xTool S1 40W Review: A 40W Laser Engraver for Real Work

I bought the xTool S1 40W with the rotary bundle because I was tired of turning down tumbler jobs and thin metal work. This is a 40W laser engraver with a 23.93 by 15.16 inch bed that runs at 600mm/s, sold as a kit for wood, acrylic, metal and cylindrical work. I have had it set up in my shop for a few weeks now, running it most days, and this is what I have learned about owning it rather than just reading about it.

Contents

• What the 40W Diode Head Actually Cuts
• The 23.93 x 15.16 Inch Bed in Real Projects
• Rotary Bundle: Tumblers and Cylinders
• Speed, Software and Daily Workflow
• Where the xTool S1 Falls Short
• Safety, Enclosure and Fumes
• How It Compares to Other 40W Machines
• Who Should Buy This and Who Should Not

What the 40W Diode Head Actually Cuts

The headline number is the 40W head, and it does change what you can take on compared to the 20W class machines I used before. Single-pass cutting is where the difference shows up most.

Woods I cut in one pass

On 3mm basswood and most 5mm plywood I get clean separation in a single pass at moderate power. On 6mm birch I need to slow down or run a second pass, and the cut edges get darker. That is the honest ceiling for a diode at this power level. If your work is mostly 3-5mm stock, you will spend your time designing rather than babysitting passes.

Acrylic, leather and metal marking

Cast acrylic up to about 5mm cuts reliably. Leather engraves beautifully and fast. On bare metal the 40W head marks and etches rather than cuts, which is true of every diode machine in this class. I use it for stainless tumblers, tool tags and knife scales, and the contrast is good enough that I do not bother with a marking spray on darker metals.

The 23.93 x 15.16 Inch Bed in Real Projects

Bed size is the spec people underrate until they hit it. At roughly 24 by 15 inches, this is one of the larger diode work areas you can buy without stepping up to a CO2 cabinet.

What fits in one pass

A standard 12oz tumbler laid flat, a full sheet of acrylic cut into several small parts, a laptop-sized engraving, a set of coasters, a knife blank. I regularly run a batch of six keychains across the width without repositioning. That is the practical benefit: fewer setups, fewer alignment mistakes.

When you will still need to tile

Anything longer than the bed has to be repositioned and re-registered, and the included camera helps but does not eliminate the seam risk. If you plan to engrave full-length cutting boards or long signs, budget for the tiling workflow and practice on scrap first.

Rotary Bundle: Tumblers and Cylinders

The rotary bundle is why I picked this configuration over the base machine. Tumbler work is the single biggest reason hobbyists move up to a machine like this, and buying the rotary separately later costs more than it did bundled.

Setting up the rotary

The rotary mounts inside the enclosure and takes a few minutes to swap in. You need to level the roller, set the diameter in the software, and run a test wrap before committing to a full design. My first tumbler came out slightly squashed because I had not entered the true diameter, and the second was fine once I corrected it.

What engraves well on a cylinder

Powder-coated tumblers mark with high contrast. Bare stainless is more subtle and benefits from a slower pass. Glass and ceramic drinkware engrave cleanly but you should expect some practice before the results look deliberate rather than accidental.

Speed, Software and Daily Workflow

The 600mm/s figure is the travel speed, not the speed you will actually cut at, and anyone who has used a laser knows that already. On engraving jobs the head moves fast enough that a coaster-sized design finishes in a couple of minutes.

The software

I run the machine through xTool’s own software, which handles the camera positioning, the rotary profile and the material presets in one place. It is the least frustrating part of the workflow. Importing a vector file, placing it on the camera overlay, and hitting start is a short loop, and I stopped needing to measure workpieces by hand after the first week.

The camera

The overhead camera is genuinely useful for placing designs on irregular stock like a live-edge slab or a pre-cut blank. It is not perfect on reflective surfaces, and I still use a jig for repeat jobs, but it saves me a lot of test cuts.

If you want to check the current price, this model on Amazon is where I bought mine: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ84BDTX?tag=zhwei26-20

Where the xTool S1 Falls Short

No machine at this price is without trade-offs, and a few of these will matter depending on what you do.

It is still a diode laser

It will not cut clear acrylic, it will not cut thick hardwood in one pass, and it will not cut metal at all. If your business is cutting 12mm plywood all day, this is the wrong class of machine and you should be looking at a CO2 unit instead.

The footprint

With the enclosure and the rotary stored nearby, this occupies a real chunk of bench space. I had to clear a dedicated corner for it, and I would not want to set it up and tear it down for each session. It wants a permanent home.

Consumables and cleaning

The lens and the air assist need regular attention. Resin buildup on the lens degrades cut quality quickly, and I clean mine every few sessions. The honeycomb bed also collects char and needs brushing out. None of this is difficult, but it is ongoing.

Safety, Enclosure and Fumes

The enclosed design is one of the reasons I chose this over an open-frame machine. The lid keeps the beam contained and the class 1 enclosure means I am not worrying about stray reflections while I am standing next to it.

Ventilation is not optional

You still need to route the exhaust outside or through a filter. Engraving leather, acrylic and some coated metals produces fumes you do not want in a living space. I run a duct out a window and would not use the machine in a closed room without it.

Fire risk

Any laser can ignite thin paper or lightweight stock if the settings are wrong. I keep a fire blanket within arm’s reach and never leave a job running unattended. That is not specific to this machine, but it is part of owning one.

How It Compares to Other 40W Machines

The two machines people weigh against this are the Glowforge and the Creality Falcon 2 Pro. I have not owned either, so I will keep this to the differences I am confident about.

The practical read: if you want a sealed machine with the rotary included and you are working mostly in wood, acrylic and coated metal, this configuration is the middle ground. If you want the biggest possible bed and do not mind an open frame, the Creality is cheaper. If you want the most polished software ecosystem and do not mind paying more, Glowforge is the other direction.

Who Should Buy This and Who Should Not

I have used this machine long enough to know who it fits.

It suits you if

You engrave tumblers, coasters, signs, leather goods and small parts, you want the rotary included rather than bought later, and you have a bench corner you can dedicate to it permanently. The 40W head and the larger bed together mean fewer passes and fewer repositioning jobs, which is exactly what a small production setup needs.

It does not suit you if

You need to cut thick hardwood, clear acrylic or metal, you have no way to vent fumes outside, or you want a machine you can pack away between sessions. In those cases you are better off with a CO2 machine, a smaller and cheaper diode unit, or a different workspace entirely.

Before you order

Measure your bench and your exhaust route first. The machine is bigger in person than the numbers suggest, and the venting is the part most people leave until the machine has already arrived. Sort both out before it ships and the setup day goes smoothly.

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