xTool F1 Ultra: A 15-Month Field Guide to Metal Engraving, the Rotary Tool, Glass, and Puzzle Templates

I bought the xTool F1 Ultra in January 2024 because I couldn't decide between a fiber laser and a diode laser. The dual-laser design sounded like the no-brainer answer. After 15 months and roughly 300 paid jobs, I still think it's a great machine. But I also think most reviews ignore the part that actually matters: which scenario you're in.

There's no universal 'best setting' for the F1 Ultra. There's no single answer for the rotary, for metal engraving, for glass, or for cutting puzzle pieces. The machine can do all of those, but not in the same way. This article is the advice I'd give to myself before my first order.

The F1 Ultra Is Two Lasers, Not One Better Laser

The xTool F1 Ultra has a 20W fiber source and a 20W diode source. According to xTool's official material guide, the fiber source is meant for metal, and the diode source is meant for organic and coated materials. That sounds simple, but I've watched people fight the machine because they thought the fiber laser would be better for everything.

Here's the thing: fiber and diode are complements, not competitors. Fiber engraves metal. Diode cuts wood and acrylic, and engraves glass and painted surfaces. Once I treated them as two separate tools sharing a frame, my job got much easier.

Everything I'd read about desktop lasers said the fiber source would be the one I used most. In practice, I use the diode source about 70% of the time. The fiber is invaluable when I need metal engraving, but the diode is what makes the F1 Ultra feel like a useful workshop tool.

Scenario 1: xTool F1 Ultra Metal Engraving Is the Clear Use Case

If the main reason you're looking at the F1 Ultra is metal engraving, you're in the clearest scenario. The fiber source will mark stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and some coated metals. It won't do it automatically, though. My early mistakes are proof.

In March 2024, I took an order for 32 stainless steel dog tags. I was in a hurry, so I skipped the material test and ran the fiber source at 70% power. The first tag looked okay on the screen, but when I held it under real light, the mark was dark and rough. Fourteen tags in, I stopped. All 32 had to be redone, and I had to buy more blanks. That mistake cost $115 in materials and a weekend I didn't have.

What I should have done, and what I do now: set the fiber to around 30–40% power, use a higher speed, and test on a scrap piece of identical metal first. Most metal engraving doesn't need brute force. It needs focus and patience.

There's another part of this scenario that doesn't get mentioned enough: if your only work is bare metal, a dual-laser machine might be more than you need. A dedicated fiber system would be cheaper and faster. The F1 Ultra makes sense when you're also using the diode for wood, glass, or acrylic. If you're not, consider the scenario before you buy.

Scenario 2: Glassware, Tumblers, and the xTool F1 Ultra Rotary Tool

Glass is where the F1 Ultra surprised me. The diode source engraves glass, and when the glass is curved, that's where the xTool F1 Ultra rotary tool comes in. It's an add-on that rotates cylindrical items under the laser, so you can put a design on a tumbler, a bottle, or a glass without turning it by hand.

I first set up the rotary for a wedding order of 40 glass bottles. I won't bore you with every detail, but the short version is that I didn't have a formal process for checking the rotary alignment. The first eight bottles looked fine. Then one bottle shifted, and the design wrapped around at a slant. Seven bottles were bad before I caught it. The lesson wasn't 'the rotary is bad.' The lesson was 'I need to check the same three things every time.'

Now I use a simple pre-flight check: confirm the two rotary centers are tight, confirm the bottle can spin without touching the laser frame, and run a 10-second test at low power to make sure the design stays flat. It takes five minutes and it's saved me more than once.

For picture engraving on glass, the procedure is different from engraving a logo. A logo can be a simple vector line. A picture needs to be rastered as a series of dots, so use a high-contrast black-and-white photo and a dithering mode. I also cover the glass with a damp paper towel when I do photo engraving. It keeps the glass from getting micro-cracks and gives a brighter frosted look. Test it on a cheap jar first, because every glass formula behaves differently.

