I’m looking to get my first laser cutter and need some advice (yep, another one of those threads). $2000 to $3000 is what I originally intended to spend but I was a little disappointed looking at the options in that range. I can go up to $4000 or maybe $5000 if it’s worth it. At first I was looking at the Glowforge Basic (40w $2500), the Flux Beamo (30w $1900), or even a Full Spectrum Muse Core Desktop (40w $3500 on sale for $2774). I even looked at the K40 type cutters but that went out the window pretty quick. Turns out I’m a big fan of not having my house burn down. Guess I’m just fussy.
GF makes everything seem so nice and easy till you really start digging and asking questions. I can see why people call them the Cricut of laser cutters. The laser is $500 to replace. You can’t do it yourself. You have to send it in and it can take a month to get back unless you want a refurbished machine. I don’t like that the software is only online but I do have a good internet connection. The Beamo seems like a good alternative but I can find no reliable info about them outside of 2 YouTube videos that are old. The Muse was pretty much the same. Not much info about how well people like them long term. I wasn’t expecting to find some holy grail of a machine, but I was hoping to find something realistically useable for the price.
I’ve seen Boss lasers recommended quite a bit. Their entry level (LS1416) was $4000 ($5000 with tax and shipping). From what I’ve seen they look like a really good choice but again, I had questions. I called the rep and kept him on the phone for about 30 minutes listening to my confusing ramblings. That man was slicker than a used car salesman. He upgraded the laser from a 50w to a 65w and threw in a stand. I almost did it but I’m glad I waited. Stupid me got all excited about getting a laser and didn’t think to check the size. Holy cow is it huge. I don’t have a garage so it has to go inside my house. Unfortunately, it was too wide to fit through the doorway. I really wanted this to happen but I’m not going to tear out the whole back of my house to do it. I’d also have to hire an electrician. He said the machine and the compressor had to each be on their own 20w fuse. If I went with something this big I’d have to set it up at my parents house. They have a workshop but that brings in a whole host of new problems to deal with.
Now I’m back to looking at smaller machines. The biggest doorway on my house is 30.5” so probably 30” would be the biggest I’d be able to get through. Does anyone have experience with these smaller machines? Is the GF worth giving a try and maybe going bigger in the future if it’s worth it? Does anyone have an experience with the Muse? Has anyone even heard of a Beamo? Are there other viable options out there that I missed? I’ve genuinely been trying to learn as much as I can before buying but there’s so much to take into consideration it’s sometimes easy to get lost in it all.
I’m comfortable working with vectors. The software side of it seems pretty straightforward. I’d like to get into 3D engraving as I get more comfortable. It looks easy to do but not easy to do well.
I don’t have any experience with a laser or skills necessary to build or even troubleshoot some of the cheaper K40 type models. I don’t mind having to learn general maintenance like replacing tubes but I’m not sure of my abilities to do things beyond that. I don’t know that I’d ever be able to do something like replace a circuit panel.
Any advice anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.