Our Top Picks: Best Laser Engravers and Laser Cutters for 2024/2025
Just like in the previous year, this year we have also tested a ton of laser engravers and laser cutters. In this article you will find a selection of best laser engravers, which are laser engravers that I personally like, and I continue to use on a daily basis after reviewing them. I will categorize them based on their purpose and use case, as some of them are ideal for engraving and cutting wood, others excel at engraving metals, and some are best for plastic.
If you’re interested in learning more details about a specific machine featured in this article, you can find in-depth reviews for each of them on our website or on my YouTube channel.
*The links on this website can be affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. When you buy through these links you will support this website, which helps me to run this website(which cost money and a TON of time) and provide all these extensive reviews and information to you for free, without any paid membership.
Table of Contents
Best Diode Laser Engraver
Diode lasers have made significant advancements in recent years. Just two years ago, they were seen as weak hobby tools with only 5 watts of output power. Today however, diode laser engravers are powerful and mature machines, capable of cutting and engraving at high speeds.
The best diode laser engraver I tested in 2024 was the Sculpfun SF-A9 [Official store, Geekbuying, Aliexpress, TomTop, Amazon] (read the full review). It features a 40-watt octa-diode laser module mounted on a very solid and sturdy mechanical gantry, allowing for high-speed, precise engraving. The laser module has two selectable power output ranges, and the motor controller offers two acceleration and speed modes, letting you choose between precision and accuracy or power and speed. You can also buy an infrared laser module addon, which is ideal for engraving metal and plastics, making this a very versatile machine, capable of engraving a lot of different materials.
If you are looking for a cheaper option, you should also check out other engravers from Sculpfun. I have tested a ton of various diode engravers and Sculpfun machines were always amongst the best performing in its class.
But if you’re looking for an enclosed diode engraver, you should check out the xTool S1 enclosed laser engraver (read the full review) which was the last year’s winner which still remains one of the best options today. It offers a variety of laser modules and accessories, making it a great choice for many applications.
Best Fiber Laser Engraver
Fiber lasers are becoming more affordable and powerful every day. This year, I have tested many MOPA fiber lasers, which are the best version of fiber lasers because they offer significantly more adjustability, allowing you to create various engraving effects on both plastics and metals. MOPA fiber lasers are ideal for creating deep engravings on all types of metal, instantly ablating the surface to produce deep 3D engravings, and they can also be used for cutting thin sheets of metal.
These lasers excel at rust removal on delicate parts and can engrave leather and some plastics as well. MOPA fiber lasers are particularly effective for creating colored engravings on stainless steel and titanium and producing various shades of gray on anodized aluminum. They are also capable of making impressively deep engravings in stone.
The ComMarker B4 [Official store, Amazon, Aliexpress] is a simple and straightforward fiber laser with a tall column and great versatility, as it comes with two lenses and a foot switch as standard (read full review). I also tested the new ComMarker B6, which offers the same power in a smaller frame and can be used in a split configuration. Its main improvement is the autofocus function, which the B4 lacks. ComMarker machines are excellent because they offer a wide range of accessories, such as different types of rotary attachments, workbenches, enclosures, and fixtures, allowing you to customize them for your specific needs. (read the full review of the B6). Both the ComMarker B4 and the B6 are ideal for small engraving businesses.
The big surprise this year was the Monport GA60 [US store, DE store, UK store, Amazon store], which also has a good autofocus system and features a very sturdy, adjustable vertical column that can rotate and can also be easily collapsed for storage (read the full review). The machine is very sturdy and comes well calibrated out of the box. The Monport GA60 is very convenient to use and produces great results.
So, which is the best fiber laser engraver in 2024? The answer depends on which one best suits your work. While they offer similar engraving performance, the accessories and features can make one machine a better choice over another, depending on your needs. You should check out our full reviews of each of them and see which one will suit you best.
The only downside to fiber lasers is that they cannot engrave wood or similar materials.
Best CO2 Laser Cutter
So far this year I have tested only one CO2 laser – the Atomstack Hurricane. It is a 55-watt desktop laser which proved itself to be a very good laser cutter in its price range (read the full review). It produces incredibly good engravings with high contrast and performs very well at laser cutting.
Although compared to last year’s winner – the xTool P2, it falls behind when cutting thicker materials and also lacks the advanced dual camera positioning system that ensures incredible positioning accuracy, and misses a wider range of advanced features like the curved surface engraving (read the full review of the xTool P2).
