Great information. Thank you…Rob
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Lightburn or EZCAD?
I got these samples back today. Unfortunately the marking done with the LP4 did not stand up to a fairly light tripoli polishing. I will probably be buying a 60 Watt JPT MOPA fiber laser. They run Lightburn and EXCAD as well as some lighter mobile software. I am interested in any thoughts about Lightburn vs EZCAD…Rob
… any thoughts about Lightburn vs EZCAD
Rob, you got my curiosity up so I looked at a few youtubes yesterday. One that was 2 years old said that it was better to have an easycad 2 board in the machine than an easycad 3 even though easycad 2 was less stable. Lightburn wasn’t quite out at the time but the reviewer was very keen about it.
A lot changes in 2 years. I will try to find the youtube, but senior memory… 
Sorry the Stuller machine didn’t work out. These things are $$. Good luck finding what you want.
Neil A
Working backward to refresh my memory, I checked out LaserEngraveEverything mentioned by
Here’s the 49 minute youtube I saw. It covers a lot, does mention easycad & lightburn.
Just searching within youtube on easycad vs lightburn a number of hits came up.
Neil A
The ComMarker came with EZCad2. In my research the consensus was that using Lightburn was the best to use. Since I was going to have to learn the software, I just decided to learn Lightburn. I can say it has been very easy to use with the help of the settings I received online and the videos online with LaserEverything.
Lightburn has a 30-day free trial. I would wait until you have the machine to download this. You are going to want to play with settings for sure and you need the machine.
FYI - I did not like the glasses that came with my machine. I asked around on several forums and everyone recommended Freemascot on Amazon. Now, I am not one to buy some random safety glasses from Amazon so I did a deep dive into the certificate. I found that Soky was the company that owned the Celab certificate listed on Amazon but I could not find how Freemascot was related to Soky. However, LaserEverything actually took a pair of their glasses and ran the lasers through the glasses. The beam did not penetrate. So, I ended up buying a pair.
Also, I had considered buying or making an enclosure. I have the machine in a separate room and I’ve only run it maybe 7 mins at one particular time. When I actually start making full texture plates, it will probably take a good 20 mins. I like the extractor that came with my machine and anyone could purchase it separately for a different machine. I believe they sell ComMarker products on Amazon. You are going to want ear protection too.
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Hi,
i do not know much about laser engravers, but i would like to mention that how the unit allows for precise centering of the work relative to the software design would be a critical point for me…ie: crosshairs, etc
julie
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I just got the F1 and P2 package and love them.
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Here’s a video that might already have been shared but it may not have as well. It’s a mystery really.
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Yep, its really helped me a lot.
Great little video … Much more informative than others on this particular machine (Basic unit $1500.00)
I really like the look of it for layouts … pretty cool device, but as far as cutting depth (on metal) it looks very light?
Cheers
TerryV
This is about ComMarker customer support, which right up front, cannot be beat.
Unindicted co-conspirators here enticed me into ordering a ComMarker laser.
Because I keep a low credit limit in case my credit card is hacked I needed to make a first payment, transfer money from savings to the card, then make a second payment the next day. ComMarker customer support set up a way for me to do that.
I had repeated problems with my card which led to multiple emails with ComMarker, and they stuck with me the whole way. I tried the PayPal option which also failed, but PayPal then sent the money as a wire transfer direct from my checking account, which I did NOT like. Credit cards have protections, wire transfers do not.
Trying to make the second payment, I got my credit union representative to monitor the transaction in real time. She saw an error code, made changes she refused to detail, and on the next try the payment went through.
At which point ComMarker customer support emailed me that I had transposed numbers, paid too much, and they sent the overpayment back to me.
Compare to PayPal, where the ‘customer support’ amounted to an AI robot that was just repackaged FAQs. Or to Lowes, where an order I made today that they messed up on caused me to listen on-hold to loud, distorted electric guitar music for 40 minutes with no email option.
I was a little concerned about ordering directly from China (or anywhere overseas where my recourse would be nil), but ComMarker proved to be outstanding.
