The ULTIMATE xTool F1 Ultra Review for Beginners - I Ignored Everything and It Still Worked Great

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As many of you know, I'm quite new to
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lasers. I've got next to no idea what
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I'm doing. And yet, this thing makes me
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feel like Tony Stark. This is only my
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third laser engraver. I'm not an expert,
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just some guy with a pile of machines
0:12
and an unhealthy obsession with burning
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logos into everything I own. But this
0:17
one, this one's different. This is
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something special. In the first few days
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I used it, I had more finished projects
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than with every other laser I've used
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combined. metal, wood, slate, resin, 3D
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printed plastic, and X tool put the full
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stop and it just works. It's not in that
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it technically functions kind of way
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that I've seen from so many other
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brands. It works beautifully. This has
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by far exceeded my expectations. And
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that's after I've used other reviews and
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so many commenters were saying, "Get an
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X tool. Get an X tool." And praising it
0:53
to high heaven. I genuinely still can't
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believe how good this is. To everyone
0:58
who recommended this to me, not only
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were you right, I think you kind of
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played it down as well. So, if you're
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watching and you're like me and you
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think spec sheets are just a polite way
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for brands to have an overtly public
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dick measuring contest and you'd rather
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know what it's actually like to use a
1:13
thing rather than what they say, then
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yeah, you're going to want to see this
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one. Hi, I'm Ross and this is Foul
1:20
Hammer Videos. So, as I said, this is my
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third laser engraver ever, and if it
1:25
were my last, honestly, I'd be happy.
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It's so rare that I actually get to
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review a product I genuinely enjoy using
1:33
this much. The X Tool F1 Ultra isn't
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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
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is, those few issues do hit differently.
1:50
Because when a machine nails the
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day-to-day experience like this one
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does, the usual complaints just don't
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carry the same weight. And if you're new
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to my channel and you think I'm just
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saying this because I got a free
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expensive thing, with all due respect,
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ask around. I'm not that guy. So, let's
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get into it. This thing has two lasers
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built in. First, a 20 W diode laser,
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which is great for wood, acrylic,
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leather, slate, and most general
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engraving or cutting. Then there's a
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20watt infrared fiber laser used for
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metals like stainless steel, aluminium,
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brass, and even titanium. This is what
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gives you those crisp permanent marks
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that you'd usually only get on
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industrial kit or you would spend hours
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cutting into using just a diode laser.
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The working area on this is 220x 220 mm,
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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
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you can just repeat engravings over and
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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
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on that shortly. The spot size of the
2:59
laser goes as small as 30 microns or
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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.
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Now the unboxing is glorious. Like
3:25
seriously, Xool have nailed that premium
3:28
Apple style reveal vibe and setup is so
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easy. Clear manuals, well translated,
3:33
every port is labeled. Just if you're
3:36
going to buy one, I would recommend
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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
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lots of ports. On the back from left to
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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
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USBA port for the security key. You
4:01
can't actually use the machine if this
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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
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later. On the right hand side, we've got
4:17
more ports. We've got the power switch
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at the bottom, then a USBA port for
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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
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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.
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And this unit also has a fully working
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estop button. above all the ports. Just
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slam this and it shuts the machine down
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completely. Laser power the lot. One
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slight interesting thing I've noticed
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though is all the ports for connecting
4:50
other X tool devices are somewhat
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proprietary in shape. Almost a blend of
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USBC and mini USB, maybe FireWire, but
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it's been a while since I've seen one of
5:00
those. And whilst this does have
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built-in Wi-Fi, I would personally
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prefer to see an Ethernet option, too,
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especially on something that's more of
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an industrial device. Looks wise, it's
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nice. It's on form. I think it's
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gorgeous. It's got a really nice slide
5:13
up shield, which I'll talk more about
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when we get to safety in a bit. But
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moving into what all this actually
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means. Well, because this is a Galvo
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Moper style laser, it means one thing.
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It's mainly intended for engraving more
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than cutting. The further you perform
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cutting operations from the center, the
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more likely you'll get angled cuts on
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the edges of parts. I'm not really
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critiquing it for that. This is just an
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effect of this type of technology
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because the laser is projected outwards
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from a fixed point. Now, you also get a
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preview camera, but this is positioned
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behind the laser lens, which while
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having one is clever, but since it's
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right at the back, the further you are
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from its center, the less accurate it
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gets when predicting where engravings
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are going to happen. And when using
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batch operations, the software actually
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advises you to keep the parts near the
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back for the best accuracy. So, whilst I
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love the addition of this, I find I
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mostly end up framing everything with
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the blue laser guide before I actually
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commit to anything. But, as a 3D printer
6:11
owner, there's an absolute crap ton of
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printable jigs out there for help with
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alignment. But, as I said, I mostly end
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up framing manually with the blue laser
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guide because while the camera works,
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it's just not perfect enough. And I do
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wish there was a way to run some more
6:27
advanced calibration across the whole
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work area. But we've also got to
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consider that this will change depending
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on different heights of materials. The
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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the laser engraved around the edge. When
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it detected this and it was going on for
9:54
more than a second or two, the machine
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shut off the laser entirely and started
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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]

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The ULTIMATE xTool F1 Ultra Review for Beginners - I Ignored Everything and It Still Worked Great

fauxhammer.com