The Laserpecker 3 is a small pulsed fiber laser engraver designed primarily for metal and plastic, but claims to be suitable for other materials as well.
The Laserpecker 3 laser engraver is touted as the world’s smallest pulsed fiber laser. I have no idea what that means, but thanks to my Google-Fu, I now know that it uses a fiber optic cable as the gain medium instead of a crystal, and provides a pulsed output. Still confused? Me too. But hey! It's the smallest in the world!
The Laserpecker 3 is a solid piece of kit and looks stylish. It has an all-metal construction, which I assume is anodized aluminum. The finish is very nice and the unit is very sturdy.
On the back of the laser head unit you will find the power port, wired PC connection port and 2 USB ports for accessories.
There are 2 buttons on the top of the device. The one on the left will activate the centering laser, helping you put whatever you want to engrave in the correct position. The one on the right is the pause/on/off combination.
On the top of the stand are buttons for raising and lowering the Laserpecker 3 laser engraver head unit.
On the bottom of the stand, there is an alignment plate where you can mount the stand to align and stabilize your media. The plate is also removable so you can lift the Laserpecker 3 over it if your engraving is too large to get the correct laser focus.
Getting started with the Laserpecker 3 laser engraving machine is easy. Gatherings are rare. The head is attached to the bracket on top of the bracket with a large set thumbscrew.
The head has a groove that fits into the bracket, so the connection is very strong.
The bracket itself mounts to the base plate with the 2 included hex bolts. In this way, a few turns of the Allen key and the Laserpecker laser engraver is fully assembled.
To communicate with the Laserpecker 3, the manufacturer provides an app that allows your phone or tablet to communicate via Bluetooth. I have to say, this is probably the easiest Bluetooth pairing experience I've ever had. After installing the app, I made sure Bluetooth was active on my phone, powered on the Laserpecker 3, launched the app, and selected the device. It's really that simple.
Performance
This is where the rubber meets the road. I'm excited to fire up the Laserpecker 3 and start engraving, but the included manual doesn't say anything about how to actually do it. Well, I have the app, so there must be tutorials in there to help me decide which settings are best for my medium of choice. No. There is a community where people post some of the things they make, but most of the stuff is for the Laserpecker 2, which is a completely different device that uses a different type of laser. Also, the community has not had any new posts since July 2022.
I thought, shoot, I can fix this. How hard can it be? It's harder than I thought. If you use the limited amount of clip art included in the app, you'll do better than downloading your own. Or at least that's my experience. Using my phone to try and edit pictures was frustrating, to say the least, and the software wasn't the most user-friendly. I finally loaded my artwork, and I started the setup for the job. Here you have to enter the dimensions of your drawing and select your medium from the drop-down list. My first project was a Zippo lighter that I had as a kid. There is no stainless steel setting. Available in aluminum alloy and brushed stainless steel. So I went as usual. Next, you must set the power level, depth and number of passes. I don't know what to choose. I picked some random settings and let the "uh rip, potato chips!" My first attempt was off center, upside down, and not very dark. I adjusted the settings, flipped the zippo over, and tried again. It turned out okay. Still not perfectly centered, I wish it was bigger and darker.
I tried a few other things with the app and my phone. The next thing I tried was the sample plastic card and Gadgeteer logo from the kit. This is the first time I got it.
Looks good, but I think I'm either going too deep or passing too many times because the lines aren't very sharp. Again, I'm using the app, so editing pictures isn't ideal. Next, I tried the same thing again, changing the settings for the plot itself. It also looks good, but still doesn't have the crisp lines from a machine that's supposed to be engraving at 4K. I also had a lot of issues with the app disconnecting and stopping responding. If I find a problem and the app doesn't cooperate, I have to unplug the power from the Laserpecker 3 to stop it.
So I ditched the app and downloaded the Windows software. Well, guess what? This is beta software, so bugs and glitches may occur. I loaded the software and connected the Laserpecker3 with the USB cable. there is nothing. My laptop running Windows 11 can't see it. OK, try a different port. No. Try a different cable. Uh uh. Try different cables on different ports. got rejected. Restart the laptop and the Laserpecker 3 laser engraver. Well, now they're just laughing at me. I gave up again. A few days later, I tried again and this time my laptop connected to it. Cover your face. The PC software is a bit rough around the edges, but I can edit my photos more easily this way, however, I'm stuck. For some reason, to use my computer's bluetooth, I had to buy a separate adapter from Laserpecker. No, I don't understand why. I'll try my best and stick with PC software. They seem to be updating it more often than the app, so I hope things get better soon. Here are some of my successes and failures for your enjoyment.
I want a Laserpecker 3 laser engraver. I think I'd really enjoy it if I could work out these issues. My wife was determined to start a side business and wanted me to carve something for her to sell. If you're looking for something like the Laserpecker 3, I'd honestly look elsewhere right now. The Laserpecker 2 Pro that Julie reviewed a while ago might be a better choice. There seems to be more help available for this model. In the meantime, I'll be figuring out how to get the results I want, if that's going to kill me.
