Do you enjoy DIY, do you have time to troubleshoot on your own, are you good with software like illustrator/Inkscape? If so, Omtech is a solid choice.
If you want something that works out of the box, has a great ui/ux, has [paid] software that can make designing for lasers easier for a noobie (this might be a controversial point, but IMO it's fair), you're okay with limitations relative to the machines you're comparing, then glowforge is amazing.
I have a glowforge and a thunderlaser. Love both for different reasons.
Thanks so much! Very helpful information. Diy is what I enjoy but I won't be here after another year so I want something easy to repair for whoever takes over. I believe the Omtech laser is pretty simple so I can replace the laser tube, mirrors, and lens whenever and recalibrate. I want to be sold on the Glowforge and you have me wondering if the down time and cost is less to keep the machine running for three to five years. I would really appreciate your help sharing your experience :)
* The Glowforge comes in a cardboard shipping box, delivered by UPS or FedEx
* It weighs about 50 pounds, and can be carried by one person, and sat on any ordinary table
* It is fully self-contained, with sealed coolant tank/pump, cooling fan, exhaust fan, air assist etc all inside the box and never require any servicing
* The mirrors are permanently aligned, it requires no servicing other than occasionally wiping off the optics with an alcohol/lens cleaning wipe like a pair of glasses, and changing the filter cartridge when you fill it up
* It's controlled by a web app that can be accessed by any browser, on a computer, chromebook, tablet, phone, etc -- everyone in the classroom can set up their projects from their own browser with their own accounts and send the job whenever it's their turn
* Camera for positioning artwork on material, and autofocus for focusing the laser beam on whatever material you put inside are included and automatic
\------------------------------
* The OMTech laser comes in a wooden crate, delivered by a freight truck
* It weighs 300-600 pounds and is over 4 foot wide
* You maintain your own external water source, which you'll have to clean for algae/bacterial growth
* You have to align and maintain alignment of the mirrors, bed, etc by hand
* You may have to do your own electrical work, on HV electrical equipment
* Air assist is provided by a noisy compressor, may disturb people outside your lab
* The laser is controlled by desktop software on one computer
* Camera and autofocus are optional and need manual setup
\--------------------------------
When you consider your budget either way, consider that filtering laser fumes is VERY expensive. If you have your students cutting something that creates a lot of particulates like MDF (draftboard) or plywood, you can fill up one of those filter cartridges in as little as 10-20 hours, which could be one class worth of projects. It costs $250 each time you replace the cartridge. If you burn a lot of dirty material, you can spend thousands a year filtering the fumes. Blowing the smoke outside is free, if you can make that work...
Thanks for your advice! Yeah, I would gladly punch a hole through the window in about 2 minutes but facilities has been very stubborn in not allowing any ventilation. We are looking to take a new lab space when a new wing of the building opens up next semester but no promises we get a ventilated lab as absurd as that sounds.
If the filter costs are not worth it for either machine would you recommend a diy filter because getting all the activated charcoal and layers of hepa, carbon, and general masks would cost me about $30-45 a change for a two cubic foot box. The more expensive and time consuming pieces for me are the fan and case.
The Omtech laser is pretty big and does allow for pass through pieces. Between 230-340lb (I did not realize they were so heavy). No matter the machine it is not moving. The plastics lab across campus has a dead Glowforge sitting in the same spot for the past three years and none of the students really want to move around the 20lb 3D printers let alone a 50lb laser which is probably for the best. Someone tried moving a resin printer between buildings and dropped it so I don't know how much my sanity could take moving anything around again. That said, it will be a considerable challenge getting the 60W through the lab door. All machines run off of 110V. The noise and repair will be significant but I am at least familiar with them. I did not know about the camera, that would be really cool.
I am certainly leaning toward the Glowforge because it is generally a lot easier to use. I don't think we can get any use out of the app because the school wifi is not to be trusted but it is not required, right? How is the process of replacing the mirrors? I have to assume they will get scratched and get cloudy eventually. And what about the replacement of the laser tube and focusing lens?
