0:00
I've built a good reputation on this
0:01
channel for not lying to people. It's
0:03
something that I'm genuinely proud of.
0:05
But with this video, I'm struggling. Not
0:08
with honesty, but with the weight of
0:11
what that honesty could do. The X Laser
0:13
Lab E3 is another UV laser that does a
0:16
lot right. At the time of recording
0:18
this, it's live on Kickstarter, and it's
0:20
already pulled in over a million dollars
0:22
in backing. And as you're about to see,
0:24
my experience with a prototype hasn't
0:27
gone well. something I hinted at in my
0:30
best lasers of 2025 video. So, make sure
0:32
you check that out. But here's the
0:34
problem. If I come across as negative,
0:36
that could hurt the campaign. It could
0:38
mean fewer backers or even people
0:40
pulling out. The less funding the
0:42
campaign gets, the more that impacts the
0:44
people who do back it. And in a worst
0:47
case scenario, it could even take a
0:49
solid potential competitor entirely off
0:52
the market. And that's the thing I'm
0:54
struggling with. This machine really
0:56
does have potential just from features
0:58
alone. I could easily rank this higher
1:01
than the last UV laser I reviewed. So,
1:04
I'm in a weird spot here. I know what my
1:06
honesty could do, but I also just can't
1:09
hide things from you. It's not how I'm
1:11
wired. It's about integrity. So, in the
1:13
aim of fairness, let's do this a
1:16
different way. Let's make a deal. I'm
1:17
not going to sell you. I always try not
1:20
to, but sometimes, yes, I get excited
1:21
about things I genuinely enjoy. Here,
1:24
I'm going to show you exactly what my
1:26
experience has been like, what worked,
1:28
what didn't, the good, the bad, and the
1:30
potential. Then you tell me what you
1:33
think, whether this is something worth
1:34
backing or something to be cautious of.
1:37
And honestly, who knows? By the end, you
1:39
might decide it is worth backing after
1:41
all. That's your call, not mine. I'm
1:43
just here to be straight with you about
1:45
my time using this unit and what this
1:47
brand need to get right from here on
1:49
out. Hi, I'm Ross and this is Fammer
1:52
Videos. All right, let's start with what
1:55
this thing actually is. It's an enclosed
1:57
UV laser engraver, 7 watts in my case,
2:00
though there's also a 10 watt version,
2:01
too. The working area as standard is 50x
2:04
50 mm with the A lens and 150x 150 with
2:08
the included B lens. Now, visually, X
2:11
Laser Lab have nailed it. The design
2:14
looks professional, profly through. The
2:16
name alone puts them miles ahead of the
2:19
usual lost in translation cheapo
2:21
sounding brands that kind of flood this
2:23
market. You see this logo, the
2:25
illuminated front text, and honestly for
2:28
a piece of machinery, yeah, it's pretty
2:30
damn sexy. Now, my last laser review was
2:33
the Comm Marker Omni X, and I kept
2:35
calling it Com Maker in that review.
2:36
Whoops. Complain at me in the comments
2:38
if you've never made a mistake in your
2:39
life multiple times. Anyway, both
2:42
machines aim to do pretty much the same
2:44
job. almost exactly the same job. But
2:47
where that thing came out of the box
2:49
like an unnecessarily large macano set,
2:52
this one's compact, refined, and it's
2:54
only as big as it needs to be. That
2:56
said, the grill openings on the back do
2:58
feel oversized. Maybe it's for air flow,
3:01
but I also don't think these do much to
3:03
keep out dust or soot. All the ports sit
3:05
neatly on the back, power, USBC, and a
3:08
circular accessory connector that's
3:10
probably for a rotary tool and a
3:11
conveyor belt. I don't have those
3:13
attachments. I don't know if they even
3:15
exist yet, but I don't have them, so I
3:17
couldn't test them. Now, there's also an
3:19
exhaust port, and here's where it got
3:21
weird for me. The outlet has a 55 mm
3:24
outer diameter and a 45 mm inner. I
3:27
couldn't hook that up to anything I own,
3:29
and I couldn't find an adapter to match
3:31
my 100 mm ducting. Now, on the campaign,
3:34
X Laser Labs say they've got their own
3:36
filter system coming, so hopefully that
3:38
includes the necessary hoses. And if 55
3:41
mm is a standard I've just never
3:43
encountered, let me know in the
3:44
comments. But for now, I literally just
3:46
parked my hose with an inline fan close
3:49
to it and hope for the best. The power
3:51
switch also lives on the back, too. This
3:53
is incredibly large for some reason.
3:55
Controls are on the side. A rotary dial
3:57
for the Z axis to raise and lower the
3:58
laser head and a big red emergency stop
4:01
that actually cuts power. And I say that
4:03
because some machines only interrupt the
4:05
laser itself, sometimes after a delay.
4:07
So, it's nice to see a proper kill
4:08
switch. Now, speaking of safety
4:10
elements, the Kickstarter page claims
4:12
the cover blocks light well enough to
4:14
make this a class one device, but
4:16
there's no OD rating listed anywhere.
4:18
And no matter what laser I'm using, I'm
4:20
still going to use my own certified
4:22
goggles, and I recommend you do the
4:24
same. I've got a separate video all
4:25
about laser safety. And if you're new to
4:27
this stuff, check that out before firing
4:29
up anything that shoots photons for a
4:31
living. Right, back to the good stuff.
4:33
The thing that separates this from the
4:35
Omni X isn't just its compact enclosure
4:37
and better integrated lighting. It's the
4:40
camera system because this actually has
4:43
one. Well, actually, in this case,
4:44
cameras plural. There's a top- down
4:47
camera for positioning. And of all the
4:49
cameras I've tested on engravers like
4:51
this, it's actually one of the more
4:52
accurate ones I've ever used. But
4:55
there's also this second camera mounted
4:57
on the back wall, and it looks like a
4:59
miniature HAL 9000. This is used for
5:01
monitoring objects like crystals for
5:04
recording time-lapses, but we're going
5:06
to come back to this later. Now, the
5:08
issues I've had with this machine
5:10
haven't shown up yet. It's all positive.
5:12
So, this is where we get into full
5:13
disclosure. And when I say full
5:15
disclosure, I mean beyond the obvious,
5:17
yes, I got this for free in exchange for
5:19
an honest review. And yes, if you buy
5:21
through my link, I earn commission.
5:23
That's standard for the channel. What's
5:26
not standard is the condition this
5:28
prototype arrived in. The top chassis
5:30
was damaged out of the box. Several
5:32
ports and buttons were loose. Like
5:34
couldn't have happened in shipping.
5:35
Loose, just not tight enough. And the
5:38
USB connection specifically was so bad
5:40
that I could only get this to work after
5:42
what felt like a prayer and a sacrifice
5:44
to the machine gods. And even then, it
5:47
was hit or miss. And then there's the
5:48
spring-loaded door, which worked for
5:50
about a day before it just gave up. So,
5:52
I had to prop it open from that point
5:54
on. Now, to be fair, yes, I can hear
5:57
myself. This is a prototype, probably
6:00
hand assembled. It's not going to be
6:01
using final production parts, and likely
6:04
these are made in small numbers of about
6:06
10 or 20. They only exist really to
6:09
prove the concept and so people can get
6:11
hands-on to make sure that it works.
6:13
These early builds are also made to
6:15
expose these pain points before final
6:18
production. So, I'm not actually marking
6:20
XL Laser Lab down for build quality here
6:23
because what I have doesn't reflect the
6:26
final product. But that also means I
6:29
can't judge the final hardware from
6:31
what's on my desk right now, good or
6:33
bad. So, I guess if you want to infer a
6:36
better sense of how their actual
6:37
machines could hold up, check out the
6:39
comments and feedback on their previous
6:41
Kickstarter for the X1 laser welder or
6:44
their Facebook page for the same model
6:46
because that has had a lot of positive
6:48
feedback overall. But a welder isn't a
6:51
precision engraver and this is where my
6:54
main concern lies because the hardware
6:56
is likely to be solid once polished up,
6:59
but the software is a whole different
7:01
story. Now, it runs on an application
7:04
called EUN, which is sometimes labeled
7:06
Sapphire Mark, and that already hints at
7:08
the confusion behind the scenes. Right
7:10
now, it doesn't run in an installer.
