I am thinking of getting a more powerful machine and have shortlisted above two. The Cruelty with air purifier comes at £1,848.00 with a 1.6W module thrown in for free (worth £99.00) and TOOCAA with import taxes is £1,708.00, but it also comes with a camera [edit: I forgot Falcon has integrated camera] a honey comb tray. Both are 40W and have equal size working area.
Because I have limited space, I can’t buy anything bigger in total dimensions. I have been looking at open frames, but in the end of the day, if you kit them up to same spec as these two, the prices aren’t that much different, plus in many cases, the accessory enclosure is too large to my work space.
In only just heard about TOOCAA, but reviews I have read are really positive, on the other hand, Reality is well established brand.
Well, after overwhelming opinion expressed here on TOOCAA’s behalf I decided to go for it. It arrived yesterday and I had time to put it together which wasn’t very complicated (you need to construct the upper part). The machine just fits on the table which is my main concern because I don’t have space elsewhere
The camera setup was a doddle, their support provides the configuration parameters therefore there is no need for dotted pattern calibration and the image is excellent covering the laser bed perfectly. I also had time left to run interval and engraving tests, the latter cutting through the 2mm basswood sheet almost immediately
The smoke extractor has adjustable power setting which is nice. A couple of things they could improve is the extractor fan that is either on or off independently from the machine. It doesn’t come with a power switch so you have to plug/ unplug it. I ordered a DC switch cable with jack connector to make it easier. The same goes for the air-assist unit. Although it has an on/off switch and adjustable power, it’s not connected to the machine meaning you can’t control it from Lightburn.
There are mentions about the open frame bottom allowing smoke to escape in certain circumstances. The have “solved” that by adding foam strips to lower the gap (see picture). It still allows some airflow from underneath, no idea whether that’s good or not when using a honeycomb panel.
I also decided to buy the 2W IR module since I decided to bankrupt myself. At least I won’t be found short when I need to engrave metals etc.
Well done Petri, you wont be long getting used to your individual machine and setup.
The smoke on the right hand side of the rectangular cut-out shows the direction the smoke is travelling and you can use that as a guide to lower power and increase the number of passes, to reduce cleaning time afterwards or excessive charring on edges.
Try to balance extraction ability of smoke with applied power to keep good breathable air in your workspace.
I decided to go for it. It arrived yesterday and I had time to put it together which wasn’t very complicated (you need to construct the upper part). The machine just fits on the table which is my main concern because I don’t have space elsewhere
