Why I Bought a Thunder Laser (or Why I Didn't Buy a Glowforge)
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1 min read
After 5 years of doing laser cutting as a hobby at my local maker space, I was finally ready to buy my very own laser cutter! But which one? So many options on the market, from super hobbyist options to the ultra-pro machines, and lots of options in the middle.
One large contender in the space that I had to weigh against my list of requirements was Glowforge. Ultimately, though, I determined they weren’t right for me.
The machine that I decided was perfect for me was the Nova 35 (80 watt) made by Thunder Laser USA. In this video, I’ll discuss all the factors that went into my decision making process and hopefully give you things to think about when you’re considering buying a machine for yourself or your laser engraving business.
Vice President, Thunder Laser USA
6 years hands-on · Nova, Nova Plus, Bolt, Bolt Plus, Aurora, Titan
Grant has run every machine Thunder Laser USA sells since 2020 — Nova, Nova Plus, Bolt, Bolt Plus, Aurora and Titan — cutting and engraving wood, acrylic, leather, coated metals and stone. Most of his week is demos, customer sample jobs, and helping the team work through whatever a customer is stuck on. He started before the industry had much training material and learned the machines by running them, which is why he has spent the years since building the knowledge base, tutorial library and video content Thunder Laser customers learn from now. He is currently working through UV printing, fiber metal cutting and metal 3D printing to build the same material for those.
Technically reviewed by
Technical Support Manager, Thunder Laser USA
6 years hands-on · Nova Plus 51, Titan Pro 35, Aurora Pro 20W MOPA, Aurora UV, LightBurn, LaserMaker
Chris runs technical support at Thunder Laser USA, which means he sees the same failures over and over and knows which ones are actually the machine. An electrical engineer by degree and a tinkerer by nature, he has been hands-on with these machines since 2020. He runs a Nova Plus 51, a Titan Pro 35, an Aurora Pro 20W MOPA and an Aurora UV day to day, and has owned an Odin 22, a Bolt and an Aurora Lite besides — print and cut on the Titan Pro, plastics on the UV and MOPA, and wood, acrylic, tumblers, adhesive and fabric in the Nova Plus. He works in LightBurn and LaserMaker on the gantry machines and EzCad3 on the Aurora Pro.