5 Best Handheld Laser Engravers for Metal & Wood

Handheld laser engravers are becoming popular over the tabletop laser machine due to several benefits. Over the past few years, the laser engraving market has been snowballing, which has helped us to experience some of the finest portable laser engravers, such as xTool F1 and Laserpecker lasers.

This article aims to deliver the readers with in-depth research & recommendations of the best handheld laser engravers and other technical assistance.

The laser machine market has been growing at a CAGR of over 8% per year and is expected to reach US $5 bn by 2028, having the largest market in North American territory. Though the entire laser market represents a combination of CO2, fiber laser, and diode lasers, the handheld or portable machines only represent a slight portion of the total.

Benefits of Handheld Lasers

Handheld laser engravers are famous due to several advantages as follows:

Portability is the most significant advantage of handheld lasers compared to desktop lasers. You need to bring the working material under the laser head or inside the laser engraving machine to engrave on that particular material. Handheld lasers just require designs with either a pen drive or connecting cable, and the user has the freedom to place the machine where it needs to work. Usually, portable laser engravers contain a battery to move them anywhere, but obviously, it also runs through connected power. You can take the example of the Laserpecker 4, which rotates its laser head 360 degrees, has a battery backup and is also suitable for engraving anywhere.

Capacity enhancement is also a positive side of handheld lasers. Let’s take an example of stainless steel engraving, which needs expensive fiber laser markers. Usually, the diode laser should have a wavelength of 465 nm, which is insufficient for engraving stainless steel. With emerging technology, people now have holds the freedom to engrave metal tag with a portable handheld laser by its IR laser head that even delivers laser power at over 1300 nm wavelength. For example, the xTool F1 comes with two different laser heads, one with an infrared laser that helps to do the stainless steel engraving.

Here’s what we made both Wood & Metal engraving using the xTool F1 portable laser engraver:

Portable laser engravers are also cheaper than similar powerful desktop engravers. Let’s take an example of a bakery that needs to engrave the package or the cake itself to get the premium price in exchange of the customization done for the customers. The owner cannot afford to incur $5000 over the laser machine since the only job is to engrave the customer’s name over the package. Handheld laser engravers become useful here with a moderate investment that gives the owner a faster return on investment.

Negative sides

There are some negative sides of the handheld laser engravers as well, which are addressed below:

Handheld lasers are risky. Working with laser engravers is always risky due to the fact that premium lasers are sold in canopied versions. The open lasers are only recommended for DIY crafters who know very much about the risks or have necessary precautions at their workplace. Buying a handheld laser may benefit you with tons of potential but may lack safety features compared to the canopied laser machine. For instance, the xTool P2 holds the ability to detect fire and even integrates with the fire protection system, whereas the xTool F1 would require a separate smoke purifier just for being a handheld device.

Similarly, portable lasers are not quite heavy as the bigger ones. For example, a portable diode laser can easily engrave on wood anywhere, but it cannot engrave on a larger wood piece. For example, you may engrave a small photo over a 24-inch wood piece with portable diode lasers, but engraving the entire 24-inch would need a stable machine such as xTool D1 pro or the xTool P2.

Handheld lasers cannot always cut like the desktop laser machine. If cutting wood or acrylic is your priority, then handheld laser engravers may not be suitable. Upgradability is also a concern for portable lasers. In a desktop laser, you can either replace or upgrade the laser head having the flexibility to upgrade the working bed itself, which is impossible in portable diode lasers. For instance, the Atezr P10 and xTool D1 Pro can be extended by the extension kit, but the xTool F1 cannot to that big dimension.

Top Handheld laser engravers

Below are the best handheld laser engravers which are suggesting you to buy:

• xTool F1 (Best Overall)
• LaserPecker LP4
• LaserPecker LX1
• Enjoywood 2 in 1
• Atomstack M4

Basis of the opinion

We recommended the aforementioned laser engravers based on tests, user interviews, and thorough research. Before recommending the items, we assessed each one’s capacities, portability issues, power, precision ability, laser type, and respective compatibility. Below is our quick comparison, which will further guide you to the in-depth review of each item.

Let’s discuss which handheld laser engraver is right for you!