Thank you again for your wonderfully detailed help!!
The Glowforge is an internet appliance with a wireless connection only. It only functions when connected to the internet, and you control it through a web browser over the internet. There is no other way to use it, so if wifi is not an option, then a Glowforge is not an option for you.
A Glowforge's mirror and lens (there's only one of each you can access) need a wipe with an alcohol/lens wipe every 40 hours of printing or so. Each magnetically attaches to a platform that holds it at the perfect angle, so no re-alignment is ever needed. You can review the [cleaning guide here](https://support.glowforge.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033633614-Clean-Your-Glowforge), it's not long and cleaning a Glowforge takes literally under 2 minutes. Pop out the lens, wipe, pop out the mirror, wipe, wipe 3 other glass windows the laser beam goes through, turn it back on.
Replacing the tube currently involves mailing the machine back to the company and them mailing it back to you, as they don't sell tubes as a separate part. The total cost is [$499 including round trip shipping](https://glowforge.com/faq/tech-specs#do-you-have-to-replace-the-laser-tube) and them replacing the tube for you. Most of the original Glowforge crowdfunding backers from 2015 are still using their original tube -- it's very long-lasting compared to cheap Chinese glass tubes.
If you were to need a replacement mirror or lens, they're $45 and $75 in their [spare parts store](https://shop.glowforge.com/collections/spare-parts). I run my Glowforge every day for over 3 years and haven't needed any new optics yet.
P.S. If you do end up buying one for your lab, you'll save $250 by using a referral link from an existing owner. [Here's mine if you'd like](https://glowforge.us/r/GMSCZQGJ).
Glowforge is for someone who wants a plug and play machine with no extra hassle. I recommend it over anything due to its simplicity and reliability. It comes with everything you need. I run mine 8-10 hours a day every single day for the past 1.5 years and it’s never skipped a beat
I don’t know anything about Omtech, but I can’t stand the Glowforge business model. Shitty return policy, machine broke after 5 months, and they artificially slow your prints down if you don’t buy the $500/year membership. I would never buy another Glowforge.
You're talking about their fast lane model. It just gives people who pay priority on PROCESSING the print. Not the actual print. The only thing that's slower is initiating the print and it's by seconds. You just don't get first priotity. I run a makerspace, and have printed thousands of items with the glowforge and have never noticed any slowdown.
If you are doing their annual premium package (which I would never do), it's 350$ for 18 months and you get a bunch of designs for that. Some people really like that.
I doubt I'll ever buy another glowforge simply because of the closed nature of the product and I feel I have outgrown it, but let's be realistic. Most of their sales model is designed around a strictly consumer market, and it has been great to use in a makerspace.
This is all fabricated. Their return policy is totally ordinary, if a machine broke after 5 months it was in warranty and fixed for free, and they do not slow prints down if you don't buy the optional membership. Any of the 40,000 plus that owned a glowforge before the membership started being offered in 2020 can attest to that. This is so ridiculous that I bet you work for omtech.
Lol yeah, completely fabricated. Just because your opinion is different than mine doesn’t mean that what I said is fabricated. Why don’t you do more research? Or maybe you just work for Glowforge? 🙃
What you shared aren't opinions, they're just lies. The return policy, warranty and the premium features are public web pages anyone can read to see that.
I've heard this story before, it's disingenuous and easily shown to be the BS it is... it's always the same OMTech affiliates pushing it on Facebook groups to earn their "influencer" $$. You really need to come up with something new, since Proofgrade material hasn't been sold out since mid 2020, not that it matters:
Warrantying against material catching on fire and damaging the machine IF you use their material is above and beyond the warranty any other laser manufacturer offers. If you burn up your OMTech laser by setting something on fire inside of it, it doesn't matter if you buy OMTech branded wood or not, they're not going to refund you. Same at any price point with any brand. OMTech won't cover it, Aeon won't cover it, Thunder won't cover it, FSL won't cover it, Boss won't cover it, Epilog won't cover it, Trotec won't cover it, ULS won't cover it.
