The Maker’s Toolbox: WeCeat Lumos Laser Machine

The WeCreat Lumos is a compact, portable, multi-functional laser machine designed with maximum versatility in mind. But is it actually any good? Let’s find out!

The basics

As usual, I’ll start by covering the basic facts and specs. The WeCreat Lumos is a galvanometer dual-laser machine built from the ground up for both desktop and portable use.

It has two lasers: a 10W blue diode laser and a 3W infrared laser. Both can cover an area of 116×116mm and a maximum processing height of 100mm. Thanks to the mirror galvanometer, it can engrave at up to 4,000mm/s.

The WeCreat Lumos also has handy features like an integrated camera for positioning designs and autofocus (you can focus manually, too).

Most notably, the WeCreat Lumos can be used in two “modes.” One is for desktop use and the laser fits into a sturdy enclosure with motorized height adjustment and an air filter port. The other is for portable use and the laser fits into a “dog cone” attachment, so users can hold it up to vertical surfaces or anything else.

There are also slide extension and rotary module accessories to expand the capability in the desktop mode. You can use the rotary module and slide extension at the same time to engrave long, cylindrical objects, which is a very unusual and intriguing feature.

Unboxing and first impressions

There isn’t anything noteworthy about the shipping boxes. The Lumos and its accessories come packed in foam within sturdy cardboard boxes, exactly like you would expect for a product like this.

Unpacking is quick and easy. Even better, there isn’t any required assembly. To get started, you simply place the laser module on the motorized enclosure. Turning a single built-in knob secures it.

Right off the bat, I was happy with the way the WeCreat Lumos looks. I dig the purplish finish and everything looks and feels very well-made. It is a mixture of aluminum and plastic, but nothing feels cheap at all.

That quality carries over to the accessories, which also look and feel great. I’ll talk about each of those in more detail later in this review.

Software and basic functions

Those who prefer it can use the WeCreat Lumos with Lightburn. But I doubt many of you will want to go that route, because the WeCreat MakeIt is very good. It is intuitive to use and its functions are all tailored to the Lumos (and WeCreat’s other laser machines). It works with both Windows and macOS.

For all of my testing, I had the Lumos connected to my PC via USB. But WiFi is also an option and that may be preferable for a lot of users–particularly when using the Lumos as a portable machine with the dog cone.

Starting my first engraving only took a few minutes. I attached the laser module to the enclosure, plugged in power, ran the hose to the air filter, connected the USB cable, and was ready to go. From there, I simply chose the flat mode in MakeIt, put some text on the canvas, chose a preset, and started the job.

Buttons in the MakeIt software let you switch between the blue diode and IR lasers. You can choose whichever is best-suited to your material and there are many material presets for each. Those presets are nice, because you get visual examples for power and speed.

The autofocus function worked great and the camera-based positioning was accurate in my testing. WeCreat says it is accurate to within a millimeter and that seems to match my experience.

There is also a menu for switching to other modes, which you’ll need to do when using the other accessories. I’ll cover those in a moment, but first…

The AirGuard Cube Fume Extractor

I always recommend that laser machine users purchase suitable air filters. Even in well-ventilated areas, smoke and fumes can quickly build up. That problem is more apparent with some materials, but there are always at least some fumes.

The AirGuard Cube Fume Extractor comes included in the Lumos Super Pack or you can add it on to another package.

It is mediocre, in my opinion. There isn’t anything wrong with it and it looks nice enough. But it is small, plastic, and isn’t particularly powerful. Those factors make it easy to carry to trade shows and such, so it is a sensible design.

However, it costs $239.99 on its own. That’s the current “sale” price and the MSRP is $599.99. Even at the sale price, I think that’s a little high for a filter of this size made of plastic. But unless you want to shop around for a third-party filter unit, you’ll probably just want to buy this one.

The Slide Extension

On its own, the WeCreat Lumos has a fairly small working area. That’s fine for a lot of common jobs, but you may want more area to work with and that’s where the Slide Extension comes in. It expands the X axis from 116mm to 520mm.

To use it, you start by using four thumbscrews to attach two mounts to the bed of the enclosure unit. Then you rest the slide extension on those and plug in the two cables.

From there, you simply choose the Slide Extension mode in MakeIt and you can proceed as normal. You still get a camera snapshot of the origin area and the preview outline still works.

The Slide Extension worked great for me. It did seem kind of noisy at times, but I never had any problems with the actual functionality. There are also built-in clamps to hold down material that has a tendency to flex or move around.

The Rotary Module

If you’ve ever used a Rotary Module with another laser machine, then this should be familiar territory. Use the supplied screws to attach it to the enclosure, plug in one cable, and you’re ready to go. MakeIt just needs to know the circumference or diameter of the object you’re engraving, so it can calculate how much to rotate the motor.