If you are a crafter or a laser engraving enthusiast then the xTool F1 and LaserPecker’s LP4 and LX 1 should be your priority due to the fact that these laser engravers can do laser cutting, laser engraving and laser marking in stainless steel and aluminum using their additional IR laser which uses a laser source at 1064 nm wavelength.

Additionally, the aforementioned laser engravers are good for multi-tasking, such as the xTool F1 and LaserPecker LP4 can be used for batch processing using their extension slide and rotary axes. The Laserpecker LP4 is special because this is the only laser engraver which rotates at any dimension depending on the size and position of the working material that no other handheld laser engraver does.

On top of them, the LX1 by LaserPecker can make drawings using pen and marker besides offering laser engraving and handheld laser marking service. Additionally, the LX is foldable and carryable even it offers 400 mm of work bed like the xTool D1 pro.

Moreover, if your necessity is only to look for a handheld portable laser engraver only to place laser marking as per your need, the Atomstack M4 and Enjoywood can be your ultimate option. These two laser engraver only acts as handheld laser to engrave just anything due to the fact that there is 20W IR laser whereas the xTool F1 , and LP4 uses a 2W IR laser.

Remember, The Atomstack cannot do laser engraving more than 70 mm and it cannot rotate for you like the LaserPecker LP4. Neither Enjoywood nor the Atomstack can offer you simultaneous use of two laser sources like the LP4.

Below is our in-depth review which explains each of the facts regarding the suitable handheld laser engravers.

xTool F1 (Best Overall)

xTool f1 is the 2023’s fastest handheld laser engraver having 4000 mm/second engraving speed. This tiny portable laser engraver is available as the standalone version, or you may choose the slide extension, smoke purifier, and rotary attachments. The SKU offers you the choice so what to buy and what’s not so that the user can go for the right thing considering his budget.

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The price starts from somewhere between $1700 to $2500, depending on the add-ons. The speed of 4000 mm/s blew our minds because this can be considerably treated as eight times higher than the average today. Using its 100% power at even 2000 mm/s speed, you can engrave base wood in 20 seconds, which typically requires more than 1.2 minutes in other Chinese engravers. This insane amount of speed became possible due to the fact that the F1’s internal mechanism switches the laser beam automatically from the x-axis to Y axis through its intelligent galvanometer at no additional time. So, the laser power itself is not making the difference, but also its intelligence does.

The accuracy (alternatively known as precision) of 0.002 helped the F1 to stand above all its competitors, which depicts that a picture engraving would offer you to look for maximum details in the material. For example, any tiny line or pattern of a single hair will become visible if the xTool f1 does the laser engraving.

The F1 is a handheld laser engraver that allows you to carry this machine and place it over the material you would love to engrave. In our opinion, the F1 is the winner of the battle of portable engravers because it gives you the freedom to engrave anything.

There are two lasers, one being a 10-watt blue diode laser and another being a 2-watt infrared laser. The 10-watt diode laser generates light at 455 nm wavelength while the other creates 1064 nm infrared rays. Such a combination of lasers offers the users ultimate freedom of engraving everything. For instance, with this portable handheld engraver, you can engrave wood, acrylic, glass, granite, and even stainless steel.

Below is an example of engraving materials suitable for each laser type:

What else differentiates the F1?

Apart from the high engraving speed, laser power, and compatibility, there is something else that helps the xTool F1 to be different from its competitors.

Let’s have a look at an watch engraving done by the xTool F1:

Let us first talk about its preview speed. The F1 comes with one click preview feature with a preview speed of 12000 mm/s (scan) and 8000 mm/s (outline). Since it’s a handheld laser engraver, a higher preview speed is very useful in ensuring the position accuracy & engraving precision. In simple words, F1 shows the replica preview on its upper screen, which helps the user to understand what’s going on underneath. Moreover, the preview speed of F1 is way above what the LaserPecker offered for their earlier versions having 8858 inches per minute.

Besides, focusing flexibility is a great introduction by the F1 which allows you to set both auto and manual focus for the engraving works. In the early days, laser engravers struggled to set focus while the variable depth of material was used for engraving. This problem not harmed the efficiency of engravings but also destroyed the said precision or accuracy level consequencing negative user experiences as well. In F1, it doesn’t even matter if you are feeding a quarter-inch thick wood or a 5-inch thick wood for engraving. The machine itself detects the laser head distance and sets the focus automatically as per the accuracy level of 0.002 mm.

