Laser cutting 3D printer - Endurance Laser 10 watt honest review - Update in pinned post
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2019
- Having access to 4 watt and 5 watt diode laser cutters, I was excited to see how powerful a 10 watt system would be. The Endurance Laser website made some big claims and I built my MPCNC Lowrider2 with this laser in mind. Unfortunately, my experience has not been positive and I can only conclude from the 20+ hours I’ve put into testing that this product does not match what is advertised.
This laser was provided at a discounted price of US$300 by George from Endurance lasers to make a video guide/review. It cost me another ~AU$50 to send the first defective unit back to Russia. All opinions expressed are my own.
The video is so long because I’m trying to give this product every chance at success before forming a negative opinion. I hope it is clear from viewing that I have tried to be fair in testing the laser against the advertised claims on the website.
I emailed George several times during my testing to ask for help with issues and point out my concerns. I emailed a final time on Sunday 18th August with an exhaustive list of my concerns as outlined in this video. This was to give him a chance to address anything he felt was unfair or incorrect. He acknowledged receipt but has not addressed any of my points.
My plan to salvage this investment is to source a G7 lens with a longer body locally, and create a proper air assist system. I will also keep reading to see the maximum current and voltage I can safely run the laser at.
Endurance laser 10 watt product page: endurancelasers.com/diode-lase...
Endurance Laser materials safety guide: endurancelasers.com/laser-cutt...
Endurance laser goggle test: • Comparison 4 types of ...
Marlin reference for fan1: marlinfw.org/docs/configuratio...
CR-10 quick change system: www.thingiverse.com/thing:336...
Endurance laser quick change mount: www.thingiverse.com/thing:353...
Lens info: www.sanwulasers.com/customurl...
Inkscape: inkscape.org/
J Tech Photonics inkscape plugin: jtechphotonics.com/?page_id=1980
My custom start and end code to drop into laser.py. You need to home the machine first before putting on the laser head or Marlin will raise the Z axis 5mm at the start of each job: pastebin.com/f3tH8ggR
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
Take a look around and if you like what you see, please subscribe.
Support me on Patreon: / teachingtech
Some updates:
- George has offered for me to return the laser and refund my money for it and the postage.
- George has updated the website to be more accurate.
- He says the M02 board is soon to be released and replaces the poorly made M01 I showed in the video.
- George publicly threatened to sue me for this video review and received a huge deal of backlash from the community and some of his own supporters.
- I applaud George for finally apologising in a sincere and factual way, setting the record straight: imgur.com/a/gaHapVM
Thank you to all of those in the community who gave me overwhelming support. I appreciate it so very much.
Hello!
Mr. Fomichev has been selling bootlegs of our laser for a couple years (our design is available under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Sharealike, but he has clearly been making them commercially) after agreeing to a reseller contract and making their own under our own brand instead.
We became aware of the issue after customers complained of receiving low-quality devices, returned them to us, and they were found to not have been made by us. We do have a teardown of the bootleg, if you are interested in seeing it.
After being issued a C&D and a FTC warning for promoting made-in-Russia products as being made in the USA, Mr. Fomichev cut ties with us, and switched over to the design that you have sampled (which is, as far as I know, his own design, so I have no complaints).
You can still see some of the old videos in which he advertises "Endurance L-Cheapo" (the L-Cheapo laser is our open design).
Please let me know if you would like to try the real thing. And just so this doesn't get mistaken for an ad: here's the schematics, BOM, gerber files, how-to-build video, and STL files for the enclosure and jigs to do the metalwork with, all for free.
robots-everywhere.com/re_wiki/pub/web/Main.LCheapo.html
The dislikes are almost guaranteed to be bots unleashed by an angry Mr Formitchev - he's done that to my site, as well as the Robots Everywhere site from what I'm aware of, a few times. He's gotten himself an outstanding federal warrant in Canada for his troubles.
@@Frogmen585 That's most of the hobbyist laser market. L-Cheapo is the only one I know that actually tests continuous power at the workpiece. It's what I have on my rig, I've been upgrading up to the mk4 model, 5.6W, because I wasn't comfortable safetying a more powerful laser in my shop. I am now, so I could definitely upgrade again if I wanted to.
@@Frogmen585 Ours costs roughly $180 to $250 (plus shipping), assuming you don't DIY since we give away schematics and BOM and even how to make the jigs. What was going on, essentially, is that Mr. Fomichev would buy our lasers and sell them at a 100% markup. Then he started making bootlegs (I have an interesting video about it if @Teaching Tech wants to see it). We issued a C&D when we found out, and now he is making his own design, which is reviewed above.
@@Frogmen585 You're welcome to try ours, and I encourage you to post a HONEST review of it :)
You just saved me 625$
Did you switch to Geico? hehe
The piece of prototype pcb wired in the control box shown in the video scared me off. Quality printed circuit boards are available from JLPCB and other sources at reasonable prices. No excuse for that "bandaid" fix.
