Glowforge Aura: Top 5 Regrets You Need to Know Part 7

[@codermd6372]

This was very helpful and saved me from investing in something that will not serve my purpose( acrylic name plates)

[@Flemingoriginals007]

You will want to watch the We Were Wrong video. It will cut some acrylic and the settings work now, but it won’t cut many things like clear, blue, mirrored… It is also extremely slow. We want you to have all of the information. Thank you for your comment.

[@tiaralynnagresta8944]

I purchased mine with the filter knowing these limitations and I'm still really excited! I have the benefit of my library's GlowForge Pro if I need to cut stuff that this won't work with, but I think for 90% of what I need it for it's going to be really excellent.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

That is terrific! Thank you for sharing! 😃

[@pop_tart92]

Thank you for this video!! I bought mine a year ago and I wish I had this video. Granting that this would’ve been my only option for a Glowforge financially, it would be nice to know all this before hand.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Thank you! I totally understand the financial aspect. I am glad that it is an affordable option. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@Min2BeDesigns]

super helpful and honest.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Thank you!

[@cherriethomas9538]

I'm so excited! I hoping for one for my birthday. I have returns till January so if it's not great back it goes. Praying it's as wonderful as I have crafts to do.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Happy Birthday! That sounds like a wonderful present! We think you will enjoy it for crafting! 🎂🎉

[@GMAMEC]

Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts. Based on your experience, I will look into other options. Like many people, I don’t want to invest in a machine that requires multiple updates and has limitations. It’s too risky. With the holidays right around the corner, quite a few people will be looking into this machine. The company is now paying for KZbin ads and will likely continue to do so throughout the holiday season.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Parisred1996]

I too was very excited for this release and was seriously considering getting it. The Glowforge was out of budget so I really liked this as an option. My biggest reason for not getting it was finding out that it couldn’t cut clear and light color acrylics. Hearing that the settings aren’t event complete yet is so crappy. I’m looking into the Xtools M1. Similar price to the Aura but it’s an actual robust laser cutter.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

If you get it, let us know if you like it. 😃

[@therron15]

There are several work arounds for being able to cut. Clear and light color acrylics.

[@kimsplacedesigns2315]

@@therron15 would you mind sharing a few?

[@thelananicole11]

@@therron15I would love to know. That’s what I bought this for!

[@mcf3778]

if it cant etch clear then thats a no go since that kills edge lit projects

[@youeladamas7840]

Yeah I think glowforge started being disingenuous after more competition entered the market. It was a bad move on their part but might not be same ownership as it started. Hopefully it all keeps improving.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

We hope they keep improving too. I am glad they have made things simple, and decreases the learning curve. Thanks for your comment.

[@ThreeThree6]

i just spoke to their online customer support because we as well just bought this thing and my wife primarily uses MDF. So I did the online chat and asked the lady and she was unfamiliar with it not being able to cut draftboard/MDF and I had to cut and paste from their FAQ where it said it. She then responded with what looked like copied text and said cutting Draftboard/MDF was not recommended for the Glowforge Pro/Aura in their testing it resulted in the clogging of the Glowforge Personal Filter and resulted in more frequent filter changes, she said nothing about it damaging the optics lol.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Oh goodness! I hope their warranty covers the degraded optics with advice like that! Thank you for sharing!

[@ThreeThree6]

was hoping this thing would work so we could sale the huge one, luckily i got it from Amazon so returning it shouldn't be an issue if we need to. My favorite part is her automatically assuming I'm using that filter, we got it going out the window so from her advice lets burn some mdf. My favorite part is them emailing me a copy of the chat transcript. Thanks for the paper trail.

[@ThreeThree6]

we sent it back got a refund thanks to Amazon

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Exactly! I hope they have it right now for others. 🫣

[@Flemingoriginals007]

That is good. We are sorry you couldn’t downsize, but we are so glad you investigated! 🎉🎉🎉

[@CSalmansonStudio]

While Glowforge figures out these problems the warranty period is getting shorter and shorter, isn't it?

[@Flemingoriginals007]

We have not heard about the warranty getting shorter.

[@karenwilson-dooley8912]

I want to use this machine to create template/pattern pieces for products I make from various fabrics. Dollar Tree sells the flexible cutting mats that are a perfect material for creating the templates. If you are familiar with these cutting mats, do you know if they are an approved material for the GF Aura? Or do you know of a good approved material that would work to cut out templates I can trace onto fabric? I do not want anything thick -- just enough body to use over and over again (not paper or cardstock). Thanks in advance!

