Sorry for the click-baity title. However, I see a ton of folks posting on the Facebook group and even the community forum, asking what model they should buy. It’s not a quick answer, as it depends on what you plan on making with your laser. My answer to this question is always lengthy, so I figured I’d post my opinions and guide people to this post. I wished that I knew about these when making my decision over 2 years ago, and though many potential buyers might help them with their purchase decision. Again, these are my personal reasons why I think you might want the Pro versus the other models. It may surprise you what I came up with!
Showing a 12″ x 24″x 1/4″ thick bamboo plywood through the Pro Passthrough slot. I probably cut at least 50% of my jobs this way without ever using the Passthrough software to maximize my print area.
This was something I discovered after buying the Glowforge, but wished I knew beforehand. Using the Pro Passthrough slot allows me to reduce the amount of waste when cutting premium materials. This alone will eventually pay for the difference between the Plus and the Pro models. Let me explain. All Glowforge models have a bed area that accommodates 12″ x 20″ materials. This is the size for Proofgrade materials that you buy from Glowforge. Unfortunately, the actual print size is less than that. If you’re doing just cuts, my usable print area is around 10.98″ x 18.98″. This means that you’ll always have a portion of the material that cannot be used. Basically a border that cannot but cut. If you’re engraving, this area is even smaller. Now I tend to buy a bunch of different types of materials, some of which are not cheap. Leaving that 1″ of waste is tough when you spend more on premium materials like acrylic from inventables or even proofgrade plywood.
Now keep in mind that this method cannot be used for all print jobs. If you mostly cut things larger than 12″ wide, this won’t help. But I cut a wide range of projects, and many times they are smaller items. Being able to cut and engrave virtually edge to edge helps my workflow. I use the passthrough slot all the time, but have only printed a couple things that used the pass-through software. 99% of the time, it’s to maximize my print area on the material.
Pictured here is a sheet of bronze mirrored acrylic from Inventables, priced at $21.49. Also to prove my point on how expensive materials can get, I have also purchased some of their Glitter acrylic for $59.49 per 12″ x 24″ sheet. Very pricey, but it was for a commission, and used this same method to reduce waste. The mirrored bronze acrylic was used to make coins for a custom Harry Potter Monopoly game to engrave the $50 and $5 coins. Using the pass through slot, I was able to cut and engrave 40 of the $5 coins, and 30 of the $50 coins on a single sheet. First off, this acrylic comes in 12″ x 24″ sheets, which doesn’t fit in the bed of the Glowforge, but we’ll address that later. Even if you cut this down outside the Glowforge with a saw, you would still need 2 sheets of this material to accomplish the same thing with a Plus of Basic model because of the border restrictions. With the Pro Passthrough, you can engrave without the reduced cut areas and get pretty close to the edge of your material. Without the Pro model, I would have had to buy 2 sheets.
Savings: $21.49 plus shipping*
* You’re not going to pay for the difference overnight, or anytime soon. But, having this feature alone for me has been worth the cost to get the Pro model. Of course, I had to move the material and cut in multiple steps. And yes, you’d have extra acrylic to used for another project if you bought 2 sheets. Since I cut multiple acrylic sheets, I saved having to buy over $100 in extra materials on this project alone.
Notice how close I was able to get to the edge of this sheet of 12″ x 24″ acrylic.
When Glowforge designed their magical laser printer, they decided in their infinite wisdom to made the bed size accommodate 12″ x 20″ materials. Unfortunately, many suppliers sell materials that are 12″ x 24″ in size, meaning you’d have to cut the material down on a table saw or circular saw before using on a Basic or Plus model. Many of the wood and acrylic products from Inventables, Johnson Plastics Plus, and other suppliers use this “standard” size.*
If you have the Pro model, you can you the pass-through slot to cut off that extra 4″ to be able to fit this into the Glowforge. You’ll be left with a 12″ x 20″ and a 12″ x 4″ piece of material. The Glowforge user interface now has the ability to add a line into your artwork making this process super simple.
* Many suppliers are adding 12″ x 20″ materials as an option due to increased demand from Glowforge users.
Glowforge Version 2: Please add a larger bed to accommodate these bigger sizes. Call it the Glowforge XL!
At the time of this post, the Pro Passthrough software is currently in beta. I was lucky enough to be able to test this first hand, and can verify that this is a huge accomplishment for the Glowforge team. Although I do not have a ton of projects that I’ve done using the Pro Passthrough software, I can verify that it worked very well for me. The seams were spot on, and the process to use the interface was simple and straight forward. Knowing that this is now being offered as beta to new testers shows that they are constantly tweaking the software, and that this will be released soon to anyone that has a Pro model as part of your interface. It has been confirmed that this will not be a premium feature, and included. I can only describe my experience as flawless!
Leaving your front door open on the Glowforge is not a recommended or supported option. I’m not going to tell you how to bypass the safety measures to get this to work, and if you try it, you do so as your own risk!
So, can you engrave a skateboard deck with a Glowforge? Normally, no. The slot for the passthrough is limited to materials 1/4″ thick or thinner, and this would not fit. Other items like large cutting boards may not fit on the standard bed of the Glowforge. However, many users have used their Glowforge with the front door open to accommodate these larger items. You wouldn’t be able to do this with the Basic or Plus models. So, technically, yes. You can engrave a skateboard with a Glowforge! (Although, not the whole thing at once.)
Most people buy the Glowforge Pro model to make things that are larger than what can fit on the standard 12″ x 20″ bed. This includes signs, layered artwork, and many more possibilities. For me, this is just a perk of having the pro model, as my primary reasons for loving the Pro are listed above. I did not know this when purchasing the Glowforge, and luckily, I went with the Pro. If you are only going to cut smaller pieces that fit into the standard bed area, or plan on using cheaper materials that don’t matter if you have any waste, then the Basic or Pro models are fantastic options for for you. As stated earlier, with the Pro Passthrough software becoming a reality soon for all Pro owners, this makes choosing the Pro a much easier decision. Glowforge also sells larger 20″ x 48″ Proofgrade materials to use in the Pro models. I hope this was helpful in your decision to buy a Glowforge, no matter what model you choose. You won’t regret it!
Here is an example of cutting a tabbed box using the Pro Passthrough software. The arrows show where the seams are.
Use this contact form to send me your inquiries, and I’ll respond as soon as I can!
So you want a Glowforge more than ever. I’m happy to answer your questions, and I’ve mentored a number of new Glowforge users to help get them started. If you’d like to use my referral code, I’d be delighted and use the credits to buy more Proofgrade materials for future creations. I’ve added a contact form here if you’d like to ask anything I haven’t covered. You’ll love owning a Glowforge!
Here is my Glowforge referral code and link: TBPLHPFL