It will be a while before the order ships and gets to me. The first thing I’m going to do when it does arrive is to 3D print some tiny plastic Klingons and Romulans and phaser them with the ComMarker. (So? I’m too old to act my age.)
Neil A
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Go for it Neil…Rob
Hi Neil,
Let us know when it arrives and what fun you are having with it!
Julie
Julie, it has been a saga. (Ongoing)
I can give you an update to this point, but no results yet.
The 100 lb. crate arrived, flown from near Hong Kong to Anchorage Alaska to Frankfort Kentucky to southern Oregon.
It was supposed to contain a powered rotary chuck for engraving the inside / outside of rings and bracelets, but did not. I emailed customer support and got that a week or so later. They had previously called an over-payment to my attention and refunded it. ComMarker is a reputable company.
When I first turned the machine on there were noises, but no clear idea where. Tech support sort of annoyed me saying the audio file I sent them was not good enough, they wanted a video. Of a steel case? I’m guessing they wanted to see if there was physical damage. One 262 megabyte .MOV file later they suggested I open the box, remove the laser, and turn the machine on.
Shortly before I got that email I was able to visually rule out the 4 fans in the internal laser tube box. There are 2 computer-type exhaust fans on the back of the case and I poked one to stop it, no help, stopped the 2nd fan, the noise ended. So, no serious problem with the machine.
Someone less risk-averse (chicken?) might actually put a 3D printed Klingon under the beam and Phaser it a la Star Trek as I had joked about doing, but that was just being silly.
It came with safety glasses that fit very close to my eyes but leave no room for my eye glasses. I have goggles on order that will go over my glasses, to arrive May 1st.
I have been renovating my house (of necessity) for @ 5 years now. Exterior is done, I’m now doing the interior one room at a time. I will be 80 in December and once said that the day the house is done I’ll croak and my wife will sell it, and she just laughed (which I did not appreciate).
I am in the middle of cutting molding and painting a room. I need to get that finished.
In between I have been studying videos and learning LightBurn. There is a fair amount to absorb before lighting the fuse. There are more interlinked parameters than with CNC milling, for example.
At the same time I’m designing a box clasp in CAD based on an Allen Revere tutorial as a first project.
I will be doing more with LightBurn this evening and tomorrow. I may wait until the goggles arrive before firing the laser, but I could do it sooner with the safety glasses I have and just be a Mr. MaGoo. We’ll see.
There is the possibility that all this new learning will keep my mind young, or that it is just making me more confused than ever. I’m not sure which.
Neil A
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A little update on this topic for the xtil f1. I think I told you guys I got the F1 as well as the p2. I took it over to my cousin’s house who makes and sells knives for a living and we tested it out on his knives and figured out the best and darkest and deepest engraving is going to be when you slow the laser down the most. I really like it it does great designs it does pretty decent Engravings if I want deeper engraving then I use my gravers afterward but also found that it’s wonderful to use to draw out my designs onto the metal for me when I’m ready to cut them out so I use it for a lot more than just Engraving. You can also cut out other kinds of jewelry like wood and acrylic. FYI my cousin’s knives are stainless steel and it did a pretty good job if you want me to post some pics of what we managed I can
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At 76, I’d say that it is both keeping you young and confusing you until you get it sorted out. I’d say a good problem to have! Good on you for keepin’ on keepin’ on! I had a period where I “retired” and sat too much and only ended up with decreased mobility and a bad attitude. Now I’m looking for ways to keep moving, both literally and figuratively. Except for ramping up too quickly and needing to rest because of injury, the bulk of the research says there is no upper limit on the beneficial effects of exercise…maybe I should take up cold forging big items for upper body exercises? -royjohn
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Pictures are appreciated. I am still following Neil’s experience to see if I really want a high powered and expensive fiber laser, or just one that will do the marking that you describe. Thanks Neil for keeping us posted on your progress and thanks Kimberly for your updates too…Rob
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Amen to that. I just turned 50 and I get frustrated because I’m not containing information like I used to LOL