As said earlier, the F1 comes with other amazing features while being a handheld laser engraver. For example, there is a protective shield that fully makes the machine laser leakproof. This machine is a portable version that still protects the surroundings from harmful laser rays. In addition, the user can set their own password to stop unauthorized access to this laser machine. It directly affects the safety of other people in the family.

An intelligent smoke and overheat detection feature is there that ensures further health & safety concerns. However, the smoke purifier would cost much as this is offered at a higher price.

Let’s have a look at another pair of laser engraving done by xTool F1:

Technical Flexibility

The xTool F1 runs perfectly well with Lightburn and xTool Creative Space, offering users the ultimate flexibility to work from any platform. Thank god that does not operate in a cloud system like the Glowforge laser engravers that require a constant internet connection to run the machine.

Besides, both the control software would support JPG, PNG, SVG, DXF, and BMP files creating a more flexible pattern of laser engraving experience.

Key Takeaways

These are the key takeaways of xTool F1 handheld laser engraver:

• It’s a portable laser machine with a fully protective shield
• Two laser module is attached that offers laser engraving for sensitive material such as Gold, Silver & Titanium
• Engraving Speed is very high, 4000 mm/s (100% higher than the Laserpecker)
• It offers a Precision of 0.002 mm, which is 100% higher than the Atomstack M4
• Upgradable with bed extension, rotary, and smoke purifier, which are not available with Wnjoywood 2 in 1.
• It comes under a $2000 budget, which is very competitive.

Pros

• Higher engraving & Preview Speed
• Intelligent autofocus
• Detects smoke
• Password protected
• Wider material compatibility
• Accurate engraving

Cons

• Cannot cut more than 8mm of wood
• It doesn’t work for batch processing
• Rotary & other upgradable items require an additional price

Comparison with other lasers

xTool is a pioneer company in the diode laser industry. Earlier, some of their laser machine, such as xTOOL D1 Pro and xTool M1, has been very popular due to several facts & price competitiveness. The xTool P2 was the first ever CO2 laser of the company being the most popular CO2 laser in 2023, even over the Glowforge lasers.

If you analyze the portfolio of xTool, the F1 is their first handheld laser engraver, while the other is DIY & canopied version. The F1 is a direct competitor of LaserPecker 4; while both appear with the same lasers, the F1 is the winner in engraving speed and accuracy.

If both the F1 and LaserPecker 4 are kept side by side, the major differences would be –

• Higher Engraving speed in F1
• Better Precision in F1
• LaserPecker LP 4 rotates 360 degrees, but the F1 cannot
• LaserPecker has more portable laser engraver experience than what xTool has
• xTool F1’s slide extension is 115 mm x 400 mm whereas the LP 4’s work area after installing the slide extension becomes 160 x 300 mm.

Apart from these, the price and other features are pretty similar for both, but we liked the F1 over the LaserPecker handheld lasers.

LaserPecker LP4 Portable Laser

LaserPecker’s LP 4 is only available to some bloggers like us, and their shipping schedule starts from 2023’s mid august. As per the test trial, below is our experience with LP 4 handheld laser engraver.

LP 4’s capacity is slightly lower than the xTool’s F1, having maximum engraving speed of 2000 mm/s. It’s also available with rotary attachment and slide extensions but at a premium price.

From the design & appearance aspects, LP 4 is a beast having a small touch screen for easy navigation. The accuracy we got was as low as 0.003 mm which is slightly lower than what xTool f1 had. However, the laser engraving quality was amazing and ready to beat any other portable laser engraver in the market. Besides the tiniest accuracy level, the LP 4 can engrave at a resolution of 8K HD, which is way above the other laser engravers currently available.

There are two lasers one being a 10W blue diode laser that generates 450nm wavelength to work on general materials and other being a 2W IR laser with a capacity of generating 1064 nm wavelength laser light. Such 2 W IR laser is quiet similar to the pulsed fiber laser that can engrave harder material such as stainless steel, gold, silver, platinum and plastics.

