The Only Lasers Worth Backing in This Gold Rush

So, nearly $2 million, 13 companies, and a ton of Kickstarter campaigns. This is

like the most Kickstarter campaigns I've ever seen for lasers, and they've all happened in the last few months. So, in

this video, I want to talk about the campaigns that I think you might want to check out, and the ones you want to steer clear of. All right, let's jump into it. Quick aside, I don't have any

into it. Quick aside, I don't have any of these machines on hand. I'm basically

just giving you my thoughts on looking at these pages, and none of these Kickstarter I have like any type of affiliate relationship with. So, let's

jump into it. The very first one is going to be from Akmer. This is the X1 Ultra. And I'm going to be using this

Ultra. And I'm going to be using this fun little easy tool. They basically put these into one of three categories.

Whether it's a real deal, so maybe you should check it out. Uh, it's a safe bet. So, like an established company

bet. So, like an established company kind of re-releasing an existing technology. Or third, wild card slash

technology. Or third, wild card slash maybe you should be really cautious cuz this may not be right. Okay, so the Acur X1, um, this is an established company.

So, Acme does make a good bit of diode lasers and this is a diode laser. What

is unique about this is really two things. One is the power. So, this is a

things. One is the power. So, this is a 120 watts. Uh, and that is not like the

120 watts. Uh, and that is not like the false advertising we've seen in the past where people will say this is a 100 watt diode laser and they really mean that's like the power going into the machine or really it's like 10 watts or 20 watts is

the actual power coming out and that's what you care about. But in this case, this is like an actual 120 watt diode machine. And really the max we've seen

machine. And really the max we've seen in the past for diodes uh on this like gantry style machine is going to be like 60 watts. We've seen stuff from like

60 watts. We've seen stuff from like Creality in the past as well. And the

way D machines add more wattage is they're adding additional dodes into the laser head itself. And you can kind of see that right here of what is going on.

Um this is not the greatest image, but basically there's a ton of different dodes that they're all reflecting together and then shooting out. I think

like one diode is about five watts. So

to get 120 watts, um, we're talking over 24 diodes, which is wild. And one of the biggest limiting factors in the past was not that you can't just add more and more additional dodes, but to do that

like the heat sink and the cooling because all of these were air cooled meant that you had to have a really really massive laser module that you would then drop onto a gantry and then you would just run into like limitations

of physics uh where you just can't run that super fast. This because it's this huge like metal piece that you're trying to move back and forth really quick. And

when you have high wattage, one of the advantages of that is you can run something faster because you have enough wattages to keep up with the speed. So

to get around that, what Acar is doing as well as one other Kickstarter is this is the first that I know about. This is

actually water cooled. So that is what this tank is over here on the left. Uh

and this is going to be like really similar to what like a proper CO2 where you'll have like an additional water chiller that will just circulate water.

In that case, it's like the glass laser tube. Uh, but in this case, they're just

tube. Uh, but in this case, they're just running it through the laser module itself. So, I think there's like a hose

itself. So, I think there's like a hose dropping in right here. And you can kind of see there's the blue and I guess the red where it's the heated up water um that's going through. So, in doing that, they're not having to do all of like the

crazy heat sink stuff um to that laser module because they're cooling it with water, which is allowing them to get to 120 watts. And one nice advantage of

120 watts. And one nice advantage of dodes is because those are individual dodes that they're bouncing together, you can turn sets of those dodes off um to adjust your wattage. Um so you can

see you have a 60 watt and a 20 watt option. And you might be wondering why

option. And you might be wondering why don't I just turn like the 120 watt wattage down to like 50%. Would that be the same thing as 60? Uh not exactly.

because as you add in more and more individual dodes, you're basically introducing a bunch of more like errors to the optics. Uh so the laser spot at the end of the day is going to be thicker. So basically by turning off

thicker. So basically by turning off half of those um you're reducing a lot of those errors. So you're getting a much smaller laser dot. That is also the case going all the way down to 20 watts.

But if I was going to categorize this, I would actually put this as a wild card.

