Glowforge Aura Review: The At-Home Laser Cutter To Beat – SlashGear

As reviewed, the Glowforge Aura costs $1,199. That’s not including the Personal Filter at $399, the cost of Proofgrade materials, the costs of individual designs, or the Premium subscription, which is $50 a month or $239 yearly. That said, you don’t need to use the designs in the catalog, pay for the software that runs the Aura, or use those premium materials. The Aura works just fine without the added extras and is only limited by your imagination. We’ve watched the laser cutter market over the years, and nothing has come close to how user-friendly, safe, and approachable the Aura is, and Glowforge should be commended for that.

It can cut, engrave, and score metal, tiles, stone, leather, wood, or almost anything that doesn’t have PVC inside it (for very important safety reasons, as it creates hydrochloric acid and toxic fumes). The passthrough doors make it usable with larger workpieces, and it’s insanely accurate from our testing. It does all of this at a quarter of the price of the next machine Glowforge offers, with minimal setup, minimal maintenance, and simple-to-use design tools. That can’t be understated, as most other laser cutters require dialing-in when first set up, then for every new material, and have complicated processes for getting your design onto the machine. There just isn’t another laser printer on the market that can match what the Aura does, except maybe the substantially more expensive Glowforge Plus.