Pro Desktop Laser at a Budget Price - OneLaser X Series Review

OneLaser is a brand new company to the laser world, and man did they come out swinging. Let's review their X Series desktop laser and see how it stacks up to the competition!
OneLaser X Desktop Series - geni.us/onelas...
OneLaser Hydra Cabinet Series - geni.us/onelas...
CORRECTION
OMTech Polar does have a DSP controller.
Links (Affiliate)
OMTech Polar - geni.us/omtech...
Atomstack Hurricane - geni.us/atomst...
xTool P2S - geni.us/xtool_p2s
Thunder Bolt - geni.us/thunde...
Aeon MIRA 5 - geni.us/uYgTU
00:00 - Intro
00:20 - Two Types of Desktop CO2's
02:16 - Price
05:36 - Build Quality
07:13 - Relationship with Thunder Laser
09:00 - Riser - Bass Boost
10:23 - Laser Head Assembly
12:08 - Air Quality Sensor
12:42 - Air Assist
13:27 - Light Indicator
13:52 - The drawbacks on this approach
14:49 - Laser Source
17:04 - Red Dot Positioning
18:10 - Camera
19:08 - Speed
20:16 - Acceleration
21:30 - Work Area
22:04 - Honeycomb Bed
23:03 - Interface and Controller
25:37 - Customer Support
27:11 - Warranty
27:53 - Negatives
29:27 - **Lightburn Link
31:22 - Should you get it?
31:49 - vs xTool P2S

[@makeorbreakshop]

Would love to know what questions you've got about OneLaser! If you pick one up use code "makeorbreak" to help support the channel.

[@_JustBeingCasual]

Will you do an rf vs glass comparison? Would be nice to know the difference between the two after all rf is pwm and glass not. Glass would be better for cutting, rf has smaller dot size but the way it does things is more dot/dittering instead of a consistent line. Thanks for the nice video! Looks like a good machine

[@LaserNUG]

Thanks - you always provide excellent reviews and you were a great help as I was assessing machines before I purchased. One important note is that Thunder Laser offers lifetime support and I have to agree, they have AWESOME, responsive support. I could not ask for better. Cheers and thanks again!

[@abbyhe4245]

As a small business owner in the startup phase, I own several brands of laser machines. However, I have to admit that the xTool P2 is the one I use the most, and I am very satisfied with this machine.

[@MakerDaddy]

Excellent review! I've already got my “touchdown ticket” for the Hydra series after an hour-long phone conversation with them. It was wonderful to gain so much insight about this company and their team, which alleviated my skepticism about them; very professional and friendly. I hope the Hydra review is coming up soon; if it's good, I'll proceed with the payment.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Hopefully will have the Hydra in a few weeks.

[@everydaylifewiththebensons285]

Great Video...as expected ! I just sold my Omtech Polar and I will be buying a newer desktop in the next few weeks. I have been seriously looking at the Thunder Bolt, but now the OneLaser XRF comes on the market. So, I am watching all the "first impressions" videos and reviews. Thanks, Charlie in Central Ohio, but soon to be Central Florida !!

[@makeorbreakshop]

Both machines are pretty awesome

[@jessestanley2167]

Been waiting for this review! Thanks for posting it!

[@makeorbreakshop]

you got it!

[@Rell187J55]

After watching the product video, I feel confident in this purchase. I really appreciated the clear, up-close views and detailed breakdown, especially around items to consider ordering to be prepared for the machine’s arrival. I'm glad you suggested getting the air assist, setting up proper ventilation, and preparing for fume management. Thanks for the excellent insights-I’m looking forward to working with this machine! One of the most innovative features, and something I find especially valuable, is the built-in air quality indicator. This sensor is a game changer, allowing real-time air quality monitoring, which is particularly helpful in a closed room with only a window for ventilation. I had been considering purchasing a separate air quality sensor, so having this integrated feature is a fantastic benefit. Given that a lot of our work can produce strong odors, seeing an indicator for particle levels is very helpful for health and safety.

[@TheSmugglersRoom]

outstanding review as always Brandon!

[@makeorbreakshop]

Thanks! Got to put my army of lasers to work building a Star Wars room.

