The barrier to entry for a lot of powerful laser engravers is oftentimes price, but in order to help alleviate this, we chose a few great picks to stretch the budget if a laser engraver of this caliber is the best machine for you. The proverbial “bang for your buck” was also taken into account when choosing to include some of the more expensive machines to ensure you get the best deal on the market.

In general, fiber laser machines will tend to be significantly more expensive as they are typically professional-grade machines, and CO₂ and diode lasers will trend in the lower ranges, but this is reflected in their capability as well.

It can be challenging to master a new machine or technique, which is why we considered how steep the learning curve is. One of the main factors we considered was software and its documentation across various platforms.

Additionally, we considered the difficulty in setting the machine up and maintaining it over the long term. Lastly, community support plays an important role in one’s experience with a given machine, so it’s important that this is abundant and easy to access. It shouldn’t be impossible to get a good product, and we recognize that a lively community can take out some of the guesswork.

Last, but not least, is capability. There is a slew of components to regard, but here are the main ones we analyzed.

• Precision and accuracy: What is the quality of the cut or marking? The precision and accuracy of a machine speak volumes about the machine’s quality and its manufacturer.
• Size: How large of a product can the machine engrave? One factor to consider with regard to working area and max piece size is that they may not be comparable across machines. This is because some machines have removable floors for engraving on larger projects.
• Material portfolio: How efficiently does the machine handle each material? While CO₂ and diode lasers will be able to engrave wood and coated metals, fiber lasers will be able to engrave a wide variety of raw metals.
• Extra features: Does it have a Z-axis, rotary module, or any other external features? Expandability and other features showcase a product’s adaptability as well as increased functionality.

Together, these criteria are important for informing our ranking and your decision.

The Orion Motor Tech K40 laser engraver is essentially a traditional K40 laser engraver equipped with a CO₂ tube as the laser source and some pretty great specs. This machine can engrave lots of materials, but as far as metal is concerned, it can only engrave coated or anodized metals as it does use a conventional laser tube. Additionally, aftermarket accessories such as rotary modules and better coolers have already appeared and seem to provide good results.

The machines are imported from Asia, but Orion Motor Tech is an American-based company that offers many benefits. The most important of which is fantastic customer service, which has resulted in greater adoption of the machine, leading to wide community support. The machine does require a fair amount of tinkering, but once tuned, the possibilities are practically endless.

Pros

• Fairly large working area (200 x 300 mm)
• Well priced
• Good customer service

Cons

• Can be difficult to set up with water cooling
• Built-in software can be difficult to use initially
• Can only engrave coated metals

Summary

• Difficulty: Hard
• Laser wattage: 40 W
• Cost: ~$480

OMTech 40 W Laser Engraver and Cutter

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The Atomstack S20 PRO may be a diode laser, but it still packs a punch. With an output power of 20 watts, this machine can mark through any non-metal material with ease. It will mark coated metals, but this does not extend to raw metals, unfortunately. It provides a large work area of 400 x 400 mm and has an open bottom which means it can simply be placed on top of a larger workpiece if need be.

The software has good reviews with a slightly steep learning curve, but still reasonably attainable. Being an open-air machine, the engraver has fewer safety features than necessary for normal metal engraving, so extra safety precautions must be taken. Overall, it is a great machine that packs together a lot of features and a fantastic work area.

Pros

• Large working area (400 x 400 mm)
• A growing community with respect to software
• Easily expandable with rotary modules and more powerful lasers

Cons

• Few safety features
• Built-in software can be hard to use initially
• Can only engrave coated metals

Summary

• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Laser wattage: 20 W
• Cost: ~$1,200

Atomstack S20 PRO

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The Atomstack M4 Fiber Laser is the only budget pick in this list that is a fiber laser. Being a fiber laser affords this machine many benefits, such as the ability to engrave uncoated metals fast. It uses a galvanometer system, effectively reflecting light and allowing for a higher speed (relative to gantry-mounted lasers) and a more tuned-in laser frequency since the laser beam source is stationary.

It does have a smaller build area, but this is typical of fiber lasers as the light becomes less intense over longer distances, which imposes some limits given that the head doesn’t move. It makes up for this by providing a removable floor so that it can be placed on top of larger workpieces and has an adjustable Z-axis.

This could be a great machine for jewelry and electronics applications with this size restriction but is not limited to only these examples. The software and community are fairly light for this pick, so this is a machine best left to the patient and strong of heart.

Pros

• Ability to engrave most raw metals
• Well-priced, especially for a fiber laser
• Has a removable floor for larger workpieces

Cons

• Less community support
• Requires experimentation with the software
• Small working area (70 x 70 mm)

Summary

• Difficulty: Hard
• Laser wattage: 10 W
• Cost: ~$1,500

Atomstack M4 Fiber Laser

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The Glowforge laser engraver series is a well-known machine in the maker community. This is primarily because it was early to the scene and has fantastic customer support. The price is fairly high, but a good deal of that may stem from the absolutely amazing software. One unique feature is the ability to convert a drawing from paper directly onto your piece without any external programs by the use of a camera inside the machine.

