Glowforge release

[Brian Leavitt]

And one of the best parts of that update:
"The optical system in your Glowforge gets perfectly calibrated at the factory by technicians using state-of-the-art optical equipment. It’s then locked in place, and never requires adjustment.But again, we want to be thorough in our design, so we’ve developed a unique sensor that detects if your laser goes out of alignment or is blocked by an obstruction. In the unlikely event that should happen, your Glowforge will stop and let you know that it’s in need of factory repair."

There are so many things wrong with this that I can't even really begin to express how ridiculous this "feature" truly is.
Perfectly calibrated - sure, right up until UPS drops the laser off their truck
never requires adjustment - anyone who has had a laser more than about 15 minutes knows this is a huge lie.
Your Glowforge will stop - do you think that will happen at the end of a job or right in the middle of those 100 ornaments you are making for your family Christmas tree?
factory repair - and how much do you think that will cost? Shipping alone will be a good chunk, you saved your original shipping box, right?

I was taken aback by this as well. I don't know how he can make the claim that it will never need adjustment and feel good about it. And having to send it back to Glowforge for adjustment if and when it gets out of wack is just wrong. It seems to me as though this machine is being marketed as some industrial-grade, indestructible laser "printer" for the home user that will never need a single replacement part.

[Gary Hair]

I was taken aback by this as well. I don't know how he can make the claim that it will never need adjustment and feel good about it. And having to send it back to Glowforge for adjustment if and when it gets out of wack is just wrong. It seems to me as though this machine is being marketed as some industrial-grade, indestructible laser "printer" for the home user that will never need a single replacement part.

and if it never needs to be adjusted then why do they have something checking to see if it needs adjustment...

[Lee DeRaud]

I love harbor freight. You just have know what to buy. If you are a hobby person then harbor freight is great. But if you are going to use the tools every day then probably not the best place to buy your tools

But in general they are great bargains for the weekend warrior/

Exactly. There are simply too many single-purpose widgets that (1) I need right now and (2) may only use once a year (if ever again). If the HF one breaks, I can buy another one and still be ahead of the game.

The other category of things I buy there are tools that are not particularly quality-sensitive and that I seem to lose a lot. I can buy two or three at HF prices and never have to worry about not being able to find one of them.

[Jason Hilton]

I'm not going to jump on the bash train, but there are quite a few annoying claims and "no duh" statements in the full e-mail I received. There's also a sample of the 3d relief engraving and a statement that you can 3d engrave at 1355dpi, which is kinda pointless in wood, but whatever.

I can't speak for all the other GlowForge buyers out there, everyone's circumstances are different. For me, I'm in a financial position where I can splurge on a more expensive laser. I did the math and if I had put the outlay into a down payment on financing I'd have paid it off by now and been producing fun stuff for the last 16 months. That's a really frustrating realization. I don't want to go Chinese, Im a tinkerer, but with the stuff I make, not the stuff that helps me make it. I'm going to take a look at power and size equivalent big 3 and go from there. I'll have the refund cash plus some more, and financing can get me to the rest I think.

Any model suggestions would be helpful! I have limited space so small bed size, like to get 45+ watts, definitely want relief engraving (multi-pass at that power I'm sure) and air filtering options because venting outside is problematic.

[Bill George]

Don't count your Cash refund until the check clears. Better to be early than not at all, I am thinking there is going to be a mad rush to get money back.

[Jason Hilton]

They have 2 funding rounds plus 30 million in pre-orders, so I'm not as worried about that. Been waiting 16 months, I'm done waiting. I want to MAKE STUFF

[Scott Marquez]

I'm not going to jump on the bash train, but there are quite a few annoying claims and "no duh" statements in the full e-mail I received. There's also a sample of the 3d relief engraving and a statement that you can 3d engrave at 1355dpi, which is kinda pointless in wood, but whatever.

I can't speak for all the other GlowForge buyers out there, everyone's circumstances are different. For me, I'm in a financial position where I can splurge on a more expensive laser. I did the math and if I had put the outlay into a down payment on financing I'd have paid it off by now and been producing fun stuff for the last 16 months. That's a really frustrating realization. I don't want to go Chinese, Im a tinkerer, but with the stuff I make, not the stuff that helps me make it. I'm going to take a look at power and size equivalent big 3 and go from there. I'll have the refund cash plus some more, and financing can get me to the rest I think.

Any model suggestions would be helpful! I have limited space so small bed size, like to get 45+ watts, definitely want relief engraving (multi-pass at that power I'm sure) and air filtering options because venting outside is problematic.

Great idea.
I financed my laser through my bank, and will be paying it off 6 months early, on a two year loan because of increased productivity.
Scott

[Doug Griffith]

6:08 into video: "You can cut and engrave materials up to 1/2" into the material"
More deceptive marketing targeting those who don't know better.

And what's with the wonky cutting? It appears to cut on both sides of the line and in the middle.

[Jerome Stanek]

They have 2 funding rounds plus 30 million in pre-orders, so I'm not as worried about that. Been waiting 16 months, I'm done waiting. I want to MAKE STUFF

You have to take into the amount that they took in to also pay for supplies, space, insurance, advertising and payroll for 39 people. I'm sure most of the employees make more than $50K a year and Dan makes a lot more than that. with no other income then the preorders once they do have a working unit they may have to file chapter 11

[Bill George]

Is this not West coast? They are making more than 50K a year, when starter houses are 500k? Management, try $300,000 are year or more. Get your refund while there is still money.

[Kev Williams]

It's a bit humorous that anyone in China with a welder, a metal bending machine and $500 in working capital can buy off-the-shelf hardware and electronics can start a laser manufacturing business, and actually build machines that work...

Meanwhile, they're trying to make the Glowforge the 'Iphone' of laser engravers, when all that's needed is a '4-slice-toaster' of laser engravers...

[Ross Moshinsky]

Hate to say it, but I was wrong. I'm cancelling my Glowforge order. Any suggestions on alternatives? Preferably with at least a decent software experience?

If you just want to tinker but also want something that works, get a 12x24 Epilog, ULS, Gravograph, or Trotec/Rayjet laser. All of them are fine. It just boils down to want vs need vs price.

[Steve Morris]

^^^ any of those will do great, they all have good print interfaces and work cleanly with coreldraw. You will be tinkering and making stuff within 1 hour of it arriving.

Bit different to sitting idly saying how "wow" it will be when it gets here and how grateful you are for being mugged for a cash cow, sorry I mean - being kept up to date on progress.

Get on with buying one a have fun
Steve

[Jason Hilton]

That's exactly what I finally realized. My original line of thinking was "I can get what I want and save money" when what I should have been thinking was "how much am I willing to spend so I can start building stuff". Turns out I'm willing to spend and completely done waiting.

^^^ any of those will do great, they all have good print interfaces and work cleanly with coreldraw. You will be tinkering and making stuff within 1 hour of it arriving.

Bit different to sitting idly saying how "wow" it will be when it gets here and how grateful you are for being mugged for a cash cow, sorry I mean - being kept up to date on progress.

Get on with buying one a have fun
Steve

[Gary Hair]

It's a bit humorous that anyone in China with a welder, a metal bending machine and $500 in working capital can buy off-the-shelf hardware and electronics can start a laser manufacturing business, and actually build machines that work...

Meanwhile, they're trying to make the Glowforge the 'Iphone' of laser engravers, when all that's needed is a '4-slice-toaster' of laser engravers...

True, but the "4-slice-toaster" version wouldn't have made Shapiro a few million more $