5 Awesome Features of the Thunder Laser Bolt that will give you incredible results FAST!
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- čas přidán 11. 10. 2023
- While I love my Glowforge Plus and my Thunder Laser Nova 24, some features don't exist on either of them but do in my Thunder Laser Bolt. These features save me time and get me great results.
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I've owned my Glowforge for over 3 years, my Nova 24 for just over a year, and my Thunder Bolt for a couple months. My impressions of this machine so far are awesome. It is fast, provides great detail, and works really well for what I like to do - smaller acrylic detailed projects.
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Disclaimer: I am not a professional - just an everyday maker! This is what I found worked for me and my project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!
FTC Disclaimer: This video was not sponsored - all opinions are genuinely my own. This post may contain affiliate links and I earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your continued support! - Jak na to + styl
Katie, this video and all the lovely people in your bolt fb group made my thunder bolt purchase an absolute no-brainer. I was able to show this to my husband to explain why this was the one for us. I put down the deposit today, THANK YOU!!!
Awesome!! Happy to help!
I have been looking at this and will probably get it with my Christmas bonus. I've heard nothing but great things about it.
Awesome - what else do you want to know about it?
nova 24 also has easy positioning and all the features you have on the bolt are on all nova series, you just need to know where to find them, speed, power can all be changes on the fly, changes are made when the controller detect the next node group, so changes are not instantaneous, but start on the next node group, you dont need to remove the lens from nozzle in the 24 to clean it
Yep - I like that you can change the speed and power on the fly in the Nova, but the little turtle and rabbit in the bolt is extra handy for precise placement
Awesome content!
Thanks Robert!
Great review Katie - thank you!
How would you say it stacks up against the GF, even though it has less power? What about the noise level - is it comparable as well?
It actually doesn’t have less power - a 30
Watt RF tube is more like a 60watt glass tube, so it’s more powerful. Noise level is similar, quieter for me because I use the filter on my GF and I vent out my window on the Bolt. The engraving detail is so good on the Bolt and it is significantly faster as well.
Thanks Katie. Very helpful observations. I just ordered mine. What's been you overall experience with cutting? Types, thickness, etc. I'm not looking for the to be s speed demon cutting beast. Just one that does struggle when I do cut. It's not for business, mainly for hobby if that further adds some perspective. Thanks again.
Hey Richard - I mainly cut 1/8" because I do a lot of acrylic, but I've tested out some 1/4" double sided plywoods. While I needed to go slow with high power with my standard 1.5" lens, I got through them. I think a 2" lens might make it a little easier as well.
Great video and personality! Since you have both a Nova and a Bolt, have you kind of settled into a routine of which machine you use for which project and why? Thanks.
Thanks! That's such a good question. I really love to do clear acrylic engraving on my Bolt and anything with smaller lines, finer details, etc. vs. more "brute force" things on my Nova. Cutting thicker materials as an example. Small things with jigs like plaques go on the Bolt, things I want to run on just the knife blades go on the Nova.
@@ThingsKatieMakes Thank you for the great reply. I am torn right now between adding a Bolt or an Odin to my laser lineup…just wish Thunder offered something in the middle for pricing. The Bolt will be an easy sell to my wife whereas the Odin…not so much so.
Thank you Katie! I contacted Thunder specifically for the Bolt, but the rep brought up the Nova 24. She said that if I plan to cut anything bigger than 1/8” that I might want to consider the Nova. I didn’t really want a bigger machine as I don’t have the space. This would be my first laser machine and I’m just looking at this for a hobby, maybe a future small business.
My goal was acrylic signs, clear acrylic standees/keychains, etc. Maybe engraving tumblers. I don’t see myself really cutting anything thicker than 1/4”. Do you think the Bolt will satisfy my needs for a first machine? Do you think there will be any situations that I’ll have regrets not getting the Nova?
I just don’t want “too much” machine for my needs. Haha.
Hi! as a first laser, I really don't think you can go wrong with the Bolt. A couple of things that I think make it really great for "beginners" are: 1. Not having a chiller or external compressor (less things to worry about/understand), 2. AutoFocus - while I don't mind focusing on my Nova24, again, one thing you can sort of learn a little later as you learn other things with your laser. I use them both and kind of switch out for different things. We were just having a conversation about 1/4" in our facebook group and while it can be on the slower side, it is totally doable. 1/2" can be done as well - but it that were your primary, I'd say you'd want something bigger and more powerful. I hope that helps, and email me if you have any more questions - always happy to discuss.
@@ThingsKatieMakes thank you so much for the insight!!! I will definitely email you if I got more questions 😉
nova 24 has autofocus, just press down button the press autofocus button and its done, you have to set the nozzle correctly first,
Fair, a different type of auto focus on the nova - it uses the bed sensors, not a probe
Nice overview, but I think you are mistaken about the front door having magnets. Other reviewers have mentioned that it has clips that snap into place when the door is closed, and one even complained that they make opening and closing the door a little bit difficult. In your video it looks like yours has the clips as well.
That's possible - it may have both - I'm away from my machine, so I'll have to check when I'm back!
I'm next to my Bolt now.
It has physical clips, not magnets. There are two magnetic sensors next to the clips that are the sensors to ensure the door is closed, but they don't have any force to keep the door closed.
@@TheMorrowgamerthank you! I don’t know how I missed that before
@@TheMorrowgamer Thanks for checking.