Laser Power versus Detail

[Hale Reider]

I am about to purchase another laser. My first machine was a 40 watt. I am considering going up to a 60 watt on this one, as I do quite a bit of 1/4" hardwood. Is there any downside to having more power? Is it harder to engrave fine detail (such as photos on black marble) with a 60 watt than it would have been with 40 watts? Does turning down the power have any downside? Being as I had trouble with banding on my first machine, I just wanted to see what others thought about having more power or having to much power?

Thanks for any insight.

Hale
http://snowflakesintime.com
http://tobecherished.com

[Joe Pelonio]

Hale,

I have 45 watts and have no trouble with cutting 1/4" Oak. Also most lasers can be upgraded to a more powerful tube, rather than buy a whole new one. I have a friend/associate with 100 watts, and it's just a matter of the correct settings, you can get equally nice detail regardless of the wattage.