Many of you might remember how excited I was to be able to review xTool's M1 machine last year. I have since posted more on it on my Youtube and will continue to upload blog posts and tutorial videos. 

Is the xTOOL brand any good?  Yes, it is if the M1 machine I have is any testament. They are well made and competitively priced, with legions of fans sharing online. Support is also a key factor for any brand.  I have had a positive experience. When my Mac Pro iOS software AND the xTOOL XCS software updated recently, I lost connection to the engraver. I went through their troubleshooting checklist but had no luck. The support team referred me to their Research division and sure enough, it was a simple fix to add xTOOL back onto the computer's local network. 

The xTOOLM1 was specifically designed the for  home crafter.  It comes with a 10W diode laser as well as a  blade cutter for materials which cannot be laser cut.  

I also previously mentioned the incredibly fast and portable xTOOLF1 model which has two different lasers - an IR and Diode laser. The small size allows crafters to take it to craft shows for on the spot custom engraving etc.  xTool machines come with cameras which are so useful in seeing where you are going to cut or engrave. 

xTOOLF1 Ultra
The original xToolF1 can engrave metal but not deeply. Their recent upgrade to their larger F1 Ultra has changed that. The dual laser machine uses a 20W fiber and 20W diode laser combination. Remember what I said in my review that one shouldn't dream of a fiber laser which can cut metal because such machines are too expensive?  Well, I was wrong. The xToolF1 Ultra can indeed cut thin metals - 0.4mm brass sheet, 0.3mm stainless steel sheet and 0.2mm aluminum metal sheet.



What it can really do well is engrave or emboss deeply. It is also incredibly fast - a maximum engraving speed of 10,000 mm/s!

While it's not solely targeted to jewelry makers, this machine due to its dual lasers, can process almost all materials. Many metals can be engraved like stainless steel, gold, silver, brass, titanium, aluminum. They didn't list copper but that is also doable. Some plastics like vinyl cannot be laser cut. 



The possibilities are endless as you can see from this video :


You can also color engrave by just adjusting some of the parameters like power and speed as seen here using stainless steel. Note it is always necessary to do a test array for each material used to find out the optimum speed and power etc to use for projects. 


Is the xTOOLF1 Ultra suitable for a home crafter?  Probably not as the price tag is about US$3,800 on sale. But it is suitable for a small business such as this historically inspired metal jewelry designer's work below. It's also suitable for studios and shops who want to offer custom personalization.


Watch this Mellowpines Laser video's real life testing if you are interested in learning more about the FI Ultra :


xTOOLM1 Ultra
The upgraded version of the M1 which I have, is a dream home crafter machine at US$1200 on sale. It is a game changer. Add in the accessories like the heat press and the screen printing module and you have a powerful crafting machine. 

Not only do you have the laser, blade cutter, rotary tool (for tumblers, rings, bangles etc) similar to the original but you can now add inkjet printing to your work!  All in one machine. Print and cut, imagine that! 

Watch and drool over the possibilities :


The heat press (US$57 on sale)  allows you to do DTF, HTV, sublimation  transfer prints - see my past post on the sublimation image transfer/printing technique. See this inspirational video :


The screen print module (US$240 on sale) uses the laser to cut out the screen print design. Suitable for small batch production as you can see from this video by Six Eight Woodworks :

                         

Be still my beating heart!  These are amazing machines. What do you think? Would you love to get one?

xTOOL is having a Mega BLACK FRIDAY SALE  - so check it out!

Before You Go :

jewelry making supplies

Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM