I don't know much about knife making (which is why I watch your videos) but I do know a fair amount about using lasers. A couple of points: 1. The type of laser (wavelength of the light) matters. Fiber lasers are the best for metals, they can truly deep engrave. C02 can engrave/cut have more power and are more versatile. CO2's can NOT mark metal. Diode lasers are low power and slow but the price is right. They cannot engrave or cut certain things that the other lasers can but the ability to mark steel for a much, much lower price than a fiber laser makes it a very useful option. 2. Be very, very, careful about what materials you choose to cut/engrave. Plastics that have PVC in them release very toxic gases and should never be lasered. 3. Air assist will really up your game but you have to know how and when to use it. Lot's of air will really help your cutting but will cause your engravings to have a lot of soot on them and require much more clean up. Little to no air assist (usually just enough to keep your lens clear will give you engravings that require almost no clean up. 4. Exhaust Air. Having a lot of air moving front to back will carry away the gasses and soot and keep it from settling on your work and helping reduce your clean up time. Venting this air outside will also make your working environment more pleasant. 5. Safety. These open frame lasers come with a much higher safety risk than enclosed lasers, especially when marking reflective things. As you noted, at the the minimum buy good, and I repeat good, quality pair of laser glasses for the wavelength of your laser. You should not operate an open frame laser without protective eye wear. Second, I cannot recommend an enclosure enough to protect yourself and others that may be in the area. 6. Lightburn. Best money I have spent on my laser. Great video, I may have to pick up a diode laser just for it's ability to mark steel without having to use a separate, and expensive, marking liquid like Cermark.

I am a knife consumer, not a knife maker; however, I find these videos most interesting. I guess I am a knife nerd. I have the "Operator," and it is one of my favorite EDC fixed blades. Hope the new shop is working out.

A torch gets rid of resin bubbles on the floors we do . Just some quick flame brushing does it too . Makes it so nice on the surface 👍👍

Over the last 12+ years I have noticed the multitude of youtube videos and fb laser engraving groups that recommend this brand or that brand of engraver. What many people are not aware of is that the majority of the comments are made about cheap laser engravers. Therefore these sellers, group members, and youtube videos are not anywhere close to being a complete overview of the best laser engravers. And many of the videos and comments are posted by people that have only used a few engravers (and often) including only the low end of the laser engraver options. For those that are willing to spend big bucks for a top notch laser engraver ($10,000 to $40,000 or more) I will tell you that the three top brands of laser engravers on the market are (in no special order) Epilog, Universal Laser, Trotec (and Rayjet also made by Trotec).

Thanks for your thoughts on this equipment. It's still way down on my list of what to buy, but I suppose eventually I'll get one, at which point perhaps the company's documentation will have caught up with its technology!

Well Walter - you cost me some money. My Ortur LM3 was delivered yesterday. It does everything you said it would do. I'm still amazed how well a 10 watt diode laser will mark hardened SS or Carbon steel.

I’ve been in construction for two decades and fumes and stuff and dust is for real guys. Mask up I protection and gloves

You can combine the laser with black nail polish or acrylic paint and electro etching. You burn the coating and use electro etching to engrave entire pictures on the steel if you want. Not just mark it. Also burning the coating is much faster than the super slow marking directly on the steel

Thanks for the video! So if this works fine for laser etching logos then why does everyone recommend a fiber laser? I want to be able to etch 20-30 blades at a time. Also, is the 5mm/sec really slow to etch your entire name for instance?

You are right about metals like copper alloys and aluminium dissipating the heat quicker. But there is another point and that is the absorption rate of the specific wavelength of this probably infrared laser is way less than in steel. In research they are testing green lasers for copper because the apsorption rate for green light is way higher than for infrared light in copper.

Have you tried laser on anodized aluminum?

Does anyone use a water jet to get intital shape cuts of steel ? And liners ?

Enclosure?

Yes, the safety has to be concerned with as that is a powerhouse laser. I would be leery of trying it on the mirror polished surface of a metal.

There is a typo in the video title "Orator" vs "Ortur". Otherwise a great video!

Just a heads up for anyone considering one of this lasers, this video from Maker's Muse offers a good perspective on safety kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y5-YfLuFnaqxhYk.html

how about tattoo's ?

good for commercial projects, but id never use laser etching for my handmade knives, laser etching has a way of making something look cheap

Will it cut leather?

There is much misinformation and ignorance about laser engravers in social media as well as sellers of laser engravers. Depending on what type of materials a person is considering engraving or cutting will determine what type of laser works best. A few types commonly available are Co2, Fiber, and Diode. Diode laser can emit visible or infrared. It is best to research types of laser in order to buy the best fit for the job it will be used for. Having been a laser engraver since 2010 and having spent hundreds of hours researching engravers for 5 years before buying the first of 6 laser engravers, I will say this...... With laser engravers you get what you pay for. Lastly if you are considering any diode laser be aware that the companies that sell them often lie about the output power of their diodes. Often I see sellers claiming power levels of 10 to 40 watts. They get away with this because they are listing the power consumption of the laser power supply, not the actual beam power. Anyone that does not believe me can find proof of this by finding a laser diode supplier that states the actual power output of the diode. Then look at the diodes they sell and note the price. Often you will find that legitimate diodes of 10 watts or more sell for much more than some of the diode laser engravers. So much so that there is no way the sellers of these cheap engravers can be telling the truth about the real output of their laser diodes.

absolutely get a good set of goggles. do not use anything that isn't certified. highly doubtful that the cheap glasses they send you are anything but orange plastic. open lasers like this without proper shrouds are horribly marketed and dangerous. no fume extraction, no shielding from the laser, etc. i highly recommend using caution with any of these lasers that are built like this, which there are many.

Do not laser engrave or cut plastic with PVC! It is toxic and will ruin your equipment.

Keep those laser's away from my steel. I don't even like it when manufacturers grind and sharpen without water fed belts. People are so ignorant about the topic its not even funny. Even grinding the steel from pre heat treat will cause stress in the steel that will cause more warping during/after heat treat if its not relieved prior.

no