I Got Sent MORE Free Lasers! Are Any of Them Good?

[@LazerLord10]

My daily reminder that I do not recommend ever buying non-enclosed laser etchers. One screw up and you are instantly blinded, permanently. I know that people can "just be careful" but safety interlocks exist for a reason, and these don't have those. To all who see this comment, please consider this before buying one, especially if you aren't going to be the one to use it.

[@AshtonK1816]

Yeah. The risk/reward on cheap laser cutters just doesn’t seem right.

[@PoodlePuncher]

now he needs to test an OMTech KM40 C02 laser, which just happens to be cheaper than most, if not all of these. albeit only having a 12x8 work area

[@aarontheamateur]

Are those missing safety "features" (feature implies a nice-to-have, but safety should not be in that category) something that could be added in some kind of a post-purchase modification?

[@eDoc2020]

@@aarontheamateur You could build a box with interlock switches on the lid but I don't know if a "real" enclosed laser is more sophisticated than that.

[@markm0000]

This is what you get when you support a communist regime.

[@PantherU]

You get what a lot of makers on KZbin don't understand: being entertaining is important. I put this video up on the 80" TV on our dealership showroom and while you got a bunch of laughs during the video, the whole place died laughing the second you revealed "DURAGNO"

[@F3Ibane]

Slow day?

[@Justchuck69]

Plus now we know that it can also engrave bird poop! I know I know no one asked that question but at least in the future if anyone ask we can give the a definitive answer!

[@mattr8128]

@@F3Ibane dealership? no stock... so yeah I bet its a slow day lmao

[@markm0000]

@@F3Ibane It’s a dealership in 2021. They have no cars.

[@letthetunesflow]

I burst out laughing several times during the video! You are so right about how being entertaining is vital for making videos people want to watch on KZbin. More people will watch no matter the topic if you are entertaining, instead of only getting people wanting to learn about a very specific topic where the entertainment factor is secondary. Putting up just factual “how to videos” is fine, just don’t be surprised if you only appeal to a very small audience. If you put in the effort to be entertaining, along with teaching something, you are much more likely to bring in a broader audience, and it makes the experience entertaining for everyone, no matter their reason for watching.

[@Zander10102]

The fact "Duragno" is off-center, it's just *chef's kiss*.

[@TurboHappyCar]

I lost it. 😂

[@alexhofstee466]

The translations can be quite fun. The boxes from my Creality 3D printers have a logo with an umbrella and the text: "Afraid of wet". 🤣

[@cals4887]

I got a laugh out of that on mine too.

[@AXEUROLder]

21:11 ""Dubious efficacy but unquestionable style" Channeling Jeremy Clarkson there for just a moment

[@susan_halla]

Obviously the reason Max did so poorly on the cutting test was that you weren’t using Bitch plywood.

[@chrisbrasher6177]

……….😂

[@rorasaurus14]

Just a quick tip from a fellow laser user: When cutting thicker materials you want your focal point to be 1/4 to 1/2 way through the material you are cutting. This can greatly increase your ability to cut thicker materials without getting so much charring around the edges of your cut

[@COASTER1921]

With these diode based lasers you really aren't able to cut that thick anyway. This is absolutely true with CO2 lasers though! I don't know why anyone interested in cutting would want any of these over a ~$300 K40. Easily 32W of output power with even the 700mm CO2 version (these diode ones are rated in input power to get a bigger number).

[@Stoney3K]

@@COASTER1921 Maybe Robert can get his hands on one of those inexpensive K40 units and compare it to the diode units?

[@NefariousElasticity]

@@COASTER1921 The K40 looks sick. I think some people are just intimidated by the CO2 laser and the fact that it's enclosed, despite the enclosure making it a lot safer and the general safety rules between cutters and engravers being the same (as Neji put it, "mind the fire, wear goggles, no touching, and mirror object").

[@turbotiger5998]

No one else seems to mention that. They just show the laser focused using a metal weight-type thing which comes with the device.

[@SovietDictator]

The real concern about poor proofreading is there is always the possibility that something will be close enough to be interpreted but wrong enough to be dangerously interpreted. It's not about them not speaking English, it's about the possibility of bad information with an item that can be rather dangerous if misused.

