New on this site and in laser engraving.

[Ashton Waters]

Hello everyone, my name is Ashton Waters. I am really pleased to have this forum to get info from. Hopefully one day I'll be able to contribute as much or more than I have taken from this site.

My wife Jean and I are looking into starting a small laser engraving business out of our home. I have been doing a lot of research on which laser engraver to get and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or recommendations in that area? I am leaning rather heavily towards one brand and model but really don't want to say which one yet so I can get as many responses as possible. I will say that it will be a small business (one man operation, myself) at least to begin with, but I don't want to limit myself with too small a machine. The other restriction I have to work with is price. I'm looking to try and stay in the $15-25K price range. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

[tod evans]

welcome to the creek ashton! i don`t know squat about lazers but the way you phrased your question may leave the folks who do wondering.....is the 15-25k figure for the machine alone? or does it include all the support necessary to actually produce marketable items? tod

[Ashton Waters]

Tod,

The $15-25K range is just for the engraver itself.

[Joe Pelonio]

I've been happy with the performance and support on my Epilog 45 watt.

My suggestion is to go for the most power you can afford, in order
to increase speed on big production jobs, and also to be able to cut
through thicker materials.

[Phyllis Meyer]

We are new also (3 month old laser). Epilog 36 EXT, 36x24" Bed, 35 Watt. We are a small home based business. We knew we wanted the larger bed, and happy right now with the wattage. We also have the rotary attachment that is doing some great stuff! Best wishes with your decision, and your business!

Sincerely,

Phyllis:)

[Bill Cooke]

welcome to the creek.I like Joe and Phyllis have an Epilog laser, 24x20 bed 75 watt. I also am just starting out. The tech support I have gotten is also good. Good luck on the business.

[Steve McKee]

Welcome Ashton, and Jean. My wife, Jeannie, and I are just getting into the laser biz, bought a pre-owned Epilog Legend 24EX, 60 watt. Haven't got it yet, but will soon. You've come to the right place for ideas on everything you'd ever want to know about lasering, the creek is an absolute goldmine!

[Mitchell Andrus]

As with most things, I've always regretted it when I cheaped out on tools. Get the largest bed and most power you can afford - in that order.

Lower wattage might mean waiting another minute for a job to run, but a too-small bed, well... there's no way around that shortfall.

Mitch

[Joe Pelonio]

As with most things, I've always regretted it when I cheaped out on tools. Get the largest bed and most power you can afford - in that order.

Lower wattage might mean waiting another minute for a job to run, but a too-small bed, well... there's no way around that shortfall.

Mitch
Mitch made a good point that I should have thought of. I have 12"x24" and only once in 2 years have I been asked to do something larger, but
on those big jobs the time spent cutting material to fit and changing out material adds up.

[Mark Fitzmorris]

Ashton,

Welcome to the creek! As you can see several have posted their like for the epilog. I have nothing against the epilog as I have never used one but thought it may help you to hear from someone that has a different brand. I have a Laserpro (GCC) Mecury that has been great! A very nice feature that it has (depending on what you are going to use it for) is the pass thru doors. This allows for larger items to be engraved. The machine is very well built and so far has exceeded my expectations. The price was better then other companies quotes for compatible items (I got several things "bundled" like software and blower...). What ever brand that you go with make sure that you will have good suport from your dealer. My dealer has been absolutely great on support the few times that I needed it. Good luck with what ever you choose and remember that the people on this site are very willing to help.

Mark

[John Esberg]

Well, I have a 35 Watt M-300. It works great. I don't have any problem with my 12" x 24" bed. From the experiments we ran in Buffalo (Epilog) and Long Island (Universal), we found a better cut from the Universal. The driver from Universal appeared to be much more powerful. Those are some of the big reasons why we picked up the machine.

Here's some big things you should look at for getting along with the machine. Please don't take these lightly.

1. Graphics Software - in particular CorelDraw X3.
2. Photo coversion Software - I like to use PhotoGrav quite a bit.
3. Clip Art - A million images is a good start.
4. Air compressor - Protect you optics and greatly improve your wood cutting depth.
5. Discharge blower - keep those boulders of smoke out of the way of the beem and off the optics.
6. Verier Micrometer - to measure your items and judge cutting accuracy.
7. Depth Micrometer - see how deep you're really engraving.
8. Shelfing - Storage for all your tools and materials.
9. Computer to run your machine
10. GRAPHICS EDUCATION! This is by far the most important one. There is a HUGE learning curve for most people in how to select power/speed/etc specs and match them to your material once you have the graphic done. But the trick is you have to get the graphic in good usable order. This takes most people a lot of practice.

Good luck!

DAK

[Ashton Waters]

I am floored by the response I've received so far and the amount of info given. Thank you all so much. Now I don't feel like I'm up the "creek" without a paddle....... All pun intended. Sorry.

Now it's time to tell you that I've been looking most seriously at the Epilog Helix 45 watt. I really liked what I saw with Epilog. I also understand that their support is great. I'm scheduled to look at the Universal early next month and now I'm interested in looking at Laserpro.

I am restricted in machine size somewhat because I will be putting it in my basement and will be limited to the size I can get down the stairs and through the door. I would love to get a machine the size of the Legend EXT, but I'm afraid I'd have to tear out a hole in my basement wall to get it in.

Thanks again for the responses and I'm looking forward to any other info you are willing to share.

Ashton

[Brent Vander Weil]

Just my two cents worth, I bought my Epilog MINI from Rob over at UsedLasers.com... IT came right from Epilog's factory after refurbish... I was very happy and the laser continuse to serve me well to this day.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Not to beat the bed size thing to death, but I bought a Laserpro Spirit. The engraving area is 18" x up to 29" with a built-in software tweak. The focus is below the level of the rails, so I can fit a piece 32" wide into the machine. With the front and back doors open, I can engrave an area 18 x 29 onto a plank of wood 29 wide by anything long.

I'll mostly be doing inlays (marquetry veneers) for myself and other shops and the ability to fit a table-leg sized veneer was a must have.

I build furniture, so for me a gaping maw is a fine feature to have.

My sons and I wrestled the 300 pound beast into my basement workshop. It can be done.

Mitch

[Dave Jones]

Ashton, do you know what types of things you want to do with the laser? That can change the direction of things.

I have an Epilog Mini-24 (12"x24") 45 watt. I like the extra power. Within a month of getting it I had to turn down an interesting project because it required a 36" wide bed. On the other hand I couldn't have afforded one that size when I bought mine. But if I'd thought about it a bit more before I bought it I might have borrowed a bit of money and gone larger.