In a previous blog post, I have written about what exactly these laser cutting machines are and why they are used in the miniature world.
By the way, have you seen the fairy houses that I made already from these laser-cut kits? I have many very positive reactions to them and I’m so proud. Because after all, it is all about how you finish them, right?
Anyway, I think that somewhere in the future, I or my partner will eventually buy one of those laser cutting machines ourselves, because I just love the possibilities these machines have to make dollhouses (kits), or dollhouse furniture, etc..
Maybe even nicer than 3D printing, but that’s just in my opinion.
Anyway, enough about me, let’s dive into the reviews!
But First, I Forgot To Tell You Something!
In the previous blog post, I forgot to tell you something and that is that there is a difference between laser engraving machines and laser cutter machines.
- a laser engraving machine doesn’t cut through wood completely, but creates light marks by using less power
- a laser cutter machine, however cuts through many materials and therefore needs high-power lasers.
There are machines that do both, so I decided to review 5 of them. ( I suspect that a machine like that was used to cut and engrave my book-nook kit. )
Laser cutter machine number 1: ATOMSTACK A5 M30 CNC Laser
What is the Atomstack A5?
This is a high-performance powerful laser cutting machine. The details:
- The engraving area is 410 millimeter in the X axis and 400 mm in the Y axis.
- The device has an acrylic cover surrounding the laser module
- A power supply that takes a 100 to 200 VAC is included and the output is 12V 5A ( 5.5W laser output for the US )
- The software is LaserGRBL and LightBurn, while it runs on Windows XP, 7, 8, 10 and MacOS operating systems. Supported engraving file formats including NC, JPG, PNG, DXP, etc.
- Maximum speed goes up to 3000mm/min.
- It has a class 4 laser module, 5W of output power
- 360-degree eye protective shield filtering 97% UV .
- item weight = 11.88 pounds
- item dimensions = 23.6 x 22.4 x 10.6 inches
Below is a good video on how to assemble, configure, and how to work with this device:
The price :
On AliExpress.
Or on Amazon.
(you can compare prices)
Overall Rank.
The good and the bad :
The Good.
- the unique laser cover helps you to filter out the diffused light from the laser spot. ( but I would advice to still wear eye protection! )
- one of the most budget friendly laser cutting machienes out there
- able to engrave and cut a lot of materials like: thick wood, acrylic, rubber, plywood, PCB board and bamboo. It even engraves on stainless steel and ceramic materials with ease.
- no goggles needed any more, because of the eye protective shield
- quick to assemble
The Bad.
- In the video above, the person mentioned that there wasn’t an actual manual included on how to operate it, but only how to assemble it
- It has no limit switches, this means that it will not stop even if it hits the limit
- doesn’t have a on and off switch
Support and Warranty.
Offers 24×7 email customer support and phone services during working hours. A 1-year warranty is given to every machine and its parts.
Beware:
It is recommended to get and use a power strip that has an on/off switch.
Also, an extra note about the belts. Make sure they are both the same relative tightness or you may have some issues with engraving.
Final Conclusion.
This seems like a pretty good laser cutting machine for beginners, although it has its faults.
Laser cutter machine number 2: LASERPACKER Pro Portable Engraver
What is the LaserPecker Portable engraver?
Let’s get into details once more:
- Claims to be the worlds fastest laser engraver
- item weight: 4.11 pounds
- product dimensions: 9.17 x 7.76 x 5.83 inches
- Cuts paper-board, fabric, wood, leather, felt, plastic, cloth, fruit, and more
- Portable with Auto-focus stand for DIY Logo Design
- The LaserPecker Pro has a 0.15mm accurate light spot and a high quality 405nm blue-violet laser.
- works with a powerbank
- Wirelessly bluethooth controlled by a smartphone
- Engraving range: 10*10CM;
- File Formats: JPG / BMP /PNG /G-code
- Option: magnetic Protective Shields: you can protect your eyes and directly see laser movements in the progress of engraving without having to wear protective glasses.
- Safe Certification: CE, FCC, FDA, RoHS，CDRH,IEC 60825-1 (Laser Class1)，IEC 60825-1 (Laser Class 4)
Have a closer look at the Youtube video below for a complete walkthrough of this device.
The price :
On AliExpress
On Amazon
( you can compare prices )
Overall Rank.
The good and the bad :
The Good.
- Small, lightweight and portable design/doesn’t take to much room in a small home and you can just fold it up and place it on a bookshelf, for example
- User friendly
- Easy setup
- This device is very versatile
The Bad.
- cannot engrave any gloss white material or rocks
- can’t cut larger pieces, but perfect for our miniatures 😉
- works best for small projects, for larger things it takes quite long
- on the pricey side
Support and Warranty:
30 days free replacement parts,1-year warranty, and full life customer service
Beware:
There is no ability to opt-out of the software updates and changes of the device.
Final Conclusion.
This laser cutting machine seems perfect for small projects, but I honestly am not sure if the price is worth it if you would like to do something more than that.
Laser cutter machine number 3: MYSWEETY 2 in 1 5500mW CNC 3018Pro
What is the CNC 3018 Pro?
On Amazon, this device is been sold by “Mysweety”, but that does not seem to be the brand, but the store.
Let’s dive deeper into this:
- an engraving area of 300 x 180 x 45 mm (11.8 x 7.1 x 1.8”)
- 775 spindle motor (12-36V)
- 10000 Rpm
- min. Supported System: Windows XP / Win 7 / Win 8 / Win 10.
