xTool F1 Laser Engraver: What I've Learned Since 2023
xTool asked me to make one of the F1 videos this post pulls from, and the xTool links here are affiliate links. They've never had a say in what I write. I also design and sell jigs for this machine, and I'll point them out when they come up.
My xTool F1 has been on my bench since 2023, and I still use it. It's engraved baseballs, metal business cards, coins, slate coasters, flashlights, bookmarks, bamboo pens, wooden blocks and a tumbler I only had one shot at. This post is everything I'd tell a friend who's looking at an F1, and everything I wish I'd known the week mine showed up.
One thing to know up front: xTool doesn't sell the F1 new anymore. It's available as an official refurbished unit, and the xTool F2 is the current machine in this size. Plenty of F1s are still out there working every day, though, and a lot of people are buying them secondhand.
The short version
Two lasers in a box you can carry with one hand. The work area is small.
Where it shines
Fast galvo engraving, a blue diode and an infrared laser in one machine, and a size you can take to a craft fair.
Where it fights you
A 115 mm square work area, an odd-sized exhaust port, and some materials that need real testing before the default settings work.
Best for
Small items in volume, event and on-the-spot engraving, and anyone who wants metal marking and wood engraving from one small machine.
The xTool F1 at a glance
These are xTool's published numbers from its F1 product documentation and the refurbished F1 page.
What it does well
Two lasers, one little box
The blue diode handles wood, leather, slate, bamboo, paper and coated metals. The infrared handles bare metal and plastics. Having both in one machine is the whole point of the F1, and it's why it changed the conversation when it came out. You pick the laser per layer in the software, so one job can use both.
On black anodized business cards, the infrared gave me one really nice card, crisp and white. The blue diode will mark them too, but it tends to come out darker and less crisp, because diodes generally run hotter. That's a good example of why having both lasers matters.
It's fast, and it's portable
The F1 is a galvo. Instead of moving the laser head around a gantry, it steers the beam with mirrors, which is where the 4,000 mm/s comes from. Small jobs are done in seconds. The whole machine weighs 4.6 kg with a handle on top, and I've run mine off a portable power station to prove the craft fair setup works. It does!
That portability is the business case. Everything I engraved in my big F1 project video could have been done at a craft fair or a ball game. Picture a little league championship, a table, an F1, a laptop and a stack of baseballs. The world's your oyster.
It was built with safety in mind
The green lid is laser safety plastic, the machine is fully enclosed, it has a built-in exhaust fan, and there's an emergency stop on the side. That's common on machines today. When the F1 came out, a lot of it wasn't.
Focusing is quick
Turn the knob until the red and blue dots meet on the top of your item, and you're in focus. On the back of every Samcraft business card there's a focus gauge. Lay it on top of your item and raise the laser to it. It's my answer to how to focus things, and it gives people a reason to keep my card!
Where it fights you
The work area is small
115 x 115 mm, and the corners are rounded. That's plenty for pens, coins, cards, coasters and tags, and not much else. The slide extension stretches it to 400 x 115 mm for long, narrow items, but you're never going to engrave a big sign on an F1. Know that going in.
Default settings get you most of the way, not all of it
The biggest lesson from my big F1 project video had nothing to do with the machine. I didn't prepare ahead of time and run tests on my materials. I leaned on the default settings in xTool Creative Space, and sometimes that's a home run, and sometimes it just won't get you there. Laser roll leatherette is notorious for being difficult, and I struggled with it. My slate coaster took three runs, and the fancy gold text I tried on top turned out terrible. You live, you learn.
Test first, on scrap, before a customer's blank goes in. My test file kit for xTool software is built for exactly that.
Starting points from my own jobs
- Powder coated stainless tumbler: blue diode, 80% power, 400 mm/s, 300 lines per cm. Two passes was the sweet spot.
- 40 mm metal coin: infrared, 100% power, 20 mm/s. About 20 minutes, and it's a permanent mark, not a deep engrave.
- Black anodized business card: 1,000 mm/s was too fast, so I dropped to 200 mm/s.
- Synthetic leather baseball: two passes to get it dark enough.
Your blanks aren't my blanks, so treat these as a place to start testing, not a final answer.
If your stainless tumblers come out with weird lines in them, look at your lines per centimeter first. Most of the time that's the cause. Turn the resolution up for a crisper result.
The exhaust port is an odd size
The F1's exhaust is a small, non-standard size, so you'll need an adapter to run a normal 4 inch hose. And watch your airflow. I hooked my F1 to a 6 inch fume extractor with a high CFM fan, and it sucked a business card right off the jig mid-job. Lightweight items and big fans don't mix.
