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Lately, it seems like more and more people have been delving into their creative sides, and new products are arriving to scratch that creative itch every day. Machines like 3D printers, vinyl cutters and laser cutters are now available at prices to fit just about any pocketbook, and they allow people to bring their creations to life in new and interesting ways. If you have the right materials and machines, you can even turn a profit on stores like Etsy, TikTok and Shopify. I’ve used laser cutters for years to create anything from small dog tags to leather patches for caps. Each laser engraver I use has various pros and cons, so along with my CNET colleague Russell Holly, I’ve developed testing criteria to assess the best laser cutters.
What’s the best laser cutter?
The xTool P2 is our top pick for the best laser cutter. It isn’t the cheapest laser cutter around, but with a host of amazing accessories, fantastic software, and a cutting size and speed that are hard to ignore, it takes the crown from the Glowforge Pro, but just barely. It’s huge, so make sure you have room in your workshop to house it. If you are looking for a smaller craft laser, then the Glowforge Aura is great for small projects.
You may notice that there are no open laser engravers on this list. After testing several I find them too dangerous for the average user. They could be good for commercial spaces, but having an open laser in a garage is too dangerous to recommend. An enclosed laser beam is far less likely to catch the material on fire.
Best laser cutters of 2025
You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. We hope!
Testing laser engravers is a mix of objective and subjective measures. We spend time measuring speed and accuracy as well as usability and the overall look of the finished product. These tests are done in our labs and workshops over a month to ensure the lasers can endure proper use.
Laser cutter specifications
How do these laser cutters match up
| Xtool P2 | Glowforge Aura | Xtool S1 | Fluxx Beamo | Glowforge Pro | XTool F1 | xTool F1 Ultra | |
| Laser power | 55 watts | 6w | 40w | 40w | 45W | 10W | 20/20W |
| Laser type | CO² | Diode | Diode | CO2 | CO2 | Diode/IR | Diode/IR |
| Work area | 26 x 14 inches | 12 x 12 inches | 498 x 319mm | 24 x 17.5 inches | 660 x 355 | 115 x 115 | 220 x 220 |
| LED display | No | No | No | Yes | NO | No | No |
| Enclosed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Precision | 0.01mm | N/A | 0.01mm | N/A | 0.025 | 0.02 | N/A |
| Max speed | 600mm/s | Unknown | 600mm/s | 300mm/s | Unknown | 4000mm/s | 10000mm/s |
| Max material thickness | 20mm | 5mm | 18mm | 5mm | 13mm | 5mm | Variable |
Speed is tested with a good old-fashioned stopwatch. I created a simple CNET logo design that can be cut on multiple materials. We time how long it takes to complete the cut. We use 3mm basswood, 3mm black acrylic and 3.5mm cardboard for our testing materials, to give us a good overall view. We then compare the speed with the software to see how accurately it calculates the cutting speeds.
The engraving is done with an image of my beautiful dog, Indiana Bones. I import that image into the workspace and use 3mm basswood for the material. I use the standard engraving settings from each machine to engrave Indy onto the wood. My CNET colleague Russell Holly and I then examine the wood laser cut for image quality. We’re looking at contrast, the level of detail captured, and how grainy the surface engraving is, as well as considering our opinion on the overall quality.
Indiana is the perfect test subject for laser engraving.
James Bricknell/CNETI created an accuracy test for laser cutters with cameras. I designed a file with 10mm and 5mm increments. The file is printed on standard paper and imported into the laser cutter software. From there, we use the laser cutter camera to align the physical marks to the digital and set the laser to cut. Once the laser is finished, we measure the offset using a micrometer to see how accurately the camera represents the paper image. This is especially helpful for lasers with fisheye lenses.
Our Experts
Written by
James Bricknell
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.
James Bricknell Senior Editor
James has been writing about technology for years but has loved it since the early 90s. While his main areas of expertise are maker tools — 3D printers, vinyl cutters, paper printers, and laser cutters — he also loves to play board games and tabletop RPGs.
Expertise 3D printers, maker tools such as Cricut style vinyl cutters and laser cutters, and traditional paper printers Credentials
- 6 years working professionally in the 3D printing space / 4 years testing consumer electronics for large websites.