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Considering the engraving speed, accuracy and laser quality, the LP 4 strongly competes with the xTool F1. However, there are some other features that helps Laserpecker to stand out among the intense competition.

LP 4’s differentiating factors

In the top digital display; the user can monitor the engraving progress as well as switch the laser module as per the needs. Besides, file savings for future access is just one click job with the LaserPecker 4.

Dual laser power supply is surely a premium option in LP 4. Let’s imagine there is a key ring having both stainless steel and leather which needs to be engraved. The LP 4 will first engrave the leather with its 10W blue diode laser and immediately switch into the 2W IR laser to engrave the stainless steel portion. It not only saves your time but also enhances the engraving accuracy as further repositioning of the working material may destroy the alignments.

One feature that completely differentiates LP4 from others is its rotatability. That means the user can take this portable laser engraver anywhere and start engraving from any angle. Alternatively, if the working material is sensitive to movement, we can take this laser engraver there and engrave without even re-positioning the engraving machine. This feature is worthy of a thousand dollar because there are many of us who want engraving anywhere.

Here’s a gold ring engraved by the LaserPecker LP4:

Apart from vertical engraving, we could also become successful in vertical rotary engraving. Wait a minute! what does that mean?

It means if there is a cylindrical flower vest standing anywhere, you can take the LaserPecker’s LP 4 there, and it will start engraving using the rotary not even changing the vertical position of the flower vest. Undoubtedly, this is a market-dominating feature that is not even available in xToll F1 and Atomstack’s M4.

Above all, the engraving speed is again a winning factor that made LP 4 5 times higher in wood engraving than the others in the market engrave wood at around 400 mm/s. However, the multi-task syncing feature further empower sthe speed to boost productivity. For example, this handl=held laser engraver can engrave and cut the borders in a single run which saves crafting time and boost effectiveness.

The safety features are also premium compared to older LaserPecker modules, as the LP 4 introduced tilt protection and triple laser filter which protects both working material and outside environment peacefully. Other than these, there is overheat protection and an emergency stop button to handle any unfavorable situations.

Here are more engraving works done by the LaserPecker L4:

How LP4 differs from older LaserPecker handheld lasers?

As said earlier, LP4 is the first to introducer of rotating laser head as per the material’s need. LaserPecker had 3 previous handheld laser engravers, which could successfully introduce the portability but not the dynamic portability.

Coming forward, LaserPecker 4 added the dual laser power that was not available in earlier versions. So, with this model, the manufacturer rolled out to place its portable engraver as an indirect alternative to the pulsed fiber laser for small crafters.

In addition, the slide extension and vertical rotary attachment is the new addition that LaserPecker 4 marketed successfully. The work bed of LaserPecker 4 is higher than earlier versions being 120 x 160 mm which is further expandible to 300 x 160 mm with its upgradable slide extensions. It means, someone with LP 4 can even do the batch processing of laser engravings but for a limited numbers.

Lastly, the LaserPecker 4 instroduced dual exaust fan on top of it that sucks the smoke and eliminates the need to an additional smoke purifier.

Here are tumbler engraving we did with the LaserPecker handheld lasers:

Key Takeaways of LP 4

• Dual Laser power, one being a 2W IR laser
• Multi laser syncing feature makes job easier
• Rotates according the material position
• Faster Engraving speed of 2000 mm/s
• 0.003 precision (higher than Attomstak M4)
• Upgradable with rotary & slide extension

Pros

• Engraves anywhere with its rotation ability
• Engrave at 8K HD resolution
• Its tiny and smart
• Runs at low noise
• Cuts up to 8mm of wood

Cons

• Cannot cut thicker wood
• Working bed height is limited to 160 mm
• Batch processing is possible but limited to fewer numbers

LaserPecker LX1

LX1 is a portable laser engraver that indirectly competes with the xTool D1 pro. The design on LX1 does not require any assembly yet it offers you the flexibility to fold and store anywhere. Alternatively, you can just lift the LX1 laser engraver and flip it to make it workable. From this point of view, the LX1 does the same thing like the xTool’s D1 pro without setting up or assembling anything.

