Taking a First Look at the xTool S1 20W Enclosed Laser Engraver

Рет қаралды 5,303

5 ай бұрын

Trade in any open diode machine for an enclosed xTool and get up to $500 off. Plus, get a free Fire Safety Set for your peace of mind.
xTool Trade-in: www.xtool.com/pages/trade-in?...
If you are interested in getting an xTool S1 20W Enclosed Laser Engraver of your own, you can check it out at the following link.
www.xtool.com/?ref=MfmsyiGQ9n...
You can also visit their new Canadian Store. You can find it here. xtool.pxf.io/R5jNQv
On this week's show, I take a first look at the xTool S1 20W Enclosed Laser Engraver. I hope you enjoy the show as I test out this machine and give you my first impressions of the unit.
If you haven't already, please consider liking and subscribing to the channel. I have an incredible audience base here on the show and I'm hoping that you will consider becoming a part of that community.
As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to stop by the channel and tune in to today's episode. It is truly appreciated.

Пікірлер: 44

@jas2093 5 ай бұрын

Thanks, Ken. You have peaked my interest even more. Enjoyed the presentation.

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it. Thanks for tuning in to the show.

@barry.w.christie 5 ай бұрын

It seems to be the in thing over the past year, the number of laser reviews has been crazy ... but it's all enjoyable and informative. I like the XTOOL stuff, this looks like another fantastic piece of kit, but it should be for the price ... many thanks for yet another great review 👍

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

While the xTool is not the cheapest option on the market, they seem to have the best variety of products to suit the consumer and one of the best rack records for quality products. I have 2 xTool lasers and while I have only been working with the S1 for a short period of time, I haven't had any issues with it or with my D1 Pro. Just great lasers all around. Thanks for tuning In Barry.

@paulsmessyworkshop 5 ай бұрын

Kenny, great laser. I like all the standard features. The ability to laser to curved surfaces is a huge plus. Good information.

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

It's definitely a huge plus Paul and a total game changer. By plotting out the curve of the object, it opens up the door to all kinds of projects that normal flat engraving just can't achieve. Thanks for tuning in again this week sir. Always great to read your comments on the show.

@jimpalmer1944 5 ай бұрын

Kenny, I see why you are so enthusiastic about the new S1. I was about to pull the trigger on the Longer Ray 5, now some hesitation.

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

I have to say that I am absolutely in love with the S1 Jim. It's one heck of an all in one enclosed setup. I love it. Thanks for tuning in. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

@secobaairways4585 5 ай бұрын

I always enjoy your shows Kenny and this is no exception. What is an exception, for me at least, is that I'm not too taken with the actual laser. If I had been sent this S1 then I'd be delighted, let's be clear, however, I feel a little perspective may be beneficial. I am by no means a laser expert, I do have the Sculpfun 20W with which I am generally pleased and which in my opinion is a far better buy than the Xtool D1 Pro, this S1 seems to be much the same machine but with several ease of use features. The prices of Xtool machines are generally excessive compared to the competition and this S1 takes this to a whole new level. The ease of use features, whilst nice, mean that this unit costs around double the price of other lasers many of which are either superior, or at least equal purely in terms of laser engraving and/or cutting. I don't know how many of the S1 features only work on the Xtool software but I'm generally not a fan of proprietary software, for example, can the curved focusing work in Lightburn? In summary, the $1700 or so could be better spent on a much more powerful and capable machine albeit with probably a few less "nice to haves". Anyway, thanks for the video Kenny, I'm a fan, just not of Xtool. 😁

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

I have the xTool D1 Pro 20watt and up until the S1 came along, it was my favourite laser. I will be putting out a video showing the connection to Lightburn and the functionality and what gets lost in the transition to a 3rd party software. I've been a fan of xTool products from the beginning and I can say for fact that I paid full price for my D1 Pro. It's a very capable laser but I find that the S1 and its all enclosed design is a huge advantage to any open frame laser. I appreciate your honesty on this. We all have our preferences and we all have our likes and dislikes. If we were all the same and had all the same likes, it would be a pretty boring world. Thanks for tuning in and for chiming in with your thoughts.