7:12
It's just a loose executable and a load
7:14
of files that open directly. And every
7:17
single time it starts up, it defaults to
7:19
using my computer's webcam instead of
7:21
the machine's built-in camera. And you
7:24
can't change simple things like camera
7:26
or light brightness without going into a
7:28
special menu and entering a password set
7:30
by the brand. You can't drag image files
7:33
straight into the workspace. After
7:35
importing machine parameters from the
7:36
machine and restarting, the entire
7:38
interface reverts to Chinese. Pressing
7:41
tab jumps the cursor into random boxes
7:43
instead of the next field. And the
7:45
English translations are all over the
7:47
place. Most buttons are translated, but
7:50
they're poorly translated, and many of
7:53
them use the wrong technical terms
7:54
entirely. Now, already with lasers,
7:56
you've got to learn what many of these
7:58
things mean, what the different things
8:00
do in order to understand how it's going
8:02
to impact your final result, and that's
8:04
going to be 10 times harder to do when
8:06
the brand don't use the terms we
8:08
commonly know these things to be in our
8:11
native language. And there's more
8:12
issues. Files stored on network drives
8:15
won't load. Again, probably a small
8:17
issue. It'll affect a few people, but
8:19
things like progress bars and timers
8:21
clip through window borders and the
8:23
whole thing just feels like it was copy
8:25
and pasted from another product and
8:27
never properly tested, which funnily
8:30
enough it was because this is built on
8:33
exactly the same foundation as the
8:35
software that com marker use, just a
8:37
separate fork that somehow ended up even
8:40
less polished even though it's for a
8:42
machine that does exactly the same thing
8:44
as another brand. And I actually told XL
8:47
Laser Lab this when we spoke on a video
8:49
call and they were showing me how to use
8:51
it to get the most out of it, something
8:53
you as a buyer won't get. And the
8:56
developers asked me to point out what
8:59
was wrong. And honestly, that was the
9:02
most worrying part because if they have
9:04
to ask me to list issues when the ones
9:07
they have are so basic and glaringly
9:10
obvious, then the problem's deeper than
9:13
just a few bugs. Now, the thing with
9:15
lasers, when people look at reviews,
9:17
people are probably planning to use
9:19
LightBurn anyway, and you should be able
9:21
to once this officially releases. Now, I
9:24
couldn't get LightBurn working during my
9:26
testing, but even then, the issue is
9:28
LightBurn doesn't support the 3D crystal
9:30
engraving feature at all. And that's
9:33
probably one of the main features that
9:35
makes UV lasers so appealing. Which
9:38
means right now we're stuck with Edon or
9:41
Sapphire Mark or whatever it's called.
9:43
And the thing is, it gets worse because
9:45
this 3D module that you need to use,
9:47
well, this feels tacked on as well. It
9:49
opens in a separate window like it's its
9:51
own app. My main display is 21x9. And
9:55
when I open the module on my secondary
9:57
16x9 monitor for recording, it still
10:00
launches in a 21x9 aspect ratio, which
10:03
stretches that width, and it spills onto
10:05
my next screen. And that's one of many
10:08
visual bugs that just make this a
10:09
headache to use. And when you have this,
10:12
nothing can be resized. And then also,
10:15
you've got things like every time you
10:16
exit that screen, it wipes your setup.
