New tube replacement

Everything Else
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Anyone know if tube replacement is ever going to be an option? Mine has about had it and there’s no way I’m sending it in to get a refurbished replacement. There is too much of chance that a month later, something else breaks. Too many horror stories! I’ll buy a different laser from another company before I make the mistake of buying another one of these.

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I honestly don’t understand your aversion to the solution they have come up with. You pay for a tube replacement but end up with a new or nearly new machine. I did this route after my door hinge failed after several years in service and I have been very happy with this as a solution.

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I’ve heard TONS of horror stories about refurbished machines breaking down shortly after paying for one. WHY in the world would I send off my machine that I’ve carefully taken care of to get one back that I really have NO idea of what kind of shape it’s in. There no way to know how long a used Glowforge is going to hold up. It’s a BIG Gamble! Pathetic that other companies offer the ability to replace the tube but Glowforge doesn’t. PATHETIC!

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If you got your machine in May 2021, there is a good chance it has quite a bit of life left. Why do you think the tube has about had it?

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FB no doubt.

I don’t think you understand “refurbished”.
I kinda don’t think you are looking for a solution but if you are, get a refurbished one and go over it with a fine-toothed comb, use the daylights out of it, and if it hasn’t failed in 90 days it’s likely to last as long or longer than having a tube put in your current unit.

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The solution I’m looking for, as I stated in the original post, is a replacement tube as other laser manufacturers offer.

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Best to contact Glowforge as their support team no longer monitors this forum.

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Then your answer right now is ”no".

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My glowforge is not able to cut or even make mark on items am since last 8 months. Me being too lazy or caught up on other shrugs was procrastinating on it.

So my questions are -

  1. is glowforge not replacing the co2 tubes and shipping the same unit back??
  2. What can be done with the glowforge units we have that just needs tubes replaced ?
  3. Can the co2 tube be changed else where?
  4. Does glowforge buy back their machines that just need co2 tube replaced?
  5. Is anyone buying used glowforge that cannot print!?

Please show me some hope - but true ones. I’m getting more and more disheartened by reading all the horror stories. :frowning:

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  1. No, but you can exchange it for a refurbished unit at a discounted rate.

  2. See numbers 1 and 5

  3. No

  4. No

  5. Yes. Search the forums- there’s at least one member that buys them for parts.

I know these aren’t the answers you were hoping for, but you should definitely email Support for details.

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It’s also not clear that your tube is your problem. If it’s not marking at all most likely it sounds like your power supply has gone.

All the answers you’ve gotten already are still true, but I think your root problem is not the tube.

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If you want to keep using one that is a definite bargain. Some folk make a deal to have the refurbished one sent to the new owner. I have had a refurbished one for several years now.

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Not being able to make a mark is not a tube that’s reaching its end of life (they fade in power output slowly, your symptom will be needing to go slower than Proofgrade settings to continue cutting the same materials as before). More likely, you have an insulation failure in the tube wiring, or a failure of the HV side of the power supply.

Regardless, the fix for all of these problems is to replace the machine. Open a support ticket, tell Glowforge what’s wrong with yours. If it’s not fixable, they’ll typically offer you to trade-in your non-working machine for a refurbished replacement at an 80% discount to retail price. It’s as good a deal as you’ll get anywhere.

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I agree, support is missing in action as it can take a week to get a reply. They are not the only game in town.

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There are two other lasers out there that are stronger laser larger beds and lower priced then my glowforge. Both highly rated. Search utube for better than Glowforge.

I had one replaced just over a year ( replaced my new one with a rebuilt ) Now at two years tube is going bad, Cutting acrylic, Was cutting at 150 now haveing to lower speed to 115 and full power on both settings.

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