Quick Answer: The xTool M1 Ultra was a 4-in-1 enclosed craft machine with a 10W or 20W diode laser, blade cutting, CMY inkjet printing and pen drawing/foiling on one 300 x 300 mm bed, sold from $899 for the 10W kit. xTool no longer sells it (its product page returned a 404 on October 31, 2026) and now sells the xTool M2 instead, from $499. Buy a leftover or used M1 Ultra only if you need its blade for vinyl, HTV or fabric, or its pen and foil tools; for color print-and-cut work, the M2 is the better and cheaper machine.
The xTool M1 Ultra sits in a different lane than most machines in our best laser engraver for small business and best laser engraver for beginners roundups: it never chased laser wattage, it chased workflow. This review covers what the four tool heads do, how the M1 Ultra differs from the original xTool M1 and from the M2 that replaced it, and who should still buy one.
Updated October 31, 2026. Three changes. First, xTool no longer sells the M1 Ultra: its xtool.com product page returns a 404, and xTool’s own “xTool M2 vs M1 Ultra” guide now opens with a note that the M1 Ultra “is no longer available for purchase through xTool.” Second, we corrected two specs against that xTool guide: the M1 Ultra’s inkjet is CMY with no dedicated black (not CMYK), and it positions artwork by pinpoint laser alignment with a phone snapshot preview, not a built-in 16MP camera (that was the original M1). Third, we added a section comparing it with the M2, plus current parts prices from xTool’s store.
xTool M1 Ultra at a glance
| Spec | xTool M1 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Status (Oct 31, 2026) | No longer sold by xTool; parts and consumables still listed |
| Laser type | 10W diode (20W module optional) |
| Work area | Laser / pen: 11.8 x 11.8 in (300 x 300 mm); blade: 11.6 x 11.6 in; inkjet: 11.7 x 11.3 in |
| Max cut (wood) | About 6 mm basswood single pass (10W); about 10 mm (20W) |
| Blade cutting | Vinyl, HTV, cardstock, fabric, leather |
| Inkjet printing | CMY (no dedicated black), 15 ml cartridge, about 400 pages at 5% coverage per xTool |
| Pen module | Drawing, writing, foiling |
| Positioning | Pinpoint laser positioning plus phone snapshot preview (no built-in camera view, per xTool) |
| Max speed | About 400 mm/s per xTool (Tom's Hardware: 300 mm/s at best) |
| Air assist | Bought separately |
| Enclosure | Fully enclosed Class 1 |
| Last price | From $899 (10W kit); higher with 20W and inkjet bundles |
| Best for | Mixed-media makers who need a blade, pen or foil as well as a laser |
xTool M1 Ultra by the numbers
- The machine combines four processing methods (laser, blade, inkjet and pen) on one 300 x 300 mm bed, and xTool’s comparison guide lists six functions in total: laser cutting, engraving, blade cutting, color printing, pen drawing and foiling. Its replacement, the M2, keeps three of them.
- The inkjet cartridge holds 15 ml and is rated for about 400 pages, against 40 ml and about 800 pages for the M2 (per xTool’s M2 vs M1 Ultra guide, at 5% page coverage). At $33 per M1 Ultra cartridge on xTool’s store, that is about 8.3 cents per rated page, against about 7.4 cents for the M2’s $59 cartridge.
- Reviewers rate it 8.9/10, calling it the right pick for “mixed-media creators who genuinely need all four modes,” while recommending a dedicated 40W laser instead for laser-only throughput (per LaserEngraverExpert). The M1 Ultra earns its place on versatility, not laser speed.
- xTool rates the M1 Ultra at about 400 mm/s; Tom’s Hardware measured 300 mm/s at best in its M2 review, against up to 600 mm/s for the M2.
What the xTool M1 Ultra does well
It replaces four machines with one enclosure. A laser engraver, a vinyl cutter, an inkjet printer and a pen plotter each take bench space and each need their own registration workflow. The M1 Ultra handles all four on the same bed, so a single blank can be printed, cut and foiled without leaving the machine.
Blade cutting covers what the laser can’t. Vinyl, heat-transfer vinyl, thin leather and cardstock either scorch or cut poorly with a diode laser, and vinyl is usually PVC, which should never be lasered. The M1 Ultra’s blade head handles those materials cleanly. xTool’s own guide says HTV T-shirts, adhesive vinyl decals, paper crafts and felt projects are “better suited to the M1 Ultra” than to the M2.
Its pinpoint positioning works across every tool head. You mark reference points with the laser pointer and place the design against them, and a phone snapshot can stand in for a camera view. It is slower to learn than the M2’s dual cameras, but it registers the laser, blade, printhead and pen to the same spot.
It’s fully enclosed. Class 1 enclosed operation means no goggles required for laser work, which matters for a machine likely to sit on a shared craft desk rather than in a dedicated shop.