[@tarstarkusz]

Uh, no. These are Chinese companies with no exposure to US lawsuits. If they cared one bit about safety, they wouldn't make any of the stuff they make.

[@SovietDictator]

@@tarstarkusz I said literally nothing about anything you addressed. I'm talking specifically by consumer concerns.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@SovietDictator Well, perhaps I misunderstood, but it sounded to me like you were saying they don't want to mislead people into doing something they mistakenly believe it can do. These warnings are all around safety concerns. But the Chinese companies do not care about safety. 1/2 of the stuff made in China is outright dangerous because of how poorly it is made. They print fake endorsements on their products like fake UL listings and a bunch of other ones as well.

[@SovietDictator]

@@tarstarkusz I was simply saying that the problem with bad translations is that they can be misleading. I know red china DGAF about safety at all. From a consumer standpoint, the danger of a bad translation is you can't rely on it to accurately convey anything, and that's without even assuming the original language version was true to begin with.

[@Animalwon]

I agree with you about dangerous bad translations.

[@Phoen1x883]

18:49 Watch the fan on the laser module. You can see it twitching from the power produced by the stepper motors being moved around.

[@quandiy5164]

My cheap engraver does it too. You can light up the power leds and continuously run the laser head fan if you move the gantry back and forth.

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

means they saved 0.002 cents on a diode preventing the steppers from backfeeding into the rest of the unit. essentially you're using the stepper motors like bicycle dynamos putting unregulated power back into the whole control circuitry. how delightful edit: and considering it makes a 12V fan twitch, the voltage it backfeeds isn't exactly insignificant either. could likely fry something if the steppers are manually moved a lot

[@NefariousElasticity]

That's pretty common on 3D printers too. Which tracks, because all these engravers are is a 3D printer without a powered Z axis.

[@ralfoide]

Wow, that was quite the review! Probably more honest than any of the OEMs would want though, yet the clear pros and cons presented here should help anyone who likes to do their due diligence when gambling on this kind of devices.

[@Jehty_]

The only thing missing in this review is a comparison to a proper diode-laserengraver. Are these "cheap" engravers worth their money or would it be better to buy something a bit more expensive.

[@turboflush]

And the last time they send out something to him. Hahahaa. I have seen the neje cut better.. So i wonder if something wasnt setup

[@I_am_Allan]

WHOOP! Robert, Robert, he's a man. If he can't do it, someone else can. BUT it wouldn't be as fun.

[@WayneMoyer]

Maybe you could have etched something into the protective laser glasses with the lasers using the language of the guide.

[@mndlessdrwer]

I'm totally down for a continuation of this unexpected series that should probably be titled "How to piss off companies and alienate sponsors". If nothing else, you're providing them with excellent product testing for the relatively small price of a free product plus shipping, and that's something I can really get behind.

[@Ampersand100]

"Dubious efficacy but unquestionable style." Such a great line. :-)

[@MrMartinSchou]

Honestly, using the engraver to engrave the hood of a car, in situ, is pretty cool.

[@TheRealNici]

Now I'm wondering if anyone makes an engraver that has rubber suction cups.

[@MrMartinSchou]

@@TheRealNici If not, that should be an easy addon, like the raised feet. Similarly with switchable magnetic feet like MagSwitch. For some applications I can imagine you'd want/need to have it mounted vertically, and you'll want it to be very firmly mounted.

[@quandiy5164]

I was thinking of doing the same thing on my car's engine valve cover. But never got around to doing it due to laziness.

[@fierceflyer5]

Worth every second of watching. Funny, informative, with a wealth of information. Thanks for the not a review or contest between the lasers.

[@nunocspinto]

You ain't. You engraved the hood of that Duragno. Awesome!

[@WatanabeNoTsuna.]

Hey, spoiler alert! 😡 😂

[@barry99705]

For the big one, you can wire a second endstop on the other side in series with the first one. It'll skip steps on whichever hits first until the second trips the switch.

[@Bear1313]

The theory is good, but you need to watch out for what type of switches they used... normally open or normally closed. If the switch triggering a break in continuity (normally closed?) either switch in series will trigger the event. In that case, you would need an 'And Gate' of some type...