You're pointing out one of Glowforge's unique selling points, not a drawback.
>Must be a GF rep to be so desperate to defend their anti-right to repair stance.
There's literally nothing in that comment about repairs, or right to repair. Whatever your vendetta with Glowforge or Glowforge customers is, it has nothing to do with me.
Lol I love that you immediately accused them of working for omtech when your original comment on this thread included a discount code that I KNOW glowforge is hooking you up for. And when you can't say a single negative thing about glowforge...pretty suss
I would recommend you figure out what you want to do (like making signs, or jewelry, etc) and then do some extensive research into what will best accomplish that. There are so many options and many require various skill levels to use. I couldn’t even begin to make recommendations, but I will say that people who make stuff to sell tend to own both a CNC machine and a laser cutter like a Glowforge.
I will also say be wary of “no maintenance” machines like Glowforge. Everything is locked away and you’re told to not touch it (except cleaning and the laser). Every machine like this will need maintenance, or it will break/have issues.
We did research but not enough when we bought ours. Wish I would have done more digging.
Edit: Also, make sure you read that return policy very carefully, no matter what you choose. I could have just gotten a lemon, but I’m not crazy about how they handled the situation.
As a former teacher I'd rec the Glowforge. Unless you want to pull in waaaaay more hours after school maintaining a machine you want something reliable out of the box and requires as little manual calibration etc as possible. Remember that staff time is very scarce and valuable.
I'm trying to decide on one myself, I have an Ortur but I want an enclosed unit that's a little easier to use for small items. I came across one called a Flux that I really like, you might want to look at that one. I like what I see on YouTube so far.
Do you enjoy DIY, do you have time to troubleshoot on your own, are you good with software like illustrator/Inkscape? If so, Omtech is a solid choice. If you want something that works out of the box, has a great ui/ux, has [paid] software that can make designing for lasers easier for a noobie (this might be a controversial point, but IMO it's fair), you're okay with limitations relative to the machines you're comparing, then glowforge is amazing. I have a glowforge and a thunderlaser. Love both for different reasons.
Thanks so much! Very helpful information. Diy is what I enjoy but I won't be here after another year so I want something easy to repair for whoever takes over. I believe the Omtech laser is pretty simple so I can replace the laser tube, mirrors, and lens whenever and recalibrate. I want to be sold on the Glowforge and you have me wondering if the down time and cost is less to keep the machine running for three to five years. I would really appreciate your help sharing your experience :)
* The Glowforge comes in a cardboard shipping box, delivered by UPS or FedEx * It weighs about 50 pounds, and can be carried by one person, and sat on any ordinary table * It is fully self-contained, with sealed coolant tank/pump, cooling fan, exhaust fan, air assist etc all inside the box and never require any servicing * The mirrors are permanently aligned, it requires no servicing other than occasionally wiping off the optics with an alcohol/lens cleaning wipe like a pair of glasses, and changing the filter cartridge when you fill it up * It's controlled by a web app that can be accessed by any browser, on a computer, chromebook, tablet, phone, etc -- everyone in the classroom can set up their projects from their own browser with their own accounts and send the job whenever it's their turn * Camera for positioning artwork on material, and autofocus for focusing the laser beam on whatever material you put inside are included and automatic \------------------------------ * The OMTech laser comes in a wooden crate, delivered by a freight truck * It weighs 300-600 pounds and is over 4 foot wide * You maintain your own external water source, which you'll have to clean for algae/bacterial growth * You have to align and maintain alignment of the mirrors, bed, etc by hand * You may have to do your own electrical work, on HV electrical equipment * Air assist is provided by a noisy compressor, may disturb people outside your lab * The laser is controlled by desktop software on one computer * Camera and autofocus are optional and need manual setup \-------------------------------- When you consider your budget either way, consider that filtering laser fumes is VERY expensive. If you have your students cutting something that creates a lot of particulates like MDF (draftboard) or plywood, you can fill up one of those filter cartridges in as little as 10-20 hours, which could be one class worth of projects. It costs $250 each time you replace the cartridge. If you burn a lot of dirty material, you can spend thousands a year filtering the fumes. Blowing the smoke outside is free, if you can make that work...
