My wife and I own a small craft (scrapbook) boutique and have contemplated the purchase of a laser engraver/cutter for some time.
The business is relatively small so budget is important but we are also balancing capability, ease of use and reliability.
Fundamentally, we will be cutting 1/4” plexi and wood stock. We learned about the rotary capability of some machines which opened the door to customizing round objects as well (future business expansion).
We started our search thinking we found the ideal machine with the FSL Muse but then read about issues with shipping damage, customer service, etc. So we visited and received demos of the Epilog Helix and Mini24 as well as the Trotec Speedy 100 and Universal VLS3.5.
Up to this point, we have not considered the Glowforge due to the delays in shipping. Now that it’s available we are questioning if this would be a better choice...
All this to say.... “we need some advice”. Have ready so many articles, forum posts visited distributors and watched YouTube videos. What do all of you recommend based on the objectives of our business?
We are price sensitive but willing to invest a little more to deliver on the desires we mention above. Target complete ready to go price is $7,000 but we would go to $10,000 for a real value/right machine.
What we have learned so far...
Muse
- Appears to be very easy to use and we really like the camera image placement
- Like the depth of the machine, rotary accessory.
- Not thrilled with the manual focus and lack of Z axis
- Reading about and watching videos of damage in shipping
- Very mixed comments about their customer service
- As of today, I can not get their sales rep to reply to an email for an updated quote.
Glowforge
- Love the innovation and ease of use on IOS devices
- App appears to be very simple to use and intuitive
- Very good reviews since it began delivering
- I’m a Silicon Valley fan and like innovation and continuous improvement approach
- Like the ability to source material from them and the QR code to automatically set the machine
- not excited about the cloud based approach...must have internet access to use it. While we have a reliable internet provider... what if?
- Do not like the approx 2” item height restriction
- Can not use a rotary device for mugs, etc
Epilog
- Very good build quality and speed
- Excellent service and offer classes in our home town
- Excellent Rotary attachment
- Like the Ethernet approach to communication
- Servo motor approach will be reliable
- $18,000 for the Mini24 and $20,000 for the Helix are Painful!
Universal
- Nice machine
- Build quality seems a bit below the Epilog
- Do not like the USB communication. Requires dedicated PC next to the machine
- Rotary attachment is well designed
- Excellent service and onsite setup
- $17,000 price is painful
Trotec
- Continue to hear good things about the Speedy 100
- Rotary attachment is a plus
- USB communication is a negative
- Field upgradable to CO2 and Fiber in one machine is a plus
- $19,000 is painful
Other Options we should consider?
Our space restriction is 43” across... no height restriction and depth availability is approx 30”...could go a little deeper.