10:19
So then when you change something and
10:20
come back, you have to reimpport your
10:22
model and re-enter all of your settings
10:24
from scratch just to go out and make
10:26
that change. And to explain why this is
10:28
necessary, like for example, I tried
10:31
recording a time-lapse with the rear
10:32
camera. This is a great idea in theory,
10:35
but as soon as the preview popped up,
10:37
all I could see in the crystal was a
10:39
reflection of the back wall of the laser
10:40
because the light was too bright. So to
10:43
fix that, I had to close the 3D window,
10:45
go back into the menu settings, enter
10:47
the password to adjust the internal
10:49
lighting, then reopen the 3D module,
10:51
reload the file, and start again
10:53
entering my settings every single time
10:56
you need to make a change. Now, speaking
10:58
of time-lapses, cuz I wanted to come
10:59
back to them, they're absolutely awful.
11:02
The rear camera is a 4x3 640x480 feed
11:06
that doesn't take shots intelligently,
11:08
such as as the laser moves upward
11:10
incrementally. It just snaps random
11:13
frames every few seconds. And just like
11:15
a resin printer, the field of view also
11:18
needs to be taller than it is wide. So
11:21
turn the camera sideways when you
11:22
install it. But honestly, for the price
11:24
of this machine, it should be higher
11:27
resolution. ideally 16x9 or as I just
11:30
said 9x6. And yeah, a time-lapse camera
11:34
might sound like a gimmick to some
11:36
people anyway, but right now it's
11:38
literally pointless to everyone cuz you
11:41
can only see so much of what you're
11:43
actually engraving into, but everyone's
11:44
paying for it. But then came some
11:46
testing that I've actually been excited
11:49
for isn't the word. Let me just tell you
11:51
what I've been trying to do. I've wanted
11:53
to engrave a 3D crystal of my late
11:56
father for years. A proper memorial
11:59
piece. Now, sure, I could buy one of
12:01
these online for about 50 quid. And that
12:03
gives you an idea of the value of one of
12:05
these lasers to you if you're looking to
12:07
engrave stuff like this. And now I've
12:09
got a UV laser with the ability to do
12:12
it. I want to be the one who makes it.
12:15
Now, unfortunately, the online tools
12:17
that generate these things as 3D models
12:19
still end up giving you a model that
12:21
looks like a cross between a caricature
12:22
and a potato. And besides, we don't want
12:25
that. What we actually need is a point
12:28
cloud. It's more of a 2.5D than true 3D
12:32
because 3D just creates a ghostly shape.
12:35
Whereas a point cloud captures the
12:37
photos light and shadow in all the right
12:39
places, giving it real depth and texture
12:43
rather than just that solid ghostly
12:45
shape. Now, after a full day of digging,
12:48
I found a proper workflow using software
12:50
called Cockpit 3D. I used their online
12:53
tool, which yes, is an AI tool to make
12:56
the model, scaled it, and exported it,
12:59
and used another tool that they
13:00
recommend, and you have to pay for. It's
13:02
like $2 to convert a file. And this
13:05
changed the DXF format they give you
13:08
into an OBJ file. Now, the Edun software
13:11
claimed to support OBJ because you can
13:13
import that file type, but it doesn't.
13:16
So I then went into Blender and
13:18
converted it to an STL which I use in 3D
13:21
printing and that finally imported to
13:23
the software. But when I hit start, the
13:26
program itself actually choked on the
13:28
data size and only engraved a single
13:30
sliver of one edge whilst assuming this
13:32
was the entire model. So after another
13:35
wasted day, I gave up and tried
13:37
something simpler, which was a Wolverine
13:39
bust. Something again I commonly use in
13:40
my 3D printing videos. This was easy. I
13:43
resized it to fit the crystal cube,
13:45
loaded it, and hit go just like I've
13:47
done on a similar UV laser that I've
13:49
mentioned a few times, but I don't want
13:52
to turn this video into an advertisement
13:53
for another brand. It's not. We'll come
13:55
back to that in a minute. But anyway,
13:57
the result is a perfect Wolverine with
14:00
the top of his head chopped off because
14:02
for some reason it started engraving too
14:05
high. Not a problem I've had elsewhere.
14:07
Now, I did manage a few successes. UV
14:10
lasers are great for things like stone,
14:12
stainless steel, mirrors, and the
14:14
results there were genuinely sharp. But
14:17
here on wood, on this machine, nothing.
14:20
No matter how many settings I changed,
14:22
it barely left a mark. And yeah, we have
14:25
to invoke it again. Since I've used the
14:27
com marker, which was a near identical
14:29
machine, and that can engrave on wood,
14:32
I'm actually convinced that this one is
14:34
ignoring half the settings I put in when
14:37
you start a job. And unfortunately, even
14:39
when having success, there are more
14:41
issues. Engraving on stainless steel
14:43
just completely ignored the setting to
14:45
fill shapes. And there's no test array
14:48
function available in this machine at
14:49
present either. Again, already available
14:52
in other versions of the same software.
14:54
And the color test marking that I did
14:56
was provided by the brand with values
14:58
preset and quite limited. And it turns
15:02
out to change the colors to get the
15:03
colors what you want. This is more
15:05
affected by focal distance than any
15:08
other edited value. So don't expect
15:11
accurate rainbows for this. Now the X
15:14
laser Lab team themselves have been
15:16
brilliant on calls. They've been
15:17
passionate, responsive, and they seem
15:20
like they genuinely want to improve, and
15:22
they even invited me out to China to
15:25
come and see their factory. But again,
15:27
it was when they were asking me to
15:30
identify what's wrong with their
15:31
software. And that's when I realized the
15:34
scale of the gap because they really
15:36
need to focus on hiring proper UX
15:38
designers, not just engineers asking a
15:41
third party to add features to a forked
15:43
build of a software that already has
15:45
better versions of these same features
15:52
Rewind that if you need to understand
15:53
what I said, please. Yep. I'm not doing
15:57
it again. Anyway, so my advice to XL
16:00
Laser Lab, respectfully,
16:02
forget flying reviewers out to your
16:05
studio. Your machine should speak for
16:07
itself in different users own workshop
16:11
environments. Bringing people out to see
16:13
it while you use it kind of defeats the
16:16
point and makes us wonder what is it
16:19
you're not trying to show. you really
16:22
need to spend that money on
16:25
well, we'll get to it. Look, unless you
16:27
plan to ship a staff member with every
16:29
unit sold, put that money into software.
16:32
Hire a good designer who understands the
16:34
maker community and your competition.
16:38
Rebuild this interface properly in a way
16:40
that helps the user achieve their goals.
16:43
And whilst you're having a Kickstarter,
16:45
publish a development road map. Heck,
16:47
even just get the third party developer
16:49
you're using to care enough to get the
16:52
bare basics of the UI right. But here we
16:55
go, conclusion. This is where I'm at. I
16:58
don't hate this machine. In fact, I do
17:00
think it has, as I said, massive
17:02
potential, and I want to see it succeed.
17:05
The design's smart, the build concept
17:07
makes sense, and for a first serious
17:09
entry into the laser engraver space, X
17:11
Laser Lab have set a solid foundation in
17:14
both idea and presentation. And I'd
17:18
still easily pick this over the com
17:20
marker on the built-in accessibility
17:22
features alone. This is better for the
17:26
home user, the laser hobbyist, or
17:29
somebody who wants to turn lasers into a
17:31
side hustle. the look, the feel, the
17:33
features just fit that environment more.
17:36
This, as I said, it is a solid
17:38
foundation, but a foundation or the
17:41
product is only as good as what's built
17:43
on top of it. Right now, I think I've
17:46
well and truly beaten this point home.
17:48
The software isn't ready, and that is a
17:51
big concern for me. It's clunky,
17:53
inconsistent, and far too unstable to
17:55
support the features this hardware
17:57
should be capable of. And here we can't
17:59
even default to go, "Oh, I'll just use
18:01
LightBurn because it's this software
18:04
that is needed for the 3D work. And if
18:07
you're not doing 3D, do you really need
18:09
a UV laser?" Okay, sure, you can do 2D
18:13
crystal engravings inside and on glass,
18:16
but that comes at the cost of weaker
18:18
performance on other materials due to
18:20
the lower power of these machines. So,
18:22
it is something to seriously consider. I
18:25
can see where they're heading. We all
18:27
can. The marketing though implies a
18:29
proper consumer-friendly UV engraver
18:31
that can actually rival the bigger
18:33
names. But until they can sort out the
18:35
workflow and fix the basics, that
18:38
potential stays locked behind a
18:39
frustrating experience. You can tell the
18:42
team wants to make something great, I
18:44
just don't think they realize how much
18:47
of a user experience is being lost in
18:49
translation, both literally and
18:51
figuratively. So, we're back to what I
18:54
alluded to in the beginning. This does
18:56
have the potential to be a genuinely
18:58
good machine. It really does so much.
19:01
And the more people who back it, the
19:02
more funding they get, the greater the
19:05
chance of that potential being realized.
19:08
But I would, if you are supporting this,
19:11
seriously, start asking them questions
19:13
about the software, how is it
19:15
progressing, what does the road map look
19:16
like, are they being open about it?
19:18
Because I've worked with too many
19:20
companies that give you that
19:21
boilerplate. we'll have a new version
19:23
soon, but then it never comes or they
19:26
didn't fully understand what was
19:28
missing. And that promise alone for a
19:30
new software update that I never got is
19:32
what's dragged this review out for me
19:34
over a few weeks. So, please XL Laser
19:38
Lab, enough with the glossy Instagram
19:40
reels showing, look, it can engrave all
19:42
these materials. We know it can. We see
19:44
that in one screenshot on your
19:46
Kickstarter page. I think what people
19:48
need to see now is the workflow, real
19:52
demonstrations, live presentations, and
19:55
honest discussion about what's
19:56
improving. And I wouldn't harp on about
19:58
this so much if I didn't feel it was of
20:01
incredible importance. But I genuinely
20:04
think this is the crux of their
20:06
long-term success. The software will
20:08
make or break them. It's going to be the
20:10
difference between becoming a genuine
20:12
contender or just another company that
20:15
slung some laser hardware into a nicel
20:16
looking box and called it done. And on
20:19
this channel, I'm looking for
20:20
contenders. The ones worth your
20:23
consideration versus the ones being
20:25
another budget choice that will lead to
20:27
disappointment. So that's where you come
20:29
in. You've seen the potential, the
20:31
problems, and the reality of using a
20:33
prototype. What do you think? Is this
20:36
something worth backing on faith or
20:38
something better left to mature before
20:40
jumping on board? Let me know in the
20:42
comments because this one isn't about
20:44
hype. It's about whether you think the
20:46
promise outweighs the risk. XL Laser Lab
20:49
have confirmed they will be sending me a
20:51
finalized production machine when it's
20:53
ready. So, I hope when we cover this
20:55
again, we've seen the necessary changes.
20:58
And make sure you hit subscribe so you
21:00
don't miss that. And if you do decide to
21:03
get behind this and help push these guys
21:05
forward, please use my affiliate links
21:07
below the video. That's how I grow the
21:09
channel. And if nothing else, hit
21:10
subscribe knowing you found someone
21:12
who's going to talk straight and not
21:14
you, even if I can be a little
21:16
preachy and wingy. But I'd rather you
21:19
know about the problems and make an
21:20
informed decision than go, "Yeah, new
21:23
laser. Buy it. Use my link so I earn
21:26
money." Like, yeah, that's that's
21:29
better, right? Okay, I'll shut up. I
21:31
want to thank you for watching with a
21:32
huge thanks going out to our members who
21:34
are on screen now. Please consider
21:36
joining them to support the channel. Get
21:38
your name up in lights here, early
21:40
access, and more. Until next time, I'm
21:42
in the pipe 5x5. Faux hammer out.