Uh, and the big reason for that is this is a 120 watt diode laser that off the bat doesn't really have any type of great covering or safety. And they are

offering you like an enclosure as an add-on. Uh, but just seeing that and

add-on. Uh, but just seeing that and kind of knowing how these normal like open gantry design machines work when you have like an additional enclosure just the safety is not going to be the same as like a full unit that is built

from the ground up that is fully enclosed. Um, also this is like

enclosed. Um, also this is like humongous. Like the largest size on this

humongous. Like the largest size on this is 4 ft by 8 ft, which is insane. And

you definitely can get a smaller version of that. So you can get a 200 watt quote

of that. So you can get a 200 watt quote unquote spindle on there as well as an additional attachment. And I think you

additional attachment. And I think you have to get like the bigger version to do that. But I would definitely caution

do that. But I would definitely caution you on the safety side with a setup like this, especially with this high of wattage. But if you're cool with rolling

wattage. But if you're cool with rolling the dice on safety and you just want to see what 120 watts on a diode would do, uh, pretty pretty wild. Now, as we're talking about a ton of these machines,

if you want to compare how these offerings stack up against like what's currently out there, highly encourage you guys to check out my website, machinesformakers.com. You can compare

machinesformakers.com. You can compare this stuff side by side. Look at stats side by side as well as price, which we track daily, and there is a link down below to check it out. All right, next

up is going to be the Alien Cell X1.

This is a new company from the best that I can tell. So, this is not an established brand. So, that would be

established brand. So, that would be actually my main concern about this machine because everything else about this looks really, really nice. This is

basically a fully enclosed diode laser with like all of the bells and whistles that you wish a machine like this had.

So, you compare this to like the X-tool S1 or the machines from Wreate. Um, it

supports LightBurn, uh, which the Xtool is weird about doing. You've got dual cameras inside of it. Uh it's got a really nice work area. Um you've got multiple laser modules and this is all air cooled. So this is not like liquid

air cooled. So this is not like liquid cooled like what we just saw. You've got

a nice touchscreen panel. Uh looks like it's making the positioning uh really easy. So you can like move the laser

easy. So you can like move the laser head around and it's registering exactly where things are. I think that is why they're calling this the first time the first real time rendering. That's kind

of that interaction between your artwork and then like where the laser head is um on your gantry. And this is a machine I definitely want to get in the shop and test out because on paper the specs and the feature set of this um really puts

it at the top end for these fully enclosed diode machines and could potentially be like an overall recommendation for me in the future. The

only thing I would be cautious about is just the fact that this is a brand new company. All right, so I'm just pulling

company. All right, so I'm just pulling up my site machines formakers.com.

There's a link down below if you want to get access to all of these comparison tools. U but you can see especially on

tools. U but you can see especially on the price point. Uh, so that is uh a nice price for 40 watts. And I need to update this. This is 40 watts, not 20

update this. This is 40 watts, not 20 watts. The 20 watt version is $12.99.

watts. The 20 watt version is $12.99.

Um, so right in kind of the price range of the Lasermatic and the Oour. But in

terms of price, it stacks up really, really well against the competition. But

in terms of the feature set, it kind of blows the rest of them away. So for the Alien Cell X1, I would actually put this into a real deal. All right, next up is

going to be the Atomstack Atlier Blue.

And I think this is going to be a Kickstarter. It is right now a pre-sale

Kickstarter. It is right now a pre-sale uh at 600 bucks. So, this is a desktop Galvo machine. And this is going to be

Galvo machine. And this is going to be more of a competitor to something like the Xtool F1. Uh but it only has one laser source where the F1 I think has dual. This is just a diode laser. And

dual. This is just a diode laser. And

pretty much all the manufacturers are starting to make something that is similar to this. for this. I would say this is a safe bet uh because this is from Adamstack and this is like a pretty established design and technology. All

right, next up is the Atomstack Glacier, which it's basically the same thing as the Acur X1. Uh it is a 120 watt water cooled machine and they're giving this

to you in two different flavors. So you

can get a 90 watt version or 120 watt version. Also, it is not as insane in

version. Also, it is not as insane in terms of the uh work area. So again,

Acar had that huge 8x4 ft version. This

one is 800 by 800 mm or a little over 2 1/2x 2 1/2 ft. Now, this one pretty much is going to be exactly like Akmar in terms of my recommendation. I'm going to

say this is a wild card for the same reasons, and that is just safety on an open gantry design. But that is a lot of wattage to be pumping into an open gantry design um which just overall is

not super safe. All right, moving on.

This is the G- Wick G3. In this case, this is the basic, but coming over to their Kickstarter, which is actively running right now. This is Gwick's

answer to the F2 Ultra from Xtool. So,

this is a dual laser setup in a desktop uh design. So, like the F2 Ultra I've

uh design. So, like the F2 Ultra I've got sitting right over there. In this

case, this is going to be a 60W fiber Mopa uh laser as well as a 40 W diode.

