ComMarker Omni 1 UV Laser: What I've Learned Running One
ComMarker links in this post are affiliate links. ComMarker has never had a say in what I write. I also design and sell jigs for ComMarker lasers, and I'll point them out when they come up.
The ComMarker Omni 1 is a UV galvo laser, and I've had the 5W version in my shop since late 2024. I've run it on metal cards, leatherette, wood, glass, a mirror, powder coated tumblers and plastic, and I still use it to engrave the reference grids on my FatMats. This post is what I'd tell a friend who's looking at one.
One thing to know up front: ComMarker no longer sells the Omni 1. Its product page is gone, and the Omni X and Omni XE are ComMarker's current UV lasers. If you're looking at a used Omni 1, or wondering what a UV laser actually does in a real shop, read on.
The short version
A cool laser that marks almost anything. Plan an afternoon for setup.
Where it shines
Wood with zero charring, glass and mirrors with no cleanup, plastic that doesn't melt, plus metal. Lots of height under the lens.
Where it fights you
Lens calibration takes real time, the full advertised area wasn't usable corner to corner on mine, and it's no longer sold new.
Best for
Shops that want one machine for metal, wood, glass and plastic without heat damage.
The ComMarker Omni 1 at a glance
These are ComMarker's published numbers from its model comparison. The Omni 1 came in a 5W and a 10W version.
What it does well
It crosses over into the diode and CO2 world
A fiber laser is a metal marking machine. It won't give you a clean engraving on wood. The Omni 1 will. I engraved a square wooden coaster with zero charring and zero problems, and that's something you just don't get from an infrared machine. With a UV laser, you keep most of the fiber material list and add the stuff that usually needs a diode or a CO2.
It's a cool laser, in both senses
A UV laser is what's known as a cool laser: it looks cool, and it engraves cool. It marks without the heat that melts plastic or scorches wood. My craft store plant markers came out clean in one pass, with no melting, warping or deforming. Look at the labeling and branding on plastic products around your house. A lot of it could be done with a UV laser.
Glass and mirrors with no cleanup
UV engraves glass with a frosted finish similar to sandblasting, and you don't need to pretreat it or wet sand it afterward. My mirror candle holder came out perfect: I held it with my fence pieces, ran a normal crosshatch at 80 mm/s, and didn't have to clean up a thing. No shards, no burrs for a customer's fingers.
Powder coated tumblers are easy
Ablating powder coat down to the stainless was no problem at all, with no focus issues. For a logo on one face of a cup, a fixed drinkware jig does the job. For a full wrap around the circumference, you need a rotary.
Lots of room under the lens
The height range is great. You can get really tall objects under there, and the electric lift makes focusing quick.
Where it fights you
Calibration takes an afternoon
Before I engraved anything real, I spent about three hours calibrating the lens and testing the machine. The lens correction alone took an hour or two in LightBurn, following LightBurn's official videos step by step. The goal is simple: tell the software 100 mm, get 100 mm. It's a necessary evil, and it's not unique to ComMarker. I've had to do it on every laser that runs LightBurn. The xTool machines are the exception, because they live in their own software.
Check your real working size
The lens installed on mine was advertised at 150 x 150 mm. I ran squares from 150 mm down in 5 mm steps, and the size I could count on, with every corner fully engraved, was 110 x 110 mm. It would reach 150 mm across most of the area, but the corners got cut off. So in my head, this machine does 110 x 110. That was my only real complaint.
After that, run a solid engraving across the whole field on a scrap of glass and look for dead spots or weak areas. That way, if something goes wrong down the road, you already know the lens and laser checked out on day one. My free galvo laser square test is the file I use for the size check.
Glass takes practice
I really struggled to get consistent results on glass. I reran jobs, moved the focus up and down for the curve, and tried everything from dollar store glasses to kitchen ones. When it worked, it worked great. I just couldn't make it work every time. I think that was me, not the machine: powder coated tumblers in the same setup had no issues at all, and plenty of people are doing very well engraving glass with UV.
Be careful with plastics
Some plastics contain PVC, and you don't want to laser those. Do your research on any plastic before it goes under the laser, and always run fume extraction, whatever the material.
What I'd add on day one
- UV laser safety glasses rated for 355 nm. Check your diode or fiber glasses before assuming they cover it.
- Fume extraction vented outside.
- A square test and a dead spot test before your first real job.
- Machinist 1-2-3 blocks for holding flat pieces square and propping up glass for tests.
- A jig baseplate, fences or jigs so repeat jobs land in the same spot.
Should you buy one?
Buy one used if
- You want one laser for metal, wood, glass and plastic
- Heat damage is a problem with what you engrave now
- You're comfortable calibrating a galvo in LightBurn or EZCAD
- You're buying used and can test the machine before you commit
Think twice if
- You want a new machine with a full warranty. Look at the current Omni models.
- You need the full advertised area on every job
- You want a plug and play setup with no calibration
Looking at ComMarker's fiber laser instead? Read my ComMarker B4 guide.
See ComMarker's current lasers (affiliate link)
Common questions
Is the ComMarker Omni 1 still sold?
No. ComMarker's Omni 1 product page is gone, and the Omni X and Omni XE are its current UV lasers.
What can a UV laser engrave that a fiber laser can't?
Wood without charring, glass and mirrors without pretreating, and plastic without melting, on top of most of the metals a fiber handles. My Omni 1 engraved a wooden coaster with zero charring, which you won't get from an infrared machine.
How big is the Omni 1's working area?
ComMarker lists 70 x 70 mm or 150 x 150 mm depending on the lens. On mine, the 150 mm lens reached most of that area, but the size I could count on with every corner fully engraved was 110 x 110 mm.
Does the ComMarker Omni 1 need calibration?
Plan on it. Calibrating the lens in LightBurn took me an hour or two, and with my size and dead spot tests I spent about three hours before my first real job. That's normal for galvo lasers that run LightBurn.
Can the Omni 1 engrave glass?
Yes, with a frosted look and no pretreating or wet sanding. I had trouble getting consistent results on drinking glasses, which I put down to my technique. A flat mirror came out perfect at 80 mm/s.
Do I need special safety glasses for a UV laser?
Yes. Check that your glasses are rated for 355 nm. Many glasses made for diode or fiber lasers don't cover UV.
Watch the full test on Samcraft on YouTube: One Laser that Engraves Anything? ComMarker Omni 1.
Sam
Disclosure: ComMarker links in this post are affiliate links that may earn Samcraft a commission at no extra cost to you. ComMarker has no editorial input or control over Samcraft content. Samcraft designs and sells its own accessories for ComMarker lasers, including the jigs mentioned here. Specifications are from ComMarker's published documentation. Last reviewed September 2026.