There are multiple jaws and grips to choose from, plus a support for heavy/long objects and a tilting chuck. You should be able to accommodate just about anything cylindrical, plus objects like rings.

WeCreat says the Rotary Module can handle a 40oz tumbler, which is the bar that so many crafters want to clear.

Unfortunately, as is almost always the case with these rotary modules, I think there is a safety issue. The enclosure cover needs to be up a little bit to accommodate the laser module, which means it is possible for the laser beam to reflect and escape. Maybe not likely, but possible.

The Slide Extension + Rotary Module

This is a really cool feature of the WeCreat Lumos: you can put the Rotary Module onto the Slide Extension to get the best of both worlds.

However, this does require quite a bit of setup. You have to remove the top platform from the Slide Extension and replace that with a special mount. Then you attach the Rotary Module to that. Next, you attach the whole assembly to the enclosure, turned on its side, using special brackets that sort of clamp onto channels on the sides of the enclosure. Finally, you plug in both units’ cables and select the mode in MakeIt.

WeCreat demonstrates the Slide Extension + Rotary Module combo by engraving a 34” baseball bat, which is a cool idea. But I don’t have a baseball bat. In fact, I struggled to find anything in my garage that would be suitable.

I ended up just engraving this cardboard paper towel tube. Not the most interesting object, but you get the idea: it worked like it is supposed to.

Though this has the same potential safety issue as the rotary module by itself.

The dog cone

For portable/handheld use, you can swap the motorized enclosure out for the “dog cone.” It snaps right on to the laser module with magnets, so attachment is super quick. Then you just plug in the USB cable on the cone to power the fan.

But I do have mixed feelings about the dog cone, starting with those magnets. They aren’t super secure, so the cone can kind of wobble when you’re pushing it up against a surface to engrave. It would be nice if there was a latch or something to make it a bit more robust.

And when you’re using the dog cone, you’re “tethered” by the power supply cable. The Lumos doesn’t have a built-in battery or anything, so the power cable is a requirement.

Finally, I have some concerns about the safety. The first time I tested it, it seemed like the laser wasn’t actually firing. So, I started pulling it away from the material to check it and that is when it decided to fire — just moments before it would have been pointed at my own arm. Some kind of safety interlock would make me feel much better.

Those nitpicks aside, it did work and the Lumos + Dog Cone is light enough that one can easily hold it up to a surface for 10-15 seconds while doing a quick engraving.

Lasers, materials, and color engraving (oh my!)

The WeCreat Lumos has two lasers: the 10W blue diode laser and the 3W infrared laser. That is a pretty good combo, as together they can handle most of the materials you will likely want to work with.

Blue diode lasers are very versatile and work with a bunch of different materials, like wood, MDF, leather, paper, cardboard, some black or very dark acrylic, painted/anodized/coated materials, foam (check if it is safe for lasers), and some metal.

10 watts isn’t a huge number and that is probably the biggest limitation of the Lumos. Many desktop laser machines now have blue diode lasers exceeding 60W, so 10W is a bit underwhelming. Still, that is enough for the vast majority of engraving applications and is fine for cutting thin wood, leather, acrylic, and foam.

The 3W IR laser covers most of the 10W blue diode laser’s shortcomings. It is particularly good for engraving metal (steel, titanium, brass, copper, aluminum, etc.).

Once again, there isn’t a lot of power there and you aren’t going to be cutting metal with the 3W laser. But it is enough for many engraving applications and is reasonable for the size and price of the Lumos.

A quick note about the “MOPA-style color marking” functionality: it never works very well for me. Laser machine manufacturers really like to advertise this kind of marking, which only works with stainless steel, because it looks pretty in pictures. But I’ve tried it with numerous machines and have never been very impressed with the results. The colors are always pretty muted and lack variation, which is the case with the Lumos, too.

If that color marking is a big deal to you, I think you may be disappointed. I’m not going to claim it doesn’t work or can’t work, but the results certainly didn’t blow me away.

Conclusion and recommendations

The WeCreat Lumos is a really fantastic machine — I want to make that clear. It is well-made, functions exactly like it should, performs well, and the price is good.

I do have a couple of minor safety concerns regarding the dog cone and the rotary module, but careful usage should minimize the potential for danger.

In the consumer and prosumer laser machine markets, these kinds of multi-functional models are pretty rare. My genuine opinion is that the WeCreat Lumos is among the best. It isn’t the most powerful, but it is very versatile and the MakeIt software puts it ahead of most of the competition. Combined with the build quality, I think the Lumos is a great choice.

So, if you’ve been considering the WeCreat Lumos, but haven’t decided if you should go for it, my suggestion would be to go ahead. I think you’ll be happy with it.