I would like to add a fiber laser to my hobby tools but what is a acceptable powerrange? 30 or 50W? You can get a reasonable priced machine these days but what is ok for hobby use? Also, what kind of lens would you recommend?
In order for someone to help you (other than me, since I don’t understand anything about this type of machine), it would be best to specify what you intend to do and with what materials specifically, so that you can be guided in a more accurate way and perhaps even with some experience. Otherwise, the answers will be very general. 
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I already have a diode and a CO2 laser and want to add a fiber laser to be able to also engrave in metals. Most of the time I use my CO2 laser for engraving en cutting front panels for audio equipment or electronic projects in painted acrylic. So I am looking for a fiber laser mainly to engrave in metal objects.
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You can already have a lot of fun with a 30W fiber laser.
The 50 Watt source will do exactly the same things, but everything will be faster. (requires less passes, allows for a higher speed)
If you only want to engrave and do not expect to be able to cut the front panels, a 30-watt source is “sufficient.”
It depends on the largest objects you want to engrave. A shorter lens with a smaller field size has a higher beam density, and therefore a higher power output. For a 30W fiber laser, I’d recommend not going above 150mm if you can.
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Thanks! This help!
I’ve had mine for almost 3 years now. An M60 JPT M7 MOPA. I got the 60W simply because of lens costs. Once you start getting higher power, the lens price goes up by 8 times. A $60 lens for my 60W would be $480 for a 100 or above. Some manufacture claim the break point is 80W..
A 60W is fairly common and will do all of the metals I’ve used. I haven’t done a slide on a firearm, don’t know if I could cough up enough money for something I’m likely to burn up. However, I have lots of stuff to lase.
I’ve done deep coins along with co2 laser tubes, done on the fiber.
This is for my co2, done with fiber.
This is done on a pair of 4” slate coasters and a 6” porcelain tile using LBT100 coating.
My suggestion for general use.
F420mm lens, gives you 300x300 coverage. An 800mm tower is needed to get the height for this coverage. It also allows for a rotary to be used on a longer lens.
Get a MOPA if you can afford the difference in price. It will pay for itself, especially with plastics, I understand.
Shorter lenses can be had as needed. The difference in lenses is noticed more as the wavelength of the lases emf changes.
It’s much more simple to use one of the on-line calculators, such as this one to compute spot size and depth of focus (dof).
If you check the spot size of an F254mm lens (spot size of ~30 microns (0.030mm) and an F100mm lens (spot size of about ~15mm). Going from the F254mm to an F100mm, the spot size is 1/2 that of the F254mm lens, so the area has decreased by 4 times. This appears as more powerful, but the source only puts out so much and the same power over 1/4 the area, it appears more power. Same thing happens to any lens, we just don’t commonly see a spot change of that size with a co2.
I almost always use my F254mm lens. Not as small of a spot as the F100mm and a much greater dof. The other issue with short lenses, when you get the ventilation and any other accoutrements, such as air assist, you can’t get your hands in there to work or look at the item when where it will be lased.
All choices for you..
Have fun and good luck. 
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Check the prices for this one also:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Mobile-Fiber-Laser-Marking-Engraving-Machine_10000035747130.html?spm=a2700.prosearch.normal_offer.d_image.739067afYfQ3Bx&selectedCarrierCode=SEMI_MANAGED_STANDARD%40%40STANDARD&priceId=b22c3eacd1e945068954933c738efef6
VERY interesting!
- 10w to 130w, same $450 price.
- $2.00 shipping
- Video shows Lightburn for control.
- EZCAD mentioned.
- No mention of lenses.
…for $495 …I can’t even find a power supply and 80 Watt CO2 tube for this amount. Will the price get even cheaper if you opt out of the computer?
PS. I’ve seen myself warm on that 500Watt machine 
My son said:
Ha! That “low price” you’re seeing is kind of wild because the shipping fee is like $10. I don’t even know how that’s possible unless there are a ton of “arrival charges” because it would cost more than $10 to ship that from NY to FL. Also this is probably sans duty, which is another 40-50%, but that still is cheap if you get free shipping from China. There has to be a catch here. Maybe it’s really small?
I replied:
All the above.
I have a bridge you’d love to own.
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The price also caught my attention. But as it says on the Alibaba websitye, after selecting your machine and opotions, it´s time to talk to the seller.
If it´s valid and even if it takes 100% of taxes, it`s worth it.
This is worth what it´s worth, but in the reviews there are other very low prices for other machines.
No, it’s not like I want to buy a product. When the advertisement already gives more questions than answers and the price is unrealistic…then I’m gone.
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Nowadays, it’s safe to assume all reviews on all shopping sites are fakes generated by AI / LLM agents. Some reviews may come from actual human beings, although they typically operate in slave-labor conditions.
Until you get a medium-size box containing a few kilos of rocks and discover the seller has become unresponsive.
I may be cynical, but sometimes I’m not cynical enough. 
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Everyone has their own experience. Mine is quite positive.
Anything can happen with any order but the site mentions order protection:
Did you really dare to buy the 500 Watt fiber laser from the ad?? For that price you can buy 2 and test them, if they are ok I will buy one of you and give you 50% of the proceeds.
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They can say anything they wish, it’s the actual execution that seems to be an issue.
I bought a board from Alibaba, paid $18 for it and got a purse worth about $0.25. Got nothing from them….
I prefer to deal with someone in the country I live, at least there is some legal ability.
Good luck.
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I probably won’t generalize. After all, most products come from the East and whether it’s an iPhone or a laser machine, our local dealer only distributes the goods. The biggest difference is the price and significantly fewer scammers. I personally haven’t had any bad experiences shopping from the East, but if I find a comparable product from my country at a fair price, I’m happy to buy it.
And let’s not forget, prices are made up of several elements. Material, production and transport costs, wages and taxes and finally, the greed factor. How much does an iPhone cost in the store and how much does it cost to have it produced in China?
My laser costs over 200% more in the EU than the dealer buys it from the same place as me…
That’s why things are so bad in the West, we dig our own grave because we don’t “settle” for a fair profit.
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I know we all hate them, but I have been very lucky with Amazon. They have never refused a return with a refund.
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…same here, but also same service from the few Chinese I buy from.
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