Made with Love and Lasers
This phrase was all over the place when I first got my laser. I don’t see it as much anymore. I do really love using a laser to make things though.
Yesterday I was thinking about the things I would like to do with the business. I’d like to start to sell more digital files (likely listed on Etsy). I’d like to get my doodles out there into the SVG world for other people to enjoy as well. So I got a drawing tablet yesterday to start down that path. I really would love to make files for other laser owners. I could draw and trace using my laser, but it just isn’t as clean of a process as drawing right into a vector program (like Adobe Illustrator).
I have a Glowforge, which has the ability to do a trace of a drawing that you put into the workspace. I’ve never used that feature. I usually scan an image and trace by hand in Ai. In fact, a lot of the extra Glowforge features are behind a paywall, so I don’t use many of them. I used their premium service while it was free (for the first year after purchase). The part of that, that I miss is definitely the project storage. Mainly I just hate uploading the files over and over again. The designing of projects needs to take place in a seperate design program if you don’t have their premium feature. Which, I always found Ai more user friendly than the GF design program, so I rarely used the GF one.
I had decided to get the GF Pro when I was first looking at a laser. I honestly knew that the passthrough slot would be something I needed/wanted. I didn’t even think about the way I use it the most, which is to not have to cut down materials beforehand. I use the passthrough, on non-passthrough projects all the time. Brett gave me a long, thin piece of leather for making project tags, and it makes so much less waste using the pass through.
I have owned my Glowforge for about 2 years now, with very minimal issues. I cleaned the exhaust fan for the first time yesterday (not a good choice to go so long). I do mostly wood and glass, so it wasn’t actually bad. People that use a lot of MDF have to clean way more frequently. The materials you use will absolutely factor into how often you need to clean the laser. This is true for all lasers.
I am now looking for a laser upgrade. I love my Glowforge Pro, but there are limitations I’d like to get around now. The Glowforge was an amazing starter laser. It is great if you are looking for an awesome tool to add to your hobby craft room. I want to offer more than just the small shot glasses that fit into the Glowforge. I want to do cups, tumblers, bigger boxes, and offer more variety and sizes of items. The Glowforge is able to engrave of items less than 2” tall. So we have been looking into larger lasers with a rotary so we can offer more. I have cut wood up to 3/8”, but that is probably the thickest you can cut with one pass of the laser. The Glowforge also depends on the internet. The UI that Glowforge has for their lasers is browser based, so you need an active internet connections for it to communicate to your laser. For most people this isn’t a big deal. I live in rural Maine though, and I know friends and family that still don’t have reliable internet service. Even when I get a laser upgrade, my GF will still be there supporting me. The new laser will be bigger and meant for different projects.
I love my Glowforge (which I name Opportunity after the Mars Rover), and if you’re interested in getting one yourself you should definitely use a referral code for a discount (mine is below).
Get $500 USD off a Pro, $250 USD off a Plus, and $125 USD off a Basic by using my referral link here. (You have to use the link when you complete your purchase to ensure you get the discount.)