[@sthenzel]

@@Bear1313 Normally open: Wire them in series Normally closed: Wire them in parallel

[@375-Productions]

The X Tool homing by just going back until it can't go any further is kind of like an old commodore disk drive that counted the rings on a floppy disk by counting from home, so it would just go back 40 steps... even if it was only 1 step away from home, so you'd get the classic "grgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrgrg" of it smashing back into home lol

[@pawanyr360]

I'm pretty sure it was Apple II floppy drives that did this, not Commodore ones.

[@samrosenthal2111]

@@pawanyr360 You're correct, although earlier Commodore drives would still headbang occasionally. Commodore's disk format wrote the track number onto each track, so the drive usually knew where the head was. The drives would generally only headbangwhen formatting disks, or as a result of some copy protection schemes. Later drives did have proper limit switches, though.

[@SwervingLemon]

Ha! My cousin sent me this video because I used an Ortur to carve a leaping dear logo on the hood of my hoopty Camry! Excellent vid, all around.

[@anthonylorbach9365]

I read the descriptions...after I watch the video. I can't help it. I get so excited when you put out a new video that I have to check it out as soon as possible.

[@franklinmaurer8383]

And the one I bought (a year ago) is..... The neje max. 🙄. Oh well. I am disappointed in the cutting power but I don't have any of the alignment issues. How odd. One again, great and thorough reviews. I love your work. Thanks for taking the time to review all of these. I have to go buy a roller attachment now.

[@Dathanswick1]

Did you eat paint as a kid? Live under power lines? I freaking love your videos! Keep up the great work! HOnestly this is great content.

[@joncarter3038]

I often only have a passing curiosity on many of the things that you review or comment upon. However, your personal style and comedy get me every time and suddenly I find I'm drawn into your chosen subject. Brilliant stuff just brilliant!

[@quandiy5164]

I bought a neje 5.5w (20w input) variable focus head to replace the crappy head included in my no name engraver. I measured its actual optical power to be about 4w but the dot size is pretty small so it can still do sharp engravings on materials once properly focused.

[@UnderDunnOfficial]

How did you measure the output?

[@quandiy5164]

@@UnderDunnOfficial I have a homebrew laser power meter based off an Ophir head coupled to a digital display. It can measure up to 20W of laser power. The original head which came with my engraver worked well initially pushing real 5.5W optical output out of the box but quickly dropped power after a few hours of use until it dropped so much I had to get a new one. I read about it and it was because the laser diode was an open can type which deteriorates when exposed to air. Neje and better ones have an enclosed diode filled with inert gas which you can check if the lens is removable.

[@KeanM]

@@UnderDunnOfficial Low-tech laser power measurements can be done with a meat thermometer with the point stuck into a small block of black anodized aluminium. Read the starting temperature and then fire the laser at the aluminium block for a fixed time (maybe two minutes with these small lasers). The temperature rise will give you a relative power reading. If you engineer good, you could probably calculate the temperature rise to power ratio and work out a calibration chart. Or you can just use it for relative comparisons, which can be useful for monitoring the life of CO2 laser tubes which degrade over time. Probably true with a lot of these laser diodes which I'm sure are "overclocked".

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

@@quandiy5164 This deteriorating in power stuff sounds one heck of a lot like overdriven LED lamps where they.. well overdrive the LEDs to make them appear brighter than the competition, which in turn cooks them so they drop in light output quite dramatically, but slow enough that you don't immediately notice a difference unless you have a direct comparison (like a new lamp of the same make/model side by side with one that's been used for a couple months). I imagine in a laser engraver you'd very quickly notice it by it simply starting to perform like crap when it worked fine at those specific settings before

[@quandiy5164]

@@Knaeckebrotsaege i have a laser power meter so I can check its power output after a few hours of use. The diode laser can handle the current but it was harvested from a diode array from a projector. The harvested diode has a built in lens on its protective can so they simply pried the can off and stuck it in a laser head body. The blue diode crystal then deteriorates while exposed to the atmosphere causing the loss of power after prolonged use. The heatsink and driver was actually a good design so I just bought another diode (can intact, with FAC lens for square beam shape) and installed it in the head so now I have two working heads which I can choose depending on the job.