It features a 20W diode laser plus a 2W IR laser (1064 nm wavelength)  having a cutting ability of 15 mm basswood and 10 mm acrylic. Besides, this genius handheld laser cutter can offer a fine cut to leather & fabric enthusiasts.

The work area of LaserPecker LX 1 is 400 mm x 420 mm which is pretty similar to the xTool D1 pro having a 430 mm x 400 mm of the work area. The engraving speed of LX 1 is not as high as the LP4 or xTool F1 as it offers a maximum engraving speed of 200 mm/s. However, the engraving accuracy of LX 1 is better than the LP4 which is less than 0.01 mm. However, the LX1 does not offer continuous dual laser engraving and it can switch in between. There would be two separate laser heads and you need to make a manual switch depending on the material that you are going to engrave.

What’s amazing in LX1?

Interestingly, there is another module in LX1 which they call the artist module. With the artist module, you can attach a pencil or even a color pen to draw something on the paper. For the first time, LaserPecker introduced such an artist module in any laser engravers which can draw or write anything as per the given design.

Apart from this, its safe to use as this portable laser machine comes with overheating & fire detection as well as an auto shut-down switch. However, it does not come with a protective shield like xTool F1 and LaserPEcker LP4. The user must wear polarised glass to avoid any visual damage.

Even though, the laser head cuts & engrave at great precision, you may need to adjust the height of it depending on the thickness of the material you are working with. The LX1 cannot move up and down but it can be done with a single nob attached to the laser head.

The engraving resolution with LX 1 would be 4K which is great compared to the available Chinese engravers. However, the resolution is still below compared to the xTool F1 and LP4 which had an engraving resolution of 8K.

One strong point that LX1 offers is its batch processing. with its large work area of more than 400 mm, you can place as many items for batch processing. However, the placement of the working piece needs to be set manually since the LX1 cannot identify the right shape of the working piece like the xTool P2.

The laser head also contains a small air pump that removes the dust away and supplies more oxygen to the laser contact point. The amazing part is, the fan is almost noise-free and acts as a direct alternative to the external air assist. You should already know that an external air assist always creates noise like we have noticed while testing Atezr P10.

Apart from that, the gantry is properly grease fitted which eliminates noises while making movements. Besides, the LX1 works with both LaserPecker mobile app and the Lightburn which has always been a concern for the Glowforge users.

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Key Takeaways of LX1

• It’s handheld & foldable
• Rotates 90 degree
• Noise-free operation
• 2 laser heads one being a 2W IR laser
• Artist mode makes drawing with pen & marker
• No additional air assist needed
• Engraves at 200 mm/s
• Cust up to 16 mm of wood

Pros

• It’s portable and handy
• The work area is as big as xTool D1 pro
• Comes with different laser module options
• Engraves copper and stainless steel with its 2W IR laser
• 0.01 Precision
• Continuously works upto 63 hours
• Weight is below 5KG

Cons

• Cannot work with 2 laser modules at a time
• Does not allow auto laser sync like LP4
• Cannot make a vertical rotation
• Laser height adjustment is manual

Enjoywood portable laser

Enjoywood is a handheld 2 in 1 laser engraver which offers 4K engraving accuracy with a precision rate of 0.001 mm. It’s a lightweight portable laser engraver features a 2W IR laser. Even though the manufacturer markets the product by saying a fiber laser actually, it isn’t. However, marketing tricks are okay if the laser can engrave said material types including plastics, stainless steel tag and even gold.

The laser marking speed here is 12 m/s which is significantly lesser than the F1, LP4 and LX1. However, this portable laser marking machine is suitable for someone who just needs to work with laser marking.

For instance, someone with this handheld laser marker can engrave jwellery, spoons, metal tags, palstic materials (headset and smartphone chargin head). This is a great customizer that works with 1064 nm wavelength laser.

However, you cannot engrave large pictures or cut wood and leather with this machine as this is purely designed for the laser marking jobs.

Like the LaserPecker LP 4, you can take this anywhere to put laser marks. There are laser beam protector which limits the laser beam reflection which may cause injury.

While testing this laser marker, it appeared as an identical copy of the Attomstack M4 since everything in this portable laser engraver matches with the Attomstack M4’s specs.

Assembly doesn’t take much time  since everything comes organized and clearly written instructions are there.

