Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
Hello all,
New here on CNC. Wonderful forum with lots of information.
I need some help though. I have been looking into getting a laser engraver for a few weeks now. I have done tons of researching and I feel I'm no closer to purchasing than when I first started. I'm interested in a laser catered more to the hobbyist than the professional in the 2K-4K USD range. I have read many reviews and seen lots of youtube videos on the China lasers but my biggest concern is support and the ability to hit the ground running as fast as possible. Keep in mind that I don't have any laser engraver / CNC machine experience.
Although I feel the China lasers engravers would satisfy my needs, the chinglish instructions, machine operations translation and lack of support is not something I care to deal with again. I have ordered Chinese re-work machinery in the past and although I had some support from other US users on forums who purchased the same machinery, I have not found this to be the the same with laser engravers. With that being said, I'm more tempted to go towards a US based machine but at my price point it seems my options are limited. The only machine that I have found in my price range is the Full Spectrum 40W/45W CO2 Hobby Laser 5th gen: 20"x12. Unfortunately after reading several thread on here and over at sawmillcreek it seems Full Spectrum's customer support is quite flaky. So my questions are this:
Has Full Spectrum support improved?
Is this the best I can do for my money given the circumstances above?
Are there any other US based machine in my price range I have overlooked?
Would it be wise to purchased a re-branded China machine with US support? If yes, from who?
Now onto what i want to use the machine for. I would like to engrave electronics and accessories. Examples would be iphones, ipads, laptops, back covers and such. I also would like to engrave on painted aluminum boxes such as a hammond 1590b electrical box.
Last I would like to cut acrylic.
Features I'm interested in are Auto focus and red dot laser pointer.
I look forward any recommendations you veterans have.
Thank You!
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
Hmmmm. I'm a 1 month "veteran" of the laser wars so take it for what it's worth. If you spend untold hours on research on these forums a trend develops no matter what origin country, brand, whatever. You need to be comfortable with technology and as I said in another thread able to use and understand ohms law, a voltmeter, high voltage, motors and mechanical devices etc. Computer literacy is a plus but something you can learn (and fight with in my case). I have not seen where the in-between machines (the Chinese machine resold by a US firm/ guy-in-his-garage 2 to 4 K) have a very good track record for service. My take on this is all of these machines require technical expertise and a lot of attention by owner "hands on" on the part of the owner and having someone hold your hand beyond any more than some quick basic troubleshooting will not work. There is not enough money in profit in the 2-4 k machine for a dealer to help you for more than a couple of hours before he will realize he is not married to you and start dealing with other people/problems. At 15K+ (Epilogue) the machine can be more sophisticated with better engineering and materials and safety devices. There can be a dedicated "manual" writer and since there will be less problem machines the technical staff have more time to devote to those customers with problems and those customers are more likely to be businesses with repeat possibilities etc.
If it were me I would find the cheapest ebay machine with the size requirements you need and that is located in a warehouse on US soil, and then plan on no service, help, warranty etc. I would keep some money in reserve to take care of any problems. BUT what I did or would do is not what you asked.
One thing you have asked: I have noticed these forums the stellar service folks are getting from Marco at light object. Me I would try and get this machine for 4K from ebay and accept the "no service" but here is where I would buy under your rules:
Professional 60W CO2 Laser Engraving/Cutter machine 600x400 with power Z table
IT is another 2K than what you specified but his is the only (Chinese reseller) company I have not read anything bad about. That is his cheapest machine and I have never read a bad thing about him so I think that will be as good as you can do. OR you could buy one of the cheapies and get Marco to send you stuff to upgrade it into a useable machine.
On that last note: After having run a metal lathe, milling machine, 3d printer and now my cheapie laser, regardless of the quality of the machine or the backup, I don't see these as a "consumer product" and the skills needed require the operator to have a good mechanical/optical/electrical background and that is before the "artistic" portion even comes into play. Even just the optical will drive you nuts if you don't have a good grasp of where the beam will go when you adjust one of the screws on a mirror. A quick (AND INTELLIGENT) question to the supplier will get a good response probably from any of the various sources, but if the question is: "which way do I turn the top left screw on the Y axis adjustment to make the beam go down" well IMHO you need to go back to school and check into physics, geometry and shop class and skip the art and gender studies classes and get a better education. These are an advanced (and yet simple at the same time) tool and require an advanced mind to own as a successful hobby. If your real interest is the "art", well do the art and hire the laser. If commercial use you already bought an Epilogue and you hire someone to service it!
