I always try to go for the best version available. In this case it was the pro. Then I wanted it for the pass through slot… though that is still a bit of a disappointment. The higher power and better cooling are what keeps me with the Pro model now.
- pass through
- filter/cooling
- more power
Though I’ve been second guessing whether I need all that, particularly if the class difference between pro/basic is likely to make a difference to my insurance company.
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I ordered the Basic. It’s the biggest whim we have ever bought by more than 4 times.
I have have never regretted buying quality, high end tools.
I have regretted skimping and buying a cheap tool.
I think the Basic will be a great tool; but I may well kick myself in the future for not buying the Pro. $2K was a lot for us. $4K is more than a car. (in my driveway, anyway.)
The longer duty cycle and the higher wattage laser have trumped the pass-through in my valuation of features. @dhanvinddvs and @takitus both gave a pretty good answer, as did many others.
I’d love a pass through. I’d love better duty cycles. I’d love a filter. I’d love a stronger laser. I may upgrade by shipping time; but $2K is a lot more money. I’m just really glad to be here, even with a Basic I’m really glad to be here.
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ya its iffy are these extra features worth double the price. so far we have not really been shown much as to what these will get us. its up to each person to assign there own value to a feature.
double the price isn’t getting double the speed or thickness
we have no clue what the duty cycle is for the basic never mind the pro its all theory but no real metrics so that makes it tough as well. heck for all we know the basic could run for hours on xyz material. but we have no idea as no actual hardcore metrics have been given. so someone gets the pro for increased cut time with the assumption that the basic will have horrible cut time stamina but no data to back up the decision.
pass through would be nice but limited height and essentially is a software license
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Primarily the pass through slot. But reading this over, I found out for the first time that it was only 1/4". This has me seriously thinking. I was expecting something more like 2". There is a very good chance I’ll downgrade.
Just can’t spend that much or I would love the Pro upgrade for the pass through and optics.
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I must have missed something. What is the new size of the passthrough?
The max depth with the tray removed is 1.5" and 0.5" with the tray installed. I never expected 2" since that exceeds the z-height with the tray removed. I was just hoping we would see the standard 1/2" available for passthrough material (with tray installed).
@dpmarkman: My understanding is the passthrough door/slot is actually 3/8" but designed to be used with 1/4" material (wiggle room, ya know).
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I rolled with the Pro, due to my uncertainty of where I might end up having it in my house (so go with the filter), and figured the added performance of the combination of improved optics and higher tube output wouldn’t hurt. The cost of the pro was still much less than options from other vendors, which left me feeling that I was that much further up the price/performance knee curve.
The passthrough is an option where I think I might take advantage, but am already imagining that when I really need the passthrough, I’ll be jonesin’ for a much wider slot anyways.
I bought the Pro because I could. I’ve always been a power user, whether it was machine tools or computers, so I’ve always tried to buy the most powerful hardware I could afford knowing that I’d take advantage of it at some point. If there was a higher power, faster cutting pro model I’d buy that instead. The air filter is also desirable since I live in a loft and we have cold winters, so having to vent out a window is problematic. To be perfectly honest, I only got a glowforge because a $40,000 Trotec Speedy 300 is out of my price range still, so a GF is a stepping stone to a larger more powerful machine. If GF lives up to the promises of software and machine capabilities and launches a real pro laser in a few years, and I’m happy with the machine I bought, I’ll certainly upgrade. Given what I’ve seen from the software-side of GF it blows every other manufacturers software out of the water. Take GF software experience with the power and speed of a trotec and I’m sold. If GF can compete on price in the next few years I can see a roadmap that includes faster, higher powered machine for professionals.
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Basically, all the bullet points that were laid out during the crowdfunding campaign.
(In no particular order):
Passthrough slot (super bummed it’s only 1/4")
better cooling and optics
stronger laser
I think the pitch was something like “If you want to run an Etsy store or use this for production, the Pro is the model for you”
The reason I bought the pro was because of the passthrough feature. The max 1/4" thickness for material has no bearing on my decision because I want to cut the materials I pass through the slot, not just engrave. I have a good deal of experience using a larger Chinese laser and all of my past projects could be done on the pro, but only some of them on the basic unit.
I would have bought the Pro if I could afford it for the higher power and the pass-through slot. The longer duty cycle and more power means faster turn on projects. This means more done in the same time. If I end up running up against the limits of the basic+ unit I will have the cash to order a Pro unit.
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OK, probably has been answered many times, but I have missed it, so apologies for asking here:
Why is the pass through only 1/2 inch?
its 1/4
Sorry, why only 1/4 inch?
My uninformed guess is that number coincides with the single-pass cut depth and keeps the opening small enough to keep the laser exposure risk small enough for safety patrol’s sake.
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I would expect it’s because of the lack of a moveable Z axis table and potentially components inside that get in the way.
The thickness/height of the opening doesn’t impact the class rating - it’s a 4 regardless of it having 1/4" or 8" capacity. The whole front & rear panels of the 60W laser I use can open up. But it’s got a Z table with 9 or 10" depth and there are no rails or anything in the way - it’s wide open across the 24" width.
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This company is trying to make user-friendly lasers. So I guess I mean Glowforge’s safety patrol, not some government regulators or what have you. The smaller opening maybe makes it a less risky class 4 exposure.
I agree that components inside could also limit how much room they have to work with, but that is not what I am (uneducatedly) guessing is the reason.
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pass-through was a big reason for pro. the little extra power on the laser was the nail in the coffin. I bought it for my school, so the filter was a given.