I have been using an entry level 5w Sculpfun and then upgraded to a 20w/40w Sculpfun SF-A9.
Whilst the Sculpfun’s offer excellent value for money I have decided they’re very basic, not particularly accurate and being diode; dirty.
I have decided to splash out on a new machine but, having studied specs, read reviews and watched comparison videos, I cannot decide which to purchase.
Whilst the price of the xTool is double that of the Omtech, the xTool seems to be referred to as an “industry standard” with lots of safety features, but do these justify the price differential or is there more to consider?
I work almost exclusively with Basswood in its natural form but also more with walnut/maple/birch veneers and also the pre-coloured varieties from Creatorally and Rowood. Occasionally acrylic and very thin aluminium.
I would welcome comments from anyone who OWNS either of these machines, especially anyone who has been faced with the same dilemma.
Intresting justification if you are replacing the Sculpfun machines with other diode machines, and still burning wood. Did you read that CO2, IR, or UV lasers were “cleaner” than diodes when burning Basswood? If so, please share the link.
You did not specify the models of the Omtech or the xTool.
If it is the Omtech K40+, that is a CO2 laser with a GRBL control.
Not sure if xTool sells other than diode machines, but be aware xTool GRBL controller boards are non-standard and do not play well with Lightburn. They give you XCS (?) software and you must use it to get the full advertised pontential of the machine.
I have the SF-A9 40/20, as well as the S30 10w and iCube 10w, and only have to clean them once a year. And necer had an accuracu issue with any of them. It depends entirely on [1] how much work you do, [2] what you burn, and [3] how efficient your smoke extraction system is. Calling the Sculpfun machines, or any other brand, “dirty” is not fair and is misleading to new users.
I have an OMTech China Blue 50W machine… Not a Polar, but I was under the opinion that the polar was no longer available? However, the polar has a Ruida controller whereas the P2S has a grbl controller.
Although Lightburn will run both of them, xTool has some specialty code they apparently won’t tell Lightburn. Operations such as following a curve won’t be available with an xTool, you need their software for that.
A Ruida or other dsp requires Lightburn pro.
One of the drawbacks to the newer Polar Plus varieties is there is no console to the Ruida, things such as setting your origin, the IP and other options are available only through the machine console. The console also gives you a Chinglish version of an error message instead of just a red light.
To me that means stands up to commercial use. Don’t think that’s ever going to happen. Neither machine is what you’d call commercial quality.
If you mean safety options, there’s really not much. If the case is sealed to the laser beam you only need to determine if someone opened the door and shut off the laser beam.
Assuming the same absorption of the material of the lasers emf will result in the same damage and the same debris field. So in reality I can’t say one’s worse than the other… Of course if you feel it’s more dirty, that’s your prerogative.
I’ve seen plenty of people looking for a Polar (not the Lite) parts or just a new machine and they haven’t been able to find one…
