What are the best laser cuters under $500?

Question

ToolsLaser Cutters

What are the best laser cuters under $500?

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Aug 1, 2021

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2 Options Considered

Best laser cuters under $500	Price	Technology	Cooling type
-- Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8"	$426.99	CO2 laser tube	Water cooling
-- Meterk DK-BL 1500mW	$103.99	Laser toolhead	No cooling

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score 8 · Answer 1

Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8"

Top Pro

Affordable

This is one of the cheapest CO2 tube lasers out on the market. It was created as a cost-effective alternative to multiple thousand dollar machines. See More

Top Con

Workspace is small

Visually, the machine might look big, but the work area is only 12" x 8". That's less than an A4 sheet. This is an essential thing to consider before going for this laser cutter. See More

Specs

Technology:CO2 laser tube

Cooling type:Water cooling

Software:Shenzhouyi software, compatible with CorelDraw

Power of the beam:40 W

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Top Pro

Laser tube can be upgraded to a more powerful one

If you need, you can upgrade the standard 40 W laser tube to a 50 W version. See More

Top Con

Requires a lot of tinkering

It will take a certain amount of skills and experience to run this laser cutter. Knowledge of CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) processes and concepts is essential. Besides, skills and expertise in electrical engineering will come in handy, as all the electrical schematics are unavailable. It is possible to receive high cutting/engraving quality from this machine, but plan to invest a lot of time and effort into tinkering with it. See More

Top Pro

Software and manual are included

The unit is shipped together with a free copy of its dedicated software Shenzhouyi. The software's manual is also included. See More

Top Con

Not suitable for metal cutting

It has neither the power nor the precision required for metal cutting. See More

Top Pro

Works very well when mastered

This laser cutter can do very fine cutting/engraving if you manage to fully unleash its potential. However, this will require you to invest a lot of your time into this machine to explore and upgrade it. See More

Top Con

The software is very basic

The software is not as advanced as the software provided by brands like FSL and Glowforge. It is suitable only for basic cutting and engraving applications. See More

Top Pro

Comes with accessories

This laser cutter comes with a water pump, which is used for CO2 tube cooling, and a fume extractor. See More

Top Con

Focal length needs manual adjustments

It is very hard to reach the full potential (40W of cutting power) of this laser cutter, as the optimum focal length of the lens must be found experimentally/manually. See More

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score 2 · Answer 2

Meterk DK-BL 1500mW

Top Pro

Highly affordable

This is the cheapest 1.5 W laser cutter you can get, with a price tag below $150. See More

Top Con

Tiny workspace

The workspace of this laser cutter is only 1.7" x 1.7". This cutters has one of the smallest working areas among devices available in the market today. See More

Specs

Technology:Laser toolhead

Cooling type:No cooling

Software:NEJE software

Power of the beam:1.5 W

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Top Pro

Good for low-power cutting and engraving

This laser cutter is equipped with a 1.5 W laser head, which is capable of engraving materials like acrylics, wood, MDF, and plastics. However, when it comes to cutting, this machine is only capable of handling paper and cardboard. See More

Top Con

Potentially dangerous due to lack of enclosure

The machine does not have any enclosures surrounding the workspace. This is potentially dangerous as the laser can hit objects outside the workspace. The uncontrolled reflections can also be a severe threat. See More

Top Pro

Can be used wirelessly

This laser cutter uses a very stable and reliable Bluetooth interface to communicate with computers, tablets, and smartphones. Also, the machine can run power itself via its built -in 6.0 Ah battery, which is capable of providing up to 6 hours of machine runtime. See More

Top Pro

No need to get software separately

A free copy of the NEJE software is provided along with the machine, either on a USB drive or a CD. This software is capable of performing basic cutting and engraving actions, being specially good for vector engraving. See More

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What are the best laser cuters under $500?

2 Options Considered

Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8"

My Recommendation for Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8"

My Recommendation for Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8"

Affordable

Workspace is small

Laser tube can be upgraded to a more powerful one

Requires a lot of tinkering

Software and manual are included

Not suitable for metal cutting

Works very well when mastered

The software is very basic

Comes with accessories

Focal length needs manual adjustments

Meterk DK-BL 1500mW

My Recommendation for Meterk DK-BL 1500mW

My Recommendation for Meterk DK-BL 1500mW

Highly affordable

Tiny workspace

Good for low-power cutting and engraving

Potentially dangerous due to lack of enclosure

Can be used wirelessly

No need to get software separately

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