[@ChippWalters]

A couple of comments and a question. 1. GF also has a removable lens. Makes it easy to clean. 2. GF also has a status light, though I'm not sure if it's as function rich. Questions: A) Why is it that the mirrors on GF never need calibration? I don't know if it's even possible. B) How does GF stay cool with never having to change any liquids? Thanks for your videos. Very good!

[@makeorbreakshop]

I did a bad job explaining the removable lens, I meant that OneLaser is a magnetic quick collection, so maybe a tooless removable lens would be a better way to put it. Most CO2 machines let you change out lenses. Good call on the status light for GF. A lot of manufacturers will say lens never need calibration. Most mean they have come calibrated from the factory and tested for alignment. Even the top end machines might have the mirrors come misaligned so they will need slight adjustments after a bunch of use. OneLaser as some pretty easy set screws to adjust it by hand. GF has an internal water reservoir, if I remember right when I got mine it already had liquid inside when it shipped. Sometimes other manufacturers won’t fill it just in case it leaks on shipping. The internal one works fine for a low use case but have an external water chiller/reservoir will let you run the glass tubes hours a day. Also to internal ones aren’t chilled, so the water will heat up and some machines will have a sensor to not let the laser run when it gets too hot to save the life of the tube. RF tubes, like the one in this video don’t have that issue…they just cost more.

[@ChippWalters]

​@@makeorbreakshopGF also has an easy to remove/clean magnetic lens. Thanks for the info about calibration and cooling. Most helpful.

[@alexduffey]

Thank you! Been VERY excited to hear your thoughts!

[@makeorbreakshop]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@artzoneproductions3474]

15:50 ChatGPT says otherwise, it says that 38W RF metal doesn't cut as deeper as 55W glass tube, but I would like to see a practical comparison for sure,

[@makeorbreakshop]

All hail our AI overlords.

[@Benjamin-xv2hg]

The progress light should be a progress bar. At one of my jobs the 3D printer had that so from across the room without even walking up to it. You knew about how much time was left.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Oh that’s an awesome idea

[@JonathanBerryUK]

Great review, just waiting to see if they'll release in the UK.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Yeh hopefully it will

[@davidjacques7852]

It seems there's no pass-through, right? Thank you for the thorough summary!

[@makeorbreakshop]

there is with the riser, but not in the machine itself.

[@theatomproject007]

Great review of the features and options... I'm always mentally debating over the RF vs Tube version of these 'desktop' lasers...I have a F1 Ultra already and really been waiting for updates on the OneLaser products before I decide what large format laser I want to get.

[@makeorbreakshop]

RF is pretty awesome, only real negative is the increase in price.

[@MartyOhanaLC]

Thanks Brandon, great review as always. Looking forward to the actual performance of the OneLaser XRT, they advertise 3D Photerealistic accuracy and would like to some before pushing the button. I was looking at CO2 lasers upgrading from a 10W diode to expand capabilities, big step. I like the fact that the RF, though more expensive, doesn't require the additional cooling requirement in comparing to the CO2 machines. You mentioned the 3-2-1 warranty, does that mean should the fan on the RF tube or tube itself faults that there is a 3yr warranty on it? Thanks again for all the great videos and reviews.

[@Lets-Make-Stuff]

Great video! You really caught my attention with the air assist connection in the back, can you please explain how it would work with lightburn. Do you plan on running some engraving and cutting tests on wood and maybe acrylic?

[@makeorbreakshop]

Yep! I’m working on a big photo engraving video and was using the Bolt for it but will show OneLaser too. So the valve that turns access to air on and off is downstream of the internal air pump. So when you have an external connected it still is going through that valve so Lightburn has control regardless of which one you are using.

[@Lets-Make-Stuff]

@ makes sense. If Lightburn turns off the valve, it sounds like the external pump would still be pumping out air, but the flow would be blocked, could that hurt the pump? Do you have a link to the pump you showed, while it looks big, it’s still a lot smaller than a compressor. It’ll be interesting to see the engraving on both lasers.

[@ayasugihada]

Finally, a laser I'd consider purchasing, and it isn't available outside US, lol.

[@josephficara3666]

Excellent video thank you for sharing it! The xTool p2 also has a removable lens but perhaps there is something different about the one laser, could you let us know what the difference is?

[@sjmaguirepdx]

I like your T shirt! PTFC! Are you local or just a fan?

[@makeorbreakshop]

a fan!

