Newbie question - question on power

[John Noell]

I am about to start up a small laser engraving business here in Fiji. I've been intrigued with laser engraving for many years but never made the jump. Having read many posts here and being far from any hands-on support, I've decided to go with either Epilog or Universal (i.e., not Chinese) and my main question is what power to go for. I expect most of my business to be simple stuff (leather key fobs, awards and plaques, wooden name plates etc.) that (I think) can easily be done with 25-30 watt lasers but do not want to paint myself in a corner. Should I be thinking about more power so I can handle a wider range of materials?

[Nic Moreau]

30-40W will let you engrave at full speed on nearly everything.
If you will be cutting a lot then get as much power as you can

good luck

Nic

[Mark Winlund]

In general, I think that most engravers will tell you to get the most power that you can afford. Pay until it hurts. With todays prices and technology, I would not get less than 50 watts. You are absolutely right about sticking with a major (USA) brand. The quality is built in.

Mark

[John Noell]

Vinaka vaka levu! ('Thank you very much' in Fijian.)

(Mark, I came over here from just down the road - Eugene. We don't miss the cold rain at all!!!!)