This was one of the points I emailed to George. Someone commented in the past that it looked like a "schoolkid had made it".
Yea, its perfectly fine while prototyping (hence the name) but in-excusable for a product with such a markup. for a board that size, you could put them all on one PCB and cut them when they get in, just like he would have had to cut the prototype board, would probably only cost in the order of $0.20 per board done that way.
I liked the part where the power transistor was bolted to the plastic case! 😂😂
@@m1geo missed that on first watch. I'm guessing it is to hold down the prototype board and not to spread the heat through a 3d printed case.
Nothing beats an informative well explained review. Thank you Michael, once again you have saved me money and a lot of stress.
I just love how you embrace the failures as much successes. Thanks for the informative video. Learned a lot from it.
Great review. I'm glad it's public again. I also like seeing Ryan's Lowrider 2 show up!
Michael, thanks for another brilliantly informative video. This laser was on my wish list, and I’ve even been in touch with George about getting one, but after seeing the issues you’ve been having, specifically with plywood (which would be my most used material), I’m a little disappointed. Certainly not worth paying this much for a product that just doesn’t work as advertised. Plain and simple.
So long story short: poor quality, terrible electronic, ugly case assembly, no customer support.... Thanks for the warning indeed...
In fairness there was customer support but I don't think it matched what is claimed on the site.
@@TeachingTech What used to happen is that George would redirect tech support requests in English or Spanish to us. This has since stopped, of course.
Hell!, I have just bought two of them and am waiting on them to arrive. Looks like I may have done my dough.
Your integrity shines through this review. Thank you for reviewing this !
I've been in the laser community for several years and this is what I had suspected but never wanted to spend $600 to confirm.
What are you thoughts on them as a company?
Drama aside, I'm glad to see this video. Super informative, clear, and honest. You're a gentleman and a scholar.
I'm from Russia and I'm sorry but this is the level of service or commercial quality you should expect from local companies.
@@Architecture_and_visualization thinking short term profit over long term sustainability. Sell whatever however and don't care over customer service, reputation, brand loyalty, social impact. If your business grows - corrupt officials will take it, if not then next crisis will take you under in 10 years like a clock.
I'm in the middle of designing a large format CNC laser cutter and I have yet to pick a laser module... I'm very happy to have seen this review before making any purchase. I very much look forward to seeing what module you find that performs as advertised and won't cost as much as a car.
I'm not sure where to turn, if you find anything please let me know.
I know not who you are but after watching your 3D printer set up video I’ve been printing a bunch of stuff. Now you saved me from buying a product which likely wouldn’t work. Thanks.
thank you for putting so much info out on the product.
Thank you for giving such an honest review. This saved me some money and trouble.
I'll probably stick with my K40 CO2 laser, and rebuild the box, to achieve a larger work area.
I have a Millright Carve King CNC. I was considering purchasing this Laser to attach to it. I found some detailed instructions for installing it on the Internet. In the instructions it said, "When purchasing a laser kit
from Endurance please specify that you own a Millright CNC so that the laser control wires come with the Dupont connector necessary for connection to the CNC Shield." I contacted George and inquired about ta Dupont connector. To my dismay, he stated that he did not know what a Dupont connector was. After this response, and watching your review, I am rethinking my plans to make the purchase. Thanks for a great video Michael.
It's looking like Russia is the new China? Other than the noted vero board, I noticed at 12:39, the G3 lens looks either dirty or scratched. Sorry you didnt have more success with this Michael. I truly appreciate how much time you spend looking at these interesting ideas let alone filming/editing & uploading for all of us to learn from. Thank you & thumbs up of course!
Awesome video and thanks a lot for using my quick tool change! I'm honoured. Your mounting instructions were very clear, short and on point. Thanks for the other information as well because I want to do more with laser cutting In the future.
Thanks for a great design, I was really impressed with it.
Did you custom make the icons on your TFT display or is a there an MKS firmware for laser?
Hi Michael. Thanks for the in depth review and saving me the cost of a low grade laser. I was in communication with George about purchasing one and when I read your review I decided against the purchase. What would be really great is an in depth review and guide as to how to connect stronger lasers to the ender 3 pro printer. I have recently purchased two different lasers one locally here in South Africa and the other from Banggood in China and the local one I had to send back as it was not compatible (has the 3 pin connectors only) and the one from Banggood comes with a laser control board also with 3 pin outputs. So i am soon to be sending that back as well. After literally hours of scouring the net for guidance and help there is practically nothing for lasers in the 5w power range or higher.
You could I am sure put a lot of people in absolute awe if you were able to assist in this regard.
Here is to hoping for your assistance
Cheers from Cape Town South Africa
The floating "PCB" in the case look kind of scary. It looks very amateur for a $600 product made by an actual company.
Especially when a professionally printed pcb sized like that costs like $1 even if they made a small order
That is the same "high quality" that is used in that Crappy LPM.