So, where the Atlas was just that lower power diode, um this is going to be a proper fiber Mopa source. And they are going to give you a few different options for this. Um you can get the basic um which is going to be a 20 watt

fiber, not a Mopa version, and a 20 watt diode. You have a standard, which is

diode. You have a standard, which is going to give you a 30 watt fiber. Uh a

plus, which is going to give you a 50 watt fiber. And then, and then the Pro

watt fiber. And then, and then the Pro and the Ultra, which is going to open you up to a Mopa source, as well as some different wattages as well. So whereas

the X-tool F2 Ultra only has two different versions. So one that is just

different versions. So one that is just with the Mopa source and then one that has the diode, Gwick is kind of going Burger King on this uh so you can kind of have it your way. Uh and all of these

different versions. And so this is the

different versions. And so this is the G2. So what the G3 is replacing. And the

G2. So what the G3 is replacing. And the

best that I can tell like the actual laser source is exactly the same. Um

they're just changing up how this works where really they're just putting like an enclosure around it and then adding in some cameras. So overall, it's going to be fine, but it's not going to be something super unique. Uh, so in this

case, I'm going to put this as a safe bet because it's existing technology, just in a form factor that's starting to get a lot more popular. All right, next up is going to be Hans Maker, the D1

Ultra. This one is a brand new company.

Ultra. This one is a brand new company.

This isn't out soon, and this is a machine that I'm going to be getting into the shop to be able to test out.

And this one is just a 30 W fiber, so not a Mopa. Uh, and then a 20 watt diode. uh they're going to have like

diode. uh they're going to have like their own custom software, but I believe you can use it with LightBurn as well.

And so there's really not anything like super unique about uh this design. It's

kind of another competitor in the space.

So again, this one also is going to be a safe bet with really the caveat of this is a brand new company, so be a little bit more cautious with that. All right,

next up, this is the Lens Digital Vertigo. Uh and you might be wondering

Vertigo. Uh and you might be wondering why does it say One Laser? And that is because one laser, who I've done reviews of in the past for their X series, their desktop CO2 machine, as well as their

larger industrial hydro machine, which is a dual CO2 and RF source. Again, one

of my top recommendations. I think One Laser does an incredible job with the machines they make. And they've

partnered with Lens Digital to make a machine that is specifically for rotary stuff and like tumblers. and Lens

Digital you might be familiar with because they sell a lot of the rotaries that you might have used in the past, but this one is pretty cool because it

basically takes a traditional RF desktop machine and flips it on its side and it integrates a rotary directly into it.

So, let me find a good image so you can kind of see how this works. Uh, so yeah, the tumbr is sitting straight up and then you can see that laser source there

on the left side. And so when it fires, it is turning the tumbler standing up.

So a really cool design. You can see it firing right there that is customuilt to do a very specific job. And you can tell there is a lot of space inside of there.

And that's because you can get some really thick circular stuff inside of it, just like this guy right here. So

just a cool overall design. Now, as of right now, uh this is $5,000. So, it

definitely isn't cheap, but this is totally purpose-built for people that have a tumbler engraving business and you just need to crank out more products. So, if that is a need for you,

products. So, if that is a need for you, this is basically customuilt to do exactly that. And because this is like a

exactly that. And because this is like a setup we haven't quite seen, I'm totally going to say this is going to be a real deal. All right, next up is going to be

deal. All right, next up is going to be the Monport Auto Forge. I have the Mopa version of it right here. uh and kind of see right off the bat that it basically

is going to be uh a safe bet because it is more or less a competitor to the F2 Ultra. Uh so you know what? We're going

Ultra. Uh so you know what? We're going

to go ahead and throw it up there because Mineport is an established brand. They're in the same kind of

brand. They're in the same kind of category as Ohm Techch as well as Gwick.

Uh but let's go ahead and pull up their actual Kickstarter because there is one unique thing that Monport is doing. Uh

and that has to do with the AutoForge name. So you can see right here on top

name. So you can see right here on top of uh their conveyor belt which after the F1 Ultra a lot of these manufacturers have started to provide.

So Monport does that but they also have this autoload system. So you can see right here uh it just drops in more of whatever you're putting inside of it.

Then it's using its cameras to be able to detect the edges and then laser engrave. So, this is kind of like the

engrave. So, this is kind of like the next step if you're wanting to do batch stuff like this because I will say using like the batch stuff on the F2 Ultra and

the F1 Ultra, it does a fairly good job, but it's still using the cameras to line everything up. So, I do find stuff like

everything up. So, I do find stuff like on these name tags won't be exactly aligned versus if you're putting it into like a proper jig where you know exactly the right positions, um, that's kind of

going to be your best bet. But, this is hands-free more or less. So, that is a really cool accessory. I haven't seen any other manufacturer provide. And

that's why I'm putting this as a safe bet. But just like those other safe bets

bet. But just like those other safe bets with our F2 Ultra competitors, they're giving this to you in a bunch of different versions. So, you have the 30

different versions. So, you have the 30 W fiber and the 20 watt diode. And then

you also have a Mopa version, but this is just the 60W Mopa. So, not with the dual diode inside of it. You can only get that when you just have the fiber, not the Mopa source. Um, but one thing

they are doing is uh in the same form factor, they're giving you a UV laser.