[@paulshircliff]

should you add the $200 for lightburn in your comparison chart since XTool and GF have free control software?

[@makeorbreakshop]

You could use RD Works which is free. Also xTool has some pay to play stuff on the design side.

[@Uniqueflavordesigns]

Great video been waiting on this 1 I’m brand new to lasers Brandon I’m interested in buying a desktop like right now but would like to be able to get clean results on glass with no treatment as well as other products I’m stuck on xtool because of there software I’m wondering if I go with a better machine like thunder or One laser will I struggle trying to learn light burn any suggestions?!

[@makeorbreakshop]

Lightburn take a little bit to learn but is worth it! I’ve got some tutorials on my channel.

[@Uniqueflavordesigns]

Thanks a lot back to the drawing board because xtool had me 😂 lol

[@Uniqueflavordesigns]

@@makeorbreakshop back to the drawing board lol 😂 what do you think about uv lasers is that something you would mind reviewing thanks for your insight your videos really help me out!!

[@makeorbreakshop]

I don’t have an UV lasers in the shop but how to check one out. They are really cool because the material does get as hot so you can do some crazy stuff with plastics.

[@tuando8033]

would you happen to know when they are going to be done with the final product and ship?

[@JamesDundon]

Would have liked to hear more about the connectivity to the computer (if I didn't miss it). Is it USB only or is there a network connection option?

[@1-Nice-Guy]

when you reviewed the Thunder Bolt against the XTool P2, OMTech Polar, Glowforge Pro and the Thunder Nova 24, you ranked the Bolt last for cutting performance. Seeing that you pointed out the XRF uses the same RF source as the Bolt, would we expect the same cutting performance? It looks like you can get 1.5” to 4” lenses for the Bolt, I don’t see how that would be possible on the XRF considering the way the lens slides in, there just isn’t enough physical room..

[@ChordOfC]

Thanks for your great video! My question is, can you do cuts with a conveyor add on? Like if I had a 4 foot long piece of wood, can I cut coasters along its length as it passes through automatically?

[@makeorbreakshop]

I’ll have to test it out. You might run into the issue of the piece not being raised up off the bed so you wouldn’t get a clean cut underneath but I bet there are some workarounds.

[@ChordOfC]

@@makeorbreakshop Thanks very much! I wonder if the cutting path would line up well from the start to the end of the cut.

[@PlatinumX7]

@@ChordOfCthere is no conveyor attachment for these machines

[@makeorbreakshop]

They have plans for one, but you’re right currently you can’t buy one.

[@ChordOfC]

@@PlatinumX7 It's shown on their website. Edit: I see, can't buy it yet.

[@1-Nice-Guy]

It looks like you can get 1.5” to 4” lenses for the Bolt, I don’t see how that would be possible on the XRF considering the way the lens slides in, there just isn’t enough physical room.

[@andigonecreative]

I have a d1 pro 40w with extension rails and an Omtech Polar. I was to upgrade my diode to a second co2. My debate is btw the one and p2. The only reason I would lean at all to the p2 is the ability to see shape. For example, if im engraving spoon, it can auto focus to that. That would be my only reason.

[@Laser-Focused-DM]

Seems like a great system but I will wait until they add conveyor functionality

[@makeorbreakshop]

Should be cool to check out

[@Laser-Focused-DM]

@@makeorbreakshop I checked the website, it DOES have a conveyor feed option, I am SOLD!

[@user-oi1iq6uv4e]

One thing I find a little frustrating is that in all reviews no one seems to talk about or test material thicknesses. I currently have access to a 150 watt co2 Universal laser at a lab but want to have a laser at home. I use the laser to fabricate wooden mechanisms using solid hardwoods; typically 1/4 in thick but have used 3/8 and 1/2 inch material (Maple,Oak,Cherry,Walnut). Can this XRF One Laser be used for this type of work? Are there other lenses available to help with the thicker materials? Thanks

[@manuelrivera7709]

One laser xrf or thunder bolt? Which one you chose?

[@tonta182]

Is it stepmotors or DC motors? Size of motors... alot of these questions come to mind if it´s going for 3G... if it´s a cheaper stepmotor the X motor will brake sooner or later depending of the weight of the sled. I looks decent enough, wonder how i would go head to head with a similiar GCC laserpro? Would have been nice if you showed a little bit under the hood of it, the laser may look cool but it´s the components that counts!

