Trying to get some more information on lasers, as my past source right now is salesmen… which I don't know how reliable that info is…
I am debating buying an Epilog vs. a Full Spectrum laser. The biggest difference is the glass tube vs. metal tube. The Full Spectrum I can get 2x work surface and 2x power for half the price! a $7,500 savings! Thats a lot of money….
But does the metal tube really that much better? Wondering if one of those things that ya its better if running your laser 8-10 hours a day… where I will more likely be 2 hours 2 days a week.
Any help in right direction would be greatly appreciated! Big investment and not a lot of reliable information out there!
Convenience for one. Glass tubes I believe are water-cooled and will require a pump and water supply to operate. The metal ones are usually air-cooled and typically last 2-3 years longer between recharges. You may also lose some image quality when doing raster work. I've heard (but haven't had a chance to see for myself) that the cheaper lasers can vector cut just as well as the expensive ones but tend to fall behind when engraving.
Regarding run-time, you really want to operate your laser more than 4 hours a week. It should be turned on at least once a day. Laser tubes last longer when used heavily. At least the metal ones do for sure.
Personally, I'd lean towards Universal or Trotec but Epilog lasers are good too. I just heard horror stories about one of their sales reps in a specific geographic location being terrible hence my strong preference for Universal.
I have a Full Spectrum 24×18 Pro laser. It's a 90 watt glass tube laser. I have cut the same parts in an Epilog comparable machine that had a metal tube. I found that the Epilog cut slightly faster, but so slight that I was happy I had the Full Spectrum model and saved $6K or so. I've engraved with both and see no difference in quality.
I've had my laser with the same tube for over 3 years now. I run it about 14 hours each week, sometimes as much as 20 hours in a week. The tube is fine but I've had to replace the power supply twice (about once each year it seems). So even with that, I'm still ahead of the curve for price. I do have a water chiller for cooling.
I'd recommend the Full Spectrum option. They have good service. Epilog is a solid product and it's made here in US, not far from where I live in Colorado, but the price delta is hard to ignore.
@KerwinLumpkins what kind of Full Spectrum (Wattage, etc) did you own? What materials have you used it to cut? Do you think it would cut through plywood as well?
I've had a Full Spectrum 5th Edition for over two years and I can't wait to sell it and buy my Epilog tomorrow afternoon. In two years I've replaced the CO2 tube six times at $300 a piece plus S&H. I've replaced a motor, motherboard, wire harness, and have taken it apart and put it back together more times then I can remember. Full Spectrum had decent customer service, but there's only so much they can do when they're in Nevada and I'm in NH. I weighed the cost too, back two years ago, and if I KNEW now what I didn't know then, I would of bought the Epilog instead of the FSL. I'm about to buy a 12 by 24 Epilog for $7,500 from a dealer only 18 minutes away from me. A two year warranty and they come to my place to service it! So, I'm not thinking about the over all long term cost, and I can see the savings in spending a little more upfront. I use my laser up to 36 hours a week and more during the Christmas season. I sell up to $12,000 in items I create and the average cost for one of my items is around $20. I can't afford all the down time the FSL gave me, the cost, and all the man hours I put into fixing it, replacing the laser, and worst thing of all…Aligning it! If your just looking for a Hobby laser that you will use 5 to 6 hours a week, then buy the FSL, but if your thinking about starting a business and making money, buy a metal tube laser.
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