[@Fyrtaarn]

Thank you for a professional and very clear presentation of the goods and bads of different laser machines. You might mention the price level of each machine. it makes it easier to keep watching a video or not. You are definitely not one of those youtube mumblers that everyone hates. Well done. You get 9 of 10 here...

[@budmeade4583]

I've watched almost every laser engraver video on youtube. Your's is the best of the best. You style is entertaining, you humor is great and you have a clear, direct way of presenting the information. I was hesitant about buying the D1, but after watching this, you helped me overcome my objections to lack of homing limit switches. Thank you.

[@davidgiesfeldt6650]

Im a life lingo engineering geek and I ABSOLUTELY enjoy your candor and comedic commentary on technical topics…. I bought a laser/router engraver for my son in 2018… it is still in the box under his bed. Maybe time to bust it out. PLEASE keep making these vids! (BTW in the IPB for a Chinese hammer listed the hydraulic ram as a Hot Oil Male Sheep…)

[@Kopsu87]

I was already set on the neje "40W" laser. But now I'm leaning towards the xtool. I'm glad the neje was out of stock in eu warehouse, otherwise i would have already ordered one.

[@notsam498]

Consider a small co2 laser. It puts these things to shame in terms of cutting power. They are pretty similar in price too the xtool. For around 800 you can get a decent co2 laser cutter. Probably 50w real output, probably around 400x300mm work area. They are gonna be a lot more learning curve to setup. On the other hand though it it's just about 5 times the output power. I'm looking at buying a 1300$ example that might hit real output around 80w. That's easily enough to cut half inch thick wood, Clear acrylic, with proper surface treatment it can etch metal (kinda). Even for 800$ you can usually get a lot of goodies, active air assist, a closed ventilated chamber and linear rails instead of crappy rollers.

[@quandiy5164]

@@notsam498 one thing to consider which put me off co2 aside from the cost was the life of the tubes. Besides the operating life, they also have a calendar life which means they still degrade even when not used, which is especially worse with cheap tubes. It wouldn't matter much if they get used everyday for work but for my hobby use which is just occasionally, wouldn't make much sense cost wise. Though being able to cut acrylic sheet would be very useful to me.

[@notsam498]

@@quandiy5164 i can tell you we have a 100w reci tube laser cutter at the lab at school. that's working just fine after hundreds of operational hours and 3 years later. The cheap tubes are just that cheap to replace. The reci tubes though seem to hold up excellent. Gas lasers are very much an analogue technology, service life estimates are very much based on worst case usage scenarios. If you buy one and operate near the limit all the time you use it, it won't survive long.

[@dino6627]

Nice review. They will sell a load of these, with a bit of effort they can be improved but unfortunately most buyers will underestimate the value of extraction and proper eye protection.

[@johanflodkvist80]

You are super entertaining, and all all that metric talk really gets my juices flowing!

[@DavidMcCabe]

So freaking awesome. On top of hilarious , this is a seriously a good review. I purchased the LM2 and all of your points are painfully valid!

[@ssenssel]

Did I need a 23 1/2 minutes long laser engraving review video in my life? No. Did I watch the whole thing? Yes

[@spokehedz]

If you wanted to make the "Niji Ultra Mega Max Duex" actually home, you would need to have two microswitches for both sides. You can do it with two switches in SERIES (both switches need to be activated to complete the circuit) and I suspect that would be a huge upgrade to that unit. I also think that if you screwed down the unit to a permanent base, that would be less of an issue...

[@SouseMouse]

I had the same thought, but even better is hard stops on both sides and have the software take a few extra steps after the switch to make sure it's on the stops. (Switches tend to allow a lot of travel past actuation, so the first one to touch would travel further without the over-stepping.) Now, if we're already accepting a homing routine that sounds like an old floppy drive we can omit the second switch and just drive into the stops. Or go full cheapskate and have no switch- home is just drive the full travel distance number of steps. It could be kind of hard on things to stall the motors for that long if you were already there, though.

[@RJProbably]

You've got backlash (belt slack?) in that x-axis - that's why your position depends on which direction it was last moving.