- the software comes on a USB stick
- comes with small clips to hold the piece on the work table
- 24 Watt power supply
- Includes assembly instructions
- two 5mm acrylic baffles on each side of the machine
- Has an integrated driver chip + fixed heat sink + external fan
- Can carve wood, bamboo, paper, leather, flammable plastic, PCB, PVC, and acrylic (Only suitable for spindle milling cutter engraving)
- Rated power: 60W; Maximum power: 120W
- Item weight: 16.76 pounds
- dimensions: 17.3 x 9.5 x 6.6 inches
Here is the next video for you to see, a review and a walkthrough:
The price :
On AliExpress
On Amazon
(compare prices)
Overall Rank.
The good and the bad :
The Good.
- Larger working area
- You can work on larger (thicker) things
- easy instructions from the manual
- very sturdy machine
- This machine has got some good quality versus the price
The Bad.
- again, this device seems mainly good for smaller things and thin materials, not suited for thick wood, for example
- you need to raise the motor if you want to build something thicker
- Can not work on metal, iron, glass, 201/304 stainless steel, jewelry, aluminum or silver.
- it seems like the carving works very slow
Support and Warranty:
12 months warranty, contact the seller on Amazon for support
Beware:
It is suggested to watch some videos on 3018 CNC machines and the software (Candle GRBL Control and Laser GRBL).
Get some PTFE dry lube and apply to all transport rails and feed screws, frequently.
And wear eye protection!
Final Conclusion.
I would buy these laser cutting machines if I had the patience to work with them, because although the price and quality is good, you do need patience to finish your work pieces 🙂
Laser cutter machine number 4: ORTUR Laser Master 2
What is the ORTUR laser engraver?
This is one of the laser cutting machines that has an in-between price. What I mean by that is that it’s not very cheap, but neither is it expensive. I thought I’d throw one in there 😉 :
- Compresed Spot CNC
- Has a 32-bit Motherboard LaserGRBL(LightBurn)
- The engraving speed can go up to 3000 mm/min
- There is a G sensor on the main board, if the machine detects unauthorized movement, the laser beam will stop
- Uses LaserGRBL or LightBurn software
- The laser power range can be S0-S1000.
- product dimension: 22.44 x 21.65 x 6.9 inches
- item weight: 7.78 pounds
- protected wiring
- Adapter power: 36W, 12V 3A
- Machine power: LU1-2: 7W; LU1-3: 15W; LU1-4: 20W
- carving area: X: 400MM x Y: 430MM
- eye protection fixed focus
Guess what, I have another video for you below 😉
The price :
On AliExpress. (delivery can be longer)
On Amazon
(you can compare prices again)
Overall Rank.
The good and the bad :
The Good.
- The LaserGRBL or LightBurn software seems easy to use and is the most popular
- Supports Windows XP, 7, 8, 10, Mac OS and Linux
- can even “draw” a photo on paper with a high-power laser unit.
- no pauze for cooling necessary
- very powerfull laser
- better than a starter laser
The Bad.
- The assemble instructions aren’t to great, but there are a lot of Youtube videos out there to help you out.
- There is no way to align or square up the material under the laser. There is no grid reference
- May not work with your computer
Support and Warranty:
Has a one-year warranty and you can contact the seller during the warranty period.
Beware:
It is recommended by other owners/users that you should ground the laser!
Final Conclusion.
If I would personally need to choice one of the laser cutting machines, I would choose this one. (based on what it can do, the medium price, and the few problems people have with it).
Laser cutter machine number 5: TEN-HIGH CO2 engrave Machine
What is the TEN-HIGH CO2 engraver?
Looking for a high-end, fancy pants laser engraver? You might have found it 😉 .
- Engraving Area: 400x300mm
- 40 Watt laser engraver (also excists in 40W)
- Product dimensions : 31.89 x 24.02 x 16.14 inches
- Product weight: 110 pounds
- requires 1 Lithium ion batteries
- Can engrave most organics or NON-metal materials such as acrylic, plywood, density board, leather, wood, double color plate, glass, cloth, bamboo, paper
- Compatible with WIN7/WIN8/WIN10 system
- Software: Laser engraving Plug-in CorelLASER & Seal Design Software LaserDRW (included). Compatible with CorelDraw (NOT included).
- Equipped with an effective ventilation fan for exhaust smoke
- Pre-installed rotary axis interface and rotary axis switch
- Build-in Electric Lift-platform, One-button control.
- Red light positioning system, accurate and efficient.
The video below explains the differences between the 40K and the 60K machine:
The price :
On Amazon
Or AliExpress
(compare prices)
Overall Rank.
The good and the bad :
The Good.
- Quickly set up
- Works flawless
- the Ten-High crew is exceptionally responsive
The Bad.
- The guy in the video above mentioned that he recieved Coral Draw with the machine, and that should be compatible, but he has been having issues with that.
- Following this last issue, it seems really like you need to know about all this software and so on, to be able to get it to work properly
- Quite pricey.
- no safety unit
- you can’t remove the mirrors to clean them
Support and Warranty:
You must contact the seller to know about the warranty
Beware:
Make sure you have plenty of cool water and that the pump is working.
Final Conclusion.
I don’t think that I would purchase either version of these laser cutting machines, as replacing the motherboard would be to complicated for me.
My Final Conclusion.
If you are interested in laser cut miniatures, than I hope that I could help you in finding a way between the laser cutting machines out there!
Do you have any questions or would you just like to chat, than please leave a message below or join me on my Facebook group or other social media channels.
I wish you happy crafting!
Kind regards,
Lizzy