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Add to SafariWhen comparing Full Spectrum Hobby Series 20x12 CO2 Laser Cutter vs Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8", the Slant community recommends Full Spectrum Hobby Series 20x12 CO2 Laser Cutter for most people. In the question“What are the best laser cutters?” Full Spectrum Hobby Series 20x12 CO2 Laser Cutter is ranked 1st while Orion Motor Tech 12"x 8" is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Full Spectrum Hobby Series 20x12 CO2 Laser Cutter is:
Considering this machine's cutting power, build quality, and software, it is very complicated to find a matching laser cutter below the price point of $3500. This is a professional grade machine created for hobby applications. Multiple upgrade options are available.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Very good value for money
Considering this machine's cutting power, build quality, and software, it is very complicated to find a matching laser cutter below the price point of $3500. This is a professional grade machine created for hobby applications. Multiple upgrade options are available.
Pro Upgradable
You can upgrade this laser cutter, thanks to the multiple very useful accessories available. For example, you can get a powerful 45 W laser tube ($250), a water chiller ($600), lens upgrades ($250 a piece), or a fume extractor upgrade ($1100).
Pro Can work with a variety of materials
This laser cutter comes with a pre-installed 40W CO2 laser tube. When properly adjusted, the 40W laser beam is capable of cutting hardwood, plywood, acrylics, and leather.
Pro Well built
The body of this laser cutter is made of high-quality steel. The parts are CNC machined. Thus the construction is very solid.
Pro Versatile software
The RetinaEngrave software can receive design files from any software capable of printing (like CorelDraw, AutoCAD, Solidworks, Adobe Illustrator, PDF, MS Word, etc.).
Pro Perfect for DIY use
The power and performance of this laser cutter are balanced perfectly for domestic DIY use. It can cut practically any soft material ranging from wood to plastics, to a depth of up to 1/4". Its software and workflow are as straightforward as it can be.
Pro Safe enclosure protects users from harm
The enclosure of the laser cutter is very well designed. Once the lid is down, the operator is entirely safe. The enclosure of this machine also has plugs for a CO2 tube cooling system and a fume extractor compressor.
Pro Prevents accidental starts
This machine will not launch until the kill-switch is released. It prevents the operator from the danger of an accidental laser start. The switch is located on the front panel of the cutter.
Pro Easy to use
The graphics import process is straightforward. Just print to a 'Full Spectrum Lasers Engineering Driver' option from an image-editing software of your choice. The image then is auto-loaded into RetinaEngrave. Within the software, you can do all the pre-adjustments before producing the final cut.
Pro You can tweak the workspace
There is a chance of processing workpieces even larger than 20" x 12". You can simply remove the base plate and produce multiple continuous 20" x 12" cuts on very large and flat surfaces.
Pro Decent workspace
This laser cutter has a quite large workspace: 20" x 12", which is larger than a standard A3 paper sheet.
Pro No hassle with calibrations
The optical tools of this laser cutter are pre-adjusted. You should be able to run this laser cutter straight out of the box. However, you can still do some micro-adjustments. Additionally, the adjusting process is simple and well documented.
Pro Honeycomb base plate prevents overheating and reflections
The base plate is made from aluminum and has a honeycomb pattern, which prevents workpiece overheating and laser beam reflections.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pro Comes with accessories
This laser cutter comes with a water pump, which is used for CO2 tube cooling, and a fume extractor.
Cons
Con Low cutting depth
The maximum suggested cutting depth is only ¼".
Con Can't cut metal
The 40W laser is not powerful enough for metal cutting.
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.
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.
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.
Con Not suitable for metal cutting
It has neither the power nor the precision required for metal cutting.
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.