[@Gunbudder]

1:34 I've seen this a LOT with Chinese direct from factory tools and parts. 432mm x 406mm is almost exactly 17 inch x 16 inch. Sometimes these Chinese factories just copy the dimensions of a part that uses imperial units, but the Chinese factory converts it to metric for you. another common one is 12.7 mm which is 0.5 inches

[@felixreali7101]

you had me laughing so loud, my wife came in to complain 😂😂 great review.

[@Kopsu87]

Wooooohhoooooo! That's how I feel when I see a new video from you.

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

The ending... OMG thought I'd pook from laughter... You really are getting better at editing, shooting and pacing on your videos. Merry Christmas Mister Dunn.

[@Wordsnwood]

Can't believe you did that to your poor Dodge... I recently got the NEJE Master 2S Plus, which appears to be a slightly larger version of your Penelope. It has a "30 watt" laser. I think I liked it better than you did Caleb. Haven't even tried cutting, though. Using it to engrave is so far fun enough. On the other hand, Lightburn has never dropped a connection, and the USB has been solid. What is annoying is that the laser is ALWAYS ON, whenever the unit is powered. Sure, it's at low power, but I'd rather it were not. Haven't bothered with bluetooth yet... I hate the glasses. Wish I had some sort of a cover for the unit so I could dispense with them... But then the price would likely double.

[@TheRealAlpha2]

In fairness he's done a lot worse to that dodge.

[@twocvbloke]

If you think laser engraving the dodgy is bad, you must be new here... :P

[@Wordsnwood]

@@twocvbloke I'm not really a car guy, so I watch some of his other channel for entertainment value, but I certainly have not watched ALL of it. Apparently I need to go digging.

[@Animalwon]

I loved your video! You humor made this video FAR more interesting than typical "review" videos! Btw- No other reviewer demonstrated the critical weaknesses in the Neje MAX, like you did. Keep it up, I want to see all yourvideos, now!

[@ScarlettStunningSpace]

Your videos keep getting better and better. I didn't even notice it was a 23 min video! I don't have a lot of interest in cheap lazer engravers but here I am

[@mallorikerr4092]

I did some KZbin research before getting a better laser engraver. I bought a cheapie 2.5w laser to see if I'd like this craft. I do, but now I desire to own wood earrings, but in designs and colors, I like minus the price or do hours of hunting for the best price. I also wanted to do promotional items for my husband's businesses. I might have stumbled on your video a but late but it reaffirmed my choice of the Xtool D1 10w laser.

[@wreper12]

This may have already been said but on the xTool D1 when it is trying to home, there is a way of homing without limit switches where the machine will wait till the collide happens and will detect a current spike which happens due to the motors stalling so that may be what is happening with the homing feature.

[@beardeddragonwood]

You would think that they would run that check during a session too, so it's not constantly bonking the rails with the laser active.

[@wreper12]

@@beardeddragonwoodYeah but I bet that the processor in it is already underpowered and they might use a hack to detect current that is not possible while the laser is running.

[@UnitSe7en]

A machine should never crash. If your machine crashes, then as a designer you're doing something very wrong.

[@wreper12]

@@UnitSe7en Yes crashing is an issue and what was happening in the video is most likely a crash when they moved where the carriage was, but there is a form of homing that performs a controlled crash and detects to see when it happens which allows for the machine to be homed.

[@shazam6274]

Way Better than most other Laser Engraver Reviews. I have a small 5W one for over 2 years. Fixed the Back EMF from the motors and sporadic Laser turn on (added a diode), built a nice large safety cover window (the material, cost about 1/2 the entire laser engraver) and bought some real safety glasses (the green ones that came with it are worthless), but have one major problem: WHAT TO DO WITH IT . It works OK, but after burning some MDF and popsicle sticks. I find it useless for anything practical and it sits in a nice box on the shelf. Maybe I can customize car hoods. 😃😂

[@rolfbjorn9937]

Your first excerpt of their translation is hilarious yet 98,743% accurate. It's probably an honest attempt at translation by a highly motivated Chinese lad (y) who has at least 33% more competence than the average unilingual north american worker AND manages to bring the point accros very clearly. To reinforce my point, I'm not a native English speaker, yet a third party translating from another language from which I have ZERO notions got his point perfectly understood. 9,8743/10 for me.

