If you really want to buy a machine, do a bunch of research ahead of time, talk to experienced salespeople, and know exactly what you need. All that I have mentioned will take up your time. And there are a large number of laser engravers throughout the market now. I am gonna try to help speed up the whole process for you today with the following aspects:
- Power
How strong is the actual laser. This is measured in watts. Power determines your working efficiency. The power of the Co2 laser engraver will range variously from 40W to 150W for non-industrial users. Which machine to choose depends on what you are going to do with the laser. A hobbyist or a small business owner? Take Monport 60W Co2 laser engraver an example, it can cut up to 6mm acrylic in several passes. But if you choose 80W, it can cut 6mm acrylic quicker and more efficiently in fewer passes. As I tested, Monport 80W can cut 4 mm in a single pass. So knowing what exactly you need is essential. Monport website will offer you a shot on the parameter to choose the suitable power.
- Working Bed & Machine Size
Working bed & machine size will be chosen by your working space and your door size. Ventilation is an important factor as well. Some machines are going to have a pretty small working area, like 8”*12”. The bigger machines scale all the way up to 40”*64”. This is the 40W from 150W laser engraver. The machine size, which literally means how big the machine is, will be different because of different working beds. Monport has detailed info on package size, machine size, and working beds for every machine.
- Features
This is everything from internal construction to autofocus for your lenses to air assist to exhaust systems to a bunch of different things. Co2 laser engravers really range from pretty minimal features to really decked-out features when you get on the higher more expensive end. Monport team always tries to listen to the customers to upgrade their machines. They changed the Co2 laser engraver cover lid to fireproof material. The lined up theCo2 laser engraver with a built-in CW-5200 water chiller solves the headache problem of setting up the accessory by yourselves. These are all nice features and will be a hit.
- Price
This is the last thing but is probably the first thing that you look at. Speaking of price, I want to say that Monport offers Affirm on their website for the finance option. Price can vary because of different platforms, better configuration. Here is the comparison of OM and Monport which are always mentioned together:
|
|
60W |
80W |
100W |
130W |
|
Monport |
$2649.99 |
$4399.99 |
$5024.99 |
$6734.99 |
|
OMTech |
$2999.99 |
$4749.99 |
$5499.99 |
$7299.99 |
Monport has the same quality as OMTech. They offer better customer service and US-based technical support which is nicer option to choose.