Type
Diode, enclosed (Class 1)
Power
40W optical
Bed size
23.93 x 15.16 in (per listing)
Speed
Up to 600 mm/s (per listing)
Rotary
RA2 Pro, with riser base
Pros
- Enclosure makes a home business safer
- Bed fits full cutting boards and batched coasters
- 40W cuts plywood and dark acrylic
- Strong software and accessory ecosystem
Cons
- Cannot cut clear acrylic
- Rotary requires the riser base
- Needs extraction like any laser
For selling, the enclosure is the feature. A business means long runs, often in the evening, often near family. The S1's closed Class 1 body contains the beam and the smoke so it can be ducted out, and its lid sensor stops the laser if someone opens it mid-job. The 40W diode then handles most of the best-selling product types on this page: deep engraving on wood signs and cutting boards, crisp slate, leather patches, and powder-coated tumblers on a rotary.
Our full best laser engravers guide compares the S1 with open-frame diodes, CO2 machines, and fiber markers.
Our Pick
The xTool S1 is the machine we would start a laser product business on. A 40W diode in a fully enclosed Class 1 body means no goggles and a safer spare room, the 23.93 x 15.16 in bed fits a full cutting board or a batch of 12 coasters, and it works with xTool's RA2 Pro rotary for tumblers. About $1,699 at the time of writing.
Buy the S1 if you want to sell wood signs, slate, leather, cutting boards, and coated tumblers from home, in a machine that is safe to run with other people in the house.
What we don't like
A diode cannot cut clear acrylic, so acrylic earrings need a CO2 laser. The rotary needs xTool's riser base on the S1. Enclosed or not, it still needs smoke ducted out or filtered.
