the answer to this will most likely be a booming and resounding “NOOOOO!!!” lol but anyone holding off on receiving their machines now (after receiving their e-mails) in order to receive both the machine and filter together next year? this might have been addressed already, but i’m just curious. also, what are the shipping implications for having the machine delivered now and the filter later? will we need to cover shipping for the filter next year once they’re ready to ship? thanks! 
Noooo!
With that out of the way, You should have paid separate shipping charges up front for both the laser and the filter.
2 Likes
I have the filter on order, but meanwhile the vent just goes out the window.
I’m sure some people have and I would suspect most, although not all, tend to be institutions and commercial buyers who don’t want to deal with venting. I doubt you will find many, if any, on the forum.
Have seen some people post that they have no choice but to use a filter. Windows that don’t open, office spaces, etc. Feel for them. So there are some.
2 Likes
lol - ah, for some reason i just recall paying one amount for shipping, but it was such a long time ago, i don’t remember.
- I didn’t order a filter so can’t respond to first question. Had I ordered one, I’d be content with waiting for it but would have wanted my Glowforge first. I might have wanted a filter for public demo uses, but that was always secondary. And I could always order one if I found the need.
- I do believe you have paid all the costs of shipping a filter already.
The only reason I can think of to delay both until the filter is ready, is if you absolutely need the filter. Otherwise, why wait?
I am among an increasingly large group of people for whom the filter sounded like a good idea at the time, but now that we’ve gotten our machines and gone to the trouble of setting up exhaust ventilation, will probably just cancel it.
Other factors in favor of just getting it now and figuring out how to route the poison outside are:
- We have basically zero evidence that filter development is proceeding
- So we don’t know if it’s going to hit major snags along the way
- We don’t know how effective it’s going to be
- We don’t know what the operating costs will be. Replacement filters will be expensive, and may be required after anywhere from a month to a year.
1 Like
I suspect that a lot of people, like you, will decide the filter is an extra expense they no longer need, and I hope that GF is financially stable enough to take the hit.
Unless I find another filter that will work, I will have to delay shipment until the filter is ready.
If the filter never gets developed (which some of us fear) then I will have to cancel my entire order.
1 Like
Well, I’m kind of an idiot when it comes to buying things, so chances are I won’t actually cancel the filter and it will either show up and sit in the closet indefinitely, or I’ll resell it to somebody who really needs one.
5 Likes
On my purchase history page, I show one charge for shipping the GF and one charge for shipping the air filter… so it shipping together or separate will have no bearing on the shipping cost. (FYI, the actual UPS shipping cost will be more than they are charging us.)
1 Like
Other than absolutely needing the filter would be to get one with all of the certifications. Even if they don’t change a thing, some certifying bodies won’t let you “back certify” an instrument so the mark label can’t be added later. The subset of people who absolutely require this are probably even smaller than the must have filter subset.
1 Like
thanks so much for all the feedback guys - so many good points to consider!
my situation at present is a tad complicated, after having fought the good waiting fight for so long, i had been so excited to receive my email, but instead of immediately clicking “GIMME!!” i’ve had to really think about how to proceed. after having initially ordered the machine for shipping to the states during the pre-order period, i am now in south africa - i.e. one of the countries glowforge can no longer ship directly to due to compliance issues. there was no way i was going to cancel my order after waiting so long, so i’m considering shipping the machine to a stackry hub in the US and then having it shipped to south africa . with DHL this will cost $930 plus whatever other duties and customs the order will incur once it gets here 
- hence my initial question regarding waiting for the filter etc. - waiting = one big shipment in september 2018 vs separate shipments for now and again next year, both incurring costs. but the sense i get is that there is so much uncertainty regarding the filter that it might not be the necessity we initially thought it was. i just hope all my shipping plans work out 
4 Likes
In the US maybe, but for the rest of the world you need certification to import or sell electrical appliances. And the filter will need certification when its design is finished. So again I expect ours will be much delayed.
If it is being used in a location with employees, federal law requires it. If it is being used in a commercial or government facility, most state and local rules require it as well. I’d say it’s actually a larger subset than most people realize.
2 Likes
Mentally I classified the institutional/commercial buyers as separate, not counting as they have a totally separate set of needs, but I also reference them in my post, so my crazy…
And obviously certifications don’t apply to those outside the US as they will not even receive the email until approval.