They could at least have slipped some heat-shrink tubing over it! :S
Floating PCB I thought I show some floating Breadboard. There is only one place for this kit and it's called a Skip.
its 600 dlls because it "floats" xd
Any experience from the Opt Laser PLH3D 6 Watts ? Is a good alternative that produce good results ?
Thanks for the heads up. Never doing this!
Thanks so much for the honest review. I was very looking forward to it. Sorry it didn't work as you wanted it to. What's next?
I will try and see what it can do with a proper G7 lens, air assist and power turned up right to the edge.
Excelent review and test Michael. clearly the laser wasn't up to standard, long on promises but very short on delivery. I'd return it for a refund.
Excellent informative video as per usual, with a bonus alert on a dodgy operator
Thanks for the review, love your channel! It seems a diode type laser isn't really up to what a tube type can do. I want to cut balsa and light ply (up to 1/4") for model airplanes and this doesn't seem to be the way to go. This with the MPCNC would have been great, if it worked as advertised...
Sorry for unrelated comment: are you planning on making a review of the new ender 5 plus? i am really excited for alot of the features like the dual z-rods, the huge build volume and ofc the bltouch as standard (hallelujah!) but am worried about the noise and unbranded power supply.
Michael! Where did you get that laser cutter bed? I can't find one like that.
When you opened the psu case i LOL'd, totally unexpected for something at this price point.
Good job for the very honest and through review
He didn't even have to open it ....the awfull 3d printed enclosure,screws and ebay electronics gave it away....
A good informative review! I have one of the Creality lasers, of which I have installed and attempted to use with some good results, however, finding the software tricky to use, especially knowing where to place your material on the bed so it starts in the right spot.
Any chance you're able to do a tutorial on the Inkscape with the Jtech plugin? Keep up the good work! Love your videos - I'm currently in the process of upgrading my Ender 3 with the SKR v1.3 and TMC 2208's...I've printed your casings, so hoping to install this weekend! :)
If you want decent software, take a look at light burn, they have a free trial, so you can see if it works on the creality.
Hey there, thank you for the Video!
I am looking for a diode laser that can cut one layer of cotton fabric and thin lether (1mm) in one pass and am not sure how much power I need. But now I am sure that I will not buy this one :)
Do you have any idea what kind of laser would be sufficent for my work?
Thank you in advance :)
There are some tweets a out endurance lasers from makersmuze about their agressive marketing.
Thanks for saving me some money....
Thanks mike for another great video. I added a 5.5w laser to my Ender 3 some time back.
I was using Inkscape but took the leap and bought Lightburn. Inkscape is brilliant however Lightburn allows you to colour code parts of you design for individual speeds and power etc, so all the design can be run from one gcode. Try the free 30 day trial.
Also I know you mentioned air assist and I was the same. I finally bit the bullet and glued a flexible tube too the laser, and this was attached to a little electric pump.
All I can say is it makes a huge difference. All your trying to do is keep the smoke away from the beam. Think of the laser like your fog lights, the more fog the less bright they are thus less effective.
It's the same with the laser, when smoke passes the laser it reduces its power.
I went from 7 passes at 120mm per min to 5 passess at 250mm per with air to cut 4mm birch laser ply. It's worth trying it, even use a small fan first just to test.
Keep up the excellent vids pal. Mike.
It all depends on how much smoke comes off the part in the first place. But you forgot that...
My big aquarium pump arrived yesterday, and I will be designing a custom all in one focusing ring, air nozzle. I also have a Lightburn license already for my Emblaser and will be using it in the Lowrider2 follow up.
@@TeachingTech that's sounds great mike. Before you spend to many $$$ on small lasers have a look at the K40 community. A k40 is a type of 40 watt Co2 Chinese laser. They are around the £300 mark and require modding straight away, however for the price and the mods out there it's worth looking. My K40 is still in its box, but will be modded to have a larger cutting area, moveable bed and air assist etc. Just search K40 on a search and you should find loads of good info. You can only go so far with a diode before you want more power....👍👍
@@MisterMakerNL unfortunately there is always a form of waste product when a material is cut with a laser. The laser basically disintegrates the material into a gaseous matter either as visible smoke, or in some cases a very dangerous chemical vapour i.e. PVC. All these can effect the focal strength and inhibits it's full power.
@@MisterMakerNL Even when very little visible smoke comes off the parts, the air assist makes a big difference, it helps a *lot* with acrylic as well as wood, and you end up with nicer looking cuts as well.
Great video, thank you. Would you be able to post your PETG printing settings as your prints look great. I'm really struggling to get some good prints with PETG. Thank you
I generally just start with PLA and then up the temp to 235 and the bed to 80. This minimalist approach gives me a bit of stringing but I rarely print PETG so I'm not too concerned.
@@TeachingTech thank you. Will try your approach. Stringing and nozzle clogging are the two main issues for me. But maybe will work something out.
@@giedriusbev4200 A couple tips for PETG as it is mainly what I print with.
PETG is a sticky and blobby filament and I would highly recommend a silicone sock if you are going to be doing any PETG printing.
