The UK's bestLaser Engravers2022 Review

The SainSmart Genmitsu 3018-PROVer is a popular choice for home CNC enthusiasts. It’s one of the best engravers that you can get for the money. Just be aware that it’s not supplied with a laser attachment, you’ll need to buy that separately.

In terms of build quality, everything feels well-made. They haven’t skimped on essential features like limit switches and X axis probes for automatic depth finding. You can even set a home position anywhere on the engraving area. This means the laser head will return there automatically when a program is finished.

There’s a fair amount of assembly required to get started with laser cutting, but SainSmart have labelled everything well. Included is a well-detailed guide and even the tools you need to finish what they started.

What makes this one of the best CNC engravers is that you can run the machine without a computer. Using the GRBL offline controller, you can control all functions that you would otherwise input with your computer.

They’ve even included a USB stick and 16 GB memory card to transfer GCODE files to your computer, that also contain all the manuals and guides for operation. It’s a nice machine that lets you mill with the spindle or engrave with the laser. It’s one of the best home CNC machines I’ve found.

Laser cutter and engraving specialists Atomstack have made several powerful and capable CNC machine models in the past, but the A5 Pro is their flagship model. Sporting a mighty 40 Watt laser and enormous engraving area, this is probably the best high power laser cutter and engraver that I’ve checked out so far.

The real star of the show here is the Class 4 laser with 5 Watts of output. It’s a seriously powerful laser that can engrave and even cut through a wide range of materials. It can cope with wood, fabrics, acrylic, stone, stainless steel, ceramic tile, and even thin leather.

Featuring a clever protective cover that shrouds the laser unit with UV filtering plastic, it makes this engraver safer to use with other people in the room. Atomstack have included a pair of safety glasses as well though.

This laser cutter and engraver supports the most popular software platforms including LaserGRBL and LightBurn. Compatible with Windows XP, 7, 8, 10, Mac OS and Linux, it’s supported by all the popular operating systems.

One of the better-known makers of laser engraving machines, Ortur have come up with a very clever piece of kit in the Laser Master 2 S2-SF. An upgrade from the popular Laser Master 2, the S2 features a second-generation compressed focal spot laser module. It’s an uprated 20 Watt laser that is ideal for engraving wood, stone, plastics, and even food!

This laser engraver comes partially assembled, making setup a bit easier for non-experts. The motor powers the laser along at a maximum 5,000 mm/min, which is pretty speedy and should help get your projects finished quicker. Weighing just 3.2 kg, it’s light enough to move around when not in use as well.

What makes this one of the best laser engraving tools in my mind is the huge engraving area. Coming in at a massive 410 x 390 mm, it’s nearly the biggest on my list and means you can work on much bigger projects compared with the Sfeomi laser cutter and engraver, for example.

It supports popular laser engraving software platforms including LaserGRBL and LightBurn, among others. This engraver is compatible with Windows XP, 7, 8, 10, Mac OS and Linux. It’s one of the best laser engravers on the market right now, if you’re serious about the craft.

The LaserPecker mini laser engraving machine is a cut above the competition when it comes to design and functionality. You could literally put it in your pocket and take it with you. It engraves high-quality images in a range of materials.

From a design perspective, this engraver looks more like a slick gadget than the industrial-style engravers on my list. The fact it’s a minimalist gold cylinder just adds to the attraction. It’s an ideal tool if you don’t want to give up vital bench space. However, you must make do with a vastly reduced engraving area on the machine itself.

Supplied with a tripod that will keep the laser engraving head at the right height, you can remove it and engrave horizontally if you want. This opens a world of possibilities, where you can engrave directly onto walls or other objects that would otherwise never fit onto even the biggest engraving area.

Simply connect the engraver up to your phone via Bluetooth and use the app to create your designs.

I honestly think this is one of the best laser engravers out there, but it depends on what you plan to do with it. It’s not designed for laser cutting or producing large images. However, it can do things that even the best CNC engravers can’t.

Another micro laser engraver, the HomdMarket K5 is a capable little laser device. It won’t take up too much bench space or empty your wallet either. In fact, it’s one of the best budget laser engravers available right now.

This is a device more suited to hobbyists. Or perhaps someone who wants to get involved with laser engraving but doesn’t want to have to assemble a full-size laser machine. There’s minimal setup involved before you can get creative.

It’s a basic engraver, but you can still work on a range of softer materials with a bit of practice. It’s good for leather, plastic, wood, and paper. It shouldn’t be relied on for laser cutting unless you make several passes.

The drawback of such a small laser engraver is the size of materials you can fit into it. You could rest the entire machine on top of a large piece of material at a pinch. But odd-shaped items must be able to fit under the legs.

The Sfeomi 40W Laser Cutter and Engraving Machine is one the best 40 Watt laser cutters on the UK market because it’s so easy to set up. It’s great to use it straight from the box without any calibration.

This is a high power laser engraver that is delivered ready to go. It’s all encased in a professional-looking industrial style blue case. All the moving parts are kept hidden away inside, so it should stay dust-free and clean when not in use.

The large engraving area means you can tackle larger engraving projects than the competition. The powerful CO2 laser engraver is tough enough to cut a range of materials. These include stone, glass, bamboo, leather, wood, acrylic, and plastics up to 3 mm thick.

The cutting table has a clamp for holding down odd-shaped objects as well, so you’re not just limited to engraving or cutting flat boards. I think it’s one of the best laser engraving machines if you want to get into the craft. Simply because there’s everything here to get you started.

This laser cutter runs Shenzhouyike software as standard, but is compatible with other laser engraving programs, and runs on Windows 8, 7, 10 (64/32 bit), XP and 2000. There is no iOS compatibility.

The good people at NEJE have a history of making the best laser engravers. Their Master 1 was a popular choice for anyone wanting to get into the craft. The NEJE Master 2 mini engraving machine is a welcome upgrade! It’s one of the most straightforward engraving machines I’ve tried out so far.

Starting with the packaging. The Master 2 was delivered in a series of cardboard and foam boxes that kept everything secure during transport. This is incredibly important when dealing with a delicate CNC engraver that doesn’t like to be dropped or knocked.

Assembly is relatively straightforward. The instructions are easy to follow, and it won’t take long to get the engraving machine up and running with the included tools. There’s everything you need to get started. NEJE have even thought to include safety glasses, a welcome addition to any laser engraving machine. They even threw in an aluminium dog tag to practise on!

Seeing as the laser included is a smaller 20 Watt version, it’s more suited to decorative engraving and shouldn’t be used as a laser cutter on thick materials. You can cut through thin plastic or wood, but it takes several passes which might not be ideal if you want to cut a lot of shapes.

You can connect the engraver up to your computer, it runs on Windows 7, 8, 10 and above, or use NEJEs app for Android or iOS.