Kern vs. Vytek?

[Ben Dalton]

So, my company and I have been laser engraving for over 15 years (mainly in the monument industry). Our first laser was a Vytek back in 2000, followed by two smaller GCC machines and an AP lazer machine to replace our old Vytek when it started going out. Now that we've established ourselves, we are thinking about upgrading to a "top of the line" monument laser. Mainly, from what I've researched, this means Kern or Vytek. Because of the customer service and problems we encountered with our Vytek machine, right now we are leaning toward a Kern system. Any advice from anyone with experience with these two types of lasers?

[Braden Todd]

I chose to not go with Vytek when I was buying my laser, seemed not as responsive as Kern was. To date I am very happy I chose Kern! It has been a true workhorse for us and tackles all we throw at it.

Have you you spoken to anyone at Kern? If you don't have a potential sales rep, call in and ask for Keith. He has continued to contact me almost 2 years after the sale, and has always been there to answer questions.

Their tech support is also great and very helpful, but reality is that you may not need to talk to them much at all!

Feel free to reach out if you'd like more info on Kern.

Good luck!

[Ben Dalton]

Actually, I've been speaking with Derek Kern, and that's one of the reasons I'm leaning toward a Kern machine. He has been head and shoulders more knowledgeable and helpful than the Vytek rep. I've been impressed. So, Braden, you've had your machine for two years? Any problems? How is the ease of use? Anything you think I should know before purchase? How do you like having a 400 watt machine? Since we do mostly granite, we don't need that much power, but that much power would definitely make expanding easier! What do you mostly do with your Kern machine? Sorry for all the questions... I think sometimes I like to research things too much!

[Keith Winter]

So, my company and I have been laser engraving for over 15 years (mainly in the monument industry). Our first laser was a Vytek back in 2000, followed by two smaller GCC machines and an AP lazer machine to replace our old Vytek when it started going out. Now that we've established ourselves, we are thinking about upgrading to a "top of the line" monument laser. Mainly, from what I've researched, this means Kern or Vytek. Because of the customer service and problems we encountered with our Vytek machine, right now we are leaning toward a Kern system. Any advice from anyone with experience with these two types of lasers?


Not very familiar with Vytek but Kern is a well known industrial machine. What are you engraving / cutting and how big is it? Trotec also makes some nice larger machines like the Speedy 500 but they don't go as high in wattage as Kern.

[Ben Dalton]

We're doing headstones... So BIG and HEAVY. Anywhere from 10"x20" to over 4'x3'. Kern, Vytek, and APLazer are the only companies I've found that make lasers that can handle 1,500+ lbs and have the large bed space. The nice thing is that all three come with table attachments so you can do anything you want, not just monuments. Right now, we're really feeling Kern is the way to go.

[Dave Sheldrake]

An entry level 2kW industrial can be picked up at around the same price as the Kern 400 from either Mazak or Mitsubishi (CO2 lasers have dropped in price from the big names of late due to the popularity of the Fibre systems)

[Patrick Gardner]

Hey Ben,
I use a Kern HSE 150 watt laser engraver daily. Its awesome. We are a sign manufacturing company so we vector cut a LOT of acrylic shapes. I have also done a fair bit of raster engraving as well. The machine is very well built and we have had only 1 small problem which was quickly handled by Kern. I would definitely recommend Kern to anyone looking at a top of the line engraver. The software is easy to use also.

[Jay Selway]

I just got a 400w Kern HSE. I had some issues getting it running, but damn, Kern's customer service is unparalleled. They got me up and running with very little trouble. So far, it's been a workhorse and I'm loving it.

Everyone I know that owns one loves it. Braden Todd being one of them.