xTool F1 Laser Engraver Review Vs LaserPecker 4

xTool F1 is a handheld laser engraver of 2023 that directly competes with LaserPecker 4. When it comes to laser engraving, we worry about size and portability, along with material compatibility. The xTool F1 solves everything with a single solution. It features two separate laser heads for greater material compatibility and among them, one laser head generates a laser beam of 1064 nm wavelength that ultimately helps the user to engrave softer material & put laser marks on stainless steel, gold, bronoze, platinum etc.

This write-up intends to review of the xTool F1 and finds the necessary comparison with the LaserPecker 4.

xTool F1 Review

xTool F1 is the best among the top handheld laser engravers of 2023. It features 4000 mm/second engraving speed which is delivered by its two in-built laser head, one is being a 10W diode laser and the other being a 2W infrared laser. The 2W IR laser is able to make laser power at a wavelength of 1064 nm which is eseential for engraving metal, metal alloy, stainless steel and other sensitive material such as gold, platinum, aluminum and plastics.

The F1 is the first combo hand-held laser engraver that can cut, engrave, and mark which is amazing. The rotary attachment works flawlessly, contributing to engraving round objects such as Tumblers & Yeti cups. The smoke purifier is undoubtedly a necessary add-on that helps in reducing the smoke and toxic fumes though it requires some extra bit of money. The engraving speed is insanely good, beating other similar laser engravers at this similar price range.

Overall, we experienced the xTool F1 is a top-notch handheld laser engraver having accuracy of as low as 0.002 precision which offers the greatest details of the engraved items compared to LaserPecker. However, xTool F1’s 2W IR laser module may not deliver industrial-grade metal marking. Furthermore, The F1 is able to immediately switch the laser powers between two lasers depending on the necessity.

For example, if you are engraving a leather key ring, the F1 will engrave the leather with its 10W diode laser head and immediately switch the laser power to its 2W IR laser for engraving the stainless steel portion. This is a great feature compared to the LaserPekcer LP4 and LX1 which does not allow you to automatically switch the laser power from one to another.

From the portability aspect, the xTool F1 is the most lucrative handheld laser engraver as of today that easily beats the other similar portable laser enrgavers such as LaserPecker LP4, LX1 and Atomstack M4. Notably, the xTool F1 is the first laser engraver that allows you to perform batch processing with its slide extension gear having its intelligent multi-tasking-sync feature which automatically switch laser power from one to another within second.

The SKU of xTool F1 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. 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.

Here’s a resin engraving done by the xTool F1:

Engraving resin with F1 was a fun for us. However, resin engraving involves intense heat generated by the laser, which can result in burn marks, discoloration, or distortion on the engraved surface. Achieving a delicate balance between the engraving depth and the heat applied becomes crucial to prevent aesthetic flaws, especially when working on transparent or light-colored resins.

Also, engraving resin requires precise depth control to achieve detailed designs without compromising the structural integrity of the material. Striking the right balance between engraving depth and precision demands skillful calibration, as incorrect settings can lead to fragile or brittle engravings.

xTool F1 – Key Takeaways

Overall, the xTool F1 is an excellent deal for the laser enthusiast who tries experimenting with engravings each day. It will surely help the crafters who want to bring faster delivery advantage for the customers. If you narrow down the laser engraver market into a hand-held category, the xTool F1 would surely be under the top three.

Here's xTool Official Price (Lowest)

Compare with Amazon Price

Here are the key takeaways of the xTool F1. We are just gathering all the positive sides of the laser engraver as well as the drawbacks (if any).

Highlights of the xTool F1

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.

Positive sides

• Faster engraving speed (4000 mm/s)
• Finer precision (0.002 mm)
• Auto height and focus adjustment
• Comes with rotary & smoke purifier (charges extra)
• Engraves at 1000 DPI
• Cuts up to 8mm
• Can do laser marking with its 2W additional diode laser
• Available under $2000

Drawbacks

• This laser engraver is not fully canopied
• diode lasers are not as powerful as the CO2 lasers
• Not suitable for heavier laser works

Laser Quality

The xTool F1 comes with a 10W diode laser which fires at 455 nm wavelength, and another laser head of 2W that is capable of generating laser beam at 1064 nm wavelength which is essential for laser marking stainless steel, Platinum, Gold and other sensitive material such as iphone’s back part & laptop lid.

455 nm wavelength falls within the blue region of the visible spectrum. It is often used for laser engraving because it can provide a high level of precision and control, making it useful for various applications.

455 nm laser engraving can be used on various plastics such as acrylic, ABS, and polycarbonate. This can be useful for creating signs, labels, or other decorative items. Laser engraving can etch designs or text onto glass, such as wine glasses, trophies, or other glass items. At 455 nm, the laser can create precise and detailed engravings on glass surfaces. Similarly, it can create precise patterns on semiconductor materials such as silicon. This can be useful in fabricating electronic devices, such as microprocessors or solar cells.