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Enjoywood is an engineering company mainly specialized in woodworking technology. Earlier, they sold so many items of diode laser engraver which was a basic DIY laser engraver with affordable price.

The portfolio suggests that the company makes these machine through the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) from China. However, This laser marker is a true market cruncher as they have been sold regularly on Amazon and there are only a few negative experiences noted. Apparently, the company did not make significant rollout from their earlier equipments; however, the performance of this laser engraver is really good and it is worthy to be in the list of the best portable laser engravers.

Here’s is a fishing wheel engraving done with Enjoywood metal engraver:

What makes Enjoywood Special?

Enjoywood is not a traditional laser cutter or not even an image engraver. This is only designed for laser marking which means you can place laser marks anywhere without thinking about the types of the materials except laser cutting and large picture engraving.

Its so handy and sturdy especially it fits anywhere to put the laser marks on.

Even though, it is sold at a price which is lower than Attomstack M4, we suggest you to go for it since the Attomstach costs higher and Enjoywood is an identical copy of the same M4 by Attomstack.

Here’s an example of apple airbuds engraving done with Enjoywood:

Pros

• Its a professional portable laser marker
• Precision is as low as 0.001 mm
• Service life is as max as 20 thousands working hours which is considerably higher than others.
• laser marking resulotion is 4K which means any logo or pattern engraving will be accurate at its max
• Its handy and supports almost every file type
• Engraves Alluminum allow and stainless steel
• Easy operation
• Affordable alternative to fiber laser engraving

Cons

• Cannot cut or engrave large pictures
• Engraving speed is slower than LaserPecker & xTool

Attomstack M4 Portable Laser Marker

Attomstack M4 is a sturdy yet handheld laser marker with 20W IR laser specially designed for laser marking job. It also offers laser wavelength of 1064nm which is suitable to engrave or laser mark metal, alloys and metal oxide. This portable laser engraver ensures accuracy level of 0.01 mm which seems like an original version of the Enjoywood laser. This laser engraver is lightweight, allowing you to carry whereever you need it.

As per our analysis, Attomstack M4 is almost 5 times efficient than the blue ray laser marker which are bulky as well as expensive than this. Additionally, with this 20W IR laser module, you can engrave plastic or metal items with a resolution of 4k which is unbelievable.

Below metal engraving shows how amazing Atomstack M4 was:

Overall, the structure of this laser engraver is made by anodized allow consequencing lightweight portability. Besides, this laser marker will offer a lifetime of almost 20000 working hours which make it worthy.

If you consider the compatibility, the M4 works with any operating system and supports lightburn. It supports file type such as PLT, DXF, BMP, JPG, JPEG including Code39, EAN, PDF417, DM.

the work area is 70*70mm which is enough for laser marking. However, there is not batch processing option, neither the slide extension feature like the xTool F1 and LaserPecker LX1.

Overll, Attomstack M4 is a true handheld laser engraver which is available nearly $1000 with a capacity to engrave just anything including hard metal.

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Additional information of Atomstack M4

This portable laser engraver can travel 11 CM in X axes which is more than enough if you compare stainless steel or allow engraving tasks. However, you may also take advantage of it’s removable work plate which will offer you higher space from the contact point if needed.

The M4 arrives in a semi-assembled version that eliminates assembly time by 50% if you compare it to other laser engravers such as xTool D1 pro or Raycus fiber laser.

How Atomstack M4 is different than other Atomstack Lasers?

If you have a closer look at the Atomstack’s laser machine portfolio, there are hefty numbers of diode lasers which stregthened company’s overall knowhow in this industry. Even though, Atomstack is still fighting with its innovation to other similar competitors like xTool & LaserPecker, still it earns customers’ loyalty with its low-cost laser module.

Apparently Atomstack, M4 is the very first smart yet handheld laser engraver but there is another version which is called MR 20 having the capacity. Also, The MR 20 is only designed to place small laser markings whereas the M4 offers you a choice of either to laser mark or laser engrave at 4K.

Additionally, Atomstack also sell IR laser module which easily fits in their diode laser set offering DIY laser crafters a chance to engrave at 1064 nm. However, there are a lot more chances of bringing new innovation if M4 is compared with portable laser machines such xTool F1 and LP4.

