New Best Budget Laser ACMER S1

Acmer S1

I am beyond lucky to test and review some of the biggest, baddest, and most expensive desktop laser engravers.  So why am I so excited about the Acmer S1?  Why am I calling it the Best Budget Laser?

Answer:  Because it is.  It costs $100 for the 2.5 watt version and $119 for the 3.5 watt.  It can also be purchased from AliExpress for a bit cheaper.

I think that a lot of prospective new laser owners  think that they’ll make a ton of money doing crafty things.   People will spend a thousand dollars or more to buy the best laser they can find.  Shortly after you’ll see them on a forum saying they don’t know how to get started.

Or my personal favorite forum post is, “My machine broke and I have orders to fill.  This is unacceptable”.  Read on as the Acmer S1 is the cure for both of those problems.

The ACMER S1 comes fully assembled and costs $100 (for the 2.5 watt version).

Additionally, it operates as any other desktop laser engraver that uses GRBL code.   It has a respectable, albeit small, working size of 130 x 130 mm.
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Longer Nano Pro 12W Laser Review

Longer Nano Pro

I was recently provided a Longer Nano Pro 12W ($799) by the nice folks at Longer3D.  The Pro version is a 12 watt blue diode laser and a rotary extension and slide extension are included.

The Nano Pro  looks fairly similar to a Laser Pecker but I assure you this is a different beast.   The Nano only has one laser and does not contain the IR (1064 nm) laser as does the LP.  Consequently, that makes it quite a bit less expensive than the LP.

Without drudging up the past too much I went on record on my blog saying how much I disliked the Laser Pecker 4.   Because of the similar looks I kind of expected the Nano Pro to shake out the same way.  File this under “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover”.

SPOILER ALERT:  I really, really like this machine.  It is simple, effective,  and the included Lightburn device file is exceptional.  I did find a quirk or two which I’d categorize as “Learning Curve”.  I’ll discuss that later.  This machine is the right size, the right power, and has the right amount of portability.  If you are a crafter or a scrapbooker the Nano or Nano Pro is custom made for you.
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TOOCAA L2 Laser Engraver Review

TOOCAA L2 Desktop Laser Engraver

I was recently provided a Desktop Laser Engraver from TOOCAA.  TOOCAA stands for “Tool Can Create Amazing Art”.  The laser that showed up on my doorstep is the TOOCAA L2, 20 Watt diode laser ($999.00).

Desktop laser engravers have been roughly the same up until recently.  In the last year or so there has been an explosion of upgrades and safety features.  The TOOCAA L2 certainly is carrying that torch into the future.  Where it really shines is in the realm of safety.
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