I am hoping to upgrade my laser soon. I currently have a cheap/terrible benbox machine which is giving me fits at the current time. What is the best quality machine to get for around $500. I want to be able to have it run without stopping and create quality burns. I have finally figured out some of the basics to the lightburn software and have really started liking the software, now I just need a machine that has more functionality and control. Thanks for your opinions.
i have the genmitsu jinsoku LC-40 10w and it is great. good support from them and great machine.
its a 400mmx400mm so if you need something bigger then maybe not up your alley.
Thanks Corey
I have been reading about the ATOMSTACK A5 M50 PRO
Anyone use it? Any luck?
i have not used it but seen lots of footage on it, read lots of info docs and seems legit.
I upgraded my A5 20 watt to an A5 M50 not an A5 M50 pro and have had nothing but success and the speed and cutting times have improved greatly. I do etching, engraving and light cutting and it is up to the task.
Thanks Ron
I am pretty interested in how it works
Obviously you use lightburn with it!
How easy is it to focus and how is the control? One thing with my current one is it stops sometimes on jobs which infuriates me! I have it grounded and everything and can’t figure out why it randomly stops!
Yes I do use Lightburn. The M50 is a fixed focus laser whereby you place a 2MM plate between the laser base and the work item to set focous. The laser has a knob on front that you use to set and hold laser at proper height. Lasers are finicky beasts and I have had minor problems with stoppages and most I figured out, power failures, binding on object being lasered, etc. Some I never figured out. Overall the M50 far exceeds the A5 20 because of more power which equates to more speed and better cuts because of a more defined laser beam.
I have been using the atomstack S10 and am quite happy with the results, I almost exclusively do engraving and have found it to be a very functional machine. I also have had great success with the Ortur machines of the same class. they both are closer to 600$ but are worth it imo.
Thank you Jamie!
I have the A5 M50 40W, and as far as I can tell, the only differences between this an the A5 M50 Pro is the support for offline engraving (load the g-code to and SD card, then use the additional control module to run the job), and the laser module on the Pro having a smaller focus spot (.08 x .08 mm, vs .08 x .12, as I remember). The new A5 M50 40W units, supposedly have the new laser module with the smaller focus spot.
I picked up one of the control modules for my “lesser” Atomstack, and so far I don’t see that much advantage that it offers, unless you only have one computer and have to run the laser via sneakernet in another location.
The small focus spot on the new A5 M50 units, if the manufacturer’s claim is correct, would make cutting a bit faster, as you are using the same amount of cutting power focused into a 1/3 smaller area. You may not save much time on engraving, however, as the smaller dot size means you have to do more passes over a given engraving area.
Anyway, I’m quite happy so far with my AtomStack A5 M50 40W machine.
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