Sweet Spot temp for me typically has been between 235-245 for most PETG but I have printed up to 255c on some prints If I need alot of strength. Bed adhesion can work with glue stick or hairspray on glass or glue stick on PEI. 70c-80c on the bed. Slowing down print speed by about 10mm/s may help reduce stringing along with a silicone sock. Keep tuning these setting and eventually you get it dialed in to pretty much the same quality of pla but much stronger parts. I have even done large nozzle printing with PETG and I can say it is an amazing filament for vases and pretty strong parts.
@@infernaldaedra thank you buddy for advise. I think I already do most of what you mentioned. Printing at 240 and bed at 80 with glue stick. 45-50mm print speed, 25-30mm on walls. 0.2 layer height, 0.5 layer width. Calibrated e steps to exactly 100mm out of 100mm. Extrusion multiplayer at 99%. And prints are in general half decent but what bothers me is stringing especially on the back of the print and some blobs here and there. What are your retraction settings? Because what happens is halfway through some 2 hour print the extruder motor starts skipping and then all print fails. Using bullseye duct fan. Maybe it's heat creap in the print head? Not sure. Using SKR 1.3 32 bit board on CR-10S Bowden setup.
That all sounds goodayne it is something being overlooked. What brand of filament is it? Good thing is that PETG is one of the least hygroscopic filaments. Are you using the stock creality extruder feeder? Do you have Z-hop enabled or other travel settings I your slicer? Sometimes the settings used to prevent stringing on TPU can be helpful with PETG also another thing I forgor to mention is that you should always heat your nozzle and use a wirebrush to clean it before starting a print with PETG as it loves to stick to the nozzle sometimes it will drag along and cause occasional blobbing. As well as trying to dial down th temperature as low as you can withoit affect the strength or layer adhesion of the print. Try checking settings like combing, Z-hop, and ironing in you slicer as you may want to enable or disable a couple of these settings. I think you want you extrusion width to be exactly Half of your nozzle size as well.
It is possible that it could be a cooling fan issue if it is happening so far into a print with only hotter materials this material isn't very difficult to feed as it is somewhat soft for a plastic heatcreep could be a possibility if you are using the original fan it is possible it may be worth checking. Other than that nozzle, Bowden tube, feeder spring tension, and the slicer may very well cause issues. Like Teaching Tech said many of the slicer setting will work the same as they do with PLA
My 2.5W elks laser cuts quite well. However it has a longer focus lens so the peak power is still down the slot after a few passes. A short focus lens is going to put more of the power on the sides as you go deeper. I would try the long focus lens as I think you will get better results on multiple passes. Especially as on a printer you can move the peak power spot down on each pass without losing as much power on the surface which causes scorching.
Thanks for the warning.
What is the name of de laserbed (the Greg thinner where the wood is layed on)?
Hello Michael, had the printer firmware already enabled ARC Support? My ARC support was off when I installed my laser and flashed Marlin. (Marlin example configuration in the repository) This prevented the printer from processing G2 and G3 commands. I think the note would be helpful for users who want to install a laser module. Greetings from Munich/Bavaria
I purchased a CNC a couple months ago and was thinking about adding a laser to it for etching... watching this video after all the debacle is like watching a movie where you know the main character dies at the end.
Thank you very much. Great video
I purchased my laser 18 months ago after a lot of mmming and aahing and it was a toss up between the k40 modded with 1000 hours and an Endurance with 10,000 hours and Endurance won, mainly because of the comments that I saw on the facebook page and George's efforts to communicate with his buyers and group.
I was new to the world of CNC and at that time did not know pretty much anything apart from what I wanted to do and how to achieve it.
This company was a start-up and I put my 1100 including post euros in trust and paid George and within a week my Eleskmaker A3 and laser arrived all neatly packaged, in a large box with almost nothing to build, all completed and ready to run.
I was offered a DIY kit for a hundred euros or so less but I wanted a Turnkey built and ready to go, everything was included, my only issue was software and it wasn't until I discovered Lightburn did my problems start to go away. I didn't even know it would work on my Mac.
I simply struggled with Inkscape and the plugin on my Mac., Thats my fault and not Inscapes', I just could at that time not get on with it.
I was looking for a turn key solution and to be fair I got that but I found that I could not deal with the open source software supplied.
I just did not understand it and therefore I did not use or like it and I blame myself partly for that, I don't think Endurance had been running that long and I guess to keep costs down open source was given as the software.
I feel there is a lesson to be learned here and that new people who are looking for a turnkey solution and not a bolt on, need guidance and they should be sold a laser with software that an idiot can use and not open source.
As a matter of course Lightburn should either be given as the software of choice or advised as the best option for new users to the hobby so that the user will be able to use it straight out of he box. $40 is bugger all in the scheme of things for a piece of software that works. and keeps the customer satisfied.
Most startups fail for one of two reason, the main reason is cashflow and the second is customer service, fail on either one of those and you go bust
Endurance is still here nearly two years on from my purchase so they must be doing something right.