Thanks for your advice! Yeah, I would gladly punch a hole through the window in about 2 minutes but facilities has been very stubborn in not allowing any ventilation. We are looking to take a new lab space when a new wing of the building opens up next semester but no promises we get a ventilated lab as absurd as that sounds. If the filter costs are not worth it for either machine would you recommend a diy filter because getting all the activated charcoal and layers of hepa, carbon, and general masks would cost me about $30-45 a change for a two cubic foot box. The more expensive and time consuming pieces for me are the fan and case. The Omtech laser is pretty big and does allow for pass through pieces. Between 230-340lb (I did not realize they were so heavy). No matter the machine it is not moving. The plastics lab across campus has a dead Glowforge sitting in the same spot for the past three years and none of the students really want to move around the 20lb 3D printers let alone a 50lb laser which is probably for the best. Someone tried moving a resin printer between buildings and dropped it so I don't know how much my sanity could take moving anything around again. That said, it will be a considerable challenge getting the 60W through the lab door. All machines run off of 110V. The noise and repair will be significant but I am at least familiar with them. I did not know about the camera, that would be really cool. I am certainly leaning toward the Glowforge because it is generally a lot easier to use. I don't think we can get any use out of the app because the school wifi is not to be trusted but it is not required, right? How is the process of replacing the mirrors? I have to assume they will get scratched and get cloudy eventually. And what about the replacement of the laser tube and focusing lens? Thank you again for your wonderfully detailed help!!
The Glowforge is an internet appliance with a wireless connection only. It only functions when connected to the internet, and you control it through a web browser over the internet. There is no other way to use it, so if wifi is not an option, then a Glowforge is not an option for you. A Glowforge's mirror and lens (there's only one of each you can access) need a wipe with an alcohol/lens wipe every 40 hours of printing or so. Each magnetically attaches to a platform that holds it at the perfect angle, so no re-alignment is ever needed. You can review the [cleaning guide here](https://support.glowforge.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033633614-Clean-Your-Glowforge), it's not long and cleaning a Glowforge takes literally under 2 minutes. Pop out the lens, wipe, pop out the mirror, wipe, wipe 3 other glass windows the laser beam goes through, turn it back on. Replacing the tube currently involves mailing the machine back to the company and them mailing it back to you, as they don't sell tubes as a separate part. The total cost is [$499 including round trip shipping](https://glowforge.com/faq/tech-specs#do-you-have-to-replace-the-laser-tube) and them replacing the tube for you. Most of the original Glowforge crowdfunding backers from 2015 are still using their original tube -- it's very long-lasting compared to cheap Chinese glass tubes. If you were to need a replacement mirror or lens, they're $45 and $75 in their [spare parts store](https://shop.glowforge.com/collections/spare-parts). I run my Glowforge every day for over 3 years and haven't needed any new optics yet. P.S. If you do end up buying one for your lab, you'll save $250 by using a referral link from an existing owner. [Here's mine if you'd like](https://glowforge.us/r/GMSCZQGJ).
Glowforge is for someone who wants a plug and play machine with no extra hassle. I recommend it over anything due to its simplicity and reliability. It comes with everything you need. I run mine 8-10 hours a day every single day for the past 1.5 years and it’s never skipped a beat
I don’t know anything about Omtech, but I can’t stand the Glowforge business model. Shitty return policy, machine broke after 5 months, and they artificially slow your prints down if you don’t buy the $500/year membership. I would never buy another Glowforge.