The Glowforge, similar to the K40, uses a CO₂ tube and mirrors to internally direct the laser beam to the print head. This allows it to engrave faster but it still does not match the speed of fiber laser engraving. With respect to metals, it is limited to coated metals, but if this is your use case, this machine could be a fantastic choice. The build area is approximately 495 x 280 mm and can support workpieces up to 505 x 455 mm. Notably, it does not have a removable floor for larger pieces.

Pros

• Feature-rich software
• Powerful laser and material portfolio
• Great documentation and community

Cons

• Pricey
• Works best with coated metals
• Proprietary (little expandability)

Summary

• Difficulty: Easy
• Laser wattage: 40 W, 45 W
• Cost: $5,000-$7,000

Glowforge Plus Learn more

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Glowforge Pro

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The Full Spectrum Laser (FSL) Muse Core is another fairly well-known machine. The company touts excellent customer reviews, customer service, and is based in the United States. The machine is another CO₂ laser tube machine using mirrors to direct the light. This makes the print head lighter, but once again, its speed still pales in comparison to fiber lasers. The working area is 508 x 305 mm.

There is a large community online as well as good documentation, but the price can be a barrier to entry for some. Unfortunately, being a CO₂ tube machine, the engraver can only mark coated metals, but is a great option for other use cases as well, such as cutting wood and other less reflective materials.

Pros

• Good customer service
• User friendly
• Well-made software

Cons

• Pricey
• Works best with coated metals
• Fewer features

Summary

• Difficulty: Easy
• Laser wattage: 40 W, 45 W
• Cost: ~$3,000

Full Spectrum Laser Muse Core

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The OMTech Fiber Laser engraver is so powerful that it can even cut through some thin metal sheets. It uses a fiber tube to transport the powerful laser beam from the laser module to the print head where the galvanometer directs it over the large work area of 200 x 200 mm. This is one of the largest work areas of fiber lasers available to the consumer in the laser market of today.

This machine can engrave any metal from brass to raw iron and more with the finely-tuned laser. The company itself stems from Orion Motor Tech, which has USA-based customer service and a growing community as well as great documentation for the machine and the accompanying software. The main barrier to entry here is price, but most consumers do not need a machine this powerful for basic applications. OMTech does offer solutions with varying wattages such as 20 and 30 watts which can bring the price down, but they are still fairly pricey.

Pros

• Good customer service
• Comprehensive software and hardware capability
• Large work area (200 x 200 mm)

Cons

• Pricey
• Small, but growing community

Summary

• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Laser wattage: 20 W, 30 W, 50 W
• Cost: $3,000-$6,000

Omtech Fiber Laser Marker Engraver

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The Mr. Carve M1 Pro Fiber Laser resembles the Atomstack M4 fiber laser. The machine may be tiny, but it packs a punch. The engraver has an adjustable Z-axis and is self-contained. It’s also well priced relative to other small form factor fiber lasers.

The community is small and the software is primitive, but when mastered, the machine produces impressive results. It’s able to mark all metals, albeit some can be marked slightly less deep, but multiple runs can help alleviate this issue. Another great aspect of this machine is that Mr. Carve already has rotary modules and such included, allowing for even greater workpiece flexibility.

Pros

• Well priced
• Wide material portfolio
• Simple UI on the machine itself

Cons

• Small work area (65 x 65 mm)
• Software experimentation required
• Smaller community

Summary

• Difficulty: Hard
• Laser wattage: 2 W
• Cost: ~$1,300

Mr. Carve M1 Laser

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The FSL Muse Fiber Galvo V2 engraver makes use of FSL’s 20+ years of experience with lasers and galvanometer systems to provide one of the most precise marking machines in the sector. The laser itself works similarly to the other fiber lasers mentioned, with the primary distinction being that the company offers modularity. The material portfolio mirrors that of OMTech’s offerings, depending on the laser intensity, of course.

Other features, such as rotary modules and fume extractors, are built to spec such that they can easily be integrated at the time of purchase, or even down the road. This does come at a steep cost, but if you plan on modifying the machine, the investment could be well worth it. The software associated with the engraver is fairly well documented, but the community is small and growing. This can pose some challenges to beginners, but most beginners should be opting to outsource work that needs such a heavy-duty tool anyway.

Pros

• Very powerful
• Modular
• Great customer service
• Large workspace (300 x 300 mm)

Cons

• Pricey
• Smaller community

Summary

• Where to find it: FSL Muse Fiber Galvo V2 Marking Machine
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Laser wattage: 20 W, 50 W
• Cost: $6,000-$13,000