They just need to fix the software for newbies and and come up with a decent manual for what is sent out be it a Head, 3d printer or CNC 3018 all with lasers, they nod need to assume that the customers know nothing and work from that angle upwards. This is something that has been raised on the group page and I understand is being worked on.
I am still happy with my purchase, its works well, George continues to improve and we have all had the odd freebies and I won my first ever online competition on Endurance's website along with two other guys and we ended up with a small laser each around 2.5 and well t doesn't cut but it certainly etches well, I have now popped that on to my 3d printer and it works fine for a competition win!
I use my engraver every couple of days I make bits and pieces mainly for my wife who teaches early years and special educational needs, one of the things we do it engrave names and pictures on to lollipop sticks so that that children can use the around the class, they always get lost so my wife is always asking for more. We do pegs, stick pencils, discs and little boxes.
I can use it to make games, jigsaws and small wooden toys, I have now got to grips with Lightburn and pretty much whatever Tracys asks me to knock up , I can, I have to admit I haven't been cutting 10mm plywood . I do cuts 6 and 8 mm and I use a powerful air assist which I made from Hailea ACO 328 combined with a silicone food hose and 2mm bore syringe needle and position this in the laser beams path, it reduces charring dramatically and cutting is now a lot quicker I have found.
This is not an Endurance one but one we have discussed and have plans for on the group, Its easy to make and the cost is less that 75 USD
I don't understand why you have had so much trouble with your laser and why you don't think you have had the support, The group is up to 2000 pus members and we have a good community and support is always available either from the group or the team in Russia or via Discord where again we have a large group of senior members who meet daily in the mornings for virtual coffee and to discuss any issues.
I am really disappointed that you feel you have not been looked after, I have to admit I have seen nothing from you on the group pages which I visit every couple of days nor in Discord and surely if you had have the trouble you mention would you not have raised it on the help group?
Help s there for the asking and we have some incredible laser experts on the group who are not employees of Endurance but simply hobbyists like me but at a more advanced level.
I paid a normal price for my laser and Eleskmaker CNC and I am very happy with it. The results are excellent and it does everything I ask of it.
The site has grown since I joined by over a thousand members and now we are a much larger community and it means we all get a say in what is happening and how we go forward. Endurance use the site to regularly communicate with the user base and promote new designs like the new Fibre laser released a couple of weeks ago.
George has placed lot of trust in his customers and for that reason I am happy and when the time comes I will buy another laser one day from his company..
After seeing your review I just felt that I needed to set the record straight as I personally have had no problems whatsoever with Endurance lasers or George Formitchev who is pretty much available 24/7 to answer your queries.
Thank you
Neil Scott, Sitges, Spain.
Hi Neil, thanks for your detailed post. Regarding support, I did post on the Facebook group (it was shown in the video) and I spent many hours searching there. I agree that the community are great and have ackowledged this in my video. Again the problem comes down to what is advertised vs real life. All over the website there are claims of excellent and fast customer service direct from George. So that's what I expect during my review but it's not what I receive. It is relevant to include this in the video.
@@TeachingTech Thanks for replying, I am not disagreeing with what you say and I know Endurance are making changes to the website and to their advertising as a direct consequence and they have asked the community for guidance and we have responded;
I just felt it was right to make a comment as you did, I do feel that perhaps it was a little one sided and I wanted to make sure that people are aware that there is a great experience to be had with Endurance. I and many other members are delighted with our purchases.
The company is growing rapidly and they are learning, they are a startup and perhaps things have got a little out of control with the excitement and the number of orders and possibly as a direct consequence of this, customer service and or quality control has slipped from the norm.
Endurance pay me no money for my comments nor do I receive any benefits or freebies or anything. I merely state the facts as I see them and I can ensure you that as one of the senior members of the Facebook Group that I and others on there will take Endurance to take if we know of a problem.
I think that this has been a good exercise in remembering your place and position and ensuring that what you say is factual and that you deliver what is promised.
In the UK the rules are exactly if not stronger than Australia and should people step out of line at all in their advertising the ASA will come down very hard on you with massive fines or worse.
The problem with smaller companies selling worldwide is perhaps they forget this and possiblly are a little adventurous in their advertising or claims
Endurance have been and are being advised of this as i write this reply to what was a factual review.
As I said before your concerns are being addressed and I would like to invite you to come back to the group and see that this is happening and If it is all at possible I would like for you in your comments to perhaps mention that as of a direct consequence that changes are being made for the good.
I would hate for a company like this to have its sales ruined simply because of its over zealous claims and its rush to fulfill orders. Endurance have well and truly had their wrists slapped.
You have done the right thing and Endurance are doing the right thing and its is only fair for that to be recognised after you have confirmed it so.
Everyone has learned from this.
I want to thank you for bringing it to our attention as without this sort of review we would perhaps not have seen what was happening as it was not clear in the group pages there were problems as I certainly did not see any being a moderator on the site.
I repeat I have no financial involvement or receive any inducements from Endurance whatsoever.
