I just got myself a CO2 laser cutter and it was daunting knowing which one to buy. After many hours of research, I present to you this buyer’s guide with a breakdown of what features and specifications to look for when shopping. In this video I am definitely standing on the shoulders of giants, so please check out the links to these wonderful sites below.

One thing I didn’t mention is it makes no difference what colour the outside of the laser is! This is completely arbitrary and tells you nothing about whether a particular machine is good or not.

These machines are definitely for tinkerers and the risks to safety are quite high, so please only consider one of these machines if you are suitably knowledgeable, confident and experienced.

Ray from Cohesion3D was another great resource in preparing this video. He was honest and patient in answering my beginner questions right at the beginning. The Cohesion3D laser board is already fitted and working very well with Lightburn. I look forward to showcasing it with a guide in a future video.

Three of the best sites I found for resources:
K40laser.se: www.k40laser.se
Laser Gods: www.lasergods.com
Don’s Things: http://donsthings.blogspot.com/

Specific pages referred to in this video:
Control board identification: https://lasergods.com/controller-dsp-...
Laser tube size guide: http://www.laserwd.com/article_how-to...
My 80W 1040 machine I ended up with: https://www.china-cncrouter.com/produ...
RECI W2 laser tube in my machine: http://www.recilaser.com/en/index.php...
Digital vs analogue panels: https://lasergods.com/k40-control-pan...
Laser power supply identification: https://donsthings.blogspot.com/2017/...
Adding Z table to K40: https://lasergods.com/how-to-mount-yo...
Water cooling recipe: https://lasergods.com/laser-water-coo...
CW-3000 info: https://k40laser.se/watercooling/cw30...
Counterfeit chiller guide: https://lasergods.com/identifying-cou...
K40 Whisperer: https://www.scorchworks.com/K40whispe...
Air assist before and after:    • adding AIR ASSIST to a K40 laser engr...  
PVC safety warning: https://lasergods.com/can-i-cut-vinyl...
Ammeter wiring guide: https://donsthings.blogspot.com/2017/...
LPSU identification: https://donsthings.blogspot.com/2017/...
Precision potentiometer guide: https://k40laser.se/diy-how-to/upgrad...
Mirror alignment written guide: https://k40laser.se/lens-mirrors/mirr...
Mirror alignment video:    • Ep6: Laser Beam Mirror Alignment. The...  

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