Good Video! I bought a 10watt not knowing that much about them. Wished I would’ve went to higher wattage but have learned also to make what does best on the one I have till I can afford better.
Agree that once you have a 5w laser, you may want to go bigger, and I did, but will say my 5w pushed through some very large orders, i.e.: 1300 slate coasters, with little to no issues. I do have a 20w and 40w and combo diode/IR laser but the 5w is still in my arsenal of equipment as a great tough little machine that works. Thanks for all the great content and I will say the Laser Cross file I bought has been a huge success!!!
I bought a sculpfun icube 5w for les than €189 (around $205). I did not wan’t to pay top prices to start a new hobby and try out some new equipment i never used to work with. It’s a small machine and can make nice engravings on plywood, mdf, cherry and wallnut wood and slate however cutting is a whole different ballgame and even 3mm plywood and mdf is a hard nut to crack. But for a starter machine where you only wan’t to engrave smaller things it’s fine but for cutting better use a lot more power. I did not try to engrave steel but if i look at your video it’s probably not going to work.
You’re right! I didn’t know that much about them and also did not want to spend to much to start with. Now after having mine for awhile I wished I went with a higher wattage for cutting but plan on just doing what works best for what I’ve got now. Mine does cut 3mm good but anything above that is a trick to get to work or consistently cut if you have a bigger project
Question for those more experienced. I’ve been engraving slate coasters and noticed some started to not come out as good. So I figured it needed cleaning. The lens wasn’t bad but there was some debris. Any reason why not to use air assist with engraving? I figured it could help with the slate dust and not have to clean as often
Slate is not the same as wood. Using air may actually be better. Perhaps use some of your scrap and test. Also, if you have the ability to slow the air down, that may be a good idea just to help keep the lens clean.
Great stuff, Thanks. I'm new to lasers, and doing a lot of looking around. What's your take on the IkIer units. Is this a reputable company? I don't recognize the name, but I'm a noob. I see a 70W like the Atomstack but it comes with an enclosure for not much more.
Ikier is part of Atomstack. I suppose just learn as much as you can about both and make a decision. Since I only have the one, I couldn't say for sure.
What do you think about the Elegoo Phecda 20W? In terms of 3D printers Elegoo is known to be very reliable. Also, for xTool D1 I see that it doesn't have an air assist but is more expensive than others that do have it... does that make the xTool D1 inferior?
I don't like the Elegoo machine. I think Clack got one, but they really didn't get it to many 'actual' reviewers. I think the xTool is overpriced compared to what I recommended. It also uses XCS and not perfect on Lightburn. I think Lightburn is way better, and you can use it on most anything.
@@ValleyForged Gotcha, I'll check out what they said. I have $500-1000 to spend, maybe a bit more if it's worth it. What would you recommend? I've heard you talk highly of both Atomstack and Atezr. My plan is to run it continuously at a business level.
@@CJT_3 Well, the Roly Lasermatic is a no brainer first pic if you can afford it. I suppose it depends on what you plan on making, and other factors. I stand by what I said in this video in most cases.
@@ValleyForged Ya, Atezr seems to offer a lot but I hate that the L2 currently is purple lol. It's just a stupid thing that bugs me. So many options. Thanks for helping me narrow it down man.