I am just a concerned Facebook Endurance Group Moderator who along with others have seen this and have reported it back to Endurance and they are making changes as a result of this. We own Endurance lasers and we are delighted with them.
Many thanks.
Neil R Scott, Sitges Spain. Aug 2019.
If I watched this video and read the comments I would not have purchased a 10watt laser. I have had one for a month with maybe 18 hours of use and have had amazing results. I only use it for cutting 3mm birch after two passes, 1st pass seems to cut 2/3 of the material.
What material is that cutting bed your showing. I was looking for something similar and couldn’t seem to find that particular item?
Unfortunately not that cheap: darklylabs.com/product/cutting-mats/
Nice video.
Something I've expected from russian manufacturing, and glad you've confirmed that.
Could you please making more videos about the cheap laser machines and how to upgrade them with a bit more details. Thank you 🙂
I once bought a chinese 1.5W laser and I was pretty underwhelmed as well, it worked pretty good for engraving but cutting was not really a joy. Now I only use it for some special applications (printing onto keycaps [have a video on that]). Meanwhile i bit the bullet an bought a K40... it was out of the box way better and after quiet some modifications (like with the first printers) I am very happy with it. To summarize it: If you really want to cut stuff, get a CO2 Laser ;)
Awesome review, thank you for all your precise and honest contest :D
I'm really tempted to pull the trigger on a K40 but I'm not sure I have room. I might have to find a way.
@@TeachingTech I know what you mean.The main problem with the K40 is the smoke extraction and a place for the pump and chiller etc. Space and noise are real issues. It's more of an "in the garage" thing.
My garage is very dusty and already overrun. Maybe I need to wait until the next house.
@@TeachingTech i feel your pain... I can only run mine for short and only some materials. I blow the fumes out a window but there is only so much you can do in a rented flat 😅 (change planed)
Thanks for the honest review. You do a great job. Would you be interested in building one of my diy corexy 3d printers as a project? Specifically the V-Baby to be released september 15? Or is that to much work?
How well would your design work scaled up to say 510x510mm?
@@originaltrilogy1 not advised over 300 for the V-Baby. The V-King can go to 400x400
@@PRO3DESIGN Thanks, I'm looking for something bigger :)
@@originaltrilogy1 CoreXY are not very suitable over 400*400 unless you start with running idlers or something for the very long belt stretch. I advise Standard cartesian for big area printers or look for something that is designed with this in mind rather than scaling it up
@@PRO3DESIGN Yeah, I'm looking for something, as the moving bed designs are causing a lot of ringing at this size.
So glad it has all turned out well. I can't believe that he tried to sue you about the bad review. You can't send out units for review and then complain when you get a bad one, if the reviewer has to lie, it is no longer a review and is a paid advertisement.
It looks like you tried so hard to give him the benefit of the doubt but still ended up having to give a bad review.
Awesome video. I've been looking into laser cutters for my rapidly expanding workshop, amazing what graduating and becoming a full time engineer will do for your personal makerspace. Clearly this isn't the cutter for me but have you considered doing a video for the K40 Laser Cutter? Seems like a pretty common budget laser cutter. They're not small like this but a lot of people could find a home for a $400 40W laser cutter in their workshops if it works alright. Also apparently it is like the Ender 3 in that it's okish out of the box but there are lots of upgrades and tinkering to be done to really make it perform.
I have a K40, it's a lot less okay than an Ender3 out of the box, you really have to overhaul them to make them functional, and spend quite a bit to get there. If you double the budget to pay for the mods, and are willing to spend the time, you end up with a halfway decent laser cutter for around $800.
Would like to see you tackle a k40 next.....
I have had an endurance 10w laser for 18 months now I have cut 3.5mm ply in one pass but I use 2 passes as sometimes one is not enough. I am happy with my laser it took me a few months to dial it in but to cut 1-2 passes u need to have air assist you got no chance without it. as to the soldering on the board chicken shit comes to mind but George is improving them and using the new mo2 board so should be a lot better. from when I first bought my laser endurance products have improved a lot and will do in the future im sure
Thanks for sharing your experience. Two passes through that thickness plywood is very similar to my results. The problem for me is I already have a cutter to do this with and I wanted to cut much thicker ply.
I have read somewhere that, if you want to engrave, the better option is a diode laser compared to a CO2? Is that true? Thanks
Well done
I'd pay $50 just to be able to play with one, but even that's a little much for what you get. George was extremely aggressive with his marketing and got banned from one 3d printing page for excessive continuous posting. This always seems to indicate a dubious character and product to me. Sell as many as you can, as quick as you can, before you're exposed, is an old tactic. A good product will sell itself.
Caveat Emptor!
Couldn't agree more..
