James Bricknell Senior Editor
James has been writing about expertise for years however has cherished it for the reason that early 90s. Whereas his fundamental areas of experience are maker instruments — 3D printers, vinyl cutters, paper printers, and laser cutters — he additionally likes to play board video games and tabletop RPGs.
- 6 years working professionally within the 3D printing area / 4 years testing shopper electronics for giant web sites.
Why You Can Belief CNET
Professionals
- Highly effective diode laser
- Wonderful software program
- Plenty of equipment
- Implausible enclosure
Cons
- Very expensive for a Diode
- Smaller footprint
- Wants a pc subsequent to it
When working with laser cutters at dwelling they primarily fall into two classes: Diode lasers and CO2 lasers. CO2 lasers just like the xTool P2 are sometimes extra highly effective and reduce and etch extra supplies whereas diode lasers are usually unenclosed and have much less chopping energy.
The S1 from xTool is one thing a little bit completely different. It is a diode laser with a big enclosure and a strong 40-watt laser that may reduce and etch absolutely anything you want, with a number of caveats.
When the S1 arrived I used to be impressed by the general look of the machine. Most diode lasers appear like a 3D printer that is been damaged down and reformed as Frankenstein’s monster. The S1 has a modern black enclosure with a darkish inexperienced hatch and appears costly {and professional}, one thing you do not at all times see.
This overview relies on the “primary equipment.” It contains the Air Help module, designed to scale back scorching in your laser etching, and a honeycomb chopping platform, which I like to recommend over the standalone machine. At $2,400 it is $200 greater than the standalone however air help is a should if you wish to generate nice cuts that may be given as presents or offered on Etsy.
xTool S1 Specs
| Laser energy | 40w |
|---|---|
| Laser sort | Diode |
| Work space | 498 x 319 |
| LED show | No |
| Enclosed | Sure |
| Precision | 0.01mm |
| Max velocity | 600mm/s |
| Max materials thickness | 18mm |
Diode lasers have come a good distance for the reason that early days of 4-watt lasers that would barely scorch wooden. The 40-watt behemoth on the S1 can reduce as much as 18mm wooden in a single move and can etch nearly the whole lot you need, together with slate, anodized aluminum and coloured acrylic.
The one factor it struggles with is transparency. Clear acrylic sheets and glass are all however inconceivable to work with; if you wish to use them, a CO2 laser is probably going your greatest guess. It even works on xTool’s enjoyable silicone Apple Watch straps. These may be lasered to take away the highest layer of silicone and present the rainbow coloration beneath. It may be difficult to get proper, however the impact is wonderful when you do. I additionally managed to etch a mirror end canine tag, which I believed the diode laser would battle with, and it got here out superb, approach higher than I believed it might.
Whereas the chopping space could possibly be thought-about small, the S1 does have a passthrough function that — with the extra riser accent — permits you to broaden the 498 x 319mm chopping space to a formidable 498 x 3000mm space. That is large enough to etch one big piece or use it to make a number of items in a conveyor belt fashion. All of the equipment, just like the rotary instrument for tumblers and the conveyor rollers, add worth, particularly for those who make multiples of the identical product.
The S1 is each very superior and primary on the identical time. It makes use of a really handbook plotting system to determine the place your materials is — you need to bodily drag the instrument head round and press the button to mark the boundary of the fabric — and it would not have a digital camera. That is fairly typical of diode lasers and there are after-market cameras that work with third-party software program like Lightburn, however the S1 is considerably costlier than most diode lasers. I have a look at laser at this worth level for people who find themselves greater than hobbyists, it is for individuals who wish to become profitable on a facet hustle or as their job. Time is cash; with out the digital camera, doing something takes far more time.
Fortunately, the software program that the S1 makes use of is excellent so it might mark the world very precisely however with out the digital camera, you need to bodily be along with your pc and the laser in the identical room. My PC is in my workplace so there’s a number of strolling forwards and backwards, however that should not be a problem if in case you have a laptop computer in your workshop. Xtool additionally has an
iPad
app that may do a few of the day by day work, however it is not absolutely featured, so cannot work in all instances.
The S1 software program has a really intelligent beta referred to as “Curve Course of.” It makes use of a mechanical probe to the touch a curved floor, like a plate or bowl and measure the variance on the curve. It then outputs a
3D
mannequin of the curves to put your design on. Then, when chopping, the top strikes up and right down to preserve the main target actual so the etching is even throughout each a part of the fabric. It’s extremely cool to look at and is a function that may solely get higher over time.
I am nonetheless on the fence about high-priced, high-powered diode lasers. The S1 might be the perfect diode laser I’ve used, however it nonetheless struggles to chop clear acrylic or work with any clear supplies. That is an inherent problem with diodes so I should not fault it, however the $2,400 price ticket means I anticipate a little bit greater than the $800 – $1,000 ones you usually see. The Flux Beamo is a 30W CO2 laser with a comparable chopping space that may reduce clear supplies and is priced equally to the S1, so it is a robust determination.
That being stated, the software program on the S1 is improbable, and with the supplies that Xtool has calibrated it with it really works very effectively. When you make issues in leather-based, slate, or wooden then the S1 will match all of your wants and the shortage of clear chopping will not matter anyway. The most important promoting level of the S1 is the casing. Sure, it’s costlier than the same old machines prefer it, however the enclosure has an environment friendly air flow system, and, with the honeycomb attempt beneath, is way safer to make use of than an open-air laser. It even has an emergency shut-off button in case one thing goes fallacious. The additional options are value the additional cash in my eyes.
The xTool S1 won’t be proper in your first laser, however it’s an important machine to purchase for those who already perceive the method and are able to improve, particularly for those who become profitable utilizing your laser gadgets.
