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The ULTIMATE xTool F1 Ultra Review for Beginners - I Ignored Everything and It Still Worked Great
Aug 12, 2025
🔥🔥 Check out the xTool F1 Ultra → https://geni.us/xToolF1Ultra
💷 Get £80 off £999+ with code Faux80
💷 Get £150 off £2999+ with code Faux150
🕶️ Diode Laser Safety Glasses → https://geni.us/FreeMascotOD6Diode
🕶️ IR Laser Safety Glasses → https://geni.us/FreeMascotOD7IR
⚠️ Laser Safety Video Coming Soon
🔌 Active USB Extension Cable → https://geni.us/ActiveUS
This is my full review of the xTool F1 Ultra, a dual-laser galvo engraver with both a 20W blue diode laser and a 20W IR fiber (MOPA-style) laser packed into a single portable unit. With a 220x220mm work area, built-in camera alignment, autofocus, and high-speed galvo scanning, it’s marketed as a machine that handles everything from wood, leather, slate and acrylic, to stainless steel, brass, and titanium.
But marketing means nothing. What matters is: did it actually work?
I used it daily—and the results honestly surprised me.
I got more real projects done in just a few days than with any other laser I’ve used. No endless test runs, no guesswork, no spreadsheets. Just load your design in xTool Creative Space (no LightBurn required), pick a material from their growing 300+ material presets, and burn. It really was that simple.
This video walks through the full experience—from unboxing and setup, to testing the conveyor add-on, engraving curved objects, and putting both lasers through their paces. Whether you’re new to laser engraving or looking for a powerful production-ready workflow, this unit might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
Is the F1 Ultra perfect? No. But in terms of speed, usability, and output quality, it’s easily one of the most efficient machines I’ve tested. And yes—it’s fast. We’re talking 10,000mm/s galvo speed with clean, consistent burns and a camera system that’s actually helpful.
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0:00
As many of you know, I'm quite new to
0:02
lasers. I've got next to no idea what
0:04
I'm doing. And yet, this thing makes me
0:06
feel like Tony Stark. This is only my
0:08
third laser engraver. I'm not an expert,
0:11
just some guy with a pile of machines
0:12
and an unhealthy obsession with burning
0:14
logos into everything I own. But this
0:17
one, this one's different. This is
0:20
something special. In the first few days
0:22
I used it, I had more finished projects
0:24
than with every other laser I've used
0:26
combined. metal, wood, slate, resin, 3D
0:30
printed plastic, and X tool put the full
0:33
stop and it just works. It's not in that
0:35
it technically functions kind of way
0:37
that I've seen from so many other
0:39
brands. It works beautifully. This has
0:44
by far exceeded my expectations. And
0:47
that's after I've used other reviews and
0:49
so many commenters were saying, "Get an
0:51
X tool. Get an X tool." And praising it
0:53
to high heaven. I genuinely still can't
0:56
believe how good this is. To everyone
0:58
who recommended this to me, not only
1:00
were you right, I think you kind of
1:02
played it down as well. So, if you're
1:04
watching and you're like me and you
1:06
think spec sheets are just a polite way
1:07
for brands to have an overtly public
1:09
dick measuring contest and you'd rather
1:11
know what it's actually like to use a
1:13
thing rather than what they say, then
1:16
yeah, you're going to want to see this
1:17
one. Hi, I'm Ross and this is Foul
1:20
Hammer Videos. So, as I said, this is my
1:23
third laser engraver ever, and if it
1:25
were my last, honestly, I'd be happy.
1:29
It's so rare that I actually get to
1:31
review a product I genuinely enjoy using
1:33
this much. The X Tool F1 Ultra isn't
1:36
perfect. There are quirks, some flaws,
1:39
and a few things that will absolutely
1:41
annoy certain people. But here's the
1:43
thing. Once you start using it and
1:45
understand how it works and how tidy it
1:47
is, those few issues do hit differently.
1:50
Because when a machine nails the
1:52
day-to-day experience like this one
1:54
does, the usual complaints just don't
1:57
carry the same weight. And if you're new
1:58
to my channel and you think I'm just
2:00
saying this because I got a free
2:02
expensive thing, with all due respect,
2:05
ask around. I'm not that guy. So, let's
2:08
get into it. This thing has two lasers
2:11
built in. First, a 20 W diode laser,
2:13
which is great for wood, acrylic,
2:15
leather, slate, and most general
2:17
engraving or cutting. Then there's a
2:20
20watt infrared fiber laser used for
2:23
metals like stainless steel, aluminium,
2:25
brass, and even titanium. This is what
2:27
gives you those crisp permanent marks
2:29
that you'd usually only get on
2:30
industrial kit or you would spend hours
2:33
cutting into using just a diode laser.
2:36
The working area on this is 220x 220 mm,
2:40
which is pretty decent for a galvo
2:41
laser. And if you grab the conveyor
2:43
add-on, it extends to 500 mm wide. or
2:47
you can just repeat engravings over and
2:49
over endlessly. It's super fast and it's
2:52
got automatic height detection and focus
2:54
with a preview camera. I'll go into more
2:56
on that shortly. The spot size of the
2:59
laser goes as small as 30 microns or
3:01
0.03 mm. And it's even got built-in fire
3:06
detection. Now, all of that may sound
3:08
impressive to some. Before I got this, I
3:10
didn't understand much of the
3:12
differences with the power specs. But
3:14
what I think actually matters is how it
3:15
works when you use it. And that is where
3:18
things become so interesting and kind of
3:20
on most other products I've used.
3:22
Now the unboxing is glorious. Like
3:25
seriously, Xool have nailed that premium
3:28
Apple style reveal vibe and setup is so
3:31
easy. Clear manuals, well translated,
3:33
every port is labeled. Just if you're
3:36
going to buy one, I would recommend
3:38
watching the unboxing video from Xool
3:40
rather than make some silly mistakes
3:41
like I made. And I'm sure I'm not the
3:43
only person who got one of these and
3:45
wasn't sure how to get some of the
3:46
stickers off. But yeah, this thing has
3:49
lots of ports. On the back from left to
3:51
right, we've got the port for the
3:53
touchcreen, three ports for add-ons,
3:55
which would be the quick switch, smoke
3:56
purifier, and fire safety kit. There's a
3:59
USBA port for the security key. You
4:01
can't actually use the machine if this
4:03
isn't inserted. Then you've got the
4:05
power socket and another port for the
4:07
fire safety add-on. And this one deploys
4:09
CO2 gas to help extinguish flames. Also
4:12
on the back is a large outlet for smoke
4:14
and soot, but I'll come back to that
4:15
later. On the right hand side, we've got
4:17
more ports. We've got the power switch
4:19
at the bottom, then a USBA port for
4:21
loading files, two extension ports for
4:24
add-on devices, and a USB type-C port
4:27
for a computer connection. And again,
4:29
like other lasers I've reviewed, since
4:31
USBC has a limited length, you might
4:33
need a third party active USB cable if
4:36
your computer is a good distance away.
4:38
And this unit also has a fully working
4:40
estop button. above all the ports. Just
4:42
slam this and it shuts the machine down
4:45
completely. Laser power the lot. One
4:47
slight interesting thing I've noticed
4:49
though is all the ports for connecting
4:50
other X tool devices are somewhat
4:52
proprietary in shape. Almost a blend of
4:54
USBC and mini USB, maybe FireWire, but
4:58
it's been a while since I've seen one of
5:00
those. And whilst this does have
5:01
built-in Wi-Fi, I would personally
5:03
prefer to see an Ethernet option, too,
5:05
especially on something that's more of
5:07
an industrial device. Looks wise, it's
5:10
nice. It's on form. I think it's
5:11
gorgeous. It's got a really nice slide
5:13
up shield, which I'll talk more about
5:15
when we get to safety in a bit. But
5:17
moving into what all this actually
5:18
means. Well, because this is a Galvo
5:21
Moper style laser, it means one thing.
5:23
It's mainly intended for engraving more
5:25
than cutting. The further you perform
5:27
cutting operations from the center, the
5:30
more likely you'll get angled cuts on
5:32
the edges of parts. I'm not really
5:34
critiquing it for that. This is just an
5:35
effect of this type of technology
5:37
because the laser is projected outwards
5:39
from a fixed point. Now, you also get a
5:42
preview camera, but this is positioned
5:44
behind the laser lens, which while
5:46
having one is clever, but since it's
5:48
right at the back, the further you are
5:50
from its center, the less accurate it
5:52
gets when predicting where engravings
5:54
are going to happen. And when using
5:55
batch operations, the software actually
5:58
advises you to keep the parts near the
6:00
back for the best accuracy. So, whilst I
6:03
love the addition of this, I find I
6:05
mostly end up framing everything with
6:07
the blue laser guide before I actually
6:09
commit to anything. But, as a 3D printer
6:11
owner, there's an absolute crap ton of
6:14
printable jigs out there for help with
6:16
alignment. But, as I said, I mostly end
6:18
up framing manually with the blue laser
6:20
guide because while the camera works,
6:22
it's just not perfect enough. And I do
6:25
wish there was a way to run some more
6:27
advanced calibration across the whole
6:29
work area. But we've also got to
6:31
consider that this will change depending
6:33
on different heights of materials. The
6:36
point is this is good to have, just
6:38
don't ever expect it to be spot-on. And
6:40
this seems to be part for the course for
6:42
lasers. I think they could make these
6:44
better. Maybe liar scanning. Anyway,
6:47
that's not here. I've never actually
6:48
seen it implemented. I'd just like this
6:50
to be as automatic as the marketing
6:53
suggests it would be. Anyway, there's a
6:55
few add-ons for this device, like a
6:56
start and stop foot pedal, which I don't
6:58
have, but there's also a rotary tool and
7:00
a conveyor belt, which come as part of
7:02
the deluxe bundle that XTool sent me.
7:04
And they work, as you would expect, in
7:07
incredibly well, but I'll cover them
7:09
more in separate videos because the deal
7:11
I made with Xtool is I get all this kit,
7:13
but I have to make three videos. So,
7:15
I'll be cheekily phoning them in at a
7:16
rate of about once a month. But, they've
7:18
already agreed that in September they'll
7:20
loan me an F2, so I can cover that as
7:22
well. Now, when it comes to using it, if
7:24
you're connecting via PC, as I did,
7:26
you'll first need to plug it in with USB
7:28
just to set up the Wi-Fi. But if you're
7:30
using the mobile app, it connects via
7:32
the F1's built-in hotspot, and then that
7:35
walks you through everything. Now,
7:37
here's where Xool surprised me. On
7:39
mobile, it actually forces you to watch
7:42
a full laser safety instruction video
7:44
before use, which is really clever. On
7:47
desktop, though, it doesn't do that, but
7:49
it does give you a very important safety
7:51
guide to follow. and explains very
7:53
clearly that this is a dangerous class 4
7:55
laser device. I do find that to be a bit
7:58
of a weird disparity. If you use it on
7:59
the phone, it's a bit more consumerry,
8:02
but if you use it on the PC, it treats
8:03
it a bit more industrially. But
8:06
regardless, this video is solid. And the
8:08
point is, you absolutely should take
8:10
laser safety seriously. I didn't know
8:13
any of this before I posted my first
8:15
laser video, and I've already made
8:17
social posts about just how terrified I
8:20
am of what could have gone wrong. These
8:22
things can mess up your lungs, your
8:24
eyes, along with your family, and your
8:25
pets. I'll be making a whole separate
8:27
video about that. You don't need to be
8:29
afraid of these, but you do need to
8:31
understand what safety precautions you
8:33
need to take. Now, by default, the F1
8:35
Ultra will not fire, will not operate,
8:37
will not engrave when the lids open.
8:40
Now, you can disable that because at
8:41
times you may need to, for example, when
8:44
using the conveyor or when using
8:47
material that's wider than the lid is.
8:49
Now, Xtool also sell protective glasses
8:52
at what I would say is a very reasonable
8:54
price, and they were kind enough to send
8:55
me some. And it's nice to see they've
8:57
got several important markings on the
8:59
lenses, which tells us, well, they're
9:01
OD4 rated for the diode laser and OD6
9:04
rated for the infrared. And the CE
9:06
marking indicates that this isn't just
9:08
what they say. This is also compliant
9:10
with European conformity standards, too.
9:13
Now, they do say these work for glasses
9:15
wearers, but when I tried them over my
9:16
current specs, they only just fit with a
9:19
squeeze and also left a bit of a gap
9:21
around the edges. Removing my normal
9:23
glasses removed this gap quite a way,
9:25
but stopped me being able to properly
9:27
see. So, I still prefer full vision
9:30
protection that cover glasses, but I'll
9:32
talk about what I actually use in a
9:34
future safety video. All in all, it's
9:36
nice that these are available and at a
9:38
decent price. But this also does have a
9:41
level of fire protection built in
9:42
because when I was overly cooking some
9:45
rubber at one point trying to make a
9:46
stamp, it was steadily catching fire as
9:50
the laser engraved around the edge. When
9:52
it detected this and it was going on for
9:54
more than a second or two, the machine
9:56
shut off the laser entirely and started
9:59
bleeping at me to say, "Fire, fire,
10:01
fire." So yeah, but again, we should
10:04
know cuz we've read our safety guides.
10:07
Don't ever leave lasers unattended. You
10:09
don't have to stare at it the whole
10:11
time. In fact, that's a bad thing to do.
10:13
Just make sure you stay within
10:14
actionable distance at all times. Now,
10:17
next is fume control, and this also
10:19
matters hugely, especially cuz you're
10:21
going to be using this indoors. Now, you
10:23
do get a flexi hose as standard, and
10:24
that should vent outside. And the F1
10:27
Ultra has got a built-in fan that you
10:29
can remove for cleaning. But I was also
10:31
sent the XTOL Safety Pro AP2, which is a
10:34
massive five-stage filter box with
10:36
Bluetooth control. And this thing is a
10:39
beast. And the best part in terms of
10:41
usability, it automatically starts up
10:44
when a job starts and then shuts down
10:46
when it's finished. It's smart, it's
10:48
seamless, it is stupidly satisfying.
10:51
Now, moving on from that, as mentioned
10:52
with the functions, you also get this
10:54
little external touchcreen. Now, it does
10:56
let you manually adjust the height of
10:58
the unit, which seems a little redundant
11:00
since focusing is mostly automatic. And
11:03
you can start and stop jobs with this,
11:05
or view remaining time, which for the
11:08
record is frequently inaccurate in some
11:10
dafted ways. At one point, it told me a
11:13
200 plus layer depth engrave would take
11:15
only 48 seconds. It took nearer 3 hours.
11:19
But yeah, you can also use this to
11:21
launch jobs if you're using a USB stick.
11:23
But I think, let's be real, if you're
11:25
buying a machine this smart, why are you
11:27
using a USB stick like it's 2004?
11:31
All right, that's a bit snippy, but
11:32
serious question. Why would you use this
11:35
with a USB stick? Anyway, this screen, I
11:38
do think it's nice to have. I don't
11:40
think it's bad, but I also think it's
11:43
incredibly underutilized compared to
11:45
what I've seen on UIs from 3D printers.
11:47
There's a lot more useful information
11:49
that could be put on here, and its
11:50
functionality can probably be extended,
11:52
too. Now, software-wise, this is where
11:55
this machine really shines. Now, it
11:57
works with LightBurn, but honestly, I
11:59
haven't bothered. I'm still a bit
12:00
terrified of learning LightBurn. It
12:02
looks incredibly complex. But XCS or
12:06
Xool Creative Space, which they provide
12:09
you, is so userfriendly. It is genuinely
12:12
perfect for anyone who's never used a
12:15
laser before. Now, unlike the mobile
12:17
app, as I said, the desktop version
12:18
doesn't enforce a safety video, but it
12:21
does immediately warn you. this is a
12:22
class 4 laser product. As if the dozens
12:25
of warning stickers already seen during
12:27
unboxing didn't scream that enough. Now,
12:29
as I've said, you should still read the
12:31
safety PDF. Like, actually read it
12:33
because this isn't some software ULA.
12:36
This is your eyes and lungs. But aside
12:38
all that, using this thing is so simple.
12:41
Seriously, a child could use it. Again,
12:44
aside all the safety concerns, don't
12:46
don't let your child use it ever. But
12:49
yeah, when you start it up, the software
12:51
runs you through everything. Calibration
12:53
is as simple as engraving two crosses on
12:55
paper, and it does that for you. Tells
12:56
you what to do, and then it auto adjusts
12:59
for camera alignment. Then you align the
13:01
red laser with the blue one. You're good
13:03
to go. But that should also be pretty
13:06
much done for you already. From that
13:08
point on, it can automatically detect
13:10
any material height, unless it's
13:12
reflective, in which case, just pop a
13:13
sheet of paper on top, but then just
13:16
engrave stuff. Literally, this is where
13:19
this laser really shines.
13:21
Do you get it? All right. Sorry. Look,
13:24
here's the thing, right? Most materials
13:26
you put through this have presets built
13:28
into the application. Not just built in,
13:31
but they are complete with icons and
13:33
visual examples of the results when
13:35
using various settings. And you just
13:37
open one up, click one, and that is
13:39
roughly the result you should get. You
13:41
literally just pick the look you want.
13:43
No spreadsheets, no guesswork, no 400
13:45
comment Reddit threads telling you to
13:47
run three passes at 1500 mm a second on
13:50
30% power, crossing your fingers and
13:52
hoping you get the right result and then
13:54
dial it in three more times. After that,
13:56
you just pick a material and say, I want
13:58
it to score, engrave, or cut, and it
14:00
should look like what the preview
14:02
presents. And whilst the original
14:04
recommended list may look limited, you
14:06
can even import new materials from a
14:08
growing library that Xtool provides. Or
14:10
you can do your own test grids like I
14:12
did. And I did it to see colors on
14:14
stainless steel. And like some other OEM
14:16
apps I've seen, this also has its own
14:18
storefront. In this case, it's Atom with
14:21
two M's. But unlike the others I've seen
14:23
that are probably there because Xool has
14:25
one. Well, this is a good one. A really
14:28
good one. It's large. It's curated. It's
14:31
varied. Some designs do charge you,
14:33
however, and I'm not really a fan of the
14:35
way they've gone about this. Don't get
14:37
me wrong, I've got no issues with people
14:39
earning from their designs. They deserve
14:41
to. But the way Xool do it by you having
14:44
to buy credits, I just I thought that
14:47
was something I'd seen the end of with
14:48
PlayStation and Xbox coins. But overall,
14:51
XCS is ridiculously intuitive. This took
14:54
me from laser newbie to functioning pyro
14:57
artist in a matter of hours, not days,
15:00
hours. This is the workflow you dream
15:03
about. And as a reviewer, this is
15:05
genuinely the kind of product you hope
15:08
you get to review one day. Fast,
15:10
reliable, smart, safeish,
15:13
beautiful, and intuitive. And to every
15:16
other laser engraver I touch after this,
15:19
yeah, I think this is now the bar, the
15:21
benchmark, the line in the sand. This
15:24
isn't just the best laser I've ever
15:25
used, it's probably one of the best
15:27
products I've ever used. Full stop. And
15:30
from what I've seen in other reviews and
15:32
guides out there, it's also still
15:34
improving because my software is
15:36
different to what I've seen in other
15:38
videos, because it's been changed,
15:40
upgraded. This software clearly gets
15:42
regular updates. So, honestly, even if
15:45
it's not this exact model, if you're new
15:48
to lasers, if this is how they put
15:50
products out, I'm happy to recommend not
15:53
just the F1 Ultra, but anything by Xool.
15:57
And I'd say that for the same reason I'd
15:59
recommend certain brands for FDM or
16:01
resin printing. They make it so easy to
16:04
succeed. They massively reduce the
16:06
learning barrier and the amount of trial
16:08
and error needed between you wanting to
16:10
make thing and you having thing. Now, if
16:13
you want something to tinker with or
16:14
you're happy to spend time learning,
16:17
sure, go chase the cheaper options. This
16:19
isn't a cheap product at all. But if
16:22
you're like me and you would rather skip
16:24
all that just to get on with making cool
16:26
stuff without fighting the machine or
16:29
software every step of the way, then
16:31
yeah, I get what so many people in my
16:33
comments have been saying, and I totally
16:35
agree. Get an X tool. Just don't skip
16:38
the safety learning bit on any laser
16:41
ever. Now, if you do decide to pick one
16:43
up, I will leave an affiliate link in
16:45
the description. If you use that, I'll
16:47
make a commission at no cost to you.
16:49
It's how I afford to run the channel,
16:51
but it's also your decision. Again, not
16:53
trying to sell this to you, just telling
16:55
you what my experience with it was like.
16:57
Decision's totally yours. If you don't
16:59
believe me, okay, but the truth is, I
17:02
absolutely love this. Anyway, I want to
17:05
say thanks for watching and thanks to
17:06
all my channel members who are on screen
17:08
now. They get Discord rolls, early
17:10
access, names in the credits, and my
17:12
undying gratitude. So, as always, thanks
17:15
to everyone for watching. Until next
17:18
time. It's game over, man. It's game
17:20
over. File hammer out.
17:27
[Music]