Best Laser Cutters & Engravers of 2024

The Glowforge Aura is the company’s first consumer laser cutter aimed at the entry-level market. The laser has less power and is smaller than other models, but it works surprisingly well for smaller projects. We have created beautiful engravings, etchings and other laser cut projects for Aura and they have all turned out great.

Read more: Glowforge Aura Experience

It’s been a while since I’ve had as much fun using a creator tool as I did with xTool F1. It’s lightweight and very easy to transport to many trade shows, conferences, or farmers markets, and the accessories included in this bundle allow you to etch multiple products as easily as one. The software is also great, making it easy to sort projects or track new projects from photos.

I recently took the F1 to a STEM fair for elementary school students and it was a huge hit with the school logo engraved on metal business cards. The price is quite high for such a small cutting area, but you can easily make money with a little work at the farmer’s market. It’s well worth the investment.

The Beamo is the smallest of Flux’s impressive lineup of CO2 laser cutters, but don’t let its small size fool you. The 30-watt laser is weaker than the lasers on this list, but is still powerful enough to etch glass. However, additional diode lasers may be required to etch steel. Can cut wood, leather, and acrylic.

Beamo also comes with a handy touchscreen on the device, making it much easier to control it in the workplace without having to connect it directly to a computer. Flux also has an app that lets you control Beamo directly from your phone.

WeCreat is a fun little box that can etch and cut a variety of materials. Although it won’t allow you to carve thick wood or steel, it makes for a fun project that you can enjoy with your family. We believe this is especially suitable for schools with exhaust filters as the enclosure and air assist system will keep the classroom safe and prevent little finger burns. I created several projects for my child’s kindergarten class and the teachers all loved them.
The software is not as good as Xtool or Glowforge, but the camera is accurate and can show the location of materials. There are also test squares so you can try out any material and see what power level you need. It’s something every laser cutter should have.

Diode lasers are often low power and do not have enclosures to ensure their safety. The S1 solves both of these problems with a 40-watt laser that can cut 18mm of wood in a single pass, albeit slowly. It also has a fantastic enclosure with a green lid to filter out the laser light and an active exhaust to blow away the smoke. The basic kit includes the air assist required for all lasers and a honeycomb cutting surface to help reduce burning under the material.

The S1 doesn’t have a camera. I think it should be that way. So everything is handled very manually. However, this is true for most diode lasers.

Glowforge has made it clear from the beginning that their mission is to make “laser printers” accessible to everyone, and the Glowforge Pro is a shining example. The fisheye camera allows you to see the cutting surface in the web app so you can easily click and drag on the item you want to engrave or cut. And by paying for an additional filtration system, you can use this laser anywhere. Of all the systems tested here, Glowforge’s focus on ease of use is quite different.

This ease of use comes with some limitations that you won’t find elsewhere. Many of the features that make Glowforge Pro great are only available if you pay a monthly subscription fee. If you are not using Proofgrade by Glowforge, the process of identifying the correct settings for your carving or cutting becomes quite manual. Additionally, the fisheye lens used by Glowforge can sometimes cause accuracy issues when cutting or engraving small, perfectly centered surfaces.