Idea:
Laser tripwire guard that disables the laser and kills the movement the moment the monitoring beam is interrupted, while still allowing freedom of movement
Thanks Michael for the review ( I am always learning from your content - one day will buy or build something on your channel) - a comment I would like to make that may have not been made yet is that a contract laser cutting person I dealt with around 20 years ago (I believe he used a CO2 40 or 50watt laser) who's main product was Balsa Kit planes, cut some red and clear acrylic shapes from large sheets and he was using either CO2 or Nitrogen gas blowing onto the cut point to primarily prevent the flame/smoke from being created in the first place. The finished product (with the paper protective coating still attached) had no signs of burning or charring - and the cut surface was perfect.
The type of laser is a factor here but undoubtedly having the smoke blown away yields improvement. For this video however I left air assist out because the product page has no mention of it and I didn't use it on the lasers I was comparing to. In the follow up I will be using it for sure.
You might try adding the air assist. I believe that is where your problem is and causing your burnt edges. You can get the pump off Ebay . All it is is a large aquarium pump, and fabricate your own nozzle out of a printer nozzle. You probably have thousands of those around lol. The larger the pump the better. Or you can use a air compressor, but that is too much noise for me.
I think you would be much better off going with a Co2 on your LowRider than a diode. It will be much lighter with more power.
Anyone know where he got that laser bed from?
I wish I saw this before I ordered mine. I haven't tried much with it so far, but the engraving seems fine.
One thing I have found is that the laser came with lots of BS stickers but no instruction booklets whatsoever. The safety glasses are really cheap, and the module electronics is 3d printed and looks pretty ordinary. I already have a gut feeling that I paid far more for this than I really should have.
You ever going to finish the drift mobility scooter??
Yes in December I will have more time. Realistically not until then.
The first red flag was ABS cutting parameters. That stuff can release cyanide gas when cut with a laser and there is no warning on the website that I could find.
It's on the materials page which is linked in the description. It is hard to search and find things on the website, trust me!
@@TeachingTech I should have watched a little bit more, I paused and had a look over their website around the 2 min mark when you showed the settings table. I think within 30 seconds you mention the hazards. Should have known you wouldn't let that by without a word of caution. 😁
Ah, I was wondering where Part 4 of your MPCNC series was 😂
When I saw the claimed cutting ability of your laser I almost choked on my sandwich. I have a 40w Glowforge, and it can't match those specs. I can cut 3mm ply at 150mm/min at full power, and Cutting more than 6mm is not workable. Acrylic is about the same. BTW be careful about cutting Vinyl or pvc with the laser. It can release chlorine gas. In any case good ventilation is a must.
Thanks for taking the bullet for us. I am sure many folks have been tempted by the Endurance claims. I'm glad you got your money back.
Yes, you should never cut PVC or vinyl on the laser, it will not only poison you, but also eat your machine.
Lens info and Marlin reference for fan1 links are dead.
I wish I had come across this channel before I bought one of these. I can confirm everything you say in your videos. The product is disappointingly bad and I would have returned it immediately if it hadn't taken me more than a month before I actually got to actually set up the thing on my printer.
Overall I'd say, all I got from this product was a very expensive lesson
thats me NOt getting one of these, in fact i was going to buy the double 10watt, thanks for the warning
That circuit board!
Hmmmm - Also, some of the links George provided, in his last response at the end of all these comments, are not working.
The problem with all of the numbers is that they don’t have units. Is it mm/s mm/min in/min in/s??? I’ve been able to cut 3mm in one pass with air assist at 1.8mm/s but usually do 2 passes at 2.2 to 2.5mm/s. 1500 doesn’t make sense in any units I can think of. If it’s per minute there is no way.
The Endurance website uses mm / min, so I kept that going. Sorry I should have made that clear in the graphics.
Turn off auto-focus on your main camera. It keeps re-focusing and throwing out the picture.
One look at the box before even open it and it is all over!!
Wow that circuit on the inside of the box was embarrassingly bad, and the outside was held together using different sized screws.. So much for that quality 😂
Can u also review a Chinese knockoff
Hello friends,
I want to make Engraving Machine from 3d printer. But my knowledge of electrical connection is poor. My laser has 3 pins. +, -, pwm. I took the electricity from the fan and changed it from 24v to 12 volts. (with LED transformer). I couldn't find a place to make the pwm connection on my laser, it stays disconnected. because the transformer has 2 outputs. Without a pwm connection, the laser does not emit a beam. The laser fan works when there is + - connection. How can I find a solution?
Sounds like if you have the room and the bed size good enough for you, the complete laser machine with 4 times the power is the way to go.
there is a 10w diode laser on banggood for about $165CAD
Well I had a terrible experience with endurance as well. I bought the 10 watt plus laser waited a few months and it never came. Contacted george and he sent another and said if the second one arrives just to forward it. I ended up with two laser modules, but no actual functioning laser. One of the lasers he shipped not even in any sort of box. Everything was just thrown in a big blue russian bag and it was pretty well crushed and desrroyed on it journey from russia to Southern California. Once I started tinkering with my laser I never got it to really work, but I noticed severe build quality issues. I have been slowly rebuilding the laser module and control box by cannibalizing the second module and ordering better parts, but it is a pain when I have a full time job to put in 40-60 hours of weekend time fiddling with an expensive laser and it still not work. I do not reccomend buying an endurance laser. This teaching tech video is good though.