Besides, 1064 nm is a commonly used wavelength for laser engraving, particularly for industrial applications. A near-infrared wavelength can be focused to a very small point, allowing for high precision and control during engraving. For instance, Laser engraving with a 1064 nm wavelength can be used to etch designs or text onto various metals such as stainless steel, titanium, and aluminum. This can be useful for creating permanent markings such as serial numbers, part numbers, and other identifying information on metal components. Similarly, Laser engraving with a 1064 nm wavelength can create precise patterns or text on ceramics such as tiles or decorative objects.

Here’s a table that demonstrates the material compatibility difference between a 10W diode laser and 2W IR laser (both are available in xTool F1.

Below is an example watch laser engraving done by the xTool F1 which shows its high level of accuracy in stainless steel watch which was done by its 2W IR laser head that delivers laser at 1064 nm wavelength.

Engraving Quality

From the speed point, the xTool F1 is a beast that can engrave at 4000 mm/s. You can engrave a family picture at 1000 DPI within 5 seconds. While testing the machine, we noticed that the xTool f1 can engrave at 0.002 mm accuracy which is so far the most precise and cleaner engraving performance as of today.

For a better understanding, here’s a list of engraving time taken from different materials:

• Engraving a picture on glass: 5 seconds
• Engraving a wooden coffee cup coaster: 8 Seconds
• Engraving a paper envelope: less than 1 second
• Marking a leather tag: 6 seconds
• Etching on the apple air pod kit: 3 seconds

Check the Official Price of xTool F1 which is often lower than the Amazon prices.

Let’s begin by discussing the preview speed of the F1 handheld laser engraver. With a one-click preview feature, the F1 boasts a rapid preview speed of 12,000 mm/s for scanning and 8,000 mm/s for outlining. This elevated preview speed plays a crucial role in enhancing positioning accuracy and engraving precision. In simpler terms, the F1 generates a real-time preview on its upper screen, providing users with a clear understanding of the ongoing engraving process. Notably, the F1’s preview speed surpasses that of LaserPecker’s previous versions, which offered a mere 8,858 inches per minute.

Furthermore, the F1 introduces an impressive feature: focusing flexibility. This innovation enables users to choose between auto and manual focus settings for their engraving tasks. In the past, laser engravers struggled with focus adjustments, especially when dealing with materials of varying depths. This challenge not only hampered engraving efficiency but also compromised precision and accuracy, resulting in unfavorable user experiences. With the F1, the thickness of the material being engraved is inconsequential – whether it’s a quarter-inch thick wood or a hefty 5-inch block. The machine intelligently detects the distance of the laser head and automatically configures the focus with an exceptional accuracy level of 0.002 mm.

Look at the Apple earbuds engraving done by the xTool F1 below:

As previously mentioned, the F1 presents an array of remarkable features, despite being a handheld laser engraver. Notably, it includes a protective shield that ensures the laser machine is completely leakproof. This portable version maintains a laser-safe environment while safeguarding the surroundings from potentially harmful laser emissions. Furthermore, users have the option to set a personalized password, effectively preventing unauthorized access to the laser machine. This security feature significantly contributes to the safety of other individuals in the household.

The F1 also boasts an intelligent smoke and overheat detection mechanism, addressing additional health and safety concerns. It’s worth noting, however, that the smoke purifier, while offering enhanced safety, comes at an additional cost due to its higher price point.

Laser Cutting Ability

The xTool F1 is targeted at the laser engraving enthusiast, so this machine is not recognized as a professional laser cutter. However, with a 10W diode laser, you can still cut up to 8mm of wood and 5 mm of acrylic.

This means with an 8mm cutting ability, you can cut paper, fabric, wood, plastic, acrylic, leather, and other materials. It can also be used to create intricate designs, engravings, and markings on these materials. 

Here’s an example acrylic laser cut done by the xTool F1 to generate hotel table numbers:

Having the xTool F1 will open the option to try some crafting since the machine does the rest if you make the designs available. One thing we found incredible is that the cutting bed seems like a mini honeycomb which ensures better airflow among the bed that directly affects the smoother and finer cut.

You can also cut 3 mm basswood with this F1’s 10W diode laser, which might be essential in crafting experiments. However, if cutting is your bigger concentration, then the Xtool D1 pro might suit you. But, The xTool F1 is the top gun if you look at the engraving performance.

Here’s a laser cutting experiment that we did with the xTool F1 at its 100% power.

