xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter review
We’ve taken an in-depth look into the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter, testing its amazing laser cutting and laser engraving capabilities.
With a huge work area and incredibly high precision 55W laser, it's the go-to tool for those who are serious about laser crafts and have plenty of space.
Star rating 4/5
Summary
We were blown away by the definition and precision of the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter. It’s effectively plug in and play once it’s been set up, but it does take a level of confidence and patience to master.
While it is described as ‘desktop’ in the title, this is a serious piece of kit that will require substantial space and requires two people to lift it.
- Buy now from xTool
How we tested
We were supplied with the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter, and installed it in our office testing space, where we were able to position the smoke exhaust pipe out of a window.
Using the included material pack, we performed a range of tests on cardboard, basswood and clear acrylic. We tested a variety of designs and functions, including scoring vector designs, engraving bitmap images, curve processing and cutting various materials.
We also went through the cleaning and laser calibration process to determine its difficulty.
The results
xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter review
Key features
- Laser power (Watts): 55W
- Bed size area dimensions: 26” x 14”
- Processing area dimensions: 23.6” x 12”
- Product dimensions: 39.4"×25.1"×10.6" (1000×639×268mm)
- Product Weight: 45KG
- Max. Workpiece Height: With tray 2.5"(64mm), Without tray 2.7"(71mm), With riser base 8.5"(215mm)
- Camera: Panoramic camera + close-range camera, 16MP x 2
- Compatible materials: Acrylic, kraft paper, cardboard, wood board, leather, plastic, MDF, glass, marble, ceramic, and more.
- Max carving speed: 600mm/s
- Processing Precision: 0.01mm
- Software compatibility: Android / iOS / iPad / Windows / MacOS
- Connectivity (USB, Wi-Fi): USB/Wi-Fi
- Warranty: 30-Day Return Service, 24-month Warranty
1. Functions 5/5
xTool has a range of laser cutting and engraving machines to suit many different crafters' needs. The P2 features many functions that are perfect for people who are looking to create large-scale works with high precision on a wide range of surfaces.
Dual HD Cameras
Perhaps the most impressive function of the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter is the dual HD cameras. The panoramic camera gives you a real-time preview of the working area, with the close-range camera allowing you to create engraving and cuttings on tiny objects with pinpoint precision.
Being able to see your work area and material surfaces in real-time is a huge deal and means you can make the most of your materials.
For example, if you initially engraved an image and then realised you wanted to cut it out in a specific shape or add extra elements, you can tell the camera to refresh and view your now engraved material without removing it from the machine. This means you can complete secondary processes perfectly without having to guess positioning.
It also means that your material doesn’t have to be a perfect shape. As long as your material is securely in place using the clamps or slats, you can safely engrave and cut with ease, as well as keeping offcuts to a minimum.
High precision processing
The 55W laser gives you the capability of cutting through thicker materials such as 18mm solid wood or 20mm acrylic. You can even engrave on curved surfaces with their 3D Curve™ Engraving feature.
To put the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter to the test, we tried testing scoring, engraving and cutting some highly detailed images on a range of materials. We started with the basics and tested some simple text on cardboard.
Instantly we could see that scoring was giving a nice result on cardboard. We then tried a more complex mathematical design, and were amazed by the precision!
We also wanted to see how small and detailed the P2 could go. We got some more unusual shapes and processed them in clear acrylic. Each of these shapes was roughly 30mm square, with some of the holes being a teeny 2mm in diameter. The P2 processed them perfectly, each line was crisp and each cut was smooth and clean.
2. Instructions 3.5/5
Setup
Once you’ve opened the box and got your xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter into place (with assistance from a second person), there are only a few tasks that need to be done before you can get started.
The machine comes with a basic setup guide to help you get started, but more detailed instructions can be found on the xTool website.
The setup is minimal… but there is an important step that you might not have foreseen. Most of the setup process is removing stickers and plugging in cables. However, before you can start, you need to fill the machine with a specific ratio of water and antifreeze (which is needed for the machine’s cooling system).
The P2 comes with antifreeze and a funnel included, but you will need to provide filtered water (not tap water) and a measuring jug yourself. If, like us, you weren’t expecting this step it can come as a bit of an inconvenience.
You should also wear protective gloves when handling antifreeze (which aren’t supplied), especially if you have any cuts on your hands.
To access the water reservoir you will also need to remove the rear upper cover. While this is a simple case of removing specified screws, we still found it a bit tricky to remove – it needs a bit of force to prise it out of the clips.
All of this is not difficult to do and the ratios are clearly specified, but it can be a bit of a daunting first step on what is an expensive piece of machinery.
Software and settings
As soon as you have filled the antifreeze reservoir, the printed instructions inform you that you can now download the xTool Create Suite (XCS) programme. You can now officially start making, which we did without a problem.
XCS is a pretty straightforward programme. The material set library makes it easy to quickly set the optimum settings for materials supplied by xTool (such as ones in the material pack).
While you can just get stuck straight in, it would be nicer to have some more basic instructions for beginners. There is one tutorial right at the bottom of the ‘getting started’ P2 support section, but this is very simplistic and not everyone would easily find this.
The xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter is capable of engraving bitmap photos with high precision, and we stumbled across an interesting online guide explaining the different settings. However, we struggled to locate this guide when we came to try to find it again the following day. This is more an issue with the support website layout, but is still frustrating for a beginner.