[@DrDsHere]

Why not start with the laser head in the far left corner. Do one dot there. Then do the positioning from there. This would negate the problem for homing.

[@DuGStp]

So many reviews for this don’t even mention they got it for free. Appreciate the transparency

[@TheTrueCelt28]

I applaud the honesty in your videos. Well done.

[@dougstarwalt8984]

I just searched Craig's List for Dodge Duragno and found 16 for sell. I wonder if they also got laser engravers for review? -=Doug

[@jbooks888]

I just discovered this channel the other day and have watched several videos now. I like this guy!

[@Jeff1Jeff2Jeff3Jeff]

The best YT video I have seen since your last video. You make me laugh, and I like the format. Keep it up ..

[@edstirling]

you can measure power output by heating water with a thermometer.

[@UnitSe7en]

Well, you heat it with the laser...

[@johnhiemstra1464]

I laughed so hard at the end. Your humour is fantastic. I don't want a laser engraver, just a laugh. You came through. Thanks overdunn!

[@johnhiemstra1464]

Whoops, underdunn. How'd i do that

[@alexherrera3918]

I am looking for a laser and i have watched dozens of videos from youtubers that got also those lasers for a review. Your video is the first one that really expresses the truth of the use of those cheap lasers.....unreliable. I really enjoyed your video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to scratch a couple from my list thanks to your video. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

[@madr8b]

I bought the Xtool D1 and have the exact same problems you had. It was not thought out very well and the D1 does not really work well with lightburn, at least in my opinion. I hate that it does not have limit switches. That for me is the biggest problem with the laser. It will crash into the sides for sure if you are not careful, and it sounds like it is going to explode when it hits the side. And to top it all off the emergency/start button does not stop the laser. I can push it all day long when it is running and it will not stop. I have a support ticket into Xtool about all the problems I am having and have not had an answer from them. Hope they can git their Stuff together, it does have potential, but not if they just sit back and not fix all the problems this machine has. Thanks for the great reviews. I am glad that someone is telling their subscribers what they really think about these laser engravers. You just got a new sub, can't wait for the next review. Thanks again. :0)

[@wolfparty4234]

Very cool, maaan!! Well done👏🏼👍🏻

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

Wow! Great video, I've never been glued to a screen and entertained this much whilst watching a video about something I have no interest in owning😂 another 👍🏻

[@ColinMacKenzieRobots]

🤣Duragno! I believe the XTool is using Trinamic drivers and uses StallGuard end stop detection. To your point though, it's still smashing into the end stop so I still prefer optical interrupter style end stops.

[@bowstobourbon]

so glad i found your channel; havent laughed so hard while enjoying a great quality video in a long time ty!

[@ulfmodig136]

If I get your settings I can use them as the base for my test grid. Much better than to start to making a random test grid where 80% catches fire or stays blank.

[@JustMe-ty9tx]

The Best laser review I've seen thus far!!

[@LesAT49]

Nicely done! But I wonder why we have not had any new videos from you on this channel for 5 months! Read all the comments asking for more videos, your style of videos are different and enjoyable and the way you honestly put things like the quality of some item or your knowledge or expertise is a great change of pace. PLEASE for the sake of my and everyone who asked sanity, GIVE US MORE CONTENT! Thank you!

[@kevinsonkevin3634]

"across the board" THAT target was bang on. :D

[@Locane256]

I love your videos Robert! When are we getting more ??? I'd love to see you do your own Project Farm style testing on things!

[@scottbg1]

Found your channel researching laser stuff. Comprehensive as well as entertaining. I'd like to drink a beer with you. Subscribed.

[@rajmaks]

Finally someone did a real review. Thank you for enlightening me. Good job Subscription well deserved.

[@hornet65]

23:02 - I was waiting the whole video for this.

[@joltetheshinyjolteon9212]

The most hilarious thing happened. I was watching and it got to the point that he started talking about the x tool and I kid you not and ad for the x tool d1 popped up and I was like “you’ve got to be joking!”

