Laser cutters come in a lot of sizes, but they're typically about as big as large-format printers. The smallest we previously reviewed is the Glowforge Aura ($1,199), which still takes up as much space as a suitcase. The xTool F1 Dual-Laser Engraver is a far more portable option for crafters to take on the road. It utilizes two different lasers—one 2-watt infrared and one blue 10-watt diode—to perform different actions on materials. It can engrave almost anything, as well as score or cut thin materials. You can purchase the F1 alone for $1,999, but to get the most out of it, you’ll want the $3,056 Deluxe Bundle we tested that includes a slide extension to increase the surface area, a rotary tool for engraving round items, and most importantly, a powered air purifier. Its convenient design and beautiful results earn the xTool F1 our Editors’ Choice award for craft machines.

Designed for Portability

The xTool F1 requires no assembly. By itself, it measures 13.1 by 7 by 9.2 inches (HWD), making it more vertical than horizontal when compared with other flatbed-style engravers. It still takes up a good amount of space, however, as it has a port in the back for the exhaust of smoke and pollutants created during the cutting process, which requires an exhaust hose. The more well-ventilated the area, the better. If there’s no ventilation, the activated charcoal filter in the optional powered air purifier ($499 when purchased separately) is an absolute must.   

The entire front and left/right sides of the F1 are a slide-up green vision shield. You’re not meant to look at the lasers when in full operation. With the shield down, it’s a Class 1 laser, so it's safe around people. Without the shield, it's Class 4, which is the most dangerous type of laser. With some materials, you can’t get the shield down all the way, so including a set of laser-shielding glasses would have been nice. xTool sells a set that protects against laser wavelengths of 190 to 460nm and 800 to 1100nm for about $50. 

(Credit: Eric Griffith)

On the top is the handle. On the right is a calibration knob that doubles as the activation button when you want to start engraving. On the left is a red emergency stop button, should your engraving start to become more of a cremation. 

Under that green vision shield is the actual work area available to the lasers. It measures 4.53 by 4.53 inches. It sounds measly compared with something like the Glowforge Basic with its 11.0-by-19.5-inch cutting area. There’s a baseplate with holes you can use to screw in guides, or you can take out the entire baseplate to put the F1 on top of materials (like a table surface or a bag) or against something (like a door or a wall) if you’re willing to hold up the 10.1-pound engraver during operation. If you do that, it’s just a matter of aligning it right to move the unit around to engrave a bigger area. Optional extras (covered below) also expand the surface coverage possibilities. 

The F1 can handle about 300 different types of material. xTool sells a lot of materials for you to work with, but you aren't limited to that. People use engravers to personalize all types of crafts and even items found outside (turning rocks into decorative paperweights, for example). The 455nm blue diode laser can cut through wood up to 8mm thick and acrylic up to 5mm thick. The 1065nm infrared laser is for engraving metals and plastics with intricate detail. 

In addition, the F1 might be less prone to mechanical failure than others since it uses dual galvanometer (galvo) lasers deflected through precision mirrors, rather than a plotter with an X/Y axis moving a laser around with a noisy servo motor. xTool claims the speed difference with an intricate image could be as much as an hour, because a galvo laser can adjust faster. The top speed of the lasers is 4,000 millimeters per second (mm/s). 

Setup and Software

The xTool F1 has no interface or storage and can't operate on its own. It connects to a computer via USB-A; make sure the F1's USB-A-based “key” is installed on the back. As a safety feature, if that key is removed, the F1 won’t operate. Take it out when you leave it alone, especially if kids might be around.

If you get the air purifier, connect the hose from the F1 to it, then another hose out of the purifier. The two devices connect via USB-C, as the air purifier is meant to activate automatically when the engraver starts, though that never happened my test unit. Thankfully, the purifier is simple enough to activate manually. While it seems loud, I measured its operating volume at around 66 decibels, which is around the sound level of a normal conversation. The issue is you can't get away from it—when the F1 runs, you're not supposed to leave in case the material catches on fire. This means practically sitting on top of the purifier's fans since the hose isn't very long. Nevertheless, the purifier is a necessity to keep the smell of burning materials and resulting air pollution to a minimum.

When the height of the materials you’re engraving changes, you need to recalibrate the lasers using the knob on the right side. When the visible red and blue lasers overlap on your material, it’s set. The free xTool Creative Space (XCS) software automatically finds the F1 and can also connect the engraver to your Wi-Fi network to use with mobile devices. xTool products also work with the industry-standard software for laser engravers, Lightburn ($150 for a galvo laser license key for Windows, macOS, or Linux after a 30-day trial). 

