

Glowforge gives me the good motivation to enter int his world. I have bought a 3D printer to practice. I’ve learned 2D and 3D software with the help of the glowforge forum community. Thanks to them! That’s also a great point on this compaign. I’m not sure I will still be on the boat without the forum to see what wonderful things that people does and to discuss and debate freely about Glowforge issues and delays.

Aaarrhh, delays and the lack of broadview on some points (for my international point of view) which are the minus point of this aventure. Because, it is an adventure. I could also say it is a love story with periods of blind unconditionnal love and violent periods of argueing near divorce. Just a life human story.

But dreams and projects are still strong so I’m impatient to have my machine soon. Less enthusiastic than on the first days but more prepared and skilled. So Thanks to Glowforge to that.

Marketingly speaking, I don’t bought Glowforge like another things. Less reflexive buy with price, specs comparaison and more a call from the heart and then a group membership feeling. That’s not just a tool.

Hope that can help you

Marc from France

a.novakovic999 · February 21, 2018, 9:30am

How did you see it?
It was either on fb or Kickstarter. I watched the promo video on loop for about half an hour

What did you first think?
I couldn’t believe the endless possibilities it offered! All these ideas of what I could make with it, from wedding invites to lamp shades, just started flooding my mind. I knew I wanted it, but I wasn’t sure if I can afford to make such an investment.

How long did it take you to decide?
A few days. Buying it meant emptying my savings account, and at that moment I just started my MA programme abroad. I was also worried about the customs charge which would in my case increase the cost significantly, but in the end I decided this would be an investment into my future and possibly a way to start a family business.

What, if any, reading did you do or discussions did you have before deciding?
As I said the customs charge was a big factor in deciding. The shipping charge was also a bit discouraging, but it turned out shipping to Greece (which is where I was doing my MA) was half the price of the shipping to Serbia (which is where I’m originally from). Unfortunately, I moved back to Serbia in the meantime, so now I’m facing that extra charge again.
Anyways, I spent hours on Glowforge website, reading all about it. I also did some research on laser cutters I had access to at uni, but quickly realised they don’t measure up to Glowforge.

Was anyone else a part of the decision?
The decision was completely mine, as it was my own money that I invested. I talked to my parents about it after I made the pledge on Kickstarter, though, and they were supportive. Tiny bit concerned that it was a preorder, but still supportive.

What do you hope to get from your Glowforge?
I hope it will be a foundation of my own creative business. Opening a shop, running it alongside my brother and sister, being able to make a living out of making stuff alone - that’s the dream I also hope it inspires me to create something every day. I often get stuck working non-stop and the creative part of my brain suffers because of it. Sometimes it can be weeks between I draw or make something, so what I hope will happen is that with Glowforge being n the same room with me, I just won’t be able to resist the urge to create

If the purchase was wildly successful, tell us why and how you feel about it!
I’m still waiting for my Glowforge, so I can’t really tell, but I honestly do hope it turns out to be wildly successful

glowforge7 · February 21, 2018, 10:42am

I love making stuff, so I love YouTube channels about making stuff, so I love the Tested YouTube channel. This is where I first saw the Glowforge and it was love at first sight. Many kids from my church come to make stuff at my place. I have a nice workshop and a lab for electronics and 3d-printing. I live in a rural area and there are no makerspaces close by. The idea was born to transform my workshop and lab into a true, small makerspace for local people to use. To make this happen, I was searching for a laser cutter within my budget for quite some time now. I don’t have the money for a serious laser cutter like a Trotec, so I was checking out the cheap cutters from China. There are two ways of getting a Chinese laser cutter; Import it yourself or buy one already imported for at least twice the price. No matter how you do it, you would still end up with a Chinese machine, with the risk of questionable quality, Chinese or badly translated software and difficult or no service. So when I saw the YouTube clip from Tested, I’ve read everything on the Glowforge site and ordered one. The fact that Adam (the famous Adam) trusted this company made that I trusted it. They already had a working machine so they should be able to deliver on schedule. I expected them to be a couple of months later, because this is not my first crowd funding and I know that there will always be some unexpected hurdles along the way. The price to order out of the US was seriously higher due to extra shipping costs and there will probably some 700,- euro added for taxes and customs. But still it seemed like I would get a laser cutter with a much better quality than anything else that I can get for this money. So I ordered without thinking twice about it. As soon as I ordered, I started designing robots and other stuff to cut on it. I really couldn’t wait to get it. Every time the delivery date moved, the plan for the makerspace moved. Today I saw that the European orders will be send out soon. I hope that I will get the Glowforge soon and I can’t wait to see what the kids will make on it. I have many plans for it, to make mini sumo robots, nerdy necklaces, led displays, puzzle boxes and so many more stuff.