Best Laser Cutters and Engravers of 2024

Laser cutters produce smoke and dust, so proper ventilation is essential. If you don't have access to a window, think about getting a powerful air purifier system.

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Diodes have trouble cutting into clear materials, and CO2 struggles with metal. Choose the right one for the materials you want to work with.

Laser cutters tend to be large, so make sure you measure your space first.

CNET&#;s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

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How we test

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What to consider

The size of your workshop

Laser cutters tend to be large, so make sure you measure your space first.

What materials you want to cut

Diodes have trouble cutting into clear materials, and CO2 struggles with metal. Choose the right one for the materials you want to work with.

Access to ventilation

Laser cutters produce smoke and dust, so proper ventilation is essential. If you don't have access to a window, think about getting a powerful air purifier system.

Russell Holly/CNET

With more Americans than identifying as makers, we are seeing new products arrive to scratch that itch every day. Machines like 3D printers, vinyl cutters and laser cutters are now available at prices to fit just about any pocketbook. They allow people to bring their creations to life in new and interesting ways. You can even turn a profit on stores like Etsy and Shopify if you have the right materials and machines.

I've used laser cutters for about five years to create various projects, from small dog tags to etching a 7-foot workbench with elven runes. Each cutter I use has a host of different pros and cons, so along with my CNET colleague Russell Holly, I've developed testing criteria to assess the best laser cutters.

You may notice that there are no open laser cutters on this list. After testing several I find them to be too dangerous for the average user. They could be good for commercial spaces, but having an open laser in a garage is just too dangerous for me to recommend.

What's the best laser cutter?

The xTool P2 is our top pick for the best laser cutter. It isn't the cheapest laser cutter around, but with a host of amazing accessories, fantastic software and a cutting size and speed that are hard to ignore, it takes the crown from the Glowforge Pro, but just barely. It's huge, so make sure you have room in your workshop to house it.

Best laser cutters of

$4,299 at xTool

Pros

• Huge cutting surface
• Powerful laser
• Lots of great accessories
• Excellent software

Cons

• Priced for businesses
• Massive footprint

Laser type

CO2

Power (watts)

55

Max cutting area

498 x 319mm

Price

$$$$

Exhaust/enclosure

Enclosed with active exhaust

$4,299 at xTool

Best overall laser cutter

xTool P2

$4,299 at xTool

The xTool P2 is the complete package for fast, powerful laser cutting at home or in a small workshop. With a full suite of accessories that let you cut 3-meter-long materials and round tumblers and glasses, the P2 can cut or etch any material you could hope for, including glass and transparent acrylic.

The software is excellent and can help you design your creations to better fit your cutting needs. The camera works well to help you align your materials, but be careful when working near the edge of the camera limits, because the fisheye distorts a little. This bundle comes with some materials to get you started and a fire safety system to give you peace of mind.

Read our xTool P2 review.

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$1,199 at Amazon $1,200 at Best Buy

Pros

• Simple, intuitive interface
• Practical, compact design
• Extremely responsive community

Cons

• Some quality issues on the edges
• Insufficient instructions for promised features
• Aura Filter is loud and expensive

Laser type

Diode

Power (watts)

6

Max cutting area

12x12 inches

Price

$$

Exhaust/enclosure

Enclosed with active exhaust

$1,199 at Amazon

Best in-office laser cutter

Glowforge Aura

$1,199 at Amazon $1,200 at Best Buy

The Glowforge Aura is the company's first consumer laser cutter aimed at the entry-level market. It's smaller than the other models, with a less powerful laser, but it works amazingly well on smaller projects. We've made beautiful carvings, etchings and other laser-cut projects on the aura, and all of them have been excellent.

Read more: Hands-on with the Glowforge Aura 

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$1,599 at xTool

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Light enough to take with you
• Etches on metal

Cons

• Cables feel a little loose

Laser type

Diode / Infrared

Power (watts)

10 / 2

Max cutting area

115 x 115

Price

$$

Exhaust/enclosure

Exhaust / Semi enclosed

$1,599 at xTool

Best portable laser etcher

xTool F1

$1,599 at xTool

It's been a while since I've had as much fun with a maker tool as I have had with the xTool F1. It's lightweight and very easy to transport if you go to many trade shows, conferences or farmer's markets and, with the accessories in this bundle, you can etch batches of products as easily as one. The software is excellent too, making it easy to line up projects or trace out new projects from a photo.

I recently took the F1 to a STEM fair for primary school kids, and it was extremely popular as it whizzed around cutting out the school logo onto metal business cards. While the price is pretty high for a cutting area this small, you could easily make your money back with just a little work at a farmer's market stall or two. It's well worth the investment.

