The xTool F2 Ultra is a superfast, premium laser that beautifully engraves metal with accurate positioning cameras and comes with good software to run it. The 60-watt MOPA and 40-watt diode lasers cut through 2 mm metal and 23 mm wood with ease. It’s a bit pricey for a hobby laser, but it’s worth the price as an artist’s tool or business investment.
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The xTool F2 Ultra is a large, premium, and superfast galvo laser that can cut and engrave anything from metal and wood to acrylic. It has a 60-watt MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier) fiber laser for metal and a 40-watt blue diode laser for everything else. It is powerful enough to deeply engrave metal, cut through thin metal, and even “color” engrave stainless steel. This makes it the perfect laser for professional jewelry makers and small businesses who offer custom engraving on nearly any object.
The machine has an incredibly accurate positioning camera that you can access from the design software. This is critical for use in engraving jewelry or accurately placing personalization on one-of-a-kind items.
The F2 Ultra should not be confused with the F2, which is a portable machine. Clocking in at 47 pounds and requiring a massive air filter for safer operation, the F2 Ultra is far from portable. Its 220 x 220 mm work surface makes it comparable in size to a CORE One 3D printer .
Galvo lasers make the F2 Ultra extremely fast. It has a fixed laser, with the beam aimed by galvanometer mirrors that move at an insane 15,000 mm/s. However, this means the work area is somewhat cone-shaped, and on lesser machines, it often does not reach the corners of the work area. I didn’t have any issues with the laser being inconsistent when engraving out to the edges.
This machine is a Class 4 laser, which can burn skin and damage vision. It requires the respect of those around it. When the laser’s enclosure cover is down, it is safe for everyone to be around. But when using accessories like the conveyor or a rotary tool, the machine must be operated with the safety overridden and the enclosure open. You will need to get a pair of laser safety glasses for these times, as xTool inexplicably does not provide them.
xTool updated its software to AI-assisted “xTool Studio”, which, at launch, lacked the thousands of tutorials from the maker community that made the old xTool Creative Space a joy to use. It took a while to sort out, but xTool Studio turned out to be a great design tool and operating system for the laser. I’m not a fan of having to pay for tools to use a machine I own, but thankfully, you only need exchange tokens for art tools. This reduces it to a minor annoyance if you have your own source of art.
The retail price for the F2 Ultra starts at $4,999 for a MOPA-only laser (and no extras), making even the “budget” version of this machine rather expensive. However, this is the best experience we’ve had with metal engraving, and one of the best lasers we’ve seen for a small business .
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