UV laser · Desktop galvo · xTool
xTool F2 Ultra UV
Gift, award and memorial businesses that sell engraved glass, crystal and plastic items, especially 3D photo crystals
from $4,299 at xTool, checked Oct 22
Image: xTool. Prices change often; the shop shows the current price.
Quick verdict
The F2 Ultra UV puts a 5W 355 nm UV laser in the same tower body as xTool's F2 Ultra, with a 200 x 200 mm galvo field, dual 48MP cameras and autofocus. UV is a cold process, so it marks glass, crystal, plastics and silicone cleanly where diode and IR lasers struggle or scorch. Its headline trick is inner engraving: with the included lens and riser it builds 3D images inside K9 glass and crystal blocks up to 70 x 70 x 150 mm. It is not a production cutter or a fast metal marker, since deep work takes many passes and it cannot cut metal. At $4,299 it suits a business selling glass and crystal gifts, not a first general purpose laser.
What you still need
Safety glasses rated for 355 nm (xTool recommends OD5 or higher) for anyone near the machine, since the US version is Class 4. Fume extraction, such as the $999 AP2 purifier or a vented inline fan; the $5,959 Deluxe bundle adds the AP2, the conveyor and the RA3 rotary. K9 glass and crystal blanks, the RA3 rotary ($349) for glasses and cups, and the conveyor ($450 more as a bundle) for the 200 x 500 mm area. Budget time to learn inner engraving settings.Material reality check
Engraves glass, crystal, acrylic, wood, leather, plastics, rubber, silicone and ceramic, and marks metal (shallow and slow on bare metal). xTool lists cutting for thin glass (up to 1 mm in its tests), plastics such as PE, PP, EVA and PET, fabric, leather, paper, wood and acrylic that is not fully transparent. Inner engraving works in K9 glass and crystal, not in acrylic or in tempered, laminated or deeply tinted glass. It cannot cut metal. Never laser PVC or vinyl.Better alternative if
if you mostly engrave metal, wood and leather rather than glass and crystal, the F2 does that faster for $3,000 less: xTool F2Scores
Scored on the same scale for every laser on this site. See all lasers ranked.
Specifications
| Laser type | UV laser |
|---|---|
| Form | Desktop galvo |
| Optical power | 5 W |
| Other modules | No second laser source; an inner engraving lens, riser and K9 test block for subsurface glass engraving come in the box alongside the standard surface lens |
| Wavelength | 355 ± 5 nm |
| Work area | 200 × 200 mm |
| Max speed | 15,000 mm/s (galvo, maker claim) |
| Cutting (maker claim) | 15 mm basswood and 12 mm acrylic in multiple passes, and glass up to 1 mm (maker figures); no metal cutting |
| Precision | 0.02 mm spot size and 0.2 mm camera positioning (maker claims) |
| Air assist | None |
| Camera | Yes |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Rotary support | Yes |
| Safety | Enclosed tower with UV-filtering orange windows, emergency stop and access key; xTool's US spec table rates it Class 4 (xTool also documents a Class 1 version without the emergency stop or inner engraving pack), so goggles rated for 355 nm are needed whenever the cover is up |
| Connectivity | USB, Wi-Fi |
| Software | xTool Studio |
| Weight | 22.5 kg |
| Price | from $4,299 at xTool, checked Oct 22 |
Pros and cons
Why we like it
- Inner (subsurface) engraving in K9 glass and crystal up to 70 x 70 x 150 mm, with the lens and riser in the box
- Cold 355 nm processing marks glass, plastics, silicone and coated metal with little or no charring
- Very small 0.02 mm spot; a reviewer could read text at about 1 point size
- 200 x 200 mm surface field, which grows to 200 x 500 mm with the $499 conveyor
- Dual 48MP cameras, autofocus and image to 3D tools in xTool Studio make setup quick
Watch out for
- $4,299 for a 5W laser whose real speciality is glass and crystal
- Slow for depth: a reviewer needed 256 passes and almost 6 hours to engrave a 40 mm brass coin
- No metal cutting, and xTool itself calls color marking on metal limited and unstable
- Class 4 as sold in the US, and UV light is invisible, so goggles rated for 355 nm are a must
- xTool Studio only, no LightBurn, and a reviewer found camera placement drifts on items of different heights
Compare with
Frequently asked questions
What materials can the xTool F2 Ultra UV cut and engrave?
Engraves glass, crystal, acrylic, wood, leather, plastics, rubber, silicone and ceramic, and marks metal (shallow and slow on bare metal). xTool lists cutting for thin glass (up to 1 mm in its tests), plastics such as PE, PP, EVA and PET, fabric, leather, paper, wood and acrylic that is not fully transparent. Inner engraving works in K9 glass and crystal, not in acrylic or in tempered, laminated or deeply tinted glass. It cannot cut metal. Never laser PVC or vinyl.
What else do I need to buy with the xTool F2 Ultra UV?
Safety glasses rated for 355 nm (xTool recommends OD5 or higher) for anyone near the machine, since the US version is Class 4. Fume extraction, such as the $999 AP2 purifier or a vented inline fan; the $5,959 Deluxe bundle adds the AP2, the conveyor and the RA3 rotary. K9 glass and crystal blanks, the RA3 rotary ($349) for glasses and cups, and the conveyor ($450 more as a bundle) for the 200 x 500 mm area. Budget time to learn inner engraving settings.
How much does the xTool F2 Ultra UV cost?
From $4,299 at xTool, checked Oct 22.
How we rank: by our own scores for power, speed, ease of use, safety and value, from the maker's published specs and independent tests where they exist. Some links earn us a commission (for example TwoTrees, SainSmart, Gweike and Amazon). That never changes a score or the order of a list (disclosure).
Sources
- xTool F2 Ultra UV product page and spec table (US store)
- xTool F2 Ultra UV store data (variant prices)
- xTool F-series accessory data (conveyor, purifier prices)
- xTool F2 Ultra UV User Guide (Class 1 and Class 4 versions)
- xTool F2 Ultra UV User Guide (Class 1 laser machine)
- xTool FAQs on F2 Ultra UV (focus, cutting, inner engraving, goggles)
- xTool Safety First for F2 Ultra UV (Class 1 laser machine)
- MatterHackers xTool F2 Ultra UV specifications and box contents
- Shop3DUniverse xTool F2 Ultra UV specifications
- FauxHammer xTool F2 Ultra UV review