I know you have spent time in this, but really you should pull this video and repost a new video letting people know what a scammer he is.
Entire community is speaking out against him, you gotta do something, just not a good look for you.
Thanks man, I have always enjoyed your content up to this point.
There are plenty of rumours about but it wouldn't be wise to speculate on things I don't have first hand experience with.
@@TeachingTech:
Thanks, I would call what you went through first hand experience.
At the very very least I would say what he is doing is extreamly misleading.
at any rate, Thank you for what you do and all your contributions to the maker community.
Keep up the great work !
Cheers 🍻
Dimitri2014, In my honest opinion this video is perfect. This shows the craftsmanship in this product👌
Shame that the laser was a flop. But what are you using as material support? Looks like some kind of silicone egg crate?
Great question, it's a silicone mat from Darkly Labs. Exactly 10mm thick, laser resistant and provides air pockets underneath. Unfortunately not that cheap: darklylabs.com/product/cutting-mats/
@@TeachingTech Never considered silicone as material support for a laser cutter before. I wonder how bad thickness tolerances for a silicone pot holder are as an alternative?
I want a 1.21 Gigawatts laser.
Thank you for saving me a bunch of $$$$$
ty for doing all the leg work on this.
I have a 45W CO2 laser (Glowforge) and some of the stuff they claim their unit can do is difficult for something 4.5X as powerful as that unit.. 6mm MDF cuts great. 12mm you get a lot of charring due to challenges focusing (kerf). And having a open unit like that is a bit scary. Laser cutters produce carbon monoxide besides any fumes related to the material you are cutting. Without proper ventilation you run the risk of death.
Hi Michael,
What is the grey grid / rack that you are cutting on top of shown at czcams.com/video/RrzrBclm8P8/video.html, would you recommend it and where did you get it?
Thanks in advance!
600$ for a cheap chinees dc to dc converter ?
Honestly it seems like they are measuring peak power that is hypothetical bit not what the laser can actually achieve.
Why don't they sell an air compressor along with their laser? It would probably achieve much better cutting results.
No, just a recommendation of which ones work well. Which I have purchased and will be fitting to the unit on the Lowrider2 CNC.
7:47 "soddering"
WTH Michael? You should be deported 😉 #straya
Didn't even realise I did this. Consider it the exception, not the rule.
slowly we turn you towards the dark side of american speaking... mooowahahahaaaahh!!!
MrClown Isn’t soddering what sods do?
I assumed the L was silent! :)
Yeah.... I'd like to put it on a recently calibrated Laser Power Meter... Haven't yet seen a 450nm (blue) single Laser Diode. I smell something fishy with the 10 Watt claims.
3:16... That is a dead giveaway of Crap Laser Claims when they supply a $1.99 pair of Laser safety goggles to protect your eyes from a 10 Watt $625 USD Laser.
Just had a quick look at their website.... English is not their first language as seen by the grammar, and there does not seem to be any actual street address... Russian ????
experience with product, it doesn't work lol
oh..... im sad too
Matches with the appearances of 'Mr. Endurance Laser' spamming the various platforms. Ask @joeltelling what he thinks about him...
I've long had a gut feeling that Endurance was dodgy in some way, and I think the way that I suddenly saw the name and videos spammed *all over CZcams* was part of what gave me that sense. That and I'm always suspicious of a company claiming that their version of a product is somehow markedly better than all of the competition - at least without some solid evidence!
I chose to watch this video (even before seeing the hints in the title that it might not have gone to plan) because I wanted to give Endurance a chance of improving how I thought of them, without just dismissing them due to my sense of them being a bit dodgy, and now I'm glad that I did :)
Crap. I just ordered one of these the other day. Hopefully I can still cancel, if he hasn't already run off with my money.
I bought two and am waiting on them to arrive. Looks like I have done my dough.
I had the same issues, the lasers are nowhere near as good as advertised. They do work better with air assist, I rigged up a fan kind of like a part cooling fan to direct the air at the job surface, with a radial fan and it improved things, but the build quality and everything else about the laser is really shoddy. Not worth the money.
I'll be trying to push this thing as far as it goes including air assist.
You forgot the most important safety rule of all... *_Don't cross the streams!_*
Buy a 40 watt tube and put it on that low rider.
I for one am using an *Opt Lasers PLH3D-6W-XF* ( optlasersgrav.com/plh3d/plh3d-6w-xf-laser-head ) mounted on my already heavily modified *Inventables X-Carve* ( i.imgur.com/EoZLeud.jpg ) and while it too won't do numbers of a 40W CO² Laser it at least looks like a small piece of art with the machined body and the possibility of being magnetically mounted to whatever you want to install it to.
Best of all the PLH3D-6W-XF Laser Head is actually a self-contained unit that can be used without any extra PCBs floating around in a poor man's control box dangling somewhere along.