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Unfortunately they are white or translucent white, so the Aura will not cut it. It does not say what it is made of, so we would not want to cut it with a laser without knowing. You could use 1/8” acrylic in solid colors (not blue). Thank you for your question.

[@MissAshlynnNikole]

This is so helpful. I am looking to create acrylic bar menus & drink stirrers for my bartending business. Do you think this would be a good fit for that? Thanks in advance.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Hello, The Aura certainly can cut some acrylic, the list of acrylic it can cut is quite limited. It cannot cut clear, white,translucent, neon, or blue acrylic. We have not tested it yet, but from what we have read it will not cut mirror acrylic, which is quite popular for bar menus. That being said, if you intend to use dark colors of non see through acrylic, we think it would do a fine job albeit very slow. The Aura is a fantastic training tool into the world of lasers, but you will want to grow into a more robust machine such as a Thunder Bolt. Please keep us posted.

[@MemeG23]

So as an expert what do you recommend

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Hello, what recommendation do you need? Although we are not experts, we would love to share what we have learned. Would you mind clarifying? Are you deciding whether or not to purchase the Aura? If so, what do you hope to do with it? Have a fantastic day!

[@MemeG23]

@@Flemingoriginals007 I am very new to this world I am a crafter and would like look in to acrylics wood laser label not for a business but for myself from where I am (Dubai) these laser machines are t familiar so I have to ship everything from outside I have came across snap maker as well but still lost and I don’t know what to buy

[@SanaasKitchen]

I’m interested to buy it but I’m not sure if it’s gonna work for what I want to make

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Hi, What do you plan to make? They are on sale for Black Friday. We would love to help you make a good decision. Thank you!

[@SanaasKitchen]

@@Flemingoriginals007does is it work for mirror acrylic

[@Flemingoriginals007]

It does not work for mirror acrylic.

[@damarisgonzalez6645]

Now I feel confused...I'm thinking about buying the glow forge aura but I don't think it works for what I want it for.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

What do you hope to use it to make? Maybe we can help?

[@damarisgonzalez6645]

Ty...

[@damarisgonzalez6645]

I need for make puzzles

[@Flemingoriginals007]

You are welcome!

[@Flemingoriginals007]

@@damarisgonzalez6645 Hmmm…we replied, but I do not see it now. What kind of puzzles do you want to make? Sublimation puzzles? Jigsaw puzzles? Name puzzles? You should be able to make puzzles, but you may need to be creative with the materials. For instance, if you want to make name puzzles, you won’t be able to cut clear acrylic, but you can paint wood or do some acrylic colors. The other issue is that it is slow, so you will have to consider that. However, it would be doable if you like the compatible material choices and can work around the speed. Feel free to give us more details, and we are happy to brainstorm with you! 😃

[@brendaakamscraftprincess6462]

I bought one on HSN so I can return it. My issue is when I import a new design it keeps showing me last project's material instead of the new material. What can I do?

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Hello, and thank you for your question. There are two easy ways to cope with this issue. The first is when you finish one project, completely close the GF app, then when you go back into the app, you will start with a “clean slate”. The second is to just make a habit of changing the material either when you load a new design or when you actually load material in the Aura. I guess there is a third possibility: Always use Proofgrade materials and make sure camera can “see” the QR code. Although, that does not seem practical. I hope this helps, and have a Great day!

[@brendaakamscraftprincess6462]

Thanks so much!@@Flemingoriginals007

[@bob19sloggan5]

Wow

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@damarisgonzalez6645]

For make puzzles

[@Flemingoriginals007]

What material do you want to use for your puzzles? Do you want to do sublimation puzzles? Jigsaw puzzles? Name puzzles? You should be able to make puzzles; you will simply need to be creative with the materials. Also, it may take a while to make each one, but it is possible. Let us know, and we will be happy to help you brainstorm solutions.😃

[@TaraKemp-e1f]

I'm so mad I wasted all this money

[@Flemingoriginals007]

How can we help? We have some work around videos planned. What do you hope to make?

[@lizzieder1357]

I bought it and now I am so disappointed!

[@Flemingoriginals007]

What are you hoping to make? We hope to help.

[@lizzieder1357]

I returned it and got an omtech co2 laser! Much faster and versatile compared to a Glowforge aura.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

@@lizzieder1357 Congratulations! That is so exciting! Thank you for letting us know! 🎉

[@davecavanaugh3300]

Good information, but the back and forth doesn’t work. It makes your presentation a bit choppy and hard to watch and follow.

[@Flemingoriginals007]

Thank you for the feedback.