Glowforge Pro Plus vs Full Spectrum Hobby Series 20x12 CO2 Laser Cutter

Even though this is not an industrial-grade machine, it still has decent production capabilities. Due to its high versatility and proper precision (up to 1/1000"), this device is perfect for repetitive applications in small production runs.

The machine has enough power to cut through ½ inch hardwood.

The enclosure protects the operator from the harmful laser beam, fumes, and smoke.

The body of this machine is made from high-quality metal, glass, and plastic. All the parts are both durable and professional looking. Everything is CNC machined.

The software is capable of running on almost any iOS, Android, Windows and Linux machines.

The build area of this laser cutter is 11.5" x 20". This is more than enough for regular home needs, as well as small business needs. The pass-through feature allows you to cut or engrave very long sheets of material.

The cutter uses an air compressor to blow fumes away from the laser beam. It prevents ignition and accidental damage to the lens.

A closed-loop water cooling system is built into the machine. There is no need for an additional external water pump or a water cooler.

The software provided by Glowforge is fantastic. It is entirely cloud-based, meaning that all the work happens on the server side. The user interface is very intuitive and all the features are user-friendly. Additionally, you will not need to track and install the latest software updates manually, which is an important advantage about cloud-based applications.

This 45W laser cutter is, in fact, more powerful than the overwhelming majority of 45W CO2 laser cutters available in the market. The thing is that Glowforge developed their own CO2 laser tube. The given tube is extremely efficient due to its 'Mode 0' design (it provides greater power density).

The manufacturer permanently adjusts all the optical equipment. When required, the lenses can be auto-adjusted by the machine itself.

A thick, honeycombed baseplate is a standard feature of this laser cutter. This baseplate design allows for good heat transfer between air and the workpiece.

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.

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).

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.

The body of this laser cutter is made of high-quality steel. The parts are CNC machined. Thus the construction is very solid.

The RetinaEngrave software can receive design files from any software capable of printing (like CorelDraw, AutoCAD, Solidworks, Adobe Illustrator, PDF, MS Word, etc.).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This laser cutter has a quite large workspace: 20" x 12", which is larger than a standard A3 paper sheet.

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.

The base plate is made from aluminum and has a honeycomb pattern, which prevents workpiece overheating and laser beam reflections.