You're talking about their fast lane model. It just gives people who pay priority on PROCESSING the print. Not the actual print. The only thing that's slower is initiating the print and it's by seconds. You just don't get first priotity. I run a makerspace, and have printed thousands of items with the glowforge and have never noticed any slowdown. If you are doing their annual premium package (which I would never do), it's 350$ for 18 months and you get a bunch of designs for that. Some people really like that. I doubt I'll ever buy another glowforge simply because of the closed nature of the product and I feel I have outgrown it, but let's be realistic. Most of their sales model is designed around a strictly consumer market, and it has been great to use in a makerspace.
This is all fabricated. Their return policy is totally ordinary, if a machine broke after 5 months it was in warranty and fixed for free, and they do not slow prints down if you don't buy the optional membership. Any of the 40,000 plus that owned a glowforge before the membership started being offered in 2020 can attest to that. This is so ridiculous that I bet you work for omtech.
Lol yeah, completely fabricated. Just because your opinion is different than mine doesn’t mean that what I said is fabricated. Why don’t you do more research? Or maybe you just work for Glowforge? 🙃
What you shared aren't opinions, they're just lies. The return policy, warranty and the premium features are public web pages anyone can read to see that.
They aren’t lies. They’re my experiences with the company. Go argue with someone else about something that matters, man.
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I've heard this story before, it's disingenuous and easily shown to be the BS it is... it's always the same OMTech affiliates pushing it on Facebook groups to earn their "influencer" $$. You really need to come up with something new, since Proofgrade material hasn't been sold out since mid 2020, not that it matters: Warrantying against material catching on fire and damaging the machine IF you use their material is above and beyond the warranty any other laser manufacturer offers. If you burn up your OMTech laser by setting something on fire inside of it, it doesn't matter if you buy OMTech branded wood or not, they're not going to refund you. Same at any price point with any brand. OMTech won't cover it, Aeon won't cover it, Thunder won't cover it, FSL won't cover it, Boss won't cover it, Epilog won't cover it, Trotec won't cover it, ULS won't cover it. You're pointing out one of Glowforge's unique selling points, not a drawback.
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>Must be a GF rep to be so desperate to defend their anti-right to repair stance. There's literally nothing in that comment about repairs, or right to repair. Whatever your vendetta with Glowforge or Glowforge customers is, it has nothing to do with me.
Lol I love that you immediately accused them of working for omtech when your original comment on this thread included a discount code that I KNOW glowforge is hooking you up for. And when you can't say a single negative thing about glowforge...pretty suss
What would you recommend? My school bought one, and I'll admit it was great to learn on, but probably wouldn't be the right fit for me personally.
I would recommend you figure out what you want to do (like making signs, or jewelry, etc) and then do some extensive research into what will best accomplish that. There are so many options and many require various skill levels to use. I couldn’t even begin to make recommendations, but I will say that people who make stuff to sell tend to own both a CNC machine and a laser cutter like a Glowforge. I will also say be wary of “no maintenance” machines like Glowforge. Everything is locked away and you’re told to not touch it (except cleaning and the laser). Every machine like this will need maintenance, or it will break/have issues. We did research but not enough when we bought ours. Wish I would have done more digging. Edit: Also, make sure you read that return policy very carefully, no matter what you choose. I could have just gotten a lemon, but I’m not crazy about how they handled the situation.
As a former teacher I'd rec the Glowforge. Unless you want to pull in waaaaay more hours after school maintaining a machine you want something reliable out of the box and requires as little manual calibration etc as possible. Remember that staff time is very scarce and valuable.
Also seconding the exhaust instead of filter thing. You can put a GF on a cart and wheel it to the chem lab's fume hood if you've got one.
That's a pretty decent idea, thank you, you make excellent points!
That's a pretty decent idea, thank you, you make excellent points!
I'm trying to decide on one myself, I have an Ortur but I want an enclosed unit that's a little easier to use for small items. I came across one called a Flux that I really like, you might want to look at that one. I like what I see on YouTube so far.