A month ago I didn't have any idea how these machines worked. I thought they had a laser mounted to the head. Because of my background I came up to speed on the machine part real fast. It's not at all difficult or rocket science for someone with a technical background but I really cannot figure out all the call for "backup service" for something that is as hands on as one of these are. They are to heavy to "return for service". It's not going to happen and local troubleshooting is mandatory.
I hope this was helpful? I think it's like money: Only those that don't need to borrow money should borrow money. Only those who don't need help with a laser (substantial that is) should buy a laser and as such should get the cheapest they can afford. If you have some technical expertise you shouldn't be afraid to buy any of the machines after a little research. They will all let you down, if not right out of the box, in 6 months or a year and you will need to research the forums and figure out what is wrong yourself at that time.
Now as to myself... Boy I wished I had paid at least some attention in art class, but I can "laser" a real good rectangle or maybe I can sell you a triangle? :-)
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
Have a look at Rabbit Laser, Ray is reported to be a guy who knows his stuff and gives great support AND is US based.
http://www.rabbitlaserusa.com/
Loads of recommendations from happy users, he imports the Chinese lasers then makes them work as they should.
You could buy the cheapest on ebay but then after sinking a ton of time into trying to get it to do anything reliably and consistently you will throw in the bin.
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
Dear ,
would you like to think about GWEIKE laser,we have many customer in USA and also here is acylic cutting videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYqIyDxuys4
Any others feel free to ask me
Best Regards
Quote:
Originally Posted by
aiwa501
Hello all,
New here on CNC. Wonderful forum with lots of information.
I need some help though. I have been looking into getting a laser engraver for a few weeks now. I have done tons of researching and I feel I'm no closer to purchasing than when I first started. I'm interested in a laser catered more to the hobbyist than the professional in the 2K-4K USD range. I have read many reviews and seen lots of youtube videos on the China lasers but my biggest concern is support and the ability to hit the ground running as fast as possible. Keep in mind that I don't have any laser engraver / CNC machine experience.
Although I feel the China lasers engravers would satisfy my needs, the chinglish instructions, machine operations translation and lack of support is not something I care to deal with again. I have ordered Chinese re-work machinery in the past and although I had some support from other US users on forums who purchased the same machinery, I have not found this to be the the same with laser engravers. With that being said, I'm more tempted to go towards a US based machine but at my price point it seems my options are limited. The only machine that I have found in my price range is the Full Spectrum 40W/45W CO2 Hobby Laser 5th gen: 20"x12. Unfortunately after reading several thread on here and over at sawmillcreek it seems Full Spectrum's customer support is quite flaky. So my questions are this:
Has Full Spectrum support improved?
Is this the best I can do for my money given the circumstances above?
Are there any other US based machine in my price range I have overlooked?
Would it be wise to purchased a re-branded China machine with US support? If yes, from who?
Now onto what i want to use the machine for. I would like to engrave electronics and accessories. Examples would be iphones, ipads, laptops, back covers and such. I also would like to engrave on painted aluminum boxes such as a hammond 1590b electrical box.
Last I would like to cut acrylic.
Features I'm interested in are Auto focus and red dot laser pointer.
I look forward any recommendations you veterans have.
Thank You!
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
It sounds like you will be just fine no matter what you choose. That's the kind of experience that the cheap units need. A lot of the posts I saw while I was doing my research kind of sounded like people who didn't have any grasp as to how to measure say 5 volts and sure shouldn't even be considering opening the tube bay or aligning mirrors etc. I never really looked at the Rabbit company. Maybe they would fill your needs. Good Luck!
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
Lucy I like your videos but were you sending a subliminal message? I mean Rabbit lasers was mentioned? Be careful promoting the competition!! :-)) Seriously you guys are on my short list if I ever upgrade from my hobby machine. Always enjoy your posts even if commercial in nature! Good Day..... "The Bud"
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
Rabbit Lasers all the way. Yes, he gives support even to people who didn't buy from him. And YES, he is in Ohio in the United States of America.
Re: Help with new Laser engraver purchase.
everything has two sides
if you want to get support in US,then you must buy from reseller in us
if you want to get better price,then you have to buy directly from china
but machine is same,only service get little difference :)
