Boss Laser 1630

[John Nicolosi]

I’m looking to buy a New Boss Laser 1630 and was looking for some feedback on the company and the 1630.
Any and all info or comments. What other equipment should I get.
I’m new to laser cutting but not afraid to dive in.
I’ll be using it for light to med hobby / Etsy sales.

Thanks

[Bill George]

I’m looking to buy a New Boss Laser 1630 and was looking for some feedback on the company and the 1630.
Any and all info or comments. What other equipment should I get.
I’m new to laser cutting but not afraid to dive in.
I’ll be using it for light to med hobby / Etsy sales.

Thanks

Search yields > https://sawmillcreek.org/search.php?searchid=9282166

In addition there are a couple of Stickys that may cover your question.

[Keith Downing]

Bill is correct, this is probably a topic that should be searched as I know I personally have answered this question 2-3 times over the last couple of years.

Anyways, I'll give you a quick rundown of my basic opinions:

Boss is a good/reputable company. And support is good/knowledgeable as well.

With Boss, or Rabbit, or any other new US reseller of Chinese machines you're basically paying a (small) premium on top of the Chinese machine's cost for them to import/inspect/upgrade the machine; and then for their US based support and warranty on the machine. You can almost always import a comparable Chinese machine yourself for less, but I think for most people it is worth the trade-off for your first machine if you're sure you're going the Chinese route. They will save you a lot of headaches. You'll likely also have your machine 30+ days sooner in a lot of cases.

I like the 1630 a lot, and still use it for almost all of my cutting. The real weak-point (as with all of the Chinese machines I've seen) is the speed. They cut at basically the same speed as a comparable wattage machine made by the big 3 Western machines (Trotec, Epilog, or Universal). But the raster speed is much much slower. For some people that may not matter at all, for some people that may be a deal breaker.

My final piece of advice, if you do go with a chiller for the 1630, pony up the money for a CW5000; or just stick with the ice bucket and water pump. The CW3000 is basically worthless unless you live in a climate where the temperature never gets above 85 degrees F.

Good luck on your search, and welcome to the creek.

[John Nicolosi]

Bill is correct, this is probably a topic that should be searched as I know I personally have answered this question 2-3 times over the last couple of years.

Anyways, I'll give you a quick rundown of my basic opinions:

Boss is a good/reputable company. And support is good/knowledgeable as well.

With Boss, or Rabbit, or any other new US reseller of Chinese machines you're basically paying a (small) premium on top of the Chinese machine's cost for them to import/inspect/upgrade the machine; and then for their US based support and warranty on the machine. You can almost always import a comparable Chinese machine yourself for less, but I think for most people it is worth the trade-off for your first machine if you're sure you're going the Chinese route. They will save you a lot of headaches. You'll likely also have your machine 30+ days sooner in a lot of cases.

I like the 1630 a lot, and still use it for almost all of my cutting. The real weak-point (as with all of the Chinese machines I've seen) is the speed. They cut at basically the same speed as a comparable wattage machine made by the big 3 Western machines (Trotec, Epilog, or Universal). But the raster speed is much much slower. For some people that may not matter at all, for some people that may be a deal breaker.

My final piece of advice, if you do go with a chiller for the 1630, pony up the money for a CW5000; or just stick with the ice bucket and water pump. The CW3000 is basically worthless unless you live in a climate where the temperature never gets above 85 degrees F.

Good luck on your search, and welcome to the creek.

Thanks so much for the response. This is a big purchase for me, especially when its not a business making machine- hobby use.
I unknowingly purchased a CW 5000 D&N brand from eBay hoping to save money but then realized its a S&A knockoff.
I also looked at the 1420 and then thought that the size and future upgrading to 100w will be eliminated.

Thoughts on the 1420 seeing I have no particular cutting / etching size in mind yet ?

Thanks
John

[Keith Downing]

Needs, wants and budget are different for everyone. So it's pretty difficult to give you specific advice.

That said, I think most people would generally advise you to get the largest machine you think you'll need and can reasonably afford. And, especially for a machine whose strength is cutting, I wouldn't want to do without the larger table and the pass-throughs.

[John Nicolosi]

Needs, wants and budget are different for everyone. So it's pretty difficult to give you specific advice.

That said, I think most people would generally advise you to get the largest machine you think you'll need and can reasonably afford. And, especially for a machine whose strength is cutting, I wouldn't want to do without the larger table and the pass-throughs.

No doubt. Well then the 1630 it is.

[Bill George]

No doubt. Well then the 1630 it is.

I hope your Searching yielded some knowledge. Boss is one of the better machines, I do not own one but reading on here is an education, so many smart people and Keith is at the top!! 1630 a wise choice.