Laser Engravers

[KBFlyer]

Been wanting to get into using a laser engraver for some time now but I have some questions. The one I have been looking at getting is this one. My question is this, do I really need this much power over the more common 10W that is half the price?
I really do not need it for cutting, just engraving. Mostly wood.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B6J6CJQG/?coliid=ILRX45UT5GIUZ&colid=LBYTOKC95RIU&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[geostriata]

Been wanting to get into using a laser engraver for some time now but I have some questions. The one I have been looking at getting is this one. My question is this, do I really need this much power over the more common 10W that is half the price?
I really do not need it for cutting, just engraving. Mostly wood.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B6J6CJQG/?coliid=ILRX45UT5GIUZ&colid=LBYTOKC95RIU&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

For engraving wood, you don't need much. This is the one I bought for $300ish: https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Engraver-Engraving-Protection-Compressed/dp/B09S3BNGBM/ (Setup was a pain, but it works.).

It can't do white acrylic, but cuts black acrylic really well. Engraves well into wood, but takes a while to cut it. If you're doing anything other than wood, make sure to get an enclosure for it. It SMELLS.

That being said, if you want to do long cuts of wood (like cutting out letters), I'd pick something more powerful so I don't have to wait forever for it to complete.

(Forgot to mention it was 10W, so as normanaj says below, 10W is more than enough for engraving wood)

 

[normanaj]

10w is more than enough for engraving wood.

 

[chopsaw]

$869.00 !!
That must have been a heck of a deal on the SMF membership .

 

[yankee2bbq]

I love this place

 

[sawhorseray]

I love this place

Me 2!

 

[logosolos]

Been wanting to get into using a laser engraver for some time now but I have some questions. The one I have been looking at getting is this one. My question is this, do I really need this much power over the more common 10W that is half the price?
I really do not need it for cutting, just engraving. Mostly wood.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B6J6CJQG/?coliid=ILRX45UT5GIUZ&colid=LBYTOKC95RIU&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

So you don't need that one if you only want to engrave wood. That being said, once you get started with a laser, you'll want to see what it can do. It's kind of like smoking meat. If you're anything like me, you will eventually follow it to it's logical conclusion and want to get something more substantial.

 

[KBFlyer]

To late
not sure why I asked for recommendions as I knew what I alrealdy what I wanted from the reveiws lol

Arriving 15 April​

 

[logosolos]

To late
not sure why I asked for recommendions as I knew what I alrealdy what I wanted from the reveiws lol

Arriving 15 April​

I think you'll be happy with that unit. My sister has a similar one and she runs an engraving business with it.

 

[geostriata]

To late
not sure why I asked for recommendions as I knew what I alrealdy what I wanted from the reveiws lol

Arriving 15 April​

Haha, that's great! I think you made a good choice on that. Laser cutters are a great tool, and if your tool can do more, then you can be thrilled at the situation later on where you're like: "This is difficult/messy on the chop saw. Hmm, I could use my laser cutter for this..."

So now that you got the better one, I'm certain you'll find a situation like that in the future :).

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I would look into an Ortur at a much better price.

I have a larger one than I linked and upgraded the laser module to 40W.

Air assist is almost a must have if you can.

 

[geostriata]

I would look into an Ortur at a much better price.

I have a larger one than I linked and upgraded the laser module to 40W.

Air assist is almost a must have if you can.

The Ortur you linked is $100 more than my 10W. Which could similarly do the items you posted in wood. Better to get my $350 and upgrade that to 40W (for a total of $420), if one was planning to go the DIY route. That being said, the DIY route has a lot of pitfalls that the original poster might've wanted to avoid.

The 40W upgrade is an additional cost at the expense of time and creating non-standard equipment (~$70 at the cheapest). So from my perspective, and especially since the laser is already on-the-way, I think the original poster's upcoming $850 20W laser will do a fine job for what is required.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

The Ortur you linked is $100 more than my 10W. Which could similarly do the items you posted in wood. Better to get my $350 and upgrade that to 40W (for a total of $420), if one was planning to go the DIY route. That being said, the DIY route has a lot of pitfalls that the original poster might've wanted to avoid.

The 40W upgrade is an additional cost at the expense of time and creating non-standard equipment (~$70 at the cheapest). So from my perspective, and especially since the laser is already on-the-way, I think the original poster's upcoming $850 20W laser will do a fine job for what is required.

Sure it can do a fine job but his original link was $850. I also posted pictures of aluminum and slate which are harder to burn. It can also do stainless steel.

I bought mine a few years ago before everything got expensive but it is a 460 x 500mm 20W that I paid $280 for. I later upgraded the laser module to a 40W one for $133. It was completely plug and play. Besides the higher power the upgraded laser has a much tighter pattern so it burns way faster and gives better results.

I have other tools so I used my mill to make an aluminum slide to make it faster to adjust the laser up and down with more movement than the original design.

I also created a 3D printed attachment to the bottom of the laser module to add air assist. I have placed it on tinkercad and it has had a lot of downloads. I have not seen any complaints about it.

 

[geostriata]

Sure it can do a fine job but his original link was $850. I also posted pictures of aluminum and slate which are harder to burn. It can also do stainless steel.

I bought mine a few years ago before everything got expensive but it is a 460 x 500mm 20W that I paid $280 for. I later upgraded the laser module to a 40W one for $133. It was completely plug and play. Besides the higher power the upgraded laser has a much tighter pattern so it burns way faster and gives better results.

That's impressive! I'll have to upgrade mine to 40W. Aluminum would be a big deal for me.

 

[KBFlyer]

So what program does everyone use.
I see lots use LightBurn but its not cheap to buy. Some use the freeware version of LaserGRBL and say its as good as LightBurn. Don't want to pay a ton to get started so looking for a middle of the road saftware.

 

[geostriata]

So what program does everyone use.
I see lots use LightBurn but its not cheap to buy. Some use the freeware version of LaserGRBL and say its as good as LightBurn. Don't want to pay a ton to get started so looking for a middle of the road saftware.

I use LaserGRBL on my PC and Lightburn on my mac. LaserGRBL was easier to set up for me, but Lightburn had some file import features I needed. Not a huge fan of either to be honest, but if I had to pick, I think I'd pick Lightburn. Of course, since LaserGRBL is free and Lightburn has a free trial, there's no harm trying either out.

 

[KBFlyer]

I have seen some to use Adobe Illustrator 2024. I guess that would be just for file setup and LaserGRBL and Lightburn would be for the actual running of the laser?
Man I feel a big learning curve happening LOL

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I use Lightburn but also have LaserGRBL on the computer. I use Corel Draw to design if it's anything more than text.

EDIT: Just use LaserGRBL at first to get yourself started. If you feel the need for speed you can always upgrade to Lightburn at a later time. That is what I did.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

That's impressive! I'll have to upgrade mine to 40W. Aluminum would be a big deal for me.

You can get a 40W laser module for under $100 at AliExpress.

 

[KBFlyer]

So was in town today and when I got back Puroator dropped of a box.

Inside the box was another box

Inside that one and very well packaged I must say was the laser engraver.
Took my a little longer to put it together as I made a fe mistakes but I managed.

Made a temp desk for it and still need to do some wire management but hey it works.
I have a BROVR Laser Engraver Enclosure with Exhaust Fan, Pipe and LED Light, True Fireproof & Dustproof Laser Enclosure for Most Laser Cutter, Insulates Against Smoke and Odor, Noise Reduction, Eye Protection coming next week.

Now the learning curve starts