It is indeed covered by a flexible flap.
Exactly this.
Right - like a gas stove. Don’t let it run unattended.
What information are you missing? (Might want to start a separate Q&A thread for it so it doesn’t get lost)
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That would be easy enough to remedy. Even the cheap chinese lasers usually use a keylock on the slots. First GF project could be cutting an acrylic shield that you could slide in place and lock it in using a couple of cabinet locks on the end 
I prefer a door to a flap.
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Now now. We all know that that was a special jumping jigawatts tube!
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I think I’ll likely do this on my Pro.
If there were an option for a “Pro Safe” (horrible name as has been pointed out) I might have been tempted to buy it, as I don’t anticipate using the passthrough much, but if I ever need the passthrough slot I’ll obviously be happy to have it. But some way to close up the passthrough and lock it seems like a Very Good Idea.
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Given that infeed and outfeed tables would be useful with the pro, it may be worth figuring out a way to mount them so they swing up and then slide down into a slot to block the slots when not in use. Even an especially mischievous munchkin would have trouble lifting it up and folding it down out of the way while the laser is running, since a responsible adult would be there to stop them.
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Is it possible to have sensors on the pass through slot and when not using the slot have a setting in software that will shut off the laser if something pushes in on the slot? (Same idea as the safety checks you probably have on the lid being lifted)
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If you just put the hinge/pivot point back from the edge of the infeed/outfeed, then when it swings down the inner edge will swing up to block the slot. And you can make that inner edge thicker (with a radius) so that there won’t be a gap. (And maybe even some interlock switches to discourage hacking)
Initially, the pro without the pass through slot would’ve really appealed to me, because I don’t know much about lasers and the lack of understanding about what it meant to have a different class of laser was pretty scary to me.
That said, it was already confusing enough to someone who didn’t know anything about lasers to figure out the differences between the two and decide on the best option. Had there been four or five different glowforges, I’m not entirely sure I would’ve been able to pick one. Sometimes too many options is a bad thing for a company. It’s great, as a consumer, when there’s exactly what you want, but you also have to remember the customers who really don’t know exactly what they want or need – are you scaring them away by offering too many choices that they can’t decide between? Given glowforges target market, I think fewer, very distinct, clear cut options is a better approach.
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I love the idea of a lock, and I’m open to the idea of making one, or something that functions as one. I had thought about making a simple tray for the GF to sit in when I don’t need the pass through, with sides high enough to block the flaps.
I will start a Q&A thread with my questions about safety, once I have them organized enough to be useful. I guess in the end that my being a novice, coupled with the potentially devastating consequences of some types of misuse or accident (even coupled with a small likelihood of their occurring) gives me pause.
I was very pleased to see that GF will supply so many materials with readable codes.
I was surprised to see the Pro had a more powerful laser. It’s not THAT much more powerful than the Basic, and it has to be a hassle to create another tube, or tube and power supply variant.
Unless it’s all the same hardware and you’re changing output power in software? That would make more sense to me.
I’m thinking of a simple acrylic plate with these pretty standard cam locks on the ends to hold it in and keep people from poking stuff in the slot (I remember the kids making the VCR eat some amazing things 
).
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Duty cycle
The Pro is supposed to be more of a work machine vs. the occasional use consumer machine the Basic is intended to be. So different tube with different cooling (and maybe power supply but that’s something I’d just oversize for the Basic and go with a single sku).
It’s hard enough for me to cut something without standing there watching it all the way through, much less leave it unattended. Watching them cut is entrancing.
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I’ve had my lasers for along time and I still watch them cut…lol
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Sometimes adding more variants actually makes decisions harder - the paradox of choice. Even with software, this becomes an issue but doesn’t also carry inventory forecasting, obsolescence… SKU proliferation is costly. Better to get a few units out with very clear feature separation and watch sales and the feedback loop. After that data is in, the second generations can adapt. Early adopters will buy the first anyway. Remember the first iPhone and the onslaught of feature suggestions? Eventually, the best ideas were incorporated.
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Sometimes adding more variants actually makes decisions harder - the paradox of choice.
I have put off a $200 purchase for one of my favorite hobbies for YEARS because of this. There’s a vendor that sells Things I Want but there are so many combinations that I just can’t figure out what the optimum order is. I’ve never failed at shopping so badly before. Analysis Paralysis can be real, even for the most detail-oriented.
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Kinda late in the game for this type of stuff since most of us want our GFs yesterday. 
Interesting idea though, and if it had been the case from the start, I probably would have considered going with the “pro safe” since I don’t see me using the pass through. Of course if I HAD done that, then after delivery I probably would have had all sorts of killer ideas that could have utilized the pass through… 
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Too many options can put a damper on things, but this really only brings the options up to two (1. want a little more power? and 2. want a slot?).
I’m conflicted. I’d like to have the extra power and cooling, but one of the things I’d like to do with my Glowforge is let my teacher friends borry it so their students (gradeschoolers) can make some stuff. I gather that class 4 lasers aren’t really welcomed into schools though, so I can either get the laser I want (the powerful one) or I can get the one that I can share more easily (the slotless one).
The decision would actually be easier, for me, if there were more options.
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As someone with experience with sheetmetal production level CNC Lasers (Mitsubishi 1.5kw & Bystronic 3.5kw), I would really love the pass-through slots on the BASIC model. I’m well aware/versed in the hazards of laser light radiation/emission. I suspect I’ll modify mine to have pass through slots after the warranty is up if they don’t end up offering something along the lines of your BASIC PLUS suggestion.
While I can appreciate safety stops (for door opening actions) to pause the laser, I certainly am not a fan of software coding to prevent hacking/modding the laser. I’m a big fan of “At Your Own Risk” and have enjoyed the process of refining my 3D Printer into machine capable of production level quality and reliability (Not that I expect this will be an issue with GF, however I like that I didn’t need a Electrical Engineering degree to defeat some well-intended, but obnoxious proprietary electronic safeguard).
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Thanks for the suggestions - will put those in the feature request hopper!
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