Real shop experience meets physics. What actually works with CO2, Fiber, Diode, and UV lasers across 48 materials.
I've tested dozens of lasers over the years and made all the expensive mistakes. Tried to cut aluminum with a CO2 laser (spoiler: physics said no). Burned through $200 in acrylic learning that power settings matter. Figured out the hard way that PVC releases chlorine gas that'll corrode your machine.
This guide combines what happens in the shop with why it happens at the molecular level. Each rating comes from actual testing, not marketing specs.
Quick laser type overview:
CO2 (10.6μm): Most versatile. Cuts wood, acrylic, leather, fabric. Can't do bare metal.
Fiber (1.06μm): Metal specialists. Mark steel, aluminum, brass. Limited on organics.
Diode (445nm): Budget option for wood and leather. Slow, struggles with thick cuts.
UV (355nm): Precision marking. Electronics, medical devices, delicate work.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
Releases chlorine gas which forms hydrochloric acid. This will corrode your machine's metal components and damage your lungs. Found in: vinyl flooring, shower curtains, some imitation leather, wire insulation.
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
Releases cyanide gas when lasered. Toxic to humans and highly corrosive to machines. Found in: 3D printer filament, LEGO bricks, automotive parts, electronics cases.
Chrome-Tanned Leather (with CO2)
Creates hexavalent chromium (Chromium VI), a carcinogen. Use vegetable-tanned leather instead. Most commercial leather is chrome-tanned unless specifically labeled vegetable-tanned.
Treated/Pressure-Treated Wood
Chemical treatments release toxic fumes including arsenic compounds. Use untreated wood only. That weathered deck board? Leave it for the CNC.
I want to cut wood and leather for projects
Get a CO2 laser. It's the most versatile type for organic materials. Works on wood, leather, acrylic, fabric, paper, and cardboard. Can't do bare metal, but handles everything else in a typical maker workflow.
I need to mark serial numbers on metal parts
Get a fiber laser. It's the only type that efficiently marks bare metal. Works on stainless steel, aluminum, brass, titanium, and anodized surfaces. Won't cut wood or acrylic well.
I'm on a budget and mostly do wood engraving
Get a diode laser. They're 1/5 the cost of CO2 lasers and work fine for engraving dark wood, leather, and cardboard. Slow at cutting, can't handle thick materials, but great for hobbyist engraving work.
I work with circuit boards and medical devices
Get a UV laser. Precision marking without heat damage. Perfect for electronics, delicate plastics, and applications where thermal stress is a problem. Expensive and slower than other types, but unmatched precision.
I want to do both metal and wood
Get both a CO2 and a fiber laser. I know that's not the answer you wanted, but physics doesn't care about your budget. One laser type can't do both well. A combo machine will compromise on both. If you must choose one, pick the CO2 laser for versatility and outsource metal marking.
Click any category name or material cell to see detailed shop reality and physics explanations. Categories are collapsible - expand the ones you care about.
| Material Category | CO₂10,600nm | Fiber1,064nm | Blue Diode450nm | UV355nm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Wood Products 9 materials | ||||
Acrylic 2 materials | ||||
Plastics 10 materials | ||||
Bare Metals 4 materials | ||||
Coated Metals 3 materials | ||||
Fabrics & Leather 7 materials | ||||
Rubber & Flexible 2 materials | ||||
Glass & Stone 3 materials | ||||
Composites 2 materials |
You'll see CO2 lasers advertised with either glass tubes or RF tubes, usually about $1,000 price difference. They both produce the same 10.6μm wavelength, so material compatibility is identical. But the performance gap is real.
Glass tubes use electrodes at each end to excite the CO2 gas. Cheap to manufacture, cheap to replace. The OneLaser XT is a solid example. 55W glass tube machine that'll handle most hobby projects fine.
Why they wear out faster: Those electrodes are in direct contact with the gas. Over time, they degrade and contaminate the gas mix. You'll notice it when your cuts that used to work at 80% power now need 90%, then 95%, then don't cut all the way through anymore.
Why beam quality suffers: As the gas gets contaminated, the beam gets less consistent. You'll see variations in cut depth across the bed. A fresh tube cuts clean, but six months later you're fighting it.
Practical reality: Glass tubes need 3-5 minutes to warm up before they're stable. Power output drifts during long jobs. But for $200-300 replacement cost every 2,000-8,000 hours, it's manageable.
RF tubes excite the gas with radio frequency energy through metal plates. No electrodes touching the gas. The OneLaser XRF uses a 38W RF tube and costs about $1,000 more than the XT.
Why they last longer: No electrode degradation means the gas stays pure. Power output on hour 30,000 looks the same as hour 1. Settings you dialed in three years ago still work.
