NEJE 7W Engraving Module
This kind of marketing makes me leerie. I’d rather save up and buy from a USA company for a “7W” that really indicates the power. (Yes, they follow up with “2.5W Output Power”.)
I don’t think the marketing is problematic here. They’re quite clear and upfront throughout the rest of the description that the output is 2.5W, they’re hardly trying to hide it.
When it comes to hobby-grade laser engravers, I don’t think you really get much from buying from a US company. China can do a pretty good job at a fraction of the cost.
Wait…it’s called a 7W laser but is really 2.8W? That sounds deliberately misleading… if you were either searching for it or looking primarily at descriptions…that would definitely be wrong.
Hi,
At this level, I’d love to keep the bucks “in the family” so to speak (I’m in the UK), but the cost difference is just to big to justify. Saving up and waiting can in itself be problematic as there’s always something else which ends up trumping on the priority list (like kids shoes etc).
I would have snapped JTechs hands off if they offered me a bundle at half the cost, for me in the UK that would still have been around $600. Thats $600 on top of the $700+ I just spent in the US on Carbide3D accessories. So I opted for the Chinese made Ortur master 2 kit shipping from HK for $250. I did this knowing that its a 5.5w output laser marketed as a “20W laser”.
7W power consumption, 2.5W optical output.
Again, if they tried to hide that it was 2.5W, I’d agree with you but it’s in the title and noted many times throughout the description. Could it be better? Absolutely. Is it worth paying ~7x the price? To you, maybe. To me, absolutely not. I own a Chinese “20W” laser and I’m quite happy with it.
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In no way did I mean this to slight anyone’s decision to buy a J-tech or Opt. I got the laser just because I like playing with stuff like that and it had been a while since I 3d printed anything useful or messed with electronics. I also had an Amazon gift card to use and we just stocked up on diapers.
I guess what I’m saying is, if I can’t cut anything, what’s the advantage from one laser to another? Do you get faster engravings? Deeper? Are those things that are desired? Do the J-tech lasers have safety features (aside from the filtering acrylic)? I’m really just curious what we’re doing other than engraving. Sorry to derail things.
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This is actually the reason I got mine: the controller has a turnkey switch, a second regular power switch, and the ability to wire an extra signal to a safety door switch (which I used to wire a regular switch I placed on the outside of the enclosure). It also needs to be manually reset after a power loss. All of this and the shroud (and safety goggles of course) is what it took to convince me to buy a laser, since I value my eyesight a LOT. All of this can definitely be added on any laser, cheaper, but this time around I chose to pay to get it out of the box, I did not feel like spending time doing it myself.
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That’s the one thing that concerns me the most. Trusting to (remembering) glasses is not a great thing for me. I’m trying to source decent sized safety panel windows at the correct wavelength so that I can add them to my enclosure as a belt and braces approach. But finding the stuff at a decent size from a supplier who does not want a left kidney for payment is proving difficult.
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I have been there…and gave up. Instead I just try and stick to a strict workflow/checklist when using the laser. I refuse to have someone else in the room while the laser is on, too. To each their own level of paranoia I guess.
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It was very simple to set up!
I use a JTech 7.2 Watt Laser on my Shapeoko XXL. It was easy to set up since there are a few videos on YouTube.
I haven’t had any issues with it and Lightburn is an incredible piece of software.
THe first laser I got was a cheap Chinese one for about $100. It burned out during installation. Got a second one and used it for a few month, but it was sooooooo slow.
Got the JTech and I’ve been happy with it since then.
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I just ordered a 12"x12" from J-tech.
They have a bigger one too.
I knew about the smaller one but missed the big one. The thing is this;
Robosavvy Jtech supplier for the UK only stocks the smaller panels.
Maybe some lateral thinking is needed.
What I haven’t done is fire them an email saying their shipping sucks! maybe they will hook me up.
Also there would be import charges and fees on top of that. Whats really frustrating about this is that Carbide3d manages to send a 14lb parcel across the pond for a flat $43 gets to me in 4-5 days by Fedex … go figure.
…
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I keep my JTech in a third party bag (small photo bag) to which I’ve attached my primary goggle case. I put them on as soon as I take the laser out. My spare glasses are hanging from a warning sign that lights up when I power up the control box on the laser.
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@MarkLince
The Ortur Master 2 is 15W to power, but it does not output 15W from the diode laser.
There are a few reviews on YouTube, but only two reviews actually touch on this fact.
I believe where I was researching a laser purchase, diode laser only went up to 10W. Not sure if that is still true, that was just a few months ago, things might have changed since then.
Not speaking for @MarkLince, but I think he’s aware of that.
@Jairo What do you do with the 7W J-tech? Can you cut anything?
Hi, The one I bought is 20w input and 5.5 w output so its a 5.5w power laser.
@MarkLince that is the laser that burned out on my while I was installing it. Had too buy a second one since they would not send out another.
It did come straight from China.
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Yes, you gotta love that super element called chineseium.