And that's why I've had this like cloud ray machine sitting beside me. Uh

because this is a proper UV laser. And

then the big thing that's happened this year other than all these competitors coming after Xtools F1 and now F2 Ultra is we've started to see a lot of different UV machines. So in this case,

you also have a 5 W UV, a version that you don't have with Hans Maker, G- Wick, or even with X tool, but I bet there is one coming soon. Now speaking of UV,

this is the Mr. Carve M7 Pro. This

Kickstarter is done. And then on their site, you can also pre-order it as well.

This is also a 5 watt UV machine. Just

that the enclosure is a lot more bulky than kind of what we've seen with the other ones. And I believe that's because

other ones. And I believe that's because the workb itself is what raises and lowers versus something like this. The

laser head itself will drop down. So I

think maybe they have some more mechanics inside of it or they're putting like the full like UV generation system on the back end of it. Now, we're

not going to get deep into UV because I do have a full specific UV video coming.

Uh, but lots of cool stuff you can do with the UV, like you can engrave inside of crystals. So, you can see these like

of crystals. So, you can see these like 3D engravings going on right here. And a

UV system is a cold engrave, meaning that you can do it on like plastics and stuff where a normal laser would melt it. Because of the UV wavelength, um,

it. Because of the UV wavelength, um, you don't have to have it super hot. You

can still mark on materials, which is handy as well. Now, I say all of that because if you see these Kickstarters, a lot of what they advertise about the machine isn't a real like machine

specific thing. It's more just the fact

specific thing. It's more just the fact this is a UV machine. So, even with like Mr. Carve, they're calling this like a threein-one UV laser. Uh, and that doesn't mean it has three sources.

They're just saying the three different ways you can engrave. So, in this case, this is like engraving on the surface, then like the depth maps where you're like engraving into the material. So

like doing those 3D coins um or doing the engraving inside of the crystals itself. Um they're just calling that the

itself. Um they're just calling that the three different kind of modes that you can use. But don't get confused. That

can use. But don't get confused. That

doesn't mean you have like a UV, a diode, and then a fiber source inside of it. Uh with that being said, I will say

it. Uh with that being said, I will say this is a safe bet. Mr. Carve can be hit or miss. Um and this will be a machine I

or miss. Um and this will be a machine I would like to actually test out just because it looks like it came out of Tron, which is fun. Uh so I'm just going to put this up here uh for now. Now,

going along with that, I wanted to throw this one out there. This is coming from Mad Mechanic, which looks suspiciously similar to the Mr. Garve that we just saw where they also are calling this a 3

in1, although now over here they're also calling it a 5 in one. And it does have like a big external like Android pad along with it. Uh, but like the form factor of the shell and the body, I

mean, looks nearly exactly the same as Mr. Carve. And I have never heard of Mad

Mr. Carve. And I have never heard of Mad Mechanic before. Uh definitely they're

Mechanic before. Uh definitely they're out of Hong Kong, which is pretty much all of these machines are getting uh made in Shenzhen and then they're marketed out of Hong Kong. And basically

all the details we have on it kind of mirrors what you would find with a normal UV machine. So just because it's a brand new company and it more or less looks exactly like the Mr. Carve M7 Pro,

I'm going to say this is a wild card just because it seems a little fishy.

All right, next up, this is the X Laser Lab E3. This is also a UV machine. In

Lab E3. This is also a UV machine. In

this case, this is uh 10 watts. Uh so

double of what we've seen before. Uh and

if X laser Lab looks familiar, uh while this is their first like laser marking machine, um this is not their first Kickstarter or laser in that case. Uh

they also have come out with kind of the first uh consumer style laser welder, cutter, and cleaner. This is a machine I have in the shop that I need to review.

So, Photonix is not brand new to this, but they are new in terms of like the laser engraving style machines. This is

a machine that has not been released.

