Last update probably Mid March 2024

　　Ok so I have to deduct one star.

　　To really use this product to its potential you need a riser base at a minimum, which is extremely expensive for what you get which is just a simple riser without anything special about it. I guess one could construct one on their own but then it would look jenky and not have a good seal for the wood burning smoke that needs to be extracted.

　　Im also comparing to recent competitor releases that include such things like riser/rotary engraver kit for less money and higher power laser.

　　So this is more of a regret of not holding out longer for something better to come along, which is the way things work I know, but my challenge and why Im lowering a star is the very high cost to obtain additional accessories or necessities to really fully realize the products capabilities.

　　It's worth mentioning that their software helps you save a few bucks early in, so that's a nice thing. And overall the laser works well and is a nicely polished product for the most part. I just can't justify spending as much for accessories as it would cost me to get an entirely new laser from a competitor with all of that included. If Xtool reduces their prices drastically on their accessories then I would say it would be a 5 star product otherwise.

　　But if you only want to use the base model for what it is designed for without riser, feeder or rotary, Im sure it will be a 5 star product for you.

　　jan/feb 2024 update

　　Support has been great. I replaced the part and it works. Took about ten minutes to replace the part.

　　Update, increased 1 star to 3 for now, from 2. Almost immediately after writing the review below, someone contacted me asking me for my address (Amazon's disclaimer states not to do this though FWIW). Xtool is going to send me parts to swap out to fix my Xtool. This is great because I really want to buy the riser, the rotary, and possibly yes even the track feeder and will need these USB ports working. I'm kicking myself a bit for not getting the 40w unit to be honest because I really would like to cut through some thicker pine to make ornate book shelf holders. When I use my 20w with more passes it's scorches the one side too much so I thought about using some veneer on that side and filler, but that's too much labor. I think 20w is the sweat spot for many but for me and my cutting needs over engraving I should have gone with the 40w. My mistake.

　　We shall see if the parts fix my problems, and I have no problem swapping electronics/working on electronics as I have done electronics repairs my whole life. If the parts work then I'll likely bump it up to 5 stars.

　　Old review: (early jan 2024)

　　I've submitted two help tickets on their website, both of which just disappear from your help ticket history after you submit. I assumed it was just a bug on their website, and patiently waited several days until submitting another. It's now been almost 2 weeks and Ive yet to hear back from Xtool.

　　The back of the device, there are 3 old school mini USB ports for accessories like the engraver, air assist etc. Well that entire component is just flopping around inside the case of the Xtool. So only one of the three ports are usable for me, and I have to fiddle with the wire so that it applies pressure in a direction so that the air assist will work. That's a pretty serious hardware issue, and while it may be a simple fix the manual clearly states that opening the unit will void the warranty so, here I sit waiting hoping they will get back to me. It would be a huge PITA to send this back to Amazon.

　　The unit itself is pretty cool. While there are very limited instructions, it's important that you do a cut, and engrave test for each material you plan to use. Why Xtool doesnt have this for the various materials already fairly plotted out, is rather mind blowing. It's not difficult to figure out but just time consuming to determine what power/speed intervals one should experiment with from the start.

　　As far as the claims to cut 10mm Cherry wood in a single pass. Hmm, that MAY be possible. I cut 1/2" pine in 3 passes with air assist at 100% power and a speed of 6. I tried cutting 3/4 solid oak without the honeycomb plate, instead using a piece of scrap wood below. I made 8 passes at 100% power 4 speed and still never cut completely through the oak but was able to push the test triangle through by hand afterwards. That's rather impressive! Now, would you want to do that for an actual craft or project? Probably not. The scorching that happens on the backside of the material is rather dramatic.

　　Engraving on stone was fairly easy using the pre configured settings. Like any software there is a bit of a learning curve.

　　Would this machine be a good business for someone? Eh if you are bored and dont expect to make much Im sure. It's not going to cut fast enough to really crank out enough product to make money, but you could find a nicht and have a fun little side hustle. Im sure there are countless bored housewives buying these up thinking they are going to have a thriving business. Im not saying it's not possible but you really would need to put in a large amount of disciplined work to avoid getting discouraged, and try many different things wasting hundreds if not thousands of dollars of materials to find something that may stick. Etsy is FLOODED with things you can buy that cost near nothing from engraving to cut out crafts that started from a laser cutter/engraver. So keep that in mind and determine a plan before you buy this device. This is a great way to get into the world of laser cutting/engraving at a minimal cost compared to that of a CO2 laser.

　　While Id love to offer up a 5 star rating for this unit, the fact is that I have a defective unit and cant get support for it. $2000 USD is no joke for anyone, and to not hear anything back is absolutely ridiculous. So I'll wait for another week, keep tinkering with the unit as it does work but for how long who knows, and if I wanted to add the rotary unit or the self feeding track, i would be SOL. So I have no capability to expand my device.

　　I should add, be prepared to fill your house with toxic fumes/smoke unless you rig a system to exhaust the fumes from your house, and then be prepared to have your neighbors ask what you are doing as it becomes quickly apparent to anyone nearby a smell of burning wood, leather, stone, and especially plastic. You will not completely eliminate the smell either. They use non standard pipe coming from the unit, to which you will need to figure out the closest dryer/hvac metal to use to connect to an in line fan (sold seperately at lowes/amazon/home depot) to then exhaust out a window. If you dont do this, these units are rather unusable unless you want early dementia, alzheimer's and likely other serious health issues.