[@keeklo]

They are hybrid servo motors. That is what I was told on the official OneLaser group. However, another YT video from one of the admins of the official Facebook group confirmed that the desktop series comes with stepper motors. It’s very confusing and a bit disappointing.

[@MakerDaddy]

I was told this is a hybrid motor, and I done my research on it, for 3G hybrid is far enough.

[@boony97]

Thank you for this! I’m trying to decide between XTool or this new One Laser (although the thunder bolt seems good too!) My application is for sports award medals (with ribbons to wear) using round 2” surface. I can’t seem to find good documentation of similar application throughout my research. Can One Laser handle this material?

[@makeorbreakshop]

For metal you would need to go with a fiber laser

[@boony97]

@ aren’t the tumblers similar material ? Furthermore, which desktop machine do you recommend ?

[@cmaterick]

@@boony97 It depends upon whether you want to just etch some stuff on the surface of the metal or actually engrave the metal up to 2 (maybe 3) mm deep for a 3D effect. For the latter, you would need a fiber laser. That's what I use my X1 Ultra for - solid brass or copper coins/medallions.

[@boony97]

@ I’m only using it for awards having only text

[@abbyhe4245]

I highly recommend xTool

[@paths1111]

Looks very interesting, and the price is certainly attractive. I need to engrave on irregular curved surfaces tho, and xTool's XCS still seems to be the only way to do that readily. If Lightburn comes out with support for 3D surface mapping and motorized Z axis control, this machine could be a contender in that area, feature set looks pretty attractive otherwise.

[@codarussell7925]

What air assist is that that you have hooked up to it?

[@dgramsz2146]

Any word of a rotary for this machine?

[@alpha1172]

might wanna add some captions to clarify air assist vs exhaust fan.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Yeh just realized I miss spoke, ha sorry

[@TheRmcg]

Have you done a review of the Full Spectrum Muse?

[@makeorbreakshop]

Yep, several years back

[@MarcRose-l5s]

I would like to buy one but I live in Germany and unfortunately the support said that they will not send the laser to Europe for the time being.

[@ChordOfC]

I'm wondering now, does an RF laser create less smoke than an equivalent CO2 since the beam is thinner?

[@makeorbreakshop]

Haven't tested it, but I'd say about the same from what I've seen

[@travisschafer4158]

I read that the RF tube in one of the demo videos was actually a 30w. Could you verify if these will be a true 38w? Thanks

[@makeorbreakshop]

The sticker says 30, but it might be an issue of if the 30 is average or the max is 38.

[@crypticvideo5471]

How would you compare this to Atomstack Hurricane?

[@makeorbreakshop]

Much better is pretty much all categories

[@WooderBoyProductions]

So no rotary?

[@makeorbreakshop]

You can add one easy, I’ve got a Piburn on the way to test

[@PlatinumX7]

Don’t forget you have to pay sales tax with onelaser also. That puts you only about $300 cheaper than the bolt. Did you find any issues not having the beam expander on the xrf?

[@makeorbreakshop]

Not really but I haven’t done a ton of full width stuff. This will ship with the beam expander though, just wasn’t on the pre-production stuff.

[@PlatinumX7]

@@makeorbreakshop I wonder what changed their mind. They have insisted that it is not needed on this small of a machine.

[@jw2255]

Do sales tax not apply to Thunder lasers?

[@PlatinumX7]

@ negative. You can go through the checkout process on both websites to compare

[@1-Nice-Guy]

@@makeorbreakshopno it will not, the Laserguys said it will be around $100.00

[@keeklo]

The regular OMTech Polar as well as the Polar Plus both have a DSP controller. Just because there is no screen on the Polar does not mean that it’s G-code. The controller is a Ruida 6442S. A lot of people, including me, are just adding a controller panel to their Polar to have the screen and controls. The video a bit misleading. I hate my Polar and want a OneLaser but fair is fair.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Shoot, yeh you are right. I was getting things mixed up on my end. I’m planning on making a follow up video for a couple corrections.