Tumblers without a rotary
xTool makes a rotary for the F1, and if you do a lot of full wraps, it's the right tool. But you can do a wrap without one. I engraved my wife's favorite coral tumbler by laying it in my drinkware jig and turning it by hand between jobs.
- Split the design into pieces. In the software, release the compound, rebuild each flower as its own compound vector, and park them all off the canvas. Bring one in, engrave it, rotate the cup, bring in the next. That tumbler took 11 separate jobs.
- Keep each piece narrow. On this setup, graphics near 45 mm wide showed a little feathering at the edges. The sweet spot is about 35 x 100 mm.
- Shim the handle. The handle wants to roll the cup. I used machinist 1-2-3 blocks under it so the cup stays put and I can walk away.
- Double tap the side button to repeat the last job. That makes the rotate and repeat rhythm quick.
With the cup on its side I was at the F1's max height, and a little out of focus near the handle. The blue diode has a bit more wiggle room on focus depth, which is why I used it here.
What sells on an F1
This machine is built for small items, and small items add up. A few I've made on mine, and why they work:
- Bamboo pens. They turn out really well, they're quick, and the natural wood looks good. The grain can make the finish a little hit and miss. Don't just think office people: plumbers, electricians, campgrounds, anybody who likes their name on stuff.
- Metal business cards. Aim at the customer who takes marketing seriously. A metal card doesn't get tossed in a drawer.
- Baseballs, softballs and pickleballs. Set up at a tournament and engrave on the spot.
- Coasters. Slate or wood. My 4 inch coaster jig is one of my best sellers.
- Keepsake blocks. Name, birth date, weight and length. Market them as a memento the parents buy, not as a toy.
What I'd add on day one
- Real fume extraction. An adapter to a 4 inch hose and a fan that vents outside. Just not so much fan that your blanks go airborne.
- Jigs for the things you sell. The flat metal plate that comes with it works for one-offs. For repeat work, a jig puts every item in the same spot every time. Mine never goes back to the plate.
- Laser safety glasses rated for both 455 nm and 1064 nm when the lid is up.
- A test routine. Ten minutes on scrap beats ruining a customer's blank.
Should you buy one?
Buy it if
- You sell small items: pens, cards, coins, tags, coasters
- You want to engrave at events, fairs and games
- You want metal marking and wood engraving in one small machine
- You're fine with a refurbished unit and its shorter warranty
Think twice if
- You need to engrave or cut anything bigger than about 4.5 inches
- Cutting is a big part of your work
- You want deep metal engraving rather than marking
- You'd rather have a new machine with a full warranty. Look at the F2.
Want the current version? Read my xTool F2 guide. Need more power and a bigger area? See the xTool F1 Ultra.
See the refurbished F1 at xTool (affiliate link)
Common questions
Can you still buy the xTool F1 new?
No. xTool now sells the F1 as an official refurbished unit, sold in the US with a 6-month warranty. The xTool F2 is the current machine in this size.
How big is the xTool F1's working area?
115 x 115 mm with rounded corners. With the slide extension it goes to 400 x 115 mm. The processing height is 113 mm.
Should I use the diode or the infrared laser on the F1?
Use the 10W blue diode for wood, leather, slate, paper and coated metal, and for cutting. Use the 2W infrared for bare metal, plastics and black acrylic. On anodized aluminum business cards, the infrared gave me the crispest, whitest mark.
Can the xTool F1 engrave a tumbler without a rotary?
Yes, if you split the design into narrow sections and turn the cup by hand in a drinkware jig. On my F1 the sweet spot was a graphic about 35 x 100 mm per section. xTool also makes a rotary if you do a lot of full wraps.
Can the xTool F1 cut?
The blue diode can. xTool rates it for up to 8 mm of wood and 5 mm of acrylic, and 6 mm basswood in one pass. The infrared laser doesn't cut.
Can the F1 run away from a wall outlet?
I've run mine off a portable power station for a craft fair style setup, and it worked great. Check your power station's output against the F1 before you count on it.
Do Samcraft F1 jigs fit the xTool F2?
Yes. My F1 jigs are listed as F1 / F2 and fit both machines.
More from the Maker Guides
xTool F2: the current compact dual laser
xTool F1 Ultra: fiber plus diode, bigger area
Watch more of my F1 work on Samcraft on YouTube, including ten projects on the F1, the no-rotary tumbler wrap and running the F1 off a battery.
Sam
Disclosure: xTool requested one of the F1 videos this post draws on. xTool links in this post are affiliate links that may earn Samcraft a commission at no extra cost to you. xTool has no editorial input or control over Samcraft content. Samcraft designs and sells its own accessories for the F1, including the jigs and exhaust adapter mentioned here. Specifications are from xTool's published documentation. Last reviewed September 2026.