If you're using the rotary, slow down. Round surfaces travel at different linear speeds across the curve, and a high speed can cause missed dots. The F1 Ultra's rotary works best when you use the xTool preset for curved surfaces and then adjust in small steps.

Scenario 3: Cutting Acrylic and the Laser Cut Puzzle Template

Here's a scenario that surprised me: the F1 Ultra can also cut thin wood and acrylic, which makes it a legitimate player for small puzzle production. But the laser cut puzzle template you download from the internet is rarely ready to run. It's a starting point, not a guarantee.

The first time I tried to make a 24-piece custom puzzle, I used a template I'd bought online. I assumed the puzzle pieces would fit together after cutting. They didn't. The kerf, which is the width of the cut line, was slightly wider than what the template designer used. The pieces were too loose once I cleaned them. I wasted about $32 of 3mm poplar plywood and three hours.

If you want to cut puzzles on the F1 Ultra, use the diode source for cutting, not the fiber. Cut a short test line in scrap material, measure the kerf, and adjust the template by that amount. Most puzzle templates have a listed kerf value. If yours doesn't, cut a 20mm test line and measure the gap. This is the step that separates people who enjoy laser puzzle making from people who throw a template in a drawer.

For acrylic, use a lower speed and multiple passes if needed, instead of cranking the power up. A single high-power pass can melt the edges and close up the gaps between puzzle pieces. Air assist helps, and so does masking tape on the surface to reduce residue.

One more thing: if all you want to do is cut thick materials, the F1 Ultra isn't the tool for that. It's a desktop machine for thin plywood, acrylic up to a few millimeters, and small runs. For a volume puzzle business, a dedicated CO2 cutter wins. For 10–50-piece batches, the F1 Ultra is honestly great.

Scenario 4: How to Use Laser Cutter If You're Starting From Zero

If you landed here because you're wondering how to use laser cutter in general, this scenario is for you. You're not looking for a deep comparison. You're looking for a workflow that won't eat your evening.

Use the F1 Ultra's preset material settings first. They're not perfect, but they're close enough to start. Then make a test piece. I know a test piece sounds boring, but I've burned more material by skipping tests than by using the wrong settings.

I also suggest keeping a material log. It doesn't have to be fancy. Write down the date, material, thickness, power, speed, and what the result looked like. In the beginning, I treated every material as new, so I made the same mistakes again and again. A log turns one mistake into one entry, not a recurring event.

Practice with cheap materials before you run real work. Cardboard is great for learning positioning. 2mm basswood is great for cutting tests. Glass jars from the recycling bin are great for engraving practice. This is the closest thing to a secret that this industry has.

How to Tell Which Scenario You're In

Here's the part most articles skip: how to decide what you should do next.

If you're mostly doing xTool F1 Ultra metal engraving plus some acrylic cutting, the F1 Ultra is a smart buy. That combination uses both lasers well and matches the machine's strengths.

If you're doing glassware and picture engraving on glass, the F1 Ultra can do it, but be ready for a learning curve with the rotary and with glass materials. It's not a plug-and-play experience. I'd still choose it over a single-laser desktop because the fiber side remains useful for other jobs.

If you're mostly cutting puzzles or sheet materials, you might be better off with a dedicated laser cutter that has more cutting power and a larger bed. The F1 Ultra is a capable cutter for small parts, but it's not a production cutter.

If you're buying the F1 Ultra just to use the rotary tool all day on tumblers, know that you'll spend more time dialing in curved-surface settings than you expect. The machine is not the bottleneck; your patience is.

I don't say all this to be careful. I say it because no one spelled out these options when I was deciding. The xTool F1 Ultra is one of the most flexible desktop lasers I've used. But flexible doesn't mean automatic. The key to enjoying it is matching it to the work you actually do, and deciding which scenario you're in before you spend the money or the weekend.