Once you have a design in place, use XCS to check the framing—the F1 projects a preview outline on the workspace in blue that’s harmless to the eyes and skin. You can move the project in the software to adjust the preview on the work area in real time, or move your material around.

(Credit: Eric Griffith)

Before cutting/engraving, push the vision guard down as far as possible. You can start the engraving project in the software, but it won’t really kick off until you push that right-side activation button, an extra safety feature. Make sure the air purifier is running if attached. Then watch unscathed through the green plastic as the lasers do their thing. 

There’s a learning curve with the xTool F1; it revolves mostly around the power of XCS. Once you master the software for the creation or import of designs, setting different layers (one layer might engrave, another layer might score, others might cut; even all in the same job) and power settings (with each layer potentially using different power levels depending on the materials), the rest of it will come easy. 

Thankfully, a massive number of videos from kind users exist online showing projects, many of which list the power settings, dots per inch, and speed in mm/s used. There’s also an entire community posting projects you can download and adapt to your own uses. That forum can be accessed via XCS using the xTool Projects button. 

If you’re cutting through a material, don’t do it right on the flat bottom work plate; while it's a protective surface, the lasers can and will score the work plate and I'm not sure how much damage it can or should take. Instead, there's a raised panel included for cutting jobs.

Engraver Extras

The Deluxe Bundle sent for testing included not only the F1 engraver and the air purifier but also the slide extension and rotary tool. The former is a mechanical surface area that is placed under the laser, over the work area, and plugged into a special port on the side of the F1. Using it increases the working area by 4x in one direction, so you can engrave/cut something that measures 4 by 16 inches, or batch process several items, such as four different 4-by-4-inch blocks. The option to use the extension automatically comes up in the XCS software, changing the on-screen workspace to match. 

(Credit: Eric Griffith)

The rotary tool (called RA2 Pro) is for engraving items with a curve, such as bottles, tumblers, ornaments, or jewelry. It has a few different ways to hold rounded material. Option one is to set a large round item on a set of two rubber rollers, which turn the object as needed during engraving. There’s an extender if you want to turn something long, like a baseball bat.

The second option has multiple configurations using a set of various-sized chucks that can grab and hold things like tumblers, mugs, spheres, and even rings. Anything under 4 inches in diameter will work; bigger items won’t fit under the laser and the eye cover. Mechanically, the RA2 is the most complicated thing in the F1 bundle, but will reap big rewards for anyone making circular or spherical crafts that need detailed etching. (Note that if you’re looking to engrave on glass, remember, lasers are light. You first have to coat the surface with a paint you can wipe off later.)

Both the slide extension and the RA2 connect to the F1 via a proprietary cable, so you can’t get it wrong by trying to stick it into the USB-C port. Each will auto-activate when you start an engraving job. 

Detailed Results

The Deluxe Bundle includes a sample kit of materials such as metal business cards, faux-leather patches, and some acrylic and wood, which I lasered away at.  

The XCS software has presets for almost all of these materials so you can’t get it too wrong. If you don’t like the results and haven’t changed the setup much, do a second pass (or more) or up the settings. Be careful, however; one of my wooden coasters went quickly from a barely visible design to “almost torched” by setting the power to high and the speed to slow. 

Overall, the F1 results are beautiful, and it’s a delight to run it once you get the hang of it. The biggest limiting factor is mastering the software. Unfortunately, to do that, you have to go through some materials. Having a big pile of scrap wood or slate stone certainly comes in handy in the education process. 

(Credit: Eric Griffith)

Engraving on the Go

The xTool F1 Dual-Laser Engraver is an excellent starter engraver, especially for those with limited space, with two lasers that cover both cutting and engraving. The biggest limitation is the work area. xTool sells a cheaper unit with a bigger 15.16-by-12-inch work area (the M1, which also has a blade for cutting soft materials like vinyl or paper), and it even works with the rotary tool for engraving curved items. But it’s not easily portable in the way the F1 is. Crafters or artisans can take F1 on the road to personalize items faster and easier than ever, or engrave crazy things that aren’t flat and horizontal, from bottles and rings to doors and walls. Having a community of users to help figure it out makes a huge difference as well. All of that makes the xTool F1 an Editors’ Choice winner for craft machines.