Uh, but again, if you kind of go through all of what they're talking about, the majority of it is just what they're talking about with the UV side of things. So, does UV really well and it's

things. So, does UV really well and it's double the wattage of what we've seen before. It's going to have their own

before. It's going to have their own custom software and the case doesn't look like Mr. Carve or Mad Mechanic, so I'll say that is a plus. So, it looks like they have kind of their own manufacturing process with it. Now, for

this one, I'll probably be a little bit more cautious than more of the established uh laser engraving and cutting companies, but again, they do have a successful Kickstarter behind them. So, I will put this as a safe bet,

them. So, I will put this as a safe bet, but but I would also say let's wait and see until we have some units in people's hands, which I think I might have one coming soon. All right, next up is our

coming soon. All right, next up is our second machine from One Laser. This is

now properly from One Laser and not Lens Digital. And just looking at the picture

Digital. And just looking at the picture by now, you can probably tell what this is. This is a direct F2 Ultra from Xtool

is. This is a direct F2 Ultra from Xtool competitor. This is a desktop galvo with

competitor. This is a desktop galvo with two laser sources. In this case, this is going to be the 60W Mopa and a 40 W diode. And they're also going to have a

diode. And they're also going to have a few different flavors of it as well. Uh,

and then just from getting some preview stuff about this machine, again, I haven't had this in my shop as well. And

as of this video going live, I don't think the Kickstarter is even up as well. I just know this is coming. I can

well. I just know this is coming. I can

tell just overall this is going to be a nice quality machine. One cool thing they have going with it is I believe this uh Android panel uh is like removable so it normally stays there but you can take it off as well. Uh one

laser is building their own custom software as well as being fully LightBurn compatible where they're going to integrate some of like the newer AI capabilities that people have started to do to help with doing like different

colors for the Mopa side of stuff. But

just like how One Laser kind of took what the current desktop uh CO2 market was and just made a machine that was uh a lot more robust and industrial but still really easy to use. I'm going to

say the one laser Viper is going to be in that exact same category. So I will say this is totally the real deal, but I'm going to put it as a safe bet just because this is kind of an existing form

factor that we know about. It's just

going to be one that more than likely is going to be done incredibly well. So be

sure to watch out for that. All right,

last but not least, uh, is probably the most unique machine of all of these. Uh,

this is the Tyveok K1. So, Tyok is not a company I've heard of before. Uh, and

this is a Kickstarter that is already complete. They raised nearly $400,000

complete. They raised nearly $400,000 based off of 95 folks. And so where before when you kind of saw this open gantry style design, it was a diode laser like with the ACMR and the

atomstack 120 watt water cooled, this is a CO2 laser, meaning you have a CO2 glass tube on the gantry and you kind of

see it right there on the back. Now a

traditional CO2 machine, the glass tube is on the back and then it bounces through a series of mirrors to come to the laser head and then come down. So

when the gauge moves, you're not moving the glass tube. you're just like moving the mirrors around. Where with this, since the glass tube is riding with the gantry itself, allows you to have multiple size work beds with the same

gantry, which means you can get really big as well. So, their largest version is going to be 6 1/2 by about 4 ft or 2,000 x 1200 mm. And they're going to

give this to you in both a 100 W version and then also a smaller 55 W version.

And to get more power, you basically have to have a bigger glass tube. So

that's why the 55 watt is going to be just 800 mm wide versus the 100 watt is going to be 1,200 mm wide. So literally

the tube just has to be bigger. I'll say

this is really interesting in the fact that you can have a really really big machine like 6x4 ft. But I would be cautious again of like the dust, the smoke, and the safety side of things

just like with Acme. This definitely

looks more robust and more thought through. But that could be a potential

through. But that could be a potential issue where you don't have something fully enclosed. Also, the fact that

fully enclosed. Also, the fact that you're moving that glass tube back and forth constantly. Uh I would be a little

forth constantly. Uh I would be a little bit worried about like the longevity of the tube. Now, they are using like a

the tube. Now, they are using like a proper Ruetta DSP controller. They even

have like an interview uh with the CEO or with the CTO of Ruetta. Uh so that is nice. Just the form factor is going to

nice. Just the form factor is going to be pretty unique and it might be one of those maybe there's a reason no one has done a form factor quite like this.

Actually, come to think of it, Glow Forge as well as I think one other company with their desktop CO2 machine, those glass tubes are on the gantry itself. Uh, but again, that is still

itself. Uh, but again, that is still fully enclosed with a lid. Where with

this one, all of the safety is just on the gantry. So, I still would be

the gantry. So, I still would be concerned with that. Uh, so with that and the safety considerations, I'm going to put this as wild card. Okay, so those are all the Kickstarters I currently know about. I'm sure there's a ton more

know about. I'm sure there's a ton more coming as we're heading into the holiday season. I'd love to know from you guys

season. I'd love to know from you guys if you have questions about them. I'll

do my best to answer them down in the comments. And until next time, go make

comments. And until next time, go make or break something in your shop. See you

guys.

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