I bough a Shenhui 50W desktop machine on Ebay several months ago for my hobby projects and to learn about laser cutting. It is one of the cheapest laser machines out there, but in fact it is quite descent. After playing with it a lot I felt intrigued by the possibilities the other higher-end Chinese manufactures could offer. I contacted a bunch of them on Alibaba and it was a very rewarding experience. Most of them were very responsive and I learned a lot. In fact I've learned most of the brands, models and prices of the components available to them. I also requested samples so I could compare their actual results. After awhile I began to distinguish 3 categories of Chinese desktop (mini) laser machine manufacturers:



1. Top quality brands


- ARGUS - SCU4030

After inspecting a lot of samples and configurations, Argus is the brand that made me the strongest impression. In fact the quality of the samples was identical with what I got from Rayjet (Trotec) and slightly better than Epilog Zing. They use only US Metal RF tubes, highest quality components, unique construction and very light head design similar to Epilog's. The cost of the machine is below 7K. I highly recommend this machine to everyone who is looking for precision and reliability and lives in a country where the major brands are overpriced.





- HSG - HS-Z4030

The quality of the machine and samples are just slightly below Argus while the price is slightly above, that is why I am placing them second. They offer options for US Metal RF tubes, Chinese RF tubes for half the price and low cost Glass tubes. The company takes pride in the top quality control and after sale service. The cost of their base configuration is around 3K and it is quite possibly the best desktop machine with a glass tube on the market. I think their major competitor will be US Glowforge when they arrive later this year.




2. Mid-range


- BODOR - BCL-MU

As far I know their big machines are good but the desktop model do not shine. They use a very similar design as the low-cost manufactures. The quality of the samples is just a little above my cheap Shenhui. I place them in the second category because the quality of some components is slightly better and they have good support. That makes them a better choice for someone who is looking for a more reliable machine.




- THUNDERLASER - Nova24

The quality of the samples I got is pretty much the same as Bodor's. They also have good remote support. The design of the machine is very similar to many other Chinese brands. The main thing that sets them apart are the motors/drives they equip their machines with. They use stepper motors with closed-loop positional feedback, called Easy-Servo.




3. Low-cost


I can list more than 10 brands, but frankly they are all very similar. These are the 2 that made me better impression:


- SHENHUI - SH-G350

I am listing it first in this category because after seeing so many samples I realized the quality of these machines is the same as many other Chinese brands while the price is significantly lower and they also have a dealer in California so you can get them easy with an inexpensive local courier.



- G.WEIKE - LG500 and Storm600

They are well known in this forum - also very reliable and can be a good low-cost option.