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$1,995 at Amazon

Pros

• Compact
• On-device controls
• Cost effective

Cons

• Manual focusing
• Expensive accessories

Laser type

CO2

Power (watts)

30

Max cutting area

300 x 210mm

Price

$$$

Exhaust/enclosure

Enclosed with active exhaust

$1,995 at Amazon

Best small-scale CO2 laser cutter

Flux Beamo

$1,995 at Amazon

The Beamo is the smallest of Flux's impressive lineup of CO2 laser cutters, but don't let the small size fool you. The 30-watt laser, while weaker than some on this list, is still powerful enough to etch glass, although you may need the additional diode laser to etch onto the steel. It will happily cut through wood, leather and acrylic.

The Beamo also comes with a handy touchscreen on the device, making it much easier to control from your workshop without a computer plugged into it directly. Flux even has an app that'll let you control the Beamo directly from your .

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$1,300 at Amazon

Pros

• Auto Focusing laser
• Air assist
• Fully enclosed
• Built in test model

Cons

• Software is a little rough around the edges

Laser type

Diode

Power (watts)

20

Max cutting area

400 x 270mm

Price

$$$

Exhaust / Enclosure

Enclosed with active exhaust

$1,300 at Amazon

Best laser engraver for schools

WeCreat Vision

$1,300 at Amazon

The WeCreat is a fun little box that can etch and cut several materials. It isn't going to carve through thick wood or steel, but it makes fun projects for family fun time. I think it's perfect for schools, especially with its exhaust filter, as the enclosure and air assist make it safe for classrooms and stop little fingers from getting burnt. I created several projects for my kid's kindergarten class, and the teachers all loved it.
While the software isn't quite as good as Xtool or Glowforge, the camera is accurate and lets you mark where your material is well. It even has testing squares, so you can try out any material and see what power level you need. That's something all laser cutters should have.

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$2,300 at xTool

Pros

• Excellent software
• Sleek design
• Great accessories

Cons

• No camera
• A lot of manual movement

Laser type

Diode

Power (watts)

40

Max cutting area

498 x 319mm

Price

$$$

Exhaust/enclosure

Enclosure with active exhaust

$2,300 at xTool

Best diode laser cutter

xTool S1

$2,300 at xTool

Diode lasers are often low-powered, with no enclosure to keep you safe. The S1 solves both those problems by having a 40-watt laser that can cut through 18mm of wood in a single, albeit slow, pass. It also has a fantastic enclosure with a green lid to filter the laser's light and an active exhaust to blow away any smoke. The basic kit has air assist -- something all lasers should have -- and a honeycomb cutting surface to help reduce scorching on the underside of your material.

The S1 doesn't have a camera -- I think it should -- so everything is handled very manually. But that's true for most diode lasers.

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$6,995 at Amazon

Pros

• Impressive power and speed
• Best-in-class software
• Fantastic collection of accessories and materials

Cons

• Expensive monthly subscription creates a walled garden
• Some small accuracy issues

Laser type

CO2

Power (watts)

45

Max cutting area

660x355mm

Price

$$$$$

Exhaust/enclosure

Enclosed with active exhaust

$6,995 at Amazon

Best walled garden laser cutter

Glowforge Pro

$6,995 at Amazon

Glowforge has made it clear its mission from the start has been to ensure anyone can use what it calls "laser printers," and the Glowforge Pro is a shining example. A fisheye camera gives you a view of the cutting surface from a web app, which lets you effortlessly click and drag the things you want to engrave or cut. And if you pay for the extra filtration system, you can use this laser anywhere. Of all the systems tested here, Glowforge's focus on ease of use is a world apart.

With that ease of use comes some limitations you won't find elsewhere. Many features that make the Glowforge Pro great are available only if you pay a monthly subscription. If you're not using the Glowforge-made Proofgrade, the process of identifying the correct settings for engraving or cutting becomes quite manual. Additionally, the fisheye lens that Glowforge uses can occasionally cause accuracy issues when you're cutting or engraving on small, perfectly centered surfaces.

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Laser cutter FAQ

You've got questions and we've got answers. We hope!

Should I have a diode laser or CO2 at home?

It will depend on what you want out of your laser. If you're looking to etch onto wood, leather or anodized aluminum, then a diode laser is cheaper, and it's easier to look after than a CO2 machine. Diode lasers, especially the cheaper ones, can be harder to set up than CO2 and will be slower. If you want rapid etching and a more powerful cutting experience, then opt for a CO2 laser.

How expensive is a laser cutter?