These are perhaps minor grumbles, as at the end of the day the machine itself is easy to use. You don’t have to know every specific setting in detail before you start making but it’s not always easy to find answers to specific questions. A clear answer database would save new users having to go through a trial and error process.
Top tip – you can find more resources and info by going to the 'software' section of the support website rather than going via the specific product section.
3. Compatibility 4.5/5
Materials
The xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter is an incredible machine that will undoubtedly transform the practices of many craftspeople. It can suit a woodworker wanting to make specific shapes or enable a jeweller to engrave on metal and make their own custom acrylic pendants.
Textile artists could make custom leather (or faux leather) patches, while small businesses can use the machine to make their own branded products. Wood, acrylic, fabric, leather, and even items such as foam, felt, cork, cardboard and rubber can all be cut on the P2. While it can’t cut glass or metal, it can engrave on it.
“If it can be cut, it can generally be engraved”.
xTool
Some more basic beginner information on materials and settings would be helpful. There is a wealth of information on the xTool support site and community forum, but it’s not always obvious or easy to find.
Take for example the clear acrylic sheet that is included in the maker pack. It comes with a protective sticky paper film on it, but nowhere does it tell you if you should remove this or leave it on before cutting/engraving.
From searching online we eventually found that you should indeed take it off, but because it’s transparent, once you remove the film the camera won’t be able to see it. Our top tip is to put some masking tape around the edges and then the machine can also use that to determine the depth.
If you’re using a material that is not supplied directly from xTool themselves, you can use the material test array within the XCS software. This feature allows you to trial different power and speed levels to find the best and safest settings to use on your material.
Curved materials
We specifically tested the material test array and curve engraving function with an unknown piece of wood that we had smoothed down. After doing a test to determine the appropriate power and speed settings, it was just a simple case of mapping out the curved area we wanted to engrave on.
You do this by selecting the upper left and lower right vertex points. Then the laser will map a specified amount of points in between to map the distance and curve.
The machine then takes your curved surface into account, giving you a crisp and clean engraving on your material. We were particularly impressed with our test piece as the wood was undulating rather than a simple arced curve.
Size
You also have the capability of engraving on bigger items with the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter.
For flat items, you simply engrave on top of the slats. For slightly thicker or curved items you can remove the slats to give you more depth.
If you need even more depth, you can use the riser plate and the rotary attachment for cylindrical items (both sold separately). And if you want to go really big, you can get an auto conveyor feeder which will enable you to process materials 118” long using their AutoPassthrough™ technology.
Clamps
Unfortunately, the material clamps that hold the materials in place were one of the biggest frustrations we had with the P2.
Securing your material is important, especially when using the cutting feature. However, we found the material clamps to be quite poor with them often slipping off. They are also very fiddly and difficult to put in place.
It is a shame that such an incredible machine has been let down by such a tiny part, and one that effectively could be achieved with a bulldog clip.
4. Maintenance and safety 5/5
Looking after your machine and keeping it clean and maintained will help it last longer and get better results. But how hard is it to maintain the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter? We gave it a try to find out.
According to xTool’s instructions, you should regularly clean the laser reflectors and focus lens after every 2-4 hours of use. Additionally, after cleaning the reflectors and lens it is also advised to check the laser calibration.
We performed both a clean and calibration following the provided video tutorials. From start to finish it took us approximately 40 minutes to carry out this maintenance, although this would definitely take less time a second time around.
At first, the tasks seem quite complicated. But actually, it’s quite simple. The most time consuming part is removing the rear upper cover to access the first reflector. Then it’s just a case of removing the reflector, blowing any dust off it (we used an aerosol spray duster) and giving it a gentle clean and dry (ethyl alcohol is recommended, but we didn’t have any so used a lens wipe).
You repeat this on the three reflectors, and then you need to remove the lens from the laser unit. This is scarier than it sounds as it’s actually really easy… but a little fiddly when wearing gloves as advised.
The laser calibration test sounds quite intimidating, but again is not as difficult as it first appears. You will need some strips of masking tape to cover the optical path holes (the holes that the laser travels through).
Using the XCS software, follow the instructions and send a laser ‘pulse’ through each of the holes, then examine the position of the burn mark on the masking tape. You then feed this back into the software and it instructs you which of the three adjustment screws to turn and by how much, which repositions the laser. It takes a little trial and error, but you quickly become accusomed to it.
In terms of safety, the xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter is faultless. The light filtering lid keeps your eyes safe and fumes and smoke contained, and automatically locks when in use. The P2 also has its own inbuilt cooling system, emergency stop button, and even AI fire detection via the internal cameras!
5. Value for money 5/5
What’s in the box:
- xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter
- Instructions & Quick start guide
- Antifreeze & funner
- Smoke exhaust pipe components
- Power cable and USB cable
- Material clamps x 4
- Screwdriver and hex key
- Material pack including: 3.5mm Corrugated paper x 4, 3mm Basswood x 4 and Transparent Acrylic x 2
Our verdict: Should you buy xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter?
The xTool P2 Desktop 55W CO2 Laser Cutter is an amazing machine with a huge amount of capabilities, power and precision. That said, it is a physically large machine, so is naturally more suited to those who plan on larger cutting and engraving projects.
If you’ve got the space to spare (be it a workshop, studio or even an empty spare room) then the xTool P2 is a machine that will inspire and expand your creativity.
However, if you only have limited space or mostly plan on making small-scale projects, xTool has a more suitable and convenient alternative – the xTool F1 Ultra engraving machine.
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