Laser Marking Quality

As said earlier that xTool F1 can do laser marking using its 2W diode laser with a laser beam of 1064 nm along with a controlled pulse rate. This means that you can mark stainless steel spoons, etch logos and do a lot of things.

Industrial-grade fiber lasers have been the specialized machine till 2021 for laser marking, which is significantly costly (around $5000 or more) and more significant in size. The F1 just made the job easy, which means that you may not generate industrial-grade performance, but you are still open for laser markings at a smaller scale.

It helps in satisfying your clients or making any personalized gifts that require laser marking on sensitive materials.

Here’s the stainless steel laser marking experiment using an xTool F1 laser engraver:

However, the F1 does not allow color engraving mainly to fit the solution under a budget of $1800. Otherwise, their earlier laser engravers such as the D1 pro could successfully color engrave in color.

Laser Marking Bed

If you look at the work area, the xTool F1 offers a bed of 100 * 100 mm. However, with their bed enlargement extension, you can enable batch processing as well as larger engraving. It indirectly acts as the pass-through facility that other laser engravers offered earlier. For example,  the OMTech Polar is a suitable one with a pass which is mainly suitable for heavier laser works.

Similarly, such engraving bed extension allows the F1 to actively compete with the LaserPecker 2 and 3 users who have been struggling with limited bed size.

Rotary and Other Features

The exciting part is that you can either order the F1 alone or combine both rotary attachments and a smoke purifier. The xTool seems to be flexible to the customers since the need of everyone is not always the same.

The sample F1 which we received, was accompanied by both the RA2 pro rotary extension and the smoke purifier as well.

The rotary attachment is super easy to install and works smoothly. We did not find anything wrong with setting up of RA2 pro and operating it. One thing we would highly suggest is that you should not place a stainless steel tumbler or a mug directly on the rotary. Stainless steel returns the laser beam for its reflective nature, and it may bring some harm. instead, use a temporary paint before engraving and remove that using isopropyl alcohol after the engraving is done.

Here is a tumbler engraving experiment that we did using the xTool F1:

Additionally, the engraving preview will help you to determine if everything is going great beneath the laser head. The laser beam automatically gets adjusted as per the material height, and the artificial intelligence calibrates the focus automatically to work at a precision of 0.003 mm.

Overall, we had a great experience with this laser engraving machine mainly due to additional features besides the faster & accurate laser engraving.

The machine is password protected, which means that only the authorized person will be able to run the engraver. It helps ensure the safety of kids and other family members always.

The artificial intelligence of F1 detects the overheating conditions and shuts the engraver if needed. However, within the trial run of 5.6 hours, we did not experience overheating issues at all. Though it’s a handheld laser engraver, it will offer a layer of protection so that the laser does not harm anything nearby.

Noise Generation

Almost all of the laser engravers generate a lot of noise, especially the CO2 lasers create. We have surveyed to oversee the noise of F1 and here’s the end result that we have got.

The xTool F1 is not noisy at all. It creates roughly 40-45 DB noise which is again suppressed by its small shutter. it surely is a friendly laser engraver with endless possibilities.

Difference with other xTool laser engravers

xTool is currently in the dominating position of the laser engravers market. They seem to bring a lot of customers’ need-driven solutions each year. Let’s see how xTool F1 differs from other laser engravers from the same company:

Firstly, the F1 is their first handheld laser with two different laser heads. Earlier, xTool brought a lot of diode lasers and many of them have been very popular among the customer segment. Notably, the F1 is the only laser engraver from xTool that features a laser having a beam capacity of 1064 nm, which differentiates the machine heavily.

Furthermore, the F1 is the fastest engraving speed holder of the xTool lineup. So, the company heavily focused on engraving speed and accuracy in its F1 model, whereas they seem to be focusing on DIY and extension ability in earlier versions such as D1 & D1 pro.

Another big difference is that the xTool F1 holds the ability to engrave anything regardless of the position of the material. It happens only because the user does not need to place material rather they can bring the engraver and place it above the material for engraving. This both-way flexibility allows the xTool F1 to be the primary differentiating diode laser module of xTool.

Overall, xTool noticed that they are losing plenty of customers to the LaserPecker and tried to bring something that is a tough competitor ro LaserPecker which was again a Kickstarter module a few years back.

The company seems to organize the portfolio in such as way that the engravers can both compete with Glwoforge’s fully canopied lasers and the other handheld lasers.

xTool F1 Vs LaserPecker 4

As said earlier that the xTool F1 is a direct competitor of LaserPecker 4 so, lets reveal the difference between both.

Comparison summary

As per the laser type, both the xTool F1 and LaserPecker 4 offer the exactly same combination of lasers which are a 10W diode laser and an additional 2 W diode laser with the ability to generate laser at a wavelength of 1064 nm. So, both the xTool F1 and the LaserPecker 4 would support the exactly same range of materials.