Below is an example of Atomstack’s plastic engraving quality:

Attomsatck M4 or LaserPecker LP4?

As said earlier, Atomstack M4 is a specially designed laser engraver targeted for laser marking enthusiasts. For example, someone only looking to engrave logo in a stainless steel plate or someone wants to engrave in clocks, i pad, glass etc.

On the other side, the LaserPecker LP4 is a combination of both laser engraver and laser marker with maximum portability. The LP4 from LaserPecker can either Cut, or engrave of laser mark at 1064 nm whereas the Atomstack M4 cannot do laser cutting & large engraving.

Batch processing seems to be a weakness of Atomstack M4 as there is no such feature. They have completely focused it to make fully handheld assuming that the user will take the machine on top of the material whereas the LaserPecker brought both of it.

The LaserPecker lasers are easy to travel to working material, it rotates according to the material’s position as well as does the batch processing with is slide extension rail.

Additionally, LaserPecker lasers are expensive due to offering dual laser sunc that means the single machine immediately switch in between its two laser source (diode and IR) whereas the Atomstack M4 does not have such flexibility. Alternatively, these lacking actually helped it to be cheaper than others as there are a few customers who cannot afford to incur 2 thousnads bucks on a single handheld laser engraver.

We must say that Atomstack M4 and LAserPecker LP4 are two different laser engravers targeted to different user groups. However, considering the price point, Atomstack M4 must be worth a try whereas any person looking to explore so many ideas of laser engraving & laser marking may go for the LaserPecker.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are the frequently asked questions related to handheld laser engravers. We tried to answer each so that the relevant information is ready for you.

What is the cost of a mini laser engraver?

A mini or portable laser engrvaers may cost you from $200 to $2500 deoedning on its capacity and intelligence. For example, there are some handhled laser engravers like a pen available at around $100 to $250. These mini engravers are actually etching tool that are used by the crafters to etch leather or other items. Notably, those etching machines cannot engrave at given patterns as the maneuver of the mini engraver is done the human hands. On the other side, mini laser engravers like xTool F1 and Atomstack M4 are purely handheld but are able to engrave any material. These machine operates with computer programming and automatically adjust power, focus, and accuracy intelligently.

Can handheld laser engraver cut metal?

Handheld laser engravers are not meant to cut metal, though they can cut metal, if appropriate laser power is introduced in the portable machine. If you consider the price of a handheld laser engraver, it stays around $500 to $1500 which cannot bring such powerful laser power for you to cut metal. In a nutshell, portable laser engravers are used to engrave differant materials, usually smaller pieces and perform laser markings on top of metal, metal alloys and other sensitive materials through 1064 nm wavelength laser pwoer generated by IR lasers.

Can Handheld laser engravers cut wood?

Yes, the handheld laser engravers cut wood, acrylic, leather, and fabric. Cutting ability purely depends on the laser power and their respective ability. For instance, xTool F1 and LaserPecker L4 are two of the finest mini laser engraver which cuts wood up to 10mm. Since these handheld lasers use both diode and IR laser modules, so laser cutting is done by the diode laser, and metal engraving is delivered by the IR laser.

However, not all portable laser engravers can cut. For example, the Atomstack M40 is a single 20W IR laser-based engraver that only engraves and laser mark. It cannot cut anything due to the fact that IR lasers deliver laser at 1064 wavelength whish is an invisible range. On contrary, diode lasers use 465 nm wavelength which effectively cuts wood and other materials.

Do Laser Engravings Last?

Yes, laser engraving lasts for a longer time unless the material is destroyed by something else. In general, the longevity of laser engraving depends on the material being engraved, the conditions to which it is exposed, and the quality of the engraving itself. For example, metal engravings done by the fiber laser or IR lasers lasts for an infinite time unless the material gets into contact of harsh weather or fraction resulting from any other materials. Glass engravings also last for lifetime till the glass itself gets destroyed. We recommend you use the right laser engraver so that the power, depth, and focus remain accurate which directly affect the longevity of the engraving.

Conclusion

Handheld laser engravers can now do the job of large laser engravers due to emerging technology and other intelligence. We strongly recommend you to know your need and choose the right laser engraver accordingly.