The Glowforge Aura is the company's first consumer laser cutter aimed at the entry-level market. It's smaller than other models, with a less powerful laser, but it works surprisingly well on smaller projects. We've created beautiful carvings, etchings, and other laser cut projects on the Aura, and they've all been great.

Read more: Hands-on with Glowforge Aura

The Beamo CO2 is the smallest in Flux's impressive lineup of laser cutters, but don't let the small size fool you. The 30-watt laser, while weaker than some on this list, is still powerful enough to engrave glass, although you may need an additional diode laser to engrave steel. Although it will happily cut through wood, leather and acrylic.

Beamo also comes with a handy touch screen on the device, making it very easy to control the computer from your workshop without plugging it in directly. Flux also has an app that will let you control Beamo directly from your phone.

Diode lasers are often low-powered, with no enclosure to protect you. The S1 solves both of these problems by having a 40-watt laser that can cut 18mm wood in a single, albeit slow, pass. It also has a spectacular wall with a green lid to filter the laser light and an active vent to blow away any fumes. The basic kit has an air assist — something that all lasers should have — and a honeycomb cutting surface that helps reduce scorching on the underside of your material.

The S1 doesn't have a camera — I think it should — so everything is handled very manually. But this is true for most diode lasers.

Glowforge has made it clear that its mission from the beginning is to ensure that anyone can use what it calls “laser printers,” and the Glowforge Pro is a shining example. The fisheye camera gives you a view of the cutting surface from the web app, allowing you to easily click and drag the objects you want to engrave or cut. And if you pay for an additional filtration system, you can use this laser anywhere. Of all the systems tested here, GlowForge's focus on ease of use stands out.

With this ease of use comes some limitations that you won't find anywhere else. Many of the features that make Glowforge Pro great are only available when you pay a monthly subscription. If you're not using Glowforge-produced proof grades, the process of identifying the correct settings for engraving or cutting becomes quite manual. Additionally, the fisheye lens that Gloforge uses can sometimes cause accuracy issues when you're cutting or engraving small, perfectly centered surfaces.