Need Suggestions on Buying Laser Cutter/engraver

Laser
#1

Hello, I need some help. My husband asked what I wanted for Christmas and I told him a Cricut Cutter. He sent me a link to a glowforge machine. I looked at reviews and even though it seems like a good machine there seems to be negatives like poor C/S via email only and only usable from their cloud server.

I am looking for a machine that will allow me to laser cut Yeti tumblers, I know that is an optional piece so the machine would need to accommodate this add-on. I also want to be able to cut, Engrave and emboss Leather, wood, acrylic, fabric, glass, etc. I want something that I can use off-line and that uses multiple graphic formats. Good software OR I can use my own AI, photoshop w/CO2 laser. My main computer is a PC, but I also have a MAC. My max budget is $2500.

There are so many manufacturers out there. I want something reliable and user-friendly. If you can point me in the right direction or give suggestions I would appreciate it. Also, any help on what Features I need to be sure that I have would be awesome.

Thanks so much.

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#2

@Team_Laser

#3

Not sure if this is the top-of-the-line or not, but at least it is on sale (at/through Walmart). Anyhoo…

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#4

Thanks for the heads up Mblatz. I think I will get this one while I continue to research laser cutters/engravers.

#5

I have a Cricut Maker - it’s no laser cutter but it’s pretty capable. Also doesn’t require ventilation and you can’t poison yourself by cutting the wrong materials :smiley: I’ve used mine to cut the usual cardstock and vinyl, and have cut 4-5 oz. leather, thin balsa, and thin plastic on it too.

They say you can use Design Space offline, but I haven’t tried it. In fact, they have discontinued the web-based version of Design Space (which is a bummer because it was a quick way to test how a design would look without installing the application).

I haven’t had to use Cricut’s customer support. There’s several online crafting forums where you can get help from other users though.

Beware third-party cutting tools. You’ll see them on Amazon and Ebay that say they work with the Maker - read the reviews and if you see more than a couple “my Maker wouldn’t recognize the tool” reviews, stay away!

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#6

Thank you so much Jswilson64 for the helpful info. I spent much of the morning researching the Cricut vs the Silhouette (both seem great). I decided on the Cricut after I read on a site today that the Design Space was no longer for just online use.

With mblatz’s heads up regarding the great deal, I JUST walked in the door with the Cricut Maker I ordered online this afternoon from Walmart! I’m pretty excited to have a tool at home that I can use for my maker projects. I just wish the classes didn’t fill up so quickly at DMS. I’ve taken the laser class a couple of times but it has been so long. I think it’s time to start getting my hands dirty again. LOL

#7

I’ve been watching the price of the Cricut Maker for several months. This is the best I’ve seen by far.

I like that it can cut leather, amongst many other things.

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#8

Silly, you can’t cut a laser…

#9

With that budget you could possibly buy a nice Orion Motor Tech CO2 laser or a beamo. I have a Glowforge Plus, but now that I’ve had it, I wish I hadn’t spent so much. There are a lot of good options out there.

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