Best xTool Laser Engraver 2026 (Which xTool to Buy, Ranked)

Quick Answer: The best xTool laser engraver for most makers in 2026 is the xTool S1 (20W/40W enclosed diode, from $1,399) — it’s fully enclosed and Class-1 safe, cuts wood and acrylic, and engraves leather, slate, and coated metal. Step up to the xTool F1 Ultra ($2,999) if you need to mark bare metal and jewelry, grab the portable xTool F1 ($699) for craft fairs, choose the P2S 55W CO2 ($3,999) for large-format cutting, pick the do-everything M1 Ultra (~$1,099) for mixed crafts, or start cheap with the open-frame D1 Pro (from ~$849). The one rule that decides your xTool: only the fiber-equipped F1 Ultra deep-engraves bare metal — every other model is a diode built for wood, acrylic, leather, and coated surfaces.

xTool is the premium brand most makers weigh first, and for good reason — its machines are enclosed, well-supported, and backed by beginner-friendly software. But the lineup has grown to cover everything from a $699 portable to a $4,000 CO2 cutter, and the models solve genuinely different problems. Below we rank the whole 2026 xTool range by who each one is for, so you buy the right machine the first time instead of out-growing it in a month.

Best xTool laser engravers at a glance

The xTool lineup by the numbers

• Only one xTool has a fiber laser. The F1 Ultra is the world’s first dual-laser engraver to pair a 20W fiber laser with a 20W diode in one machine (per xTool), which is why it’s the only model that deep-engraves bare metals like stainless steel, brass, and gold.
• The F1 Ultra tops out at 10,000mm/s. Its galvo head reaches engraving speeds of up to 10,000mm/s (per xTool’s product specs), far faster than the gantry-style diode machines and the reason it clears batches of jewelry and metal tags so quickly.
• The P2S CO2 is roughly 5× faster at cutting than a diode. xTool states the 55W P2S is up to 500% faster than diode lasers for cutting, making it the lineup’s tool for thick wood, acrylic, and volume sign work.
• The S1 comes in 20W and 40W. The enclosed S1 is offered in 20W and 40W diode versions (from ~$1,399, per xTool); the 40W roughly doubles cutting depth in a single pass, which matters most for thicker plywood and acrylic.
• The D1 Pro is the cheapest entry point at around $849 for the 10W and $1,399 for the 20W (per xTool retail pricing), keeping the open-frame D1 Pro the value gateway into the ecosystem.

1. xTool S1 — Best Overall xTool

The xTool S1 is the machine we recommend to most people shopping the xTool range. It’s the sweet spot of the lineup: a fully enclosed, Class-1-safe diode you can run on a desk without goggles, with a bed big enough to cut real projects and an autofocus camera that makes lining up a design genuinely easy. The 20W handles the vast majority of wood and acrylic work; the 40W is worth it if you cut thicker stock regularly. Short of bare-metal marking — where you need the F1 Ultra — the S1 does everything a hobbyist or small-business maker asks of a laser. See our full xTool S1 review for the deep dive.

2. xTool F1 Ultra — Best for Metal & Jewelry

If your work is metal — jewelry, stainless tags, brass hardware, firearms accessories, industrial parts — the F1 Ultra is the xTool to buy. It’s the only model with a fiber laser, so it deep-engraves and permanently marks bare metals that every diode xTool can only scratch or blacken with spray. The clever part is the dual head: the same machine also carries a 20W diode for wood, acrylic, and leather, so you get a metal marker and a general crafts engraver in one compact enclosure. Add galvo speeds up to 10,000mm/s and it becomes a production machine for anyone selling engraved metal. It costs the most of any small xTool, but for metal work there’s no substitute in the lineup.