[@CLove511]

"Never heard of a 'bitch tree', must be part of the dogwood family..." I'm dead. Subscribed.

[@michaelcastro9445]

I love watching your stuff man. You take something and just make it worth watching. Good stuff.

[@ikocheratcr]

Good comparison. I have/had some laser machine manufacturer on Amazon cart, now it is not there. ;) Now I need to see what is available, so when the budget is available I go and buy it.

[@torinhalsey6313]

Now that is a review. Plain talk and valid issues. Well Dunn... er, well done.

[@mackenziemill]

congrats on hitting 100,000 subs, love your personality and editing thanks for an entertaining and informative video

[@generic0000]

With a little (ok, a lot) of know how, you can buy, de-crapify, and safety-ify a K40 CO2 laser for less than those bigger diode lasers. That way your "40w" laser gives you 30w of cutting power, not a dubious 15w. I think I have $500-550 in mine.

[@franklinmaurer8383]

How do you get extra cutting power? Is the air assist really that effective?

[@generic0000]

@@franklinmaurer8383 you get extra cutting power because it's a CO2 laser that actually uses 30w (40w if you overdrive it) of power, not a diode that is "generously" described. Air assist can be really effective, but the K40 doesn't have that. There's a British guy that demonstrates cutting ~1" thick board with his 50w laser. He has his air assist nozzle right above the cut and goes slow. It's pretty impressive. Search for "rdworks learning lab" on KZbin if you want to watch 45-60 minute long videos of dense information.

[@SaitoGray]

@@generic0000 CO2 laser can also cut transparent acrylic. It's WAY better than the diode stuff if you want to cut.

[@generic0000]

@@SaitoGray Good point. I forgot about clear acrylic being, well... clear, to visible light lasers. That's super handy for engraving edge lit signs. My custom control board for the K40 is clear acrylic with black paint on the back. All the switch labels are engraved through the paint, and lit from the back. It looks nice.

[@genericuserid7283391]

Been on the fence looking to cut eighth inch board for gaming stuff and was weighing xTool savings vs glowforge... everything else. At a 3:1 price I think I can handle all the xTool quirks. Thanks!

[@GeorgeDolbier]

FOCUS! that right there earned my sub. Excellent set of reviews.

[@Stoney3K]

The limit switch issue on the Max sounds like a very easy fix: Wire two limit switches in series so the home will only be hit when both motors are at their end stop.

[@gorak9000]

If the limit switches are wired correctly for limit switches (normally closed), then putting 2 of them in series will do nothing for you. It will just stop when the first switch is hit. You need 2 switches with separate inputs to the controller, and the controller to be smart enough to drive each stepper motor independently when homing to actually be useful.

[@Stoney3K]

@@gorak9000 If they're normally closed you can wire them in parallel.

[@gorak9000]

@@Stoney3K Oh, so it opens only when both switches are open? And you just drive the one motor against the stop until the other one catches up? Kind of a lame solution, but then again this isn't a precision machine, so I guess driving the motor against a hard stop is about what I'd expect from this kind of thing.

[@foreignhour2388]

I got an ad for the xTool D1 while watching this video. What a world

[@mattystewart8]

I have finished your entire youtube video library im three days. More content please 👍🏻

[@geoffbrom7844]

I bought a smaller Neje MAX 2! I love it, they lied, but I love it. In the FOR column, Bluetooth works (but only with their tiny crummy program), and after a new (better) printer/data cable it's been reliable as hell In the CON column, it doesn't cut as well as it claims, and it had a slightly missaligned arm (that I aligned with some new holes) (I also bought a bunch of correctly coloured acrylic to put around it because it literally vaporised shit)

[@johnlake6321]

It looks like you don't need to collect many more parts to build your own super duper Trabant...lucky devil!!! Great vid BTW.

[@mcp0924]

So I have been watching Aging Wheels for ~a year or so, and I had no idea you had another channel with other projects. You might wanna advertise it more as it is just as entertaining. Now Im gonna go down a youtube rabbit hole of Under Dunn videos...

[@jeremybrennan1079]

You are by far my favorite KZbinr!

