CONTENTS & ASSEMBLY 9/10

I’ve had a fair bit of galvo lasers show up at my door and let me tell you that nothing is better when one shows up in the crate completely assembled. There is absolutely nothing you need to do out of the box to turn on the machine other than plug it in. Every single piece, part and plate was completely covered in a thick layer of foam and plastic wrap to keep it safe on it’s journey to you and while it takes a little while to unpack it’s absolutely worth it to have a machine that feels untouched emerge from the crate.

In addition to the machine most SFX lasers ship standard with a D80 rotary as well as an accessories kit that contains everything you need to start marking right away. Included are a pair of fiber laser safety glasses, hex wrench set, foot pedal, jig bars, connectors and power cables as well as a usb stick with your copy of Ezcad with all of the device settings and calibrations completed at the factory in advance. It took about 60 minutes to go from crate to marking which isn’t too bad at all considering the thoughtful packaging of the laser to protect it in transit.

HARDWARE & SPECS 10/10

I’ll say it again, if you want a snazzy laser this isn’t the one for you - but if you can ignore its looks this machine offers a ton of conveniences and high quality parts that will stand the test of time with heavy use. It’s 100% aluminum construction is solid with tight tolerances that keep everything exactly where it needs to be even through maintenance and travel. The millimeter scale 50cm tower uses standard mounts and spacing which means upgrading to an 80cm tower for fans of large field sizes is no issue. The manual focus assembly is responsive but snug so your focus isn’t going to drift while the machine is in use. The only thing I don’t like about the chassis is their choice of red dot focus assist. For whatever reason mine displays as a fanned beam instead of a dot, very unusual. To this day I’m still not quite sure what to do with it. Maybe I just don’t understand but even if it functions and I just don’t get it I’m not sure why this would be preferred over the standard 2 dot focus assist. 

One of my favorite things about this machine is actually the aluminum case. The front panel features a single keyed switch for the laser source power and an e-stop that functions as the on off switch for the rest of the machine. All the switches are clicky and don’t jostle around when they’re being handled. 

The porting for heat ventilation is thoughtfully placed where it’s actually needed on the unit instead of slapped wherever which is common on lower end machines. Likewise the vent ports are not stuffed full of unnecessary and frankly useless filters that block airflow. The fans are quiet and effective and the laser stays nice and cool even after hours of continuous use. The connection ports on the back of the machine are standard but feature extra clip type mounts that lock the connections with a satisfying snap. A very nice addition so they won’t get knocked out or loosen over time. The connecting cables themselves feature the thickest heavy duty rubber wires that are definitely primed to take a beating.

The included rotary is a chunky boy but it’s solid and comes with a Snowit motor which is a popular choice and well known for its quality. The SFX also ships with a Jollystar lens which at first I thought was completely defective. I replaced it with a standard cloudray F-Theta lens with no compatibility issues but recently came back to the Jollystar while preparing for this review. I couldn’t imagine with everything else on this machine being so great it would ship with a terrible lens and I was right. The Jollystar lens is perfectly capable - it was just user error and I was too caught up in getting the machine working to realize it at the time. I’ve no problem with the lens and I’m glad the scan head and mount are compatible with industry standards without any special spacers or adapters other than the normal spacer that ships with most fiber lasers.

The internals of the case is logically and thoughtfully assembled and there are some key factors that help it stand out against the competition. The first thing you spot when you open the case is the laser source and FINALLY someone understands that the fiber optic cable should not be tightly coiled and jammed in the corner. SFX took the extra time to run the cable around the outside of the case to ensure its longevity and I’m ecstatic about it. All the connections are snug and the source is mounted to the center plate securely. As I mentioned earlier the porting for the ventilation is specifically designed for this source and the vents match up perfectly with the cooling fans on the source.

This unit may look bland but it packs a ton of juicy specs that will keep you satisfied when you start pushing the limits of what your machine is capable of. It features an Ezcad 2 controller which means seamless out of the box support with LightBurn, a huge plus for those looking for a modern software experience. For those who are looking for a machine to meet their industrial or heavy manufacturing needs SFX also offers Ezcad 3 as an option. It also features the 60-M7-M-R laser source by JPT so you’ll be treated to a massive frequency range of 1-4000khz and a pulse width range of 2-500ns - perfect for those looking to complete work quickly and efficiently and great for operators looking to mark plastic or experiment with color marking on compatible materials.

I got this unit before LightBurn for Galvo was released and so Ezcad 3 shipped with the machine. One thing that speaks volumes about the build here is how easy it was for me to downgrade this unit from an Ezcad 3 board to an Ezcad 2 board once news of LightBurn broke. I did it without having to trace any wires and there’s plenty of space for the controller on top of the center plate. Naturally, the controllers are 100% genuine BJJCZ. This machine also comes standard with the DM542 stepper driver for your rotary axis. Like the stepper motor, this driver is extremely popular and known for its quality.