@fin3125 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Love it. What thickness clear acrylic can you cut on it? Can you give a demonstration of that?

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

Cutting clear acrylic on a diode laser is a tricky thing and most of them cannot cut it without some form of catalyst as the laser has nothing to focus on. Basically, the laser goes right through the acrylic and just engraves whatever is beneath it. Coloured acrylics work much better with diode lasers. I will put "cutting acrylic" on my list of show ideas and hopefully produce a show fairly soon. Thanks for tuning in.

@TheFalconJetDriver 5 ай бұрын

They are mighty proud of this one! However it does have compelling attributes! 😁🛫

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

It's definitely one of the nicest lasers I have ever used. Thanks for tuning in this week.

@HopeDesigns 3 ай бұрын

So helpful

@acutabove_woodworkings 3 ай бұрын

I'm glad that you found it useful. Thanks for tuning in to the show.

@dennishall9260 5 ай бұрын

Very Cool! Do you have any idea yet as to how thick of material you can cut with this laser? I keep putting off buying a laser, watching reviews, waiting for just that perfect machine. This might be the one! I like the safety features and the user friendly operation this one seems to have. One more question... do you think the 40 watt version might be even better than the 20? When I buy, I'm looking for the "do it all" machine. Thanks again Ken for sharing!

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

The 20watt boasts a 10mm cut with one pass which is just over 3/8" thick while the 40watt boasts a 18mm cut in one pass (just under 3/4") I don't really use my lasers for very much cutting and the cutting I do utilize usually isn't very thick material. I am hoping that xTool will be sending me out the 40watt unit for this enclosure so that I can test it for the show but I've always said that it is better to be looking AT something than looking FOR something and while you may not use all of the power that the 40watt has to offer, at least you will have it if you ever need it. I hope this answers your questions Dennis. Thanks for tuning in to the show.

@harleywood9588 5 ай бұрын

Impressive

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

Glad that you liked it. Thanks for tuning in to the show.

@keithabbott360 Ай бұрын

Quick question for you, where is your venting tube attached to? Is it venting out a window? Trying to figure out my setup if I were to buy. Thanks in advance! And thank you for a great thorough video!

@keithabbott360 Ай бұрын

Forgive me, just saw a previous comment in your response. Thank you!

@acutabove_woodworkings Ай бұрын

I see that you have already gotten your answer from the comments. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask Keith. Thanks for tuning in and for the kind words.

@jimpalmer1944 5 ай бұрын

Kenny, one thing I thought of later, does the S1 require a computer connection while engraving/cutting? Or, can the design be downloaded to a SD Card or USB?

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

There is no capability for the S1 to engrave without a computer connection. No Internet is required but it does require a connection to some kind of engraving software, whether it be XCS or Lightburn doesn't matter. The software is required to engrave. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in.

@bigsparky65 5 ай бұрын

Very nice new toy, very impressed with the laser. I was just wondering a price on the laser.

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

The link to xTool's product page is in the description of the video. It's hard to give a price because there are so many packages that you can choose from with the S1. Also, I have no idea where you are located and currency exchange etc plays a factor as well. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in.

@DoSomethingProductive Ай бұрын

Hi! Thank you so much for this very informative demonstration. I do have one question however, how are you venting the fumes out of your shop? We want to bring this unit into our basement, but all the glass block windows have little half hinging vents. No ability to stick the whole 3” exhaust tube out the vent.

@acutabove_woodworkings Ай бұрын

I have a small strip of plywood that covers the height of the window opening. I 3D printed a dust vent to fit the venting hose and attached it to the plywood. I open the window and place the plywood in the open window. I then close the window so that it touches the plywood. All the smoke and fumes goes straight out the window. I also have a fume extractor that I can use for those times where venting out the window isn't an option. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in.