Other than that, the Hurricane is a very solid machine that works very well and can be a good choice if you don’t need all those features. But I have to say I was impressed with the conveyor feeder tray which expands the working area.
But this year, xTool has upgraded the P2 into the xTool P2S which features stronger air assist, better optical path and improved engraving speeds. I haven’t tested the P2S yet, but it is on its way, and I will test it very soon, to see how well it performs with all those upgrades. Subscribe to our mailing list and get notified when we test it! You can use my discount code “xToolJT” for additional discount at checkout!
Best Dual-Beam Laser Engraver
If you like galvo-style lasers but want the ability to engrave more materials, the xTool F1 Ultra is the ideal choice for you. It is the larger, upgraded version of the older xTool F1 (review here) and features both a 20-watt blue diode laser and a 20-watt true fiber laser in a compact design (read the full review of the xTool F1 Ultra).
The blue diode laser module is perfect for cutting and engraving wood, leather, plastic and other organic materials. And the infrared fiber laser is great for marking raw aluminum, brass, copper, zinc, chrome coatings, plastics and similar materials.
As a result, the xTool F1 Ultra is just as effective at engraving wood as it is at engraving metals and plastic. Its powerful 20-watt blue diode laser also makes it excellent for laser cutting. The dual-beam setup allows you to engrave a very wide range of materials—something that is impossible to do with a single laser module.
Additionally, it enables you to use both laser beams in the same engraving project. A cool thing I like to do is to engrave a photo on black acrylic using fiber laser which produces crisp white engravings, and then make a cutout using a blue laser module which makes a clean cut. This combination allows for unique results that would be impossible with only one laser module. This makes the xTool F1 Ultra one of the best galvo laser engravers.
The infrared laser can also make deep 3D engravings in metals which is an easy way to make a valuable customized gift.
Best UV Laser For Engraving (almost) Any Kind of Material
So far we have learned that each laser type has its own limitations in terms of materials they can engrave.
For a rough example, diode lasers work great on wood, but can’t engrave metals other than stainless steel and they can’t cut white or transparent materials. Fiber lasers can make wonders on all types of metals, but they can’t engrave wood and aren’t the best for some plastics. CO2 laser is the best for working with wood and cutting plastics, but they can’t mark metals directly.
If you’re looking for a single machine that performs well on wood, plastics, metals and glass, a UV laser is your answer. But the problem with these machines is that they are usually very expensive, and they require an external water chiller too.
But this year, ComMarker has released one of the most affordable UV lasers with a solid power output. The ComMarker Omni 1 is a compact 5-watt air cooled galvo UV laser engraver (read the full review).
But don’t think that it is a weak machine for having just 5 watts of power. UV light is very well absorbed by a wide range of materials, meaning a UV laser can engrave almost anything, including metals, plastics, leather, wood, stone and—most importantly—glass.
It produces incredibly detailed engravings on glass, even better than sandblasting. It is the only type of laser that can ablate glass directly which means it can also cut it very well. And it can do all that at a very high speed!
UV laser is also the best type of laser for engraving plastics. While other types of lasers can also engrave plastics, but they produce limiting results with low contrast by just melting the surface. In contrast, UV lasers create sharp, high-contrast engravings on nearly all plastic types.
Plus, the UV laser beam generates very little heat, which prevents thin metals or plastics from melting and bending and leaves no smoke stains on wood—a feature unique to UV lasers which work by directly breaking chemical bonds in the material. And since the UV light has very short wavelength, the laser spot size of the UV laser is the smallest of any other laser, which makes it possible to engrave incredibly small text. The example below is 0.5mm tall text engraved on a regular toothpick.
The ComMarker Omni 1 is an excellent choice if you want a simple, versatile device that can handle almost everything. It is one of the best affordable UV laser engravers on the market today.
Best Accessory For ANY Laser!
Currently I am testing the most important accessory for any laser – the xTool SafetyPro AP2 Air Purifier with SuperCyclone System. This is a revolutionary 5-stage cyclone air purification system that is used for removing toxic fumes and smell that is generated while laser engraving with any type of laser. It is a great investment in your health and the health of those around you.
I will soon make a full review article to test it more thoroughly, Subscribe to our mailing list and get notified when the article will be released!
Conclusion
*The links on this website can be affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. When you buy through these links you will support this website, which helps me to run this website(which cost money and a TON of time) and provide all these extensive reviews and information to you for free, without any paid membership.
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