You can cut elaborate designs into wood, glass, paper, plastic, and even metal with the top best laser cutters. Choosing the best laser cutters has gotten more complex than ever since these tools have been redesigned to be brought into the house and utilized for craft projects, art, and other purposes.
The best laser cutters can not only cut materials but also engrave and score to produce consistent professional creations at a rapid speed. For example, the best laser cutters may improve your efficiency if you’re a crafter who uses Cricut.
What might you do with a laser cutter?
It varies, but the accuracy with which they can make material cuts allows them to perform various duties. You may transform the most detailed designs into your chosen material using digital sketching tools.
Most of the best laser cutters now employ custom applications as well. While laser cutters are considerably cheaper and more accessible than they used to be, they are still a substantial financial commitment, so it is important to do your homework and choose the correct one. They may, however, help raise your creative efforts to the next level and are the ideal complement to craft machines; for more information on optimizing your productivity.
The best laser cutters on the market right now
1. Laser cutter xTools M1
- The best laser cutter for crafts
- Specifications
- Various materials
- 38.5 x 30 cm engraving/cutting area
- Power: 5 and 10 watt diode laser versions
- Reasons to purchase +Laser and blade cutters included +Compatible with over 300 materials.
- Reasons to avoid -Lacks the pure laser power of the Glowforge.
The xTool M1 laser cutter is distinct from the other devices on my list in that it incorporates both laser and blade-cutting technologies inside its curved, well-designed box of tricks. The mix of tools and a small design means the xTool M1 is a Red Dot Award-winning design.
Because you can perform everything the best Cricut machines can do while also using a laser to engrave, cut, and score, this top laser cutter can do a bit more than some of the pure laser cutters on our list.
The blade can cut cleaner than certain lasers, with minimal burning, and eliminates the need to mask materials before cutting. The laser in the xTools M1 is less powerful than in the Glowforge or any of the other xTools machines.
Interior is a 5 or 10 watt diode laser that is less powerful than the Glowforge CO2 45 watt laser, which means it is slower and can make numerous passes. However, a diode laser will generally live longer and be less expensive to repair if anything goes wrong.
The blade is also not a rotary blade, as found in a Cricut Maker 3, but rather one comparable to that seen in the best Silhouette machines. If you don’t already have a craft machine, the xTools M1 is a wonderful choice since it combines the capabilities of a Cricut with those of a quality laser cutter and engraver. You can find more about the best xTools machines in my guide.
2. Glowforge Standard
The most powerful laser cutter for beginning laser cutters
Specifications
- Various materials
- 30 x 49.5 cm engraving/cutting area Power: 40 watt, Class 1 laser
- Today’s Best Offers
- Look at Hobbycraft.
- Check out Amazon.
- Reasons to purchase +Easy to use and extremely clean +Good browser-based app
- Reasons to avoid -Not compatible with Chromebooks
The Glowforge Basic has the same design and simple usage as the more powerful Glowforge Pro, No. 1 on my good list, but it has several adjustments to bring the price down, such as a slower cooling system and a 40 watt laser sooner than a 45 watt beam.
But don’t be misled by the term “basic” in the name; the Glowforge Basic is still an amazingly strong and rapid laser cutter. Its CO2, 45 watt Class one laser is very powerful than the xTools M1, making it a bit faster. It also lacks the Glowforge Pro’s Pro Passthrough slot, limiting you to smaller tasks or planning projects around the space.
However, it employs the same app and process as the higher-spec Glowforge Pro and delivers the same quick and clean approach. So you must prepare your design, wait for the laser cutter to concentrate, and then press the luminous ‘print’ button.
Easy.
The Basic has a benefit over the Pro because it does not need the Glowforge Air Filter since its slower laser produces less smoke and dust.
That’s a $1,000 / £1,000 save. If you want a top high-end laser cutter for a lower price, the Glowforge Basic is now one of the best options. Glowforge’s ecosystem of laser-primed materials, apps, and support is also appreciated.
3. Glowforge Professional
- Overall, the best laser cutter specifications.
- Various materials
- Power: 45W Engraving/cutting area: 27.9 x 49.5 cm
- Reasons to purchase +Fast laser cutter and engraver +Supports a wide range of materials +Easy to use and nice app.
- Reasons to avoid -Ideally, the Air Filter attachment is required.
Glowforge Pro does for best laser cutters what Cricut has done for craft cutters; it is a wonderfully designed ‘laser printer’ that eliminates the mess and bothers and wraps it all in a clean and accessible gadget. This is the top Glowforge laser cutter, with a medium Plus edition and a somewhat less powerful Basic model also available.
The Glowforge provides the same cutting and engraving as many of the good laser cutters on my full list, but its design keeps any mess within the machine (a filter pulls any dust and debris into an outer air filter). Glowforge machines support Mac, Windows, and tablet devices, and designs are transmitted to the machine through a custom app.