Laser cutters can range from $500, for a cheap, DIY laser option, all the way up to $5,000 and beyond, for a big Glowforge. I'd recommend looking to start your laser-cutting journey somewhere around the $1,000 mark for a diode, or $2,000 for a CO2.

What materials can I laser cut?

Most lasers, CO2 or Diode, can cut wood, acrylic and leather up to around 5mm thick. The more powerful the laser, the thicker it'll cut. Etching is easier and can be done by just about any laser, although metal etching works better with a diode, and glass and clear acrylic is better with a CO2 laser. A shortlist of materials can include:

• Softwood
• Hardwood
• Leather
• Acrylic sheet
• Slate
• Cardboard
• Vinyl
• Cosplay foam
• Metal business cards
  

What materials shouldn't I laser cut?

Anything that gives off toxic gasses should be avoided, although if you have a good filtration system, a lot of that can be mitigated. You shouldn't cut anything likely to melt instead of fuse cleanly.

• ABS plastic
• Fiberglass
• Polystyrene
• Anything with glues or epoxy resins

How we test laser cutters

Testing laser cutters is a mix of objective and subjective measures. We spend time measuring speed and accuracy as well as usability and the overall look of the finished product. These tests are done in our labs and workshops over a month to ensure the lasers can endure proper use.

Laser cutter specifications

How do these laser cutters match up

Xtool P2Glowforge AuraXtool S1Fluxx BeamoGlowforge ProXTool F1Laser power 55 watts6w40w40w45W10WLaser type CO²DiodeDiodeCO2CO2Diode/IRWork area 26 x 14 inches12 x 12 inches498 x 319mm24 x 17.5 inches660 x x 115LED display NoNoNoYesNONoEnclosed YesYesYesYesYesPartialPrecision 0.01mmN/A0.01mmN/A0..02Max speed 600mm/sUnknown600mm/s300mm/sUnknownmm/sMax material thickness 20mm5mm18mm5mm13mm5mm

Speed is tested with a good old-fashioned stopwatch. I created a simple CNET logo design that can be cut on multiple materials. We time how long it takes to complete the cut. We use 3mm basswood, 3mm black acrylic and 3.5mm cardboard for our testing materials, to give us a good overall view. We then compare the speed with the software to see how accurately it calculates the cutting speeds.

The engraving is done with an image of my beautiful dog Indiana Bones. I imported that image into the workspace and used 3mm basswood for the material. I use the standard engraving settings from each machine to engrave Indy onto the wood. My CNET colleague Russell Holly and I then examine the etching for image quality. We're looking at contrast, the level of detail captured, and how grainy the image is, as well as considering our opinion on the overall quality.

Indiana is the perfect test subject for laser engraving.

James Bricknell/CNET

For laser cutters with cameras, I created an accuracy test. I designed a file with 10mm and 5mm increments. The file is printed on standard paper and imported into the laser cutter software. From there, we use the laser cutter camera to align the physical marks to the digital and set the laser to cut. Once the laser is finished, we measure the offset using a micrometer to see how accurately the camera represents the paper image. This is especially helpful for laser cutters with fisheye lenses.

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Let&#;s discuss the types of laser cutting machines being used in the industry!

Laser cutting machines are differentiated based on the types of lasers being used. Consequently, the type of laser determines the type of substrate and thickness of the material.

The three main types of laser cutters are as follows:

CO2 Laser Cutters

CO2 laser cutting machines consist of CO2 gas along with a mixture of other gases like helium and nitrogen. This type of gas mixture is charged up by electric discharge which then produces the laser beam. The wavelength of such cutters is 10.6mm.

CO2 laser cutters are the most common and well-reputed because of their efficiency and cheaper prices.

Materials: Glass, plastics, leather, wood, and acrylic.

Crystal Laser Cutters

Crystal laser cutters generate beams from Neodymium doped yttrium ortho vanadate. The wavelengths of these cutters are smaller as compared to CO2 laser cutters hence they can cut through some thicker materials.

Smaller wavelength also contributes to better focus and higher intensity as well. One drawback of these cutters is that their parts wear out because of the high power functionality.

Materials: Plastics, Metals, and Ceramics.

Fiber Laser Cutters

The origin of fiber laser is seed laser which is amplified and magnified using special optical fibers. The more common name for fiber laser cutters is a solid-state laser.

The remarkable benefits of this laser cutter include cutting of reflective and conductive metals, thrice the times of efficiency as compared to CO2 laser cutters, and the absence of movable parts.

Fiber lasers can work on metals as well as organic materials. Although fiber laser cutters are very similar to crystal lasers they are more efficient and low maintenance.

Materials: Metals and Organic materials.

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