Laser Recomendation

[Keith Frank]

Anyone got an opinion on a laser engraver for someone wanting to get into it? Any insight or lessons learned would be great.

[Mark Sipes]

We all have an opinion on which laser you should buy. But what can you afford, what will you be doing with it, i.e size table, materials to cut, hours per day of operation, conditions of operation ( apartment, garage, commercial business) the parameters are endless....... Start by telling us what you need the machine to do today and a year from now....

[Keith Frank]

Hmmm..... I guess the true answer is what I want is your all's lessons learned. Those that have bought a cheap machines and frustrated with what it can't do, and those that spent the cash and didn't need what it can do. I am just getting started in this arena. So I don't know what I want to spend my money to do. I like the ability to do more than the weekend hobbiest. But lack the commitment (at this time, could change in the near future) to be a full time laser engraving service. That said, I would greatly appreciate your opinion on what you bought or would buy again in your own individual circumstance. Thanks for your insight.

[Pete James]

Keith,
You are going to have to do better than that if you expect any useful answers.

[Dee Gallo]

Keith, what you are asking for is shown in thousands of posts here at SMC, so have fun reading til your eyes fall out... and you will still find a lot of different opinions. Part of the success of your laser choice is your own ability to prepare files, maintain a machine, market your products and willingness to take the time to test your laser to refine the settings for various substrates. The machine is only a tool.

As far as your actual question goes, I have owned 4 different Epilog lasers, and found every one of them to be reliable and easy to use as long as maintenance is done faithfully. Every one of them paid for itself within a few months, but I have a very specific niche business. Epilog is famous for great tech service which is vital for us non-techie types, even though I have not had to use them very often... but when you do, it's worth a lot. I will probably buy another one if I need to replace one of mine.

That said, you will hear the same from owners of every single brand out there. There are horror stories for each brand too.

cheers, dee

[Keith Frank]

Dee, Thanks for your insight. I guess I don't know enough to know what I am asking for. Which is why I came here for some insight from people that have some time in the arena and have some experience to give an opinion of what they have learned. That is just me trying to get as much info before I make a purchase. An not based on manufacture's point of view i.e. sales pitch. That said, your info about potential horror stories and consumer support are very helpful. I don't have any reservations about my abilities as I think I am above average with technical abilities. That said, I don't want to make a mistake with buying something that I don't need or not being able to do something that I want to do. At this point I would like to cut fairly thin objects and engrave pictures on different materials. Along with letters and pictures. Not really sure what capabilities are out there. But look to you all for some Insight and inspiration. Thanks.

[Mark Smith61]

I second what Dee said. You probably aren't going to get the answers you're looking for by asking a question. You have to just read and research and if you have specific questions you can ask those. I will tell you I just recently added a laser engraver to my existing wookworking business. I researched a lot of things before I decided on the Hurricane Ivan laser. This is a Chinese made laser that is imported by a company based on Las Vegas. You are going to pay more for it than if you just imported one yourself, but since I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing I found that it was well worth it to buy from Hurricane. I would have loved to have purchased an American made machine, but a similar sized and powered American made machine was about three times the cost. If my business takes off then I will eventually buy a bigger laser, but that doesn't mean my smaller one would be obsolete. It can still be used for smaller jobs while the bigger one can be used for bigger things. And if I can't make the laser business work, then oh well, I'm out about seven grand and I can live with that.

[Bruce Dorworth]

Mark, I see you have an Artie. How is that working for you?

Bruce

[Roy Nielsen]

Keith,

I am not too far ahead of you, having bought a local lightly used laser a couple weeks ago (hope to get it set up and fire it this weekend, depending on weather). I looked at lasers that were sold in the U.S. both made in U.S. and in China and imported, such as Mark's; I even briefly considered building one myself, having built a CNC router a couple summers ago. What I found is that there is a huge range of price, quality, and support for new machines. For me, I determined that I couldn't justify the price of a U.S.-made machine for a hobby situation where I might never sell a thing, if I was running a business and depending on the machine, different story. I wanted a certain minimum size (~12x18) but a little bigger would be better; if new, a reputable dealer was important; was unsure about wattage as I expect to use for a lot of cutting versus surface engraving, 40W was minimum; wanted a decent controller board or would replace it myself. I also researched what additional items beyond the laser I wanted/needed and not always included or inadequate, such as air pump/compressor, water cooler/chiller, exhaust system, rotary, honeycomb bed, etc. to get an idea of true cost. I also calculated costs of things such as Corel Draw, TurboCAD, a CO2 fire extinguisher, and so forth as related necessary expenses. I first found a Craigslist ad for a used one of the ~$600 or so Chinese machines a couple hundred miles from me, luckily for me I firmly believe, he sold it before I could travel there; that would have required a couple upgrades to be remotely usable and still have significant limitations. Then a couple days later, I found the one I eventually bought on eBay from a guy about 20 miles from me. It is much larger than I need, which presents some challenges, but the price I got it for was still significantly less expensive than a machine half the capacity and it came with all the accessories that I felt I should have.

I think the moral of my story and what others are saying is that you need to determine what your basic needs/wants/ideas are versus your budget. I know it's not an easy task, but I believe it will be to your benefit to do so. Also, if this would be an integral business tool or hobby machine with potentially no income.

I'm sending a separate PM to you with info about a used machine that you may want to inquire about.

Good luck,
Roy

[Rodne Gold]

Key to everything is to determine your markets , research those markets and develop a business plan. Its the same when buying any other production machine and hoping to earn a living off it..
If you want to dip your toes into the water and not lose the farm , import a cheaper machine.
Be prepared to spend at LEAST $5k...
AVOID the cheap 40w hobby machines on the internet ....

[Keith Frank]

Mark, Roy, and Rodney,
great input all. I'm prepared to spend about 5k. I'm a little Leary about buying used. Afraid I might be buying someone else's problems. Now I got some other manufactures to look at. I was heavily leaning toward a new 5th generation hobby laser from Full Spectrum Laser here in the US. They share put on a good show. Was about to purchase but thought I would come here first and talk to those who have experience. Anyone got experience with FSL?

[Mike Null]

My recommendation would be to look at a used product or at various brands of Chinese lasers.

My other recommendation is to read previous threads as your topic has been thoroughly covered.

[Rodne Gold]

Read my lips "AVOID those 40 watt/HOBBY lasers like the plague"
For $5k you can get a really decent machine.

[Dan Hintz]

Read my lips "AVOID those 40 watt/HOBBY lasers like the plague"

...even if they're "remanufactured" and "supported" by someone local.

[Tim Bateson]

...Afraid I might be buying someone else's problems. ...

I doubt you'd find many machines that were that abused. I bought used, watched it pushed off the back of the UPS truck (3.5 ft drop) onto the street. Now 6 years later (7 year old laser), I did recently have to replace the motherboard. However for as much use as my machine has seen, no other parts have needed replacement. Some of these machines are work horses. Speaking of which, I didn't buy my Epilog laser from the company (no warranty either), but have had zero issues with their tech support when I needed their expertize.