The Glowforge Pro employs a high-spec Class 4, 45-watt laser, the most powerful available outside the industrial application. (The Plus and Basic employ a 40-watt Class 1 laser, which is yet more powerful than most of the lasers on this list.) In my Glowforge Pro review, I praised the laser cutter’s speed, ease of use, and outstanding design app.
It should be used in meeting with the Glowforge Air Filter attachment. This simple of use and clean approach to the best laser cutting and engraving propels the Glowforge to the top of my list. It appears like a typical printer but can engrave everything from metal to wood, tiles to paper, and leather – it’s also ideal for any operation that demands precise cutting, such as costume production or model work.
Perfect.
More information about the Glowforge Pro and the rest of the Glowforge series can be found in our guide to the top best Glowforge machines. The best laser cutters; a white-background photo of the xTool M1 (Image credit: xTool)
4. The xTool D1 Pro is the best laser cutter
- XTool D1 Pro Laser Engraver 04
- The best laser cutter for amateurs
- Specifications
- Wood and metal are the materials.
- Area for engraving/cutting: 43 x 39 x 5 cm
- 20W of power
- Today’s Best Offers
- Visit Banggood.com to see more.
- Visit Amazon to see it.
- Visit Banggood.com to see more.
- Reasons to purchase +Color your engravings +Fast and easy to use +Good app.
- Reasons to avoid -Separately sold extras
The best xTool D1 Pro Laser Engraver is one of numerous laser cutters and engravers produced by xTool, and it is my personal favourite. This machine, available in red or grey, employs revolutionary laser technology that transmits four beams via a reflector to merge into a single 20W laser.
As a result, it instantly oxidises metallic surfaces, allowing you to produce over 300 different colours from your metal engravings. It does it at a reasonable 400 mm/s speed. While the Glowforge at No. 1 caught my attention, the xTool D1 Pro is still a great small gadget constructed of all aluminum for a solid base.
It has an older design than Glowforge; with an open top, things may become dusty. However, the xTool, like the Glowforge, is an accessible laser cutter and engraver with a nice app to aid your designs. Its size, slightly larger than A3, means that enormous designs are achievable on this machine.
The downside?
The ‘risers’ that raise the gadget to accommodate bigger items are offered separately. Product image of the Ten-High C02, one of the best laser cutters on the market.
5. Reci W4 Co2 laser tube engraver and cutter, 130W
The best laser cutter with a broad working area
Specifications
- Plastic, wood, bamboo, paper, acrylic, marble, and glass are some materials used.
- The engraving area is 1300 x 900mm.
- 117W of power
- 0-60000mm/s speed
- Today’s Best Offers
- Visit Amazon to see it.
- Reasons to purchase +Large working space +Compatible with AutoCD/CorelDRAW
- Avoidance Reasons
- -Not suited for metal -Requires a lot of space
- Fair warning: if you work in a tiny space, this is not the laser cutter for you.
The 130W Reci W4 Co2 is a large beast with an engraving area of 1300 × 900mm with engraving and cutting rates of up to 600 mm/sec. If you know you’ll be blasting through many laser-cutting tasks and have lots of space, and this may be the machine for you.
Except for metal, it can cut almost everything, so whether you’re working with wood, plastic, plexiglass, crystal, leather, rubber, marble, ceramics, or anything else, you should be good. It also has a broad range of digital compatibility, supporting various file types and working with AutoCAD and CorelDRAW. Again, we cannot emphasize how large this monster is.
Its footprint is approximately 1829 x 1422 x 1041mm; therefore, you won’t be able to tuck it into a cabinet corner. Triumph Fiber Laser Cutting Machine, one of the best laser cutters, product shot (Image credit: Amazon)
6. Fiber Laser Cutting Machine Triumph
- The best metal laser cutter
- Specifications
- Metal is used.
- The engraving space is 200 x 200mm.
- 500W, 750W, and 1000W
- 9,000mm/s speed
- Today’s Best Offers
- Visit Amazon to see it.
- Reasons to purchase +Excellent for metal +Comes with pre-installed software +Nice touch screen.
- Reasons to avoid -Expensive.
7. CO2 Ten-High Upgraded Version
The best laser cutter for xxx
Specifications
- Various materials (not metal)
- The engraving space is 400 x 600mm.
- 50W, 60W, 80W, and 100W
- Today’s Best Offers
- Visit Amazon to see it.
- Visit Amazon to see it.
- Visit Amazon to see it.
- +Red light locating system +Adjustable laser power +Automatic lifting platform
- Avoidance Reasons -Won’t cut metal.
The Ten-High Upgraded Version CO2 will be the best laser cutter for most customers – at least in the United States. It is very competent and reasonably simple to operate. It can be cut through wood, leather, plywood, acrylic, density board, bamboo, fabric, double-color plate, and glass, among other materials.