[@keeklo]

@ nice! You test so many of them it’s easy to forget. I really appreciate the video though. I still don’t know if I want the XT or XRF. Oh, by the way you said XF instead of XT at the beginning of the video. Not important but you might want to correct that as well. 😁

[@makeorbreakshop]

@keeklo haha, yeh I was rewatching and was like crap

[@MakerDaddy]

Polar’s problem is slow and dirty, and very easy to have defects; that's what I experienced. And yes, it's DSP controlled. I would go Monport Onyx instead of Polar if I had a choice. Previously, they were basically the same product.

[@keeklo]

@ I’d rather not deal with Monport. At this point, for me, it’s between the Thunder Bolt and the OneLaser XT or XRF. I’m on my third Polar in 18 months. I just received my second replacement 10 days ago and this last iteration is better than the previous two but still crappy motors and still no way to properly align the mirrors when they come misaligned out of the factory.

[@mikiauto73]

Flux Hexa is the best in the market if you need these dimensions. All these other machines are way too small. So what is best is relative to your demands.

[@stopit4uca]

Is it really worth paying that extra thousand for a 5% difference.

[@freebird1963]

Didn't find this to be a review but more of a sales pitch. Things I can read on the site for the most part.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Sorry it didn’t help

[@jasont.4729]

Price being equal. Which machine would you choose at the end of the day?

[@makeorbreakshop]

If the support is also the same, OneLaser is claiming it’s but they are new so we will need to hear from customers once they get their machines. I probably would lean towards OneLaser since they have a few other upgrades to it as long as I had the riser with it.

[@jasont.4729]

@ Thank you!

[@RaisingtheBARdesigns]

Air chiller 😂14:05

[@makeorbreakshop]

Announcing my HVAC laser business

[@markjardine]

I know most won’t find it a big deal, but as a designer I can’t help but cringe hard at the terrible kerning of their logo. Seeing the uneven gap between the LA and AS in the logo every time I look at my machine would drive me nuts. 😅 Someone in the know please tell me they did this intentionally for some reason I absolutely do not understand?!

[@theqwig]

Company is very “engrish”. They had all of us correcting all the errors on the website and graphics in the FB group so I would doubt proper kerning is a concern.

[@makeorbreakshop]

You could laser cut a fix ha

[@mikesolomon5584]

Once you see it, ya can’t unsee it.

[@ChippWalters]

As a designer myself, I tend to think that these misses lead to other misses as well. A professional organization would not have made such a huge mistake on their logo. What other mistakes have been made?

[@markjardine]

@ that’s exactly what I thought, just didn’t want to say it. I have an original open enclosure xtools and probably going to get a P2S because I love xtool’s software. This channel has been great for seeing all the comparisons. I was waiting for this video to come out because all of the hype, but seeing that logo is totally making me want to dismiss this as an option because it’s such an obvious mistake. What else was overlooked?

[@Stevieboy7]

@11:00 The thunder bolt ABSOLUTELY has a removable lens... it's one of their main features. Not ONLY is it removable, but it changes its placement, so that your auto-focus/focal distance doesn't change. For $700, you're MUCH better off buying the Thunder, specifically due to their history and customer service. I wouldn't trust a brand new no-name company with that chunk of money or support, as things with these lasers can definitely go wrong/need replacement parts. Why buy from a company thats trying to trim/cheapen the item, when you can literally buy from their supplier? Its like buying a knockoff.

[@makeorbreakshop]

It’s hot swappable is a better way to say it. But yeh you can change out lens types on most CO2 machines, OneLaser just makes it easier.

[@MakerDaddy]

As far as we are aware, Thunder Group has a significant stake in OneLaser. Thunder Group has set up dedicated manufacturing facilities for this partnership, with OneLaser supporting Thunder Group in developing their new thunder product line to drive innovation. Despite some initial skepticism, I firmly believe that this collaboration is a game-changer in the industry; instead of talking harshly about it, I would like to see how it goes, in the end the product speaks for itself right?

[@MakerDaddy]

That's what I've known throughout the sales call, but man, I really feel funny to see how you're putting in such a strong effort to critique this new brand in a lot of KZbin comments that come across. You invested in Thunder or what? What makes you so annoyed to see something new to the community? Maybe just call both companies to get some facts instead of being an internet troll.

[@-vermin-]

The bolt has the same red dot system. This is not special.

[@makeorbreakshop]

Didn’t say they didn’t, but most machines in this price point don’t.