I’ve been the happy owner of a Glowforge Spark for one week and these are my initial thoughts opinions.
The biggest complaint I’ve read is that it’s to slow. Yes, it can be a bit slow but I find other work on the computer to do or listen to a podcast or YouTube in the background – filling the silence helps a lot!
Next up is the cut area and materials – yes you can’t cut the whole 12”x12” in one go by I just rotate the material around and cut the other portion. Not too much of a big deal. Most of my projects fit within the 8×12” in cutting area. The Spark (Aura) can cut and engrave most material – except clear-core acrylics (clear, blue, some pastels) due to the diode laser. The Proofgrade materials themselves don’t cost too much but the shipping is a no go unless you plan on making a big order.
I do find the fact that you have to pay $50/month for a subscription to have the faster server and a basic set of tools (rotate, scale, text, basic shapes, etc.) a bit steep. Other programs give you these same tools for free! So the rule of thumb is to get in the habit of designing all of your projects in a program like Silhouette Studio Business Edition, InkScape (which is free), or Affinity Designer and than to simply import them to cut/engrave into the Glowforge app.
The Craft Air Filter is doing what it’s supposed to be doing as far as I can tell. I didn’t have an option to not purchase it since I live an apartment and can’t modify/remove the window screens – plus I didn’t want to risk people complaining about the burning smell.
My biggest pet peeve is the cost of the subscription if it costed a third of the price I would consider it – but not at the current price tag. The other “pitfalls” I see as no big deal. I love how it engraves beautifully an how it cuts without having sharp edges. The Spark is the most affordable of the Glowforge machines therefore, the one most accessible to the masses.
If you are a crafter that does it for pleasure or a hobby level small business owner I would recommend it.
Happy Crafting!