@DoSomethingProductive Ай бұрын

@@acutabove_woodworkings thanks for the reply! I do have one more question for you, how are you pleased with the cutting performance of the 20W? XTool’s sales team pushed me into the 40W without listening to any of my use cases.

@acutabove_woodworkings Ай бұрын

@@DoSomethingProductive The 20watt is a great, all purpose machine that works well and cuts well. It all boils down to what you are trying to cut and how thick it is. The thickest things that I cut are about 1/4" thick and the machine does well. It will cut much thicker but it will take a couple of passes. xTool will always push their latest and most powerful machines. I've had absolutely no issues with the 20watt and I've had plenty of them. There has never been a time where I wished I had more power. I hope this helps.

@acutabove_woodworkings Ай бұрын

If you want to have a more in-depth discussion, you can always email me at kennye@acutabovewoodworkings.com.

@DoSomethingProductive Ай бұрын

@@acutabove_woodworkings thank you so much, I really appreciate your time!

@meawayfromhome 5 ай бұрын

Hi Kenny, very impressed with this machine, but wow the price $3340 Aussie dollars without shipping. Just out of interest would you buy it with your own money?

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

My other favourite laser prior to this one is my xTool D1 Pro 20watt engraver and I paid cash for that out of pocket. I also purchased the rotary tool, the portable enclosure, the air assist and the honeycomb base. All of it was purchased by me and it cost me thousands. I never regretted the purchase and I can honestly say that if I was in the market for a new enclosed laser, I would definitely shell out for the xTool S1, given my previous experience with the company and their products. I hope this answers your questions Phil. They make a great product. Thanks for tuning in.

@meawayfromhome 5 ай бұрын

@@acutabove_woodworkings that’s good to hear Kenny, I do really like this machine for sure, thanks for the update.

@pookie31cass Ай бұрын

Will this cut mdf will coating for sublimation 3mm

@acutabove_woodworkings Ай бұрын

I've never tried but I know that any diode laser can have issues with cutting some MDF. Depending on the glue and the density of the material, the laser can have difficult cutting it. That being said, I have cut MDF with no issues. If the coating is vinyl, then NO. Vinyl should never be cut with a laser. It's a very dangerous combination. I hope this helps. Thanks for tuning in.

@williambuckley1185 5 ай бұрын

A bit of fun I guess but I like my wood work basically doing it the way I always have. I have had a look at the price and in Australian dollars it just isn't worth it for my practical use. I know companies are using hobby wood workers for advertising their goods by giving them products which in my view is a cheap way of advertising. I like watching the true hobbyist who wants to share their knowledge and experience in wood working with others like you used to do. Sorry Kenny. just letting you know my personal views on this type of practice. I normally like your show otherwise and your vids have been great to watch. Usually when advertising gets into the hobbyists' pockets , I delete them, If I wish to buy something it is usually e-bay for me.

@acutabove_woodworkings 5 ай бұрын

The woodworking portion of the show for me has always been the Friday episode William. That aspect of the show hasn't changed. Friday shows are just me and my woodworking. The Tuesday show however, is a completely different animal and the show can consist of anything I feel like. Sometimes it's a rant. Sometimes it's a tool review. I am also a licensed structural welder so some Tuesday shows can feature welding videos. The Tuesday episode of the show can be anything and that includes some product reviews from companies who provide me with products to test out and review. If it is just woodworking that you are after, then the Tuesday show is probably not what you are looking for and you might want to just stick to the Friday episodes of the show. Whatever you decide, I respect your choices and your reasons for making them. I appreciate all of my viewers and each and every one is entitled to their opinions here on the show. Thanks for tuning in.

@williambuckley1185 5 ай бұрын

@@acutabove_woodworkings Thanks for your reply Kenny, I appreciate it and I will keep watching .