Longer Laser Engraver Review 2026: Ray5 vs B1 vs Nano — Which One Is Worth It?

Quick Answer: Longer is the best pure-value diode laser brand of 2026. The Ray5 10W — often under $200 on Amazon (~$171 in July 2026 per camelcamelcamel) — is the cheapest credible first laser with a 3.5” color touchscreen and offline TF-card jobs, on a 400×400mm bed. The Ray5 20W (quad-diode, cuts 15mm pine in one pass per Longer) suits makers who cut more than they engrave, and the Laser B1 30W ($899 list) is the small-business pick: an independently measured 33–36W of real output (per CNX Software), a 450×440mm bed, and auto air assist included. The catch across the lineup: open-frame Class-4 machines — you need goggles and ventilation — and a thinner accessory ecosystem than xTool. Buy Longer for maximum capability per dollar; buy xTool or Glowforge if you want enclosed, ecosystem-backed machines.

Longer built its name in budget 3D printers, and its laser line follows the same playbook: aggressive pricing, specs that punch above the sticker, and features — touchscreen, offline control, included air assist — that competitors charge extra for. This review covers the three families that matter in 2026 — Ray5, Laser B1, and Nano — what each actually cuts, how they stack up against the Ortur Laser Master 3 and xTool D1 Pro, and which one fits your projects.

The Longer lineup at a glance

Longer lasers by the numbers

• The Ray5 10W tracked at about $171 on Amazon in July 2026 (per camelcamelcamel) — the lowest price we’ve seen for a 10W diode with a color touchscreen and a full 400×400mm bed, undercutting the comparable Ortur Laser Master 3 by roughly $150.
• CNX Software measured the Laser B1 30W’s six-diode module at 33–36W of real optical output in LightBurn testing (per CNX Software) — above its rated 30W, where many budget diodes under-deliver on their headline number.
• The Ray5 20W’s quad-diode module cuts 15mm pine and 8mm dark acrylic in a single pass (per Longer’s specs) — one-pass capability that used to require a CO2 machine, from a diode with a 0.08×0.10mm spot.
• The Laser B1 line runs up to 36,000 mm/min on its 32-bit motherboard (per Longer) — triple the rated speed of most first-generation budget diodes, though as with every open-frame gantry, usable engraving speed for fine detail is a fraction of the headline.
• The Nano’s galvo head scans at up to 5,000 mm/s with 0.05mm precision (per Longer) — gantry diodes move in mm per minute; galvo mirrors move in mm per second, which is why the Nano marks small items in seconds instead of minutes.

Longer Ray5: the value benchmark

The Ray5 is the machine that put Longer on the laser map, and the formula still works in 2026. Both the 10W and 20W share the feature that separates them from every rival at the price: a 3.5-inch color touchscreen with TF-card support, so you can load a job and run the machine completely offline — no laptop tethered next to a running laser. The 10W version pairs a fine 0.06×0.06mm compressed spot with a 400×400mm bed; the 20W steps up to a quad-diode module (four beams combined, 22–24W actual output) that turns it into a genuine one-pass cutter for 15mm pine.

For a first machine, the 10W is the smart buy — it engraves wood, leather, slate, coated metal, and dark acrylic just as well as the 20W, and at its frequent sub-$200 street price it’s the cheapest way into the hobby that we’d actually recommend. Buy the 20W only if cutting is the point.

Testing settings on scrap before every real job burns through plywood, slate, and leather blanks fast — a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial gets those consumable re-orders to your workshop in two days without shipping minimums.

Longer Laser B1: the small-business workhorse

The Laser B1 is where Longer stops competing on price alone and starts competing on output. The 30W model’s six-diode module measured 33–36W of real optical power in CNX Software’s independent LightBurn testing — over-delivering on spec — and it ships with auto air assist in the box, an accessory that costs $60–100 extra on most rivals and makes an immediate difference in cut-edge cleanliness. The 450×440mm working area out-sizes the Ray5 and most competitors, and the 32-bit board rates to 36,000 mm/min.

Per CNX Software, the B1 line lists at $609.99 (20W), $899.99 (30W), and $1,199.99 (40W). For an Etsy shop cutting 3–10mm plywood and dark acrylic daily, the 30W hits the sweet spot — one-pass cuts through 20mm wood and 10mm black acrylic mean fewer passes, faster batches, and less charring. If you’re weighing it for production work, our best laser engraver for small business guide puts it in context against the enclosed xTool and OMTech machines.

Longer Nano: the portable wildcard

The Nano and Nano Pro are a different species: galvo engravers, like a fiber laser’s scan head, in a portable diode package. Instead of dragging a gantry around a bed, mirrors steer the beam at up to 5,000 mm/s — so a keychain or pet tag that takes minutes on a Ray5 marks in seconds. The adjustable stand tilts to engrave objects of any size or height, the 6W version holds 0.05mm precision, and the Pro 12W cuts up to 10mm wood in its 100×300mm working space.

The Nano is built for on-location personalization — craft fairs, markets, engraving items too large for any bed — not batch production. If that’s your model, it earns a spot next to the xTool F1 in our best portable laser engraver roundup; if you never leave the workshop, the Ray5 gives you sixteen times the working area for less money.

Longer Ray5 vs Ortur Laser Master 3

The budget-10W fight comes down to philosophy. The Ortur Laser Master 3 spends its budget on the class’s deepest safety hardware — accelerometer tilt protection, flame detection, e-stop — and wireless polish. The Ray5 10W spends its budget on standalone usability: the touchscreen and TF-card workflow mean the laser doesn’t own your laptop, and the street price is routinely $100+ lower. Both share the same 400×400mm bed and LightBurn compatibility. Value pick: Ray5. Safety-first pick: Ortur. For the wider brand war, see our xTool vs Ortur comparison.

Where Longer falls short

• Open-frame, Class-4 across the line. Every Longer is an exposed-beam machine: goggles and ventilation are mandatory, and none offers the goggle-free desk operation of an enclosed Class-1 machine like the xTool S1. Longer sells an enclosure separately for the Ray5, but it’s an add-on, not a design.
• Thinner ecosystem than xTool. Rotary rollers and extensions exist, but the accessory catalog, first-party software (no XCS equivalent — you’ll live in LightBurn), and community support trail xTool and even Ortur.
• Headline speeds are theoretical. 24,000–36,000 mm/min ratings collapse to a few thousand for fine detail work on any open gantry — the same caveat that applies to every diode in this class.
• Diode limits apply. No Longer machine cuts clear acrylic or engraves bare glass cleanly (that’s CO2 territory — see our best CO2 laser engraver guide) or deep-marks bare metal like a fiber laser.

Verdict: who should buy a Longer laser engraver

Buy a Longer if price-to-capability is your deciding metric. The Ray5 10W is the best sub-$200 first laser of 2026 and a fixture in our best budget laser engraver rankings; the Laser B1 30W delivers measured 33W+ output, an oversized bed, and included air assist for hundreds less than comparable kit; the Nano owns the portable-galvo niche at its price. Skip Longer if you want enclosed safety, a hand-holding ecosystem, or clear-acrylic and bare-metal capability — those needs point to our best laser engraver pillar and best diode laser engraver roundup, where the trade-offs are mapped machine by machine. For everyone squeezing maximum laser out of a minimum budget, Longer is the brand to beat this year.

Ready to buy? Compare Ray5, B1, and Nano kits, bundles, and rotary add-ons at today’s prices: