$2K Cheaper, 2X Better? - The Thunder Bolt Desktop Laser

Thunder Laser is one of my favorite companies in this space. They recently released the Thunder Bolt a direct competitor the other desktop machines like the Glowforge and xTool P2. Let's find out how it stacks up against the competition!

LASERS MENTIONED (Affiliate)

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Start
00:09 - Marker 1
01:36 - Price
02:10 - Build Quality
05:09 - Laser
08:43 - Work area
09:11 - Depth
09:42 - Machine Area
10:30 - Speed
11:14 - Focus
12:58 - Interface
14:51 - Software
15:45 - Support
16:40 - The Best??
17:28 - Recommendation

[makeorbreakshop]

Just realized I had the chart for the software wrong, the xTool P2 should have 5 and everything else 4. The total at the end is right...I just missed that in the edit.

[JoeBrinkman]

I think you missed a critical category - maintenance. How easy is it to keep the machines in focus and the mirrors aligned. Along with the availability of parts should you need a replacement lens, or mirror or any other part for the machine. Would love to see you add that in a supplementary video.

[garrydye]

I would say the #1 factor beyond the price point is knowing ahead of time what you plan on doing with this, or any, laser to make money. If you think you are going to laser some cool images on a piece of wood and ever get your money back...think again. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is out there trying to do the same exact thing. The cheaper the entry level into business (and 5K is beyond cheap) the more people are going to be in your space and for that reason...you should really have an idea of how you are going to make a profit BEFORE you buy the laser. This is way more important than the price differences between the laser. You can come back from spending to much if you have a great idea. You will not come back from getting a great deal on a laser if you have no idea how you are going to turn a profit. Figure it out before you buy the laser....don't hope and pray you will just magically figure it all out after you get it.

[patberry]

I am impressed. I do have an Epilog laser and considering adding a second machine. This is a real contender. I am a home hobby person and make gifts for my family and friends. However, once in awhile I do sell things . I really like lasers and CNC machines. I think this Bolt is a winner.

[adamjunod]

Apples to apples, I can see how the Thunder Bolt wins compared to the XTool P2. For $900 more however, the P2 comes with a rotary add-on, conveyer feeder, riser, and air purifier. Thunder doesn't even offer an air purifier or a conveyor feeder, and the rotary tool is $1400 more. With that in mind, does the Bolt still win?

[unclerichard]

You left out a couple of hugely important categories... 1. "Can you buy parts?"

At least one of those machines will not sell you parts, when your tube gets weak you have to ship it back to the manufacturer and they give you a coupon for a discount on a supposed "Refurbished" machine. So to replace your tube cost you a few thousand dollars, or a bearing, or any other part you can't get from somewhere else.

2. One thing I that wasn't clear in the "Connectivity" section, which machines force you to be connected to their cloud before they let you use it? That is a HUGE deal breaker for me. If the internet, or your router, or their server, is down so is your laser??? Not going to happen.

If a company has that much control over whether or not you can use your machine that will eventually come around to screw you, guaranteed. At some point that company is going to want you to pay for it's cloud, meaning a new monthly subscription service. At any time that company could go out of business making your laser a super expensive paper weight. Look at how many Youtube vids are out there highlighting how their projects were delayed, or completely ruined because Adobe's servers crashed so Premier locked up.

Both of these issues make a huge difference in which lasers are usable/affordable.

[-vermin-]

Why do manufacturers keep ignoring the most commonly available material stock size (24 x 12)?

[barthrh]

You missed the test to see which did the best job of etching onto a curved surface, either concave or convex. When you exclude a key feature of a competitive machine (P2) it's not a valid value comparison.

[GuyWithAGweikeCloud]

Thunders are so solid and amazing lasers and incredible to see them come out with the Bolt but pricewise Polars can now be had in great condition used for $1700 or less. I rather have multiple used Polars honestly for this price. I dont engrave much however, mostly cutting. And even if i was engraving, like you said, ill get multiple diodes.

[davidcoppola]

Great Video. I would love to see a direct comparison with the xtool P2. Comparing engraving speed/quality etc. Keep up the good work

[gp_fabrication]

I was excited to hear of the Bolt coming during one of the webinars and I held off getting a laser until it came out. Unfortunately it is just a bit too tall for my application and the price was a little out of my arena for a first machine. I went with the Polar for now as the price was only $2500 when I bought it. Maybe if I can get to a point where I can build my shop differently I can look at it again.

[adrianscarlett]

You used to be above to buy a cheap 40w co2 laser for a few hundred, and a 90w with a 600 x 900mm work area for not much over £1000. Wish I'd bought one then, but I was concentrating on cnc machining at the time.

[ataylor]

Thanks so much a great review! Our slowforge has been giving us fits for a long time now, where we have fixed the red wire issue several times. Glowforge's support only replies with special over a thousand to pay for a refurbished one that might not last either. We are doing fairly well with our small business, and decided to replace the slowforge with the Thunder Bolt. We look forward to having a laser that is top quality with customer support that backs up their product.

[gaiustacitus]

I've watched other comparisons where actual cutting time was measured. Before fully understanding the logic used to control the laser, I was surprised to see that machines with 600 to 1, 000 mm speeds could only produce parts at roughly the same run time as machines with a maximum speed of 300 to 400 mm. The reason is that the faster machines have to overshoot the work area when ramping up and slowing down.

Ultimately, the best choice of laser comes down to (1) the purpose you intend to use it for (cutting or fine engraving) and (2) how fast it can perform the required task.

[blueskyjax]

Will the thunder bolt allow you to use a different rotary or just theirs? It adds almost $1000 bucks to price. Great video!

[radicalrick]

*I've known for ages that Thunder Bolt was by far the best there is out there. No comparison. Thunder Bolt is the Tesla of Laser machine. The reason for this is Thunder Bolt, like Tesla, cares very deeply about its customers by not only giving them the best bang for their money, with a top-notch machine that has gone through super rigid testing and quality control testing, and, their customer service is second to none. Whereas the competition cares more about making money first, then second, helping their customer afterward. Those companies have their priorities messed up.*

[fhotrod]

I don't think it is the best around 5K. If you look at the price paid. I just paid a little over 5K for my Xtool P2, and that included rotary, riser base, and the conveyor attachment that lets you do really long items (I think around 10 feet). Also came with a fire safety set (don't know what that exactly is yet), and materials kit. I have to unbox yet, so we will see how it goes.

[ulaB]

Very nice comparison and machine. I myself am going to give the P2 bonus points for having a passthrough and the conveyor - mostly to justify that I just bought it… ;-)

There seems to be a rotary addon for the bolt, so they both have that.

[Matt_Hattr]

This was extremely helpful and I loved the Thor clips mixed in 😂

[tristanlane]

5K for a machine that uses Vwheels for motion? That's bogus. Even Omtech Polar / Gweike Cloud have proper linear guides.