KENTOKTOOL 5.5W Laser Engraver, 50W High Accuracy Laser Engraving Machine for Beginners, Compressed Spot Laser Power Engraver and Cutter Machine for Wood, Metal, Acrylic, Leather

I was so nervous to spend almost $400 for this laser engraver, but I'm so glad I took the chance. First of all, it works great, but most importantly the customer service folks are quick to respond and incredibly helpful! There are a ton of video tutorials on YouTube to help you put it together, and instructions in the package that could do with a bit more description. (Make note of which way things are facing or you'll have to take it apart and turn the piece around.) The software I used with the laser engraver was Laser GRBL (free) at first but then switched to Lightburn. Both synced up with the laser engraver easily. I'm just beginning to explore the many things I can do and I've added pictures of some of the projects. It cuts the craft wood BEAUTIFULLY! (See the Happy Birthday sign and Sea Monkey) It can cut out stickers, like a Cricut. I did that and used a chemical to etch the IGW and Quill into the wine glass. It's cuts and engraves wood, and I made keychains that came out adorable. Finally, it will etch glass and metal. You need to paint both black (I use tempera paint) first. I attached a Gennmitsu Y Axis roller to create the Kiss of Death Jar. I also used it on tumblers but gave those as gifts and forgot to take a picture first. I also engraved leather-style notebooks that I gave as a gift, and they came out amazing as well. In addition to all that you can do with this laser engraver, Kentoktool uses Facebook to keep in touch. There's a Kentoktool group that you can contact with questions. They are in a different time zone than me, but they immediately replied when they saw my message. There is also a Facebook Kentoktool LE400 group where people upload their pictures and tell you what settings they used. This product and their community are amazing and I highly recommend this product.

I absolutely love this machine. We use it for our business. It was easy to assemble. The instructions of set up are easy to follow.

The Good:This was my first time using a laser engraver. I'd been interested in them for awhile and finally decided to bite the bullet and get one for my own use. Assembly was not terribly tough - all the components were there and the manufacturer even had parts broken down into baggies for each step which corresponded with the setup manual. That made things a lot easier.Once I got it up and running (see further on), it worked fine - engraved and cut with no problems. I've bought a variety of materials to test and I look forward to adding this to my "garage" of items that can be used to "home make" a variety of products. I'm not sure that I am ever going to use all 400mm x 400mm of "print space", but we shall see.The laser itself is QUITE powerful. I'm genuinely impressed with how well it's worked so far.The Bad:I do NOT recommend this for beginners, despite the attractive price point. If you're a beginner (like I was), you have to understand a few key things about this machine:- It has NO external computer/controller, unlike a 3D printer. If you don't have a computer handy to hook up for use, you're going to be SOL. I had to take a couple weeks to figure out how to use a Raspberry Pi as the controller.- The "print space" is not equal to the insides of the gantry perimeter, and there is nothing you get with this machine to help you determine where 0,0 really is. I'm in the process of making modifications so I can "zero" any material that I put down and not have to worry about engravings being off-center or cut off.- Do NOT expect much help from the manufacturer. This appears to be the only engraver they have produced so far and their website is very limited when it comes to information. A personal pet peeve of mine is the poor grammar/broken English, which means they haven't really invested anything into their American market.With all this being said, though, it seems like a very solid product and one I will continue to use. Just be mindful of the things I've listed above if you're just starting in the laser cutting/engraving space.

I did not have a good experience with this laser. After a lot of wasted material and time I gave up. The Laser stops randomly. Sometimes the laser stays on burning through the material, lucky for me I check periodically. While I was cutting, I noticed the machine not moving. I looked at program and noticed it was still running and the laser was still burning in that spot. That was a potential fire hazard.

Update to last years review. I purchased this for my wife. Kentok tool sent me an email with specific instructions on how to load my laser to light burn. The problem wasn’t Kentok tool is was Lightburn. But after updating files etc. from Lightburn it is working well. Actually better than well. The stuff my wife is cutting is crazy. Kentok tool was and has been very prompt and courteous with info and help. So I have them the review they deserve. We have only touched the tip of the iceberg of what the laser can do. Contemplating upgrading to the 10 what laser. Thanks KentoktoolDidn’t take long at all to set up and get power connected. The real problem came when I downloaded Lightburn software and it couldn’t find the laser. Verified all plugs were connected. Very disappointed. Contacted the manufacturer via email. Now waiting…