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

2 жыл бұрын

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

@PoodlePuncher

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

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

You get what a lot of makers on KZread 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

2 жыл бұрын

Slow day?

@Justchuck69

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

@markm0000

2 жыл бұрын

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

@letthetunesflow

2 жыл бұрын

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 KZread. 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.

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

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". 🤣

@calebs4887

8 ай бұрын

I got a laugh out of that on mine too.

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

@NefariousElasticity

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

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

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

@tarstarkusz

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

I agree with you about dangerous bad translations.

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_

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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'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.

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

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

@TheRealNici

2 жыл бұрын

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

@MrMartinSchou

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

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.

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

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

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

@TurboHappyCar

2 жыл бұрын

I lost it. 😂

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

@WatanabeNoTsuna.

2 жыл бұрын

Hey, spoiler alert! 😡 😂

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

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

Жыл бұрын

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

@samrosenthal2111

Жыл бұрын

@@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.

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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...

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

I applaud the honesty in your videos. Well done.

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.

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

2 жыл бұрын

How did you measure the output?

@quandiy5164

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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.

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!

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

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

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

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!

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.

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

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

2 жыл бұрын

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.

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

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

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

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

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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.

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.

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

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…)

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

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

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

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

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!

Love your content. Your style is unique and I find you hilarious. I hope you have more content soon

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 👍🏻

"Terminal experience" sounds pretty ominous, like it's the last experience you'll ever have... 😝🤣😂

Thank you for the vid.. Was looking for something like this.

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

I love that this starts and ends with a typo.

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

Hilarious, your tool reviews are hilarious, but incredible well done and very informative. I really enjoy your show, thank you for sharing

the ending had me. that was the best part

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

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

Very cool, maaan!! Well done👏🏼👍🏻

Awesome video! Plz keep them coming!!

ok, this was fun to watch. thanks man.

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

@twocvbloke

2 жыл бұрын

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

@Wordsnwood

2 жыл бұрын

@@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.

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

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

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!”

You are by far my favorite KZreadr!

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

BUT, that drop down arm @10:18 doubles as a bottle opener so that makes that unit at least tripple the value!!!!

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

2 жыл бұрын

Whoops, underdunn. How'd i do that

🤣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.

thanks...love your humor

I love your videos! I need more!

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. 😃😂

Great product reviews 👍

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

The most brilliant product review I've ever seen. Bitch wood took me over the top!

What's hilarious about this video is that an Xtool1 ad played on the 1st ad

I thought head-crash was eliminated in Commodore floppy disk drives in the 80s when they added a head sensor, seems china forgot about that... :P

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

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

2 жыл бұрын

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

2 жыл бұрын

@@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

2 жыл бұрын

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

@wreper12

2 жыл бұрын

@@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.

Omg! I am thinking about buying one of these, thank's for the review! And also that you're using regular measurements, not the middle-age-one (mostly) :D I am just curious if any of them are compatible with linux-mint

Hahaha Duragno that was priceless love your videos and humor

Awesome content but honestly…just subscribed cuz you’re hilarious lol

I did some KZread 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.

EXCELLENT REVIEW!

good video, gives me something to think about

Jeez man, Its like you're reading my Christmas list and getting them all for free. Pretty jealous over here.

20:00 ahhh so just like a floppy disk drive x3

I liked the Caleb joke 🤣

Dubious efficacy, but unquestionable style 😎

Wow this is very informative