If you own one, xTool’s US store still listed the main consumables on October 31, 2026: ink cartridge $33, cutting blade $20, rotary blade $20, triangle blade pack $25.40 (out of stock), hot foil pen $89, electrostatic mat $99, riser base kit $199 and the 20W module kit $539.
xTool M1 Ultra vs xTool M1 (original)
| xTool M1 Ultra | xTool M1 (original) | |
|---|---|---|
| Laser power | 10W (20W optional) | 10W only |
| Blade cutting | Yes | Yes |
| Inkjet printing | Yes, CMY (1,000+ materials per xTool) | No |
| Pen drawing / writing / foiling | Yes | No |
| Positioning | Pinpoint laser positioning + phone snapshot | 16MP camera |
| Work area | 300 x 300 mm | 300 x 300 mm |
| Status | No longer sold by xTool | Discontinued |
The Ultra kept the original M1’s bed, enclosure and blade cutter and added inkjet printing, the pen module and a 20W laser option. Both are now off xTool’s store, so the practical choice today is not “M1 vs M1 Ultra” but whether you need a blade at all, and if not, whether the M2 or a laser-only machine like the xTool S1 fits better.
xTool M1 Ultra vs xTool M2 (its replacement)
| xTool M1 Ultra | xTool M2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status (Oct 31, 2026) | No longer sold by xTool | On sale from $499 (10W) |
| Diode laser | 10W / 20W | 10W / 20W / 40W |
| Infrared module for metal | Not supported | 3W, optional ($499) |
| Printing | CMY, 15 ml, about 400 pages | CMYK, 40 ml, about 800 pages |
| Blade cutting | Yes, multiple blades | No |
| Pen drawing / foiling | Yes | No |
| Max laser area | 11.8 x 11.8 in | 16.7 x 12.5 in |
| Positioning | Pinpoint laser + phone snapshot | Dual cameras (5MP + 2MP) |
| Air assist | Bought separately | Built in |
| Rotary up to 100 mm | Needs riser base | Direct, no riser |
Source: xTool’s “xTool M2 vs M1 Ultra” buyer guide (updated July 2, 2026) and xtool.com prices on October 31, 2026.
Our read: the M2 is a better printer and a better laser, and it is the only one of the two you can buy new from xTool. The M1 Ultra is still the better craft machine for anyone whose work involves a blade. If you make HTV shirts, vinyl decals, fabric appliqué or foiled cards, a well-kept M1 Ultra does jobs the M2 cannot do at any price. Our xTool M2 review covers the M2’s bundles, ink costs and limits in detail.
Where the xTool M1 Ultra falls short
- xTool no longer sells it. New units come only from leftover retail stock; support depends on xTool keeping parts listed.
- No true black. The CMY printhead mixes black from three colors, which xTool itself says makes black designs softer and fine details lower in contrast, especially on darker materials.
- It isn’t the fastest or most powerful laser for the money. At 10W (or 20W with the upgrade module), a dedicated diode engraver in the same price range often out-powers it, because the price also pays for the blade, inkjet and pen hardware. See our best budget laser engraver guide if raw laser power per dollar is the priority.
- Small work area for an $899 machine. 300 x 300 mm is workable for craft projects but modest next to larger diode beds in the best laser engraver for wood category, and the M2 offers 426 x 320 mm for less.
- Four tool heads mean four consumables to manage. Laser lenses, blade tips, ink cartridges and pen refills all need restocking, which adds ongoing cost the laser-only machines in our best portable laser engraver roundup don’t have.
Who should buy the xTool M1 Ultra
The xTool M1 Ultra is still the right machine for mixed-media makers and Etsy sellers who need a blade as well as a laser: HTV shirts, vinyl decals, paper crafts, fabric and felt, plus foiled cards and pen work, without registering four separate machines. The blade module is why it remains our top pick in best laser cutter for fabric, where it cuts cotton and quilting fabric without laser scorch, and why it beats a laser for scorch-free cardstock cuts on invitations and cards.
It’s not the pick if you print and laser-cut but never use a blade: the xTool M2 does that better for $599 with its print module. And if you only engrave and cut, a dedicated diode like the xTool S1 puts more laser power behind the same money; both are covered in our best laser engraver and best xTool laser engraver rankings.
The bottom line
The xTool M1 Ultra was the most versatile craft machine xTool made, and xTool has replaced it with a narrower one. If you need a blade, pen or foil alongside a laser, a leftover or used M1 Ultra is still worth having, and xTool’s store still lists its main consumables. If you mainly print and laser-cut, buy the M2 instead: true-black CMYK ink, dual cameras, built-in air assist and a bigger bed, from $499.
Last updated: October 31, 2026. First published August 2026, when the 10W kit sold from $899.