What can I do? Its out of warranty, but it’s the actual laser itself that died as customer service diagnosed. Are these things supposed to only have a 7 year life span? I can’t afford to ship it off to some company since glowforge doesn’t even have repair facilities in the US. I really feel like glowforge should stand behind their very expensive machines. I don’t want to go the social route…but I honestly feel like people should be warned. I wish someone could have warned me.
They were designed with a 2-yr life expectancy, so you’re well ahead of the odds. My first one lasted less than yours.
Not sure which diode laser you’ve had for 7 years though. Glowforge only started selling diode lasers recently. The original Glowfoge uses a CO2 laser tube, which is a glass gas container that leaks over time, even if left unused on a shelf. Hence the original 2-year expected lifespan. Most of us got much more than that, but it was predicted/expected.
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Ditto to what @eflyguy said, it sucks when one dies, but 7 years is really good for a laser.
They do have a repair facility is in the US? https://www.wiregrassmade.com is in Alabama.
's warranty repair facility is moving (no idea from where to where) so they’re not doing anything there, but Wiregrass is up and running as of the May announcement.
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We have been warned since the beginning that the life of the laser tube could be around 2 years - whether or not the machine is used regularly. All laser tubes degrade over time, and glass ones degrade faster than metal. Glowforge has not done anything that warrants your attacks on social media. The machine certainly performed within the stated warranty period - and many additional years as well.
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Not to beat a dead horse here, but I want to add - at the time I learned of Glowforge, thru Adam Savage’s Tested channel, a machine like this was only available for 10x the price and up, and I jumped on it immediately. It took a couple of years to actually receive it but I was willing to take that gamble. I had friends with the existing commercial machines, and this was a breakthru. Most of them had to give up trying to run a machine here and turned out outsourcing to China.
I have no regrets. I knew what I was getting in to. I am very happy to have been on this journey, and the joy I can give to others is worth every penny I have spent.
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I fervently second what @eflyguy said and enjoyed a very similar experience.
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All of the feedback here is valid. I’d like to add that I understand how you feel. It seems like there must be another solution. Here’s one potential idea:
I don’t know what support has tested with you, but there is a fairly common issue that can cause the laser to stop firing, and the solution is relatively simple. Let me know if you’re up for some info about repairing your machine, it would require some elbow grease on your part, but it may well get you back up and running for a relatively low cost.
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