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.

One significant difference is noticed in the engraving speed. The xTool F1 offers 200% higher engraving speed than the LaserPecker 4 which is really amazing. As communicated, the xTool F1 engraves at 4000 mm/s, and the LaserPecker comes with an engraving speed of 2000 mm/s. So, if you need a faster engraving result, the F1 would surely be your choice.

Similarly, both the xTool & LaserPecker comes with rotary attachment at an additional cost. However, the rotary module of LaserPecker 4 can engrave at a 360-degree rotating manner and the xTool’s rotary cannot. It should not be a big issue if you are engraving mugs and cups but, the rotating feature would be important if you are engraving a fixed asset that cannot be detached and placed as per your choice.

The resolution and precision are the same for both laser engravers, and so does the engraving quality.

Considering all the factors and available information, it seems that the xTool F1 is a lucrative deal compared to the LaserPecker 4. Both the laser engravers are designed based on the customers’ needs from the overall assessment, the comparison conclusion can be marked as a win-win situation. Besides the engraving speed, the LaserPecker 4 is still a very good competitor in front of the xTool F1. (we have also collected users opinion from reddit in this regard)

xTool Company Background

XTool Laser is a leading provider of advanced laser cutting and engraving solutions for industrial and commercial applications. Founded in 2014, the company is committed to providing the highest quality products and services to its customers.

XTool Laser combines cutting–edge technology with experienced and knowledgeable staff to provide customers with the best possible laser cutting and engraving solutions. The company has a wide range of products and services, including laser cutting, laser engraving, laser marking, and fiber laser cutting. XTool Laser also offers customized solutions to meet the needs of its customers.

With more than 10 years of experience in the industry, XTool Laser has a proven track record of providing customers with excellent products and services. The company has worked with many customers, including large and small industrial companies, universities, and research institutions. XTool Laser is committed to providing its customers with the highest quality laser cutting and engraving solutions.

LaserPecker Company Background

LaserPecker is a Hong Kong–based technology company that manufactures and sells laser engraving machines. Founded in 2015, LaserPecker was created to provide a new and more affordable way for people to do their own laser engraving and etching. The company has since expanded to include a full line of laser engraving and cutting machines, as well as accessories and software.

LaserPecker‘s team is composed of experienced professionals who have been in the laser engraving industry for over 10 years. The team is dedicated to creating the best laser engraving machines on the market and providing exceptional customer service. LaserPecker has earned numerous awards and recognition, such as the Hong Kong Design Award and the CES Innovation Award, for its innovative designs and quality products.

Frequently asked questions

These are the frequently asked questions related to the F1.

Is xTool F1 worth it?

xTool F1 surely worth the money that you spend. Let’s say at a budget of below USD 2000, you will have all amazing features like metal engraving, metal alloy engraving, portability and a finer precision of close to 0.003 mm. It means, the f1 deliveres a lot more features compared to similar budget CO2 laser engravers. Moreover, xTool has been ensuring better customer service compared to Gweike and Atomstack.

What is the lifespan of xTool F1?

Most of the diode laser engravers from xTool appears with a lifespan of around 8000 hours. However, The F1 is believed to have a lifespan of more than 10000 hours of active operating hours. In our recent study we appeared that the xTool D1 pro and M1 lasers easily lasts around 8000 effective hours. So, the F1 will  considerably last even more than that due to its build quality.

Is xTool F1 a fiber laser?

No, the xTool F1 is not a fiber laser. However, it became a substitute to the fiber laser for small laser marking works. A fiber laser is an industrial-grade laser that marks, cuts, and welds the heavy metal and metal alloy items. Even though the f1 creates laser power at 1064 nm wavelegnth through its 2W IR laser, which is similar to the fiber laser’s wavelength. But, the F1’s capacity is only limited to laser marking. It cannot laser cut metal as well as perform thicker metal engravings like the professional fiber lasers.

How fast is xTool F1?

The xTool F1 can engrave at 4000 mm/s which is its maximum engraving speed. However, 100% of power is not always used for laser engravings because it directly affects the engraving accuracy. Still the xTool F1 is as fast as to engrave pictures on glass within 5 seconds and a paper envelope at a time duration of less than 1 second. Notably, it took only 3 seconds to engrave the Apple AirPods which is truly amazing.

Can xTool laser cut metal?

Metal laser cutting would require industrial grade fiber laser which is severly powerful than the xTool F1. With the xTool lasers you can engrave metal items but cannot perform metal cuts.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly the xTool F1 is a market concentration of 2023 only because of its insanely high engraving speed. Overall, the f1 offers great laser engraving experience and fights well with strong competitor like LaserPecker.