[@yaketyyakumo3315]

I don’t own a laser engraver, but I do own a 3D printer that uses the same rollers-and-extrusion setup, and I have good news for you: the alignment issues on your Max are most likely easily fixable. You probably just need to adjust the eccentric nuts. Basically, on each set of rollers (one on each end and one on the head itself), there’s probably going to be one roller with a hexagonal nut behind it instead of the standard cylindrical stationary axle. This controls the alignment of the rollers and is probably either too loose or too tight, so you’ll need to adjust it with a wrench until you find the sweet spot where there’s no play or wobble in the carriage. You’ll know where the sweet spot is when you find it. Once you’ve done that, that *should* fix (or at least alleviate) it. (If this is helpful, please make a follow up video, if only because I really want to hear what kind of jokes you’ll make with the phrase “eccentric nuts”.)

[@j.a.schlatterer926]

Most probably I will never ever even think about buying a laser engraver. However, inspite of the information being totally useless for me, I found the video intetesting and entertaining. I assume you could make a video about the dust in your workshop and I would enjoy every minute of it. Looking forward to the next vid.

[@AiOinc1]

Ha, the head crash on the xTool like an old Apple II! I was seriously considering it until then, what a shame there's no limit switches!

[@UnfocusedRacing]

Love your videos. Can't click on them fast enough. Keep up the great work!

[@Gewehr2180]

Atomstack Roller does come with the extra lift feet. Also Atomstack just released there new X7 Pro. You should try and get your hands on that bad boy. It also has a dual lasers for a 10w output. I have attached just the M50 module to my A5 20W laser engraver. Plus i'm sure youll put it to the test more than me.

[@twinklingwater]

Not having endstops may not necessarily be an issue. Better stepper drivers measure the amount of current they push through the stepper and recognize when they hit a limit. This feature is used in a couple of 3D printers. Doesn't mean that your engraver uses those drivers, it just means that they exist and this method could be used *in theory*.

[@Toyotajunkie]

"OH look it engraved some bird poop." 🤣 Thanks for the real review!

[@mlindholm]

It's quite telling to your subscriber base, that when I clicked into the video, there were 779 views, but also 757 likes already. Good jerb.

[@RanczoMacieja]

Congrats 100k subscribers - I really enjoy it your sense of humor. Already subscribed so good luck 😀 I'm on the beginning of this 100k trip. Cheers

[@jjcc8379]

The giveaway from early on that the Xtool was gonna be the winner was having working wifi and the software update. Appart from technical problems updating the firmware, opening up your machine to a de-facto third party application shows some care about the product. If they added proper cable management AND limit switches AND safety covers ... think it'd be undisputedly a winner. XTool Max when?

[@Etacovda63]

I had a satellite meter thats first page was 'statements of irresponsibility' instead of a disclaimer page - thats been my favourite engrish

[@LesAT49]

Nice video Robert, but as for saying the D1 won! I actually bought one and was doing ok for a while, I was even considering buying one of their CO2 lasers..... but then I tried my own tests with text. Some fonts printed out every letter of the alphabet at different speeds and power settings but most were not only not consistent but many of the letters either didn't print at all when they should have some even printed looking like letters from some kind of ancient hieroglyphics. The company had no explanation for this and after providing video proof were they willing to refund 90% of my purchase price. Yes they charge a return fee! In short, diode lasers are not much more than toys for grown ups, without any meaningful safety features I wouldn't let any kid of mine to operate one without supervision.

[@diegoarmijo1426]

I appreciate your reviews of these machines and your sense of humor in your presentations. My preference is still the Ortur Pro. Reason being its ease of use. I did add on an after market focus adjustment and it's ability to use the Light Burn software makes all the difference. Yes, I am a newby, so the simpler the better. I am looking forward to the day when an affordable tube laser hits the market for hobbyists. I enjoy your channel.

[@christianholmstedt8770]

I got to say that this 'secondary' channel is better than the main channel.

[@vampricloki]

I want to see you review the JTech Pro stand alone laser. looks close to the big one you have in this vid but they manufacture the boards and everything in the USA.

[@sccarguy8242]

I’m fairly sure I understood about 6 words used when describing how these work.…. But I don’t care I was still thoroughly entertained.