A previous poster ranted about the lack of information about the pro unit and I somewhat agree with him since I am a pro purchaser. The question that comes to mind about the pro is, since so little information has been forthcoming about its development, there seems to be a possibility that the pro unit will be delayed. If that happens will the pro buyers be given the option of receiving a standard unit with a pro replacement at a later date?
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I donāt think Glowforge has any plans to take back used and abused Basic units and resell them as refurbished units.
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According to the last update from @dan , the Pro units are on still on schedule to ship out when the other units do.
Could that change? Of course it could, nothing is guaranteed time-wise. But if the physical units are ready, and all they are waiting on is some last minute software tweaks to bring them up to full Pro functionality, they will probably ship the Pro units out, and you would be able to use them to do all the things the Basic units do, you just wouldnāt have the image āknittingā ability yet from the software for the larger pass-through items.
You would still receive a unit with more power than the Basics, so you could cut the thicker materials that fit in the bed, and run the machine for longer periods of time, with faster results.
Dan has also said before, that if someone decides they want to wait until everything is finished on the unit, they can take the option of delaying the shipment. (That option doesnāt make sense to me, since you could still use it as a more powerful Basic until they get the software finished up, but it is available.) 
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I think @dan has been pretty consistent that the fundamentals are shared and the Basic getting to ādoneā takes care of most of the Pro except for the software.
Heās also been confidently asserting that the Pro will ship at the same time as the Basic but the filter may come later.
We havenāt seen a whole Pro in the wild but some Pre-Release units have Pro tubes installed. The hardware is most likely done (as much as the Basic is done). But the software is lagging without a doubt - theyāre still getting the Basic software dialed in. Thatās okay - that can and will continue to be enhanced and delivered via the cloud.
As a Pre-Release tester I can attest to the quality of what Iām working with now. Iād be glad to take my Pro with only the Basic software now. Iāve got plenty of stuff that the Basic software is sufficient for. The 20% that needs the Pro isnāt that critical and if I need to Iāll tear myself away from the Glowforge and fire up the Redsail (it has an adjustable Z-axis and a pass thru that will accommodate 9" tall material).
I donāt think Pros are in jeopardy. Software or filter is something else.
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Thanks, I tend to skim for highlights and missed the fact that some Pre-Release units have Pro tubes. Iāll look a little closer for those reports, as Iāve been on the fence about upgrading for awhile and started to wonder if the Pro could be ātooā powerful for some tasks.
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We havenāt announced any such plans.
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You can always dial down the power, just canāt ever go more than 100% 
Right now they can be a little hot for some engraving because theyāve got some low end throttling going on - there was a software update a week or so ago that had much finer control at low settings that was awesome but they had to pull it back for some more tweaking. The low end on the power spectrum has some great potential based on that tease release
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It really was a tease, wasnāt it? 
Really beautiful pale, pale, engraving was possible. I called it āghostingā. It was lighter than a watermark.
Once they float that thru, it will do light work as well. No need to worry about too much power.
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Which seems to be a bit of a pity since the majority of orders are for pro units. Then again I suppose they need to get the common baseline right.
Just hope we donāt get the 'if you ordered a pro unit youāll have to bear with us just 3 more months because there is only one one thing more important to us than to get you your GF soonā¦"-email (in August). Because there does not seem to be a whole bunch of confidence on the pro side right now.
My 8 year old said sheās moving to the orphanage if the GF does not come in Augustā¦
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Tough crowd!
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Iām almost the opposite. Iāve told my kids that they are going back to the closet under the stairs when the Glowforge arrives.
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Yeah sheās been wanting to write to Dan about the delays but I stopped her. I said āSweat-pea, letās be reasonable. Dan is doing his best.ā She kicked me in the shin and walked away. This was in back in March. 2015. She doesnāt really speak to me anymore. I walk on eggs. We all do. I bought her a car and took her to Disney (Paris). But she wants the GF. I have been protecting the GF team from her. But I canāt hold out much longer.
By the time this message reaches anybodyā¦ oh no, here she comesā¦ h-e-l-p!
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Dead. Not only do we have assembled here some of the smartest and most artistic people Iāve ever witnessed but also some of the funniest. ā¦ You were joking, right? @Duality, Dualityā¦ are you okay?
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I agree with you. There are some fundamental hardware difference that I would like to hear an update on. The unique piezoelectric cooling system, the modified optics to name a few. @dan had stated that the majority of the purchased units are Pro, so I have expected more Pro specific updates. I would much rather know in advance of delays/hiccups/issues, rather than to hear āThings are goodā¦things are goodā¦delayā. I did appreciate seeing an example of the pass through slot in use and at least hearing that the Pro is on schedule in the April update. I guess a few explicit comments on Pro hardware would be appreciated.
The previous post requesting Pro updates was poorly worded and had a not constructive tone. However, I empathise with his desire to hear from people who work for Glowforge and his desire for more Pro updates.
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On this we agree. I like Dan, I think he is fundamentally honest, I just donāt think he fully get that bad news delayed doesnāt get better. Then again, there are competitors to consider as to why some announcements donāt come until they have to. Iād love to see a weekly updated schedule but at this point, I know that this is just not going to happen. Iāve had to remind myself several times that if you canāt live with uncertainty then crowd funding probibly is not for you.
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Iām ok for now. Iāve retreated to the closet under the stairā¦ this will be my home until the GF arrives. Hurry up will yous!
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