3. xTool F1 — Best Portable

The xTool F1 is the portable pick — the one you carry to craft fairs and farmers’ markets. It’s a compact, enclosed galvo machine that engraves fast enough to personalize a keychain, tumbler tag, or coaster while a customer watches, which is a powerful in-person upsell. Its dual diode-plus-IR head also marks coated metals and plastics, widening what you can sell on the spot. The trade-off is a small work area, so it’s for small items rather than big signs or cutting — but as a lightweight, safe-in-a-crowd demo machine, nothing else in the lineup matches it. Our xTool F1 review has the full breakdown.

4. xTool P2S — Best for Cutting / Large Format

When cutting is the job — not engraving — the P2S is the xTool to get. Its 55W CO2 tube slices thick wood and acrylic that a diode struggles with, and xTool rates it up to 500% faster than diode lasers at cutting, so it clears large sign panels and batch orders in a fraction of the time. The big enclosed bed suits sign shops and anyone running production. It’s the heaviest, most expensive small-format xTool and needs proper ventilation, so it’s overkill for occasional crafts — but for a cutting-focused business it’s the clear pick. Weighing it against a CO2 rival? See our OMTech vs xTool comparison.

5. xTool M1 Ultra — Best All-in-One for Crafts

The M1 Ultra is the crafter’s hybrid — an enclosed machine that pairs a diode laser with a blade cutter, so it engraves wood and leather and also cuts vinyl, paper, and sticker stock like a craft plotter. For a maker whose Etsy shop mixes engraved gifts with vinyl decals and paper goods, that two-tools-in-one design is genuinely useful and saves bench space. It runs xTool’s beginner-friendly Creative Space software, making it an easy first machine. Just know it’s a generalist: if you mainly cut thick wood or acrylic, the dedicated S1 goes deeper and faster, and if you never touch vinyl, you’re paying for a tool you won’t use.

6. xTool D1 Pro — Best Budget

The D1 Pro is the budget door into xTool. It’s an open-frame diode — 10W around $849, 20W around $1,399 — that gives you xTool’s well-supported hardware and software at the lowest price, and it’s still a capable engraver for wood, leather, and acrylic. The 20W adds enough power to cut thin plywood and acrylic. What you give up is the enclosure, the Class-1 safety, and the autofocus camera of the S1, so goggles and ventilation are mandatory and setup is more hands-on. For a maker who wants to test the waters cheaply — or who already has a ventilated workspace — the D1 Pro remains the value pick. Read our xTool vs Ortur comparison if you’re weighing it against the budget competition.

How to choose the right xTool

• Need to mark bare metal? Buy the F1 Ultra. It’s the only xTool with a fiber laser, and no diode model can deep-engrave stainless, brass, or gold. This one requirement overrides everything else.
• Want one safe do-everything machine? Buy the S1. Enclosed, Class-1, cuts wood and acrylic, engraves nearly every non-bare-metal material — it’s the best fit for most makers and small businesses.
• Selling at fairs? Buy the F1. Portable, enclosed, and fast enough to personalize items in front of customers.
• Cutting is the business? Buy the P2S. A 55W CO2 out-cuts every diode for thick stock and large signs.
• Mixed crafts with vinyl and paper? Buy the M1 Ultra. The laser-plus-blade hybrid replaces two machines.
• On a tight budget? Buy the D1 Pro. The cheapest route in — just plan for goggles and ventilation.
• Match wattage to your cutting, not your engraving. Engraving needs little power; the reason to go 40W (S1) or 55W (P2S) is faster, deeper cutting.

The bottom line

The xTool S1 is the best xTool laser engraver for most people in 2026 — enclosed, safe, versatile, and priced in the sweet spot. Choose the F1 Ultra if you mark bare metal, the portable F1 for craft fairs, the P2S 55W CO2 for serious cutting, the M1 Ultra for mixed vinyl-and-laser crafts, or the D1 Pro to start cheap. Cross-shopping other brands? Compare xTool against the competition in our Glowforge vs xTool and OMTech vs xTool breakdowns, or see where xTool lands across every category in our best laser engraver roundup.