I’m equally impressed with the power supplies that came with the unit. The unit supplying power to the laser source is a genuine Mean Well LRS-350-48 which instills a ton of confidence that my expensive laser source is safe. The system also features an EMI filter to make sure we’re delivering clean power to the power supplies, and the relays that are operated by the front plate switches are beefy and solid.

A quick look inside the path reveals the 60-M7-M-R’s beautiful emitter as well as the beam expander housing all of which is straight and locked down tight. While solid everything is absolutely easily accessible keeping with the expectation of easy maintenance if and when required.

The manual focus Sino-Galvo RC7110 galvo scan head included standard offers accurate marking up to speeds of 4000mm/s and max speeds up to 7,000mm/s. It’s rated to operate in temperatures ranging from 0 to 45 degrees celsius and its scale and drift factors while operating over long periods of time are so infinitesimally small they’re virtually zero. The RC7110 is again a no-frills economic workhorse you can rely on to get the job done without the fuss of complex scan head gimmicks that get in the way while you’re trying to work.

LASER MODULE 10/10

One of the absolute best things about this unit is the source. Many people don’t know this but there are actually two models of the JPT 60w M7. You have the full power 60-M7-M-R and the lower powered budget version the E-60-M7-M-R. The stats are nearly identical but there is one key difference. The pulse output power. The full power model comes in at a whopping 2.0mj pulse power where the budget E version sits at 1.5mj per pulse. Don’t get me wrong, 1.5mj is great and still higher than what I would consider industry average but the 2.0mj pulse power that the full power model offers packs a serious punch.

I bring this up because it’s extremely common for vendors of 60w M7 sources to include the budget model as it keeps the overall price of the machine down. Not here. Again, the SFX is a business class machine and that means you get the full power source with that sweet sweet 2.0mj of pulse output power. You’ll be completing projects faster, more efficiently, and you’ll be able to seriously take advantage of the full frequency and pulse width range the 60w M7 has to offer.

JPT offers some of the highest quality sources you can buy. They’re long life, reliability and consistency make them a go-to for serious operators looking for dependable equipment. The fact that they opted to fit this unit with the 60-M7-M-R, one of their only units that can reach 2.0mj of pulse output power, means you’re getting one of the absolute best of the best laser sources on the market today. 

PERFORMANCE 9/10

Powering up the SFX 60w M7 is like driving a beater your whole life and then getting gifted a brand new sports car. For those who don’t know, an adjustable pulse width on a MOPA laser is essentially a fine control dial on the power you’re applying down range. You can work at high frequencies with little power loss or low frequencies with super high pulse widths to absolutely obliterate material. The high pulse power of 2.0mj only aids you along the way enabling you to cut through metal like millimeter thick aluminum and steel without much thought. In an instant, a massive range of plastics that were completely out of reach are now on the table, deep engraving jobs that used to take 30 minutes now take 10 and you can FINALLY start experimenting with color marking

SOFTWARE & USABILITY 9/10

The hardware isn’t novel or loaded with gimmicks and when combined with an Ezcad 2 board and LightBurn so the unit stays completely out of your way so you can focus on your work instead of operation. Everything came set from the factory out of the box and very few minor adjustments were needed to get things dialed in where I like them. If you’re a new user this is very likely a plug and play experience. SFX also included screenshots of all the Ezcad device settings so if you’re a MacOS user entering that data into LightBurn’s device settings is simple without needing to find a Windows PC to open the software and copy the settings. 

Everything just works here guys. Whether it’s the rotary, the red dot, the source, the power supplies, the cooling fans or the focusing tower. Everything just works, well - except for that weird focus assist laser… And in the extremely rare case where something doesn’t work the machine is an absolute no-brainer to open up to take care of repairs and replacements. On top of that you’re backed by a 2 Year Warranty after purchase and a team of customer service agents and techs that have been delightful to speak with over the last nine months despite the language barrier. 

COST & VALUE 8/10

While these SFX machines can feel quite expensive, your money is going quite a long way. You’re paying for the hardware, sure, but you’re getting an excellent team of people and a great warranty backing this laser. You’re getting shipping in days instead of weeks or months from US Amazon stock. You’re getting excellent quality control and a machine that comes calibrated and ready to run your choice of Ezcad or LightBurn out of the box. That’s a pretty sweet package. 

The headache saved by shipping and import taxes being included in the sticker price alone is a huge stress and time savings. With all of that considered I’d say that SFX’s offerings and especially this unit are a great value for the asking price.