It should be noted that it will not cut through metal; therefore, if you want to conduct any metal laser cutting, you should go to the best Triumph Fiber Laser Cutting Machine at 3, which is particularly intended for that reason.
The Ten-High Upgraded Version CO2 makes it easy to line up your materials for cutting owing to a sophisticated red light positioning system. For safety, a suspension system quickly turns off the laser when the doors are opened.
The Ten-High Upgraded Version CO2 is well-equipped, with plenty of space for inscriptions and a ventilation fan to keep the exhaust smoke flowing. It is also compatible with CorelDRAW, and connecting is simple thanks to the USB connector.
Do you need to work with metal?
Triumph Fiber Laser Cutting Machine is designed for it, making it an excellent option for engraving. A high-speed galvanometer can cut aluminum, stainless steel, copper, gold, and silver without shadowing.
It’s not inexpensive, but it’s a highly competent device that can cut on a work area up to 200 × 200mm at a pace of 9,000mm/s. The interface is straightforward, with a touchscreen and support for AutoCAD, CorelDraw, and Photoshop format files. And best of all, it comes pre-installed with software, allowing you to get straight to work. On a white backdrop,
8. ORTUR Laser Master 2 laser cutter
- ORTUR Laser Master 2 08.
- This low-cost laser cutter is an incredible bargain.
Specifications
- Wood, metal, plastic, bamboo, paperboard, card, and other materials
- The engraving space is 400mm x 430mm.
- 15 watts of power
- 3,000mm/s speed
- Today’s Best Offers
- Look at GeekBuying
- View from Tomtop WW
- Visit Banggood.com to see more.
- Reasons to purchase +Amazingly low prices +Easy assembly +Decent performance
- Reasons to avoid -Some cutting trial and error.
This low-cost laser cutter is a daunting concept at first, coming as a jumble of pieces that may have you wondering what on the world you’ve gotten yourself.
However, after you’ve completed the easy assembling procedure, you’ll immediately realize you’ve got a firmly competent cutter on your hands and a wonderful one for the price you spent. Because the ORTUR Laser Master 2 lacks an interface, it must be connected to a computer to program your cuts.
You may want to have some extra materials on hand since there may be some fine-tuning and trial-and-error involved in getting the settings perfect for your specific designs – but once you do, the results are consistently quite nice across the board.
Some useful safety measures will ease any concerns about how open and exposed the design is – the Laser Master will cut down if it is knocked or moved or if the USB cord is knocked out. The ORTUR Laser Master 3 is available, but it is much more costly. We enjoy the economic flexibility of the Laser Master 2, so we are sticking with it as our suggestion for the time being.
What is a laser cutter?
A top laser cutter is a device that uses a high-powered laser to cut patterns, forms, and designs into materials such as wood, glass, paper, metal, and plastic. A laser’s accuracy results in a clean cut and a smooth finish.
Laser cutting has been used in large-scale industries for many decades. Still, laser cutters have lately become more inexpensive and are increasingly being utilized by hobbyists, schools, and small enterprises.
How do you pick the best laser cutter for your requirements?
First, create a budget for yourself.
Remember that if you want to monetize this ability, increasing your budget as feasible will allow you to acquire the best final result in the shortest amount of time and with the lowest use expenses.
It’s critical to find out about the cost of replacement components since you don’t want to be unable to maintain the machine working. Another consideration is speed, particularly if you want to mass manufacture a product to market quickly. Accuracy is also vital, so keep that in mind when limiting your alternatives.
Size, weight, and power consumption are other factors to consider since you may have a space that will only house one of these monsters, or they may be too power-hungry for you to operate.
However, if you desire speed, you may need to utilize more power for a more powerful cutting laser that produces a speedier result. You should also double-check the cutting plate size to ensure it is large enough to accommodate whatever you’re cutting.
What are the many kinds of laser cutters?
Laser cutters are classified into three categories. CO2 laser cutters are primarily used for cutting, drilling, engraving, and utilizing electrically stimulated CO2.
This is the most often used laser cutter among hobbyists and producers. Crystal laser cutters are high-powered and employ YVO and YAG to cut through thicker materials. Fibre Laser Cutters are made of fiberglass and can cut metal and nonmetal materials.
Which laser cutter is the best?
The Ten-High Upgraded Version CO2 Laser Cutter is the best laser cutter available today (opens in a new tab). It can engrave on most nonmetal materials, such as acrylic, plywood, density board, leather, wood, double-color plate, glass, fabric, bamboo, and paper.
Materials of any length may be cut. A red light positioning device is available to assist you in adequately aligning your materials. It connects via USB to your laptop and is compatible with CorelDRAW design software (not included).
