Pro-fess your Pro-ness, please!

I ordered the Pro so I wouldnt experience buyers remorse for not getting it over the basic.

That being said, I also definitely knew out the gate that I would want the passthrough and active cooling.

  • I live in a hot state, and do not want to be limited by the weather for my activity.
  • Passthrough was an obvious choice as bed size is always an issue for anyone who owns a CNC machine. Ive experienced this with every single machine I own, and will continue to.

I do a lot of pattern cutting out of foam, acrylic, leather, and cloth that will most definitely be larger than the bed size is currently. Cosplay is pretty needy in those areas, and we make a lot of costumes. The general rule is that if the bed size does not accomodate all of your limbs, youre going to need a bigger boat. Passthrough is a fix for that.

The rest of the hardware upgrades, power/mirrors/speed, etc are a great bonus.

I feel like the more basic units that get out there, the more we will see people dealing with cooling issues. Even though the wait is longer, Im really happy I wont have to be one of those people.

Cant wait to get my pro!

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I ordered a pro to be able to cut and engrave acrylic parts more than 12" wide. For example I have a current requirement to make a transparent door that is 350 x 450 x 6mm, has rounded corners and screw holes for the hinges and I would like to engrave a machine name on it.

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Since the Pro and the Basic have the same bed size, the pass through slot allow me to be 20 x (total length of material) versus 12 x 20 maximum.

Power and speed play a better number, but the extended cooling improvements and a higher ambient operating temperature is important since the work area in not air conditioned.

Not sure what the better optics are over the Basic, but materials and details will only be more demanding in the future which is where the Pro gives better peace of mind going forward.

Just the visual of an 8 or 10 foot piece of material being pushed through a laser just makes me grin when I think of others looking at it thinking “What is the thing doing?”. Especially in a Makerspace or show/event that has never seen a laser do that!

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While I like the idea of the speed competition between a basic and pro :glowforge: I’m not sure how well that will play out as the basic is not your competitor, but rather you’re entry level unit.

Personally, I purchased the Pro because it fits my general philosophy when it comes to purchasing almost any tool, As long as I can afford it, buy the best, take care or it and use it for the rest of my life or as long a possible. Unfortunately, technology often changes before good equipment is warn-out.

As others have stated, a video that shows a long (maybe even continuous) pattern being cut or engraved onto a long piece of material. Simple idea, a leather belt cut for a large piece of leather and engraved with a really nice pattern.

That’s my two cent!

Hope it helps :slight_smile:

Addition: Make sure you catch people wearing the really cool laser glasses that will be coming with the Pro units. Safety is always an important item to capture.

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I ordered the pro mostly for the pass-through slot, but also past experience when getting something < I wish I would have sprung for the better version.
Since learning of the other features, like active cooling, faster cutting, etc, I know I made the right decision.

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I ordered the pro for the extra power and cooling. When it comes to new tech things, I always gravitate to the premium offer. I was sold on the idea of owning a Glowforge, and I wanted the best Glowforge available.

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I thought about that. From a marketing standpoint, it’s kind of weird to say “look how much faster our laser is compared to our other laser”.

But from the standpoint of a new customer who is trying to decide between the pro and basic (or an existing one deciding whether to upgrade to or downgrade from a pro), this kind of information would be very valuable.

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Cooling and Pass thru with a specific project in mind.

For a video…

  • You can’t really demo the cooling advantage because that highlights a Basic limitation.
  • The difference in cutting speed between Basic and Pro is not enough for someone to go Wow in a demo.
  • Since the thickest Proofgrade material is only 1/4" you can’t really demonstrate the improved cutting power.

That leaves the pass through. Maybe a banner, large stencil, screen, or some other cool architectural feature.

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The passthrough with auto-alignment was definitely the biggest reason I chose the pro, though I might have bought it for the more powerful tube in any case. I work with paper, leather, and textiles already, and I used to design wooden furniture. I’m so excited that I could do an entire bolt of cloth, a strip of wallpaper, a huge length of hide, or a piece of plywood long enough to clad a pillar in my house. I also want to be able to put a pair of jeans legs in, a skirt, a scarf, etc., and have the engraving process be intuitive.

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I ordered the Pro for its power output, speed, better cooling and pass through. I wanted to have more options of what I could do so I picked the Pro. Also my workshop/garage where I’ll be using it is not air-conditioned so I’m glad it has a higher operating temperature.

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I am considering upgrading, primarily because of the pass through slot. I have several pieces that will be lengthy, such as some special molding I will be creating for the outdoor bbq cover we put in last year, custom window shutters for the baby nursery, privacy screen for master bathroom, etc., etc.

I am now also considering upgrading because the operating temp issues. I will be using the GF in a garage workshop with no A/C so active cooling is important.

The fact that the Pro has more power and cuts faster is a side benefit.

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  • Future proofing against buyer’s remorse - always get the best model because then I can’t say “but if only I got the other one I could”…it doesn’t stop the “I wish it did this…” but it helps.

  • More power = faster throughput = less wait time = instant gratification (or as close as it can be with a laser) and that’s the goal in the Age of Internet Time :slight_smile:

  • Longer warranty - because I can be practical too!

  • Pass through for signs and LED “banners”

Interestingly enough, cooling wasn’t on my list of really important stuff (except as it pertained to the higher power/faster throughput) because it hadn’t occurred to me that I’d have an issue with normal house temps. Now it’s probably the most important factor for me.

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^^ This was a huge contributing factor for me. I think that the preorder listed the MSRP as nearly 2x the preorder price, so it seemed wise to get the deluxe model while it was still (somewhat) within reach.

Also, I’d heard the horror stories about the smell of lasered leather, so I knew that I wanted a filter. From there, the price jump to pro was not too daunting. Since I am purchasing this primarily for my business, it made sense to get the most advanced model + longest warranty possible.

Pass through was also a huge motivator, as was the extra pew pew. Cooling didn’t seem terribly important at the time (I live in the PNW) but now I’m glad for it.

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The main project I was looking to do is a 48"x14" box lampshade to replace the old, busted linen one I have. I’m going to have different designs on each side, in wood, with light-diffusion acrylic underneath. I think the first pass may be three 11" scenes per side so I can do them as separate cuts, but ultimately, once the registration is dialed in, I’d like to do one 40" high design.

Longer-term, I’m interested in doing wall-sized mosaics with different interlocking designs. But, you know. Baby steps. Forty-eight-inch-high baby steps. :wink:

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showcase something long like:



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Hey I bought for the power but since getting the pru I’m running across all kinds of use cases for the slot.
Would you like me to work up something quick and fun but requires the pass through?

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I plan to prototype sewing patterns I develop digitally. Cutting folded fabric with the passthrough should work for an average 45" width bolt, but I might get creative with the 20" width constraint… matching glowforged dresses for parents/kids would probably make for adorable marketing.

Amy

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We went with the pro because we both believe in buying the best you can afford to avoid regrets. Extremely interested due to longer warranty.

Disappointed to only have 1/4" pass-through … But still excited for some possibilities. Personalized 6’6" growth charts, for one.

Didn’t realize cooling would be such an issue … Changed our location for it to the basement.

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:grin: I bought the basic because it was all I could reach - and hang on by my fingernails…

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Please take this as tongue in cheek, but since the forum has not had a Pro delivered yet, could you show one being shipped out.

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