Why beam quality is better: RF tubes maintain tighter beam focus because the gas stays clean. You get more consistent power density across the beam profile, which means cleaner edges on fine detail work.
Why they're better at detail: Two reasons. First, RF tubes are more compact (same power in 1/3 the length), so the beam path is shorter and more stable. Second, instant-on operation means no thermal drift during warmup. You can start cutting intricate detail immediately.
Practical reality: Instant on. No warmup. Power stays consistent during 8-hour production runs. But at least $1,000+ to replace if you ever need to (most people don't).
Hobby use: Glass tube saves you money upfront and $200-300 replacement tubes are no big deal. The XT-style machines work great for weekend projects.
Side business: RF if you can swing it. Consistent power matters when you're making the same product repeatedly. Nothing worse than redoing settings every few months as the tube ages.
Full-time business: RF tube, no question. The extra $1,000 pays for itself the first time you don't have to stop mid-job because the tube died. And the detail quality difference is real if you're doing fine work.
You'll see fiber lasers advertised as either standard or MOPA, usually $3,000-5,000 price difference. Both produce the same 1.064μm wavelength, so material compatibility is identical. But MOPA gives you control over pulse characteristics that standard fiber locks in at the factory.
The question is whether you actually need that control.
A standard fiber laser uses a seed laser diode that shoots light into a fiber optic cable doped with rare earth elements (usually ytterbium). The fiber is coiled up, and as light bounces through it, the ytterbium atoms get excited and amplify the light. By the time it exits, you've got a powerful, focused beam at 1.064μm.
The beam gets pulsed using Q-switching (basically turning it on and off very rapidly to create high peak power). But the pulse characteristics are fixed. Whatever pulse width and frequency the manufacturer designed in, that's what you get. Most desktop units are around 100-200 nanosecond pulses at 20-80 kHz.
What this means in practice: You mark metal fast. Stainless, aluminum, brass, titanium all clean, permanent marks. You control power and speed, and that's it. Simple. Reliable. Marks are black or dark grey depending on the metal.
Limitations: Can't do color marks. If you want to vary depth in a single pass, you need multiple passes at different power levels. Less control over heat input means larger heat-affected zones on delicate work.
Cost: $2,000-6,000 for 30-50W desktop units. The standard for metal marking.
MOPA splits the laser into two stages. The master oscillator creates the initial pulse, and you control its characteristics (pulse width from 2 nanoseconds to 500 nanoseconds, frequency from 1 kHz to 4000 kHz, even kill the first pulse entirely if you want). Then the power amplifier boosts it.
Why pulse control matters for color marking: When you hit stainless steel or anodized aluminum with controlled pulse widths, you create oxide layers of different thicknesses. Thin oxide = grey. Thicker = yellow, red, blue, purple. It's like anodizing titanium, but done with the laser. Standard fiber's fixed pulse can only do black.
Why it helps with fine detail: Shorter pulses (2-20ns) dump less total energy into the material. Less heat spread means cleaner edges on tiny features. If you're marking serial numbers on watch movements or intricate patterns on jewelry, you'll notice the difference.
Variable depth capability: You can adjust pulse width mid-job. Start with 200ns for deep engraving on part of a design, drop to 20ns for fine surface detail on another part, all in one pass. Standard fiber needs you to run the job multiple times at different power settings.
Cost: $5,000-12,000 for 30-60W desktop units. About 2-3x the cost of standard fiber.
Metal marking and engraving: Standard fiber handles 90% of jobs. Serial numbers, logos, deep engraving, cutting thin sheet all covered. Save the money.
Color marking is required: MOPA. If clients are specifically asking for colored marks on stainless or anodized aluminum, you need it. Standard fiber physically can't do colors.
Fine jewelry or electronics work: MOPA's shorter pulses give cleaner results on tiny, delicate features. Worth considering if that's your market.
Honest take: I bought MOPA thinking I needed color marking. Used it twice in two years. For most shops doing part marking, product branding, or general metal engraving? Standard fiber is plenty. Buy that, save $3-5K, upgrade later if color work actually materializes.
Want to understand the molecular science behind these compatibility ratings? Learn about wavelengths, molecular bonds, absorption spectra, and why a CO2 laser's 10.6μm wavelength loves C-O bonds but bounces off aluminum.
Read the physics guide →Shopping for a laser? Compare specs, prices, and capabilities side-by-side. Filter by laser type, work area, power, and compatible materials to find the right machine for your needs.
Compare laser cutters →This guide covers the most common materials, but there's always edge cases. If you're working with specialty materials or have specific questions about laser-material compatibility, check out the detailed laser type guides or machine comparison tool.
Looking back, I wish I'd had this guide before buying my first three lasers. Would've saved me a lot of frustration (and money). Hope it helps you skip the expensive lessons I learned the hard way.
