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Glowforge Basic vs OMTech 40W CO2 — Which Should You Buy?

Side-by-side specs, settings, and decision guide. Both have community-tested settings for 39 shared materials.

Glowforge Basic: $3,995 vs OMTech 40W CO2: $599 — prices as of 2026, check retailer for current pricing.

Where to buy

Buy the Glowforge Basic — check current price & availability

Buy on Amazon →

Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Where to buy

Buy the OMTech 40W CO2 — check current price & availability

Buy on Amazon →

Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Which one should you buy?

Pick the Glowforge Basic if you want: more cutting power (45W vs 40W).

Pick the OMTech 40W CO2 if you want: native LightBurn support (industry-standard).

Glowforge Basic

Price
$3,995
Power
45W
Laser Type
co2
Software
Glowforge App
Buy Glowforge Basic →
OMTech 40W CO2

OMTech 40W CO2

Price
$599
Power
40W
Laser Type
co2
Work Area
300×200mm
Software
LightBurn
Buy OMTech 40W CO2 →
89 settings for Glowforge Basic90 settings for OMTech 40W CO2

Settings Comparison

Material · OperationGlowforge BasicOMTech 40W CO2
2mm Basswood Plywoodcut—28 mm/s · 32% · air assist
3mm Baltic Birch Plywoodcut20 mm/s · 100% · air assist—
3mm Basswood Plywoodcut25 mm/s · 100% · air assist20 mm/s · 40% · air assist
3mm Black Acryliccut12 mm/s · 65%12 mm/s · 55% · air assist
3mm Cherry Plywoodcut—18 mm/s · 46% · air assist
3mm Clear Acryliccut15 mm/s · 100% · air assist12 mm/s · 55% · air assist
3mm Hardboard HDFcut—12 mm/s · 55% · air assist
3mm Maple Plywoodcut—16 mm/s · 48% · air assist
3mm MDFcut133 mm/min · 100%15 mm/s · 45% · air assist
3mm Mirrored Acryliccut—12 mm/s · 55% · air assist
3mm Walnut Plywoodcut18 mm/s · 100% · air assist18 mm/s · 45% · air assist
5mm Plywoodcut—10 mm/s · 60% · 2× passes · air assist
6mm Basswood Plywoodcut—8 mm/s · 65% · 2× passes · air assist
6mm Birch Plywoodcut—7 mm/s · 70% · 2× passes · air assist
6mm Clear Acryliccut—6 mm/s · 72% · 2× passes · air assist
6mm MDFcut10 mm/s · 100% · air assist8 mm/s · 62% · 2× passes · air assist
9mm Birch Plywoodcut—4 mm/s · 78% · 3× passes · air assist
Acrylic Feltcut55 mm/s · 28%55 mm/s · 28%
Acryliccut—12 mm/s · 70% · air assist
Alder 3mmcut20 mm/s · 55%—
Aldercut—250 mm/min · 95% · 2× passes · air assist
Bamboo 3mmcut20 mm/s · 55%18 mm/s · 68% · air assist
Bamboocut120 mm/min · 100% · air assist250 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Basswoodcut145 mm/min · 100% · air assist—
Cardboardcut180 mm/s · 35%60 mm/s · 20%
Cardstock 160gsmcut—60 mm/s · 15%
Cardstock 300gsmcut70 mm/s · 12%85 mm/s · 18%
Cardstockcut250 mm/s · 15%80 mm/s · 12%
Cedar 3mmcut20 mm/s · 54%—
Cedarcut—400 mm/min · 85% · air assist
Cherry 3mmcut16 mm/s · 62%—
Cherrycut—250 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Chipboard 2mmcut28 mm/s · 30%28 mm/s · 58% · air assist
Copy Paper 80gsmcut100 mm/s · 12%100 mm/s · 12%
Cork 3mmcut28 mm/s · 35% · air assist22 mm/s · 42%
Cork Sheet 3mmcut22 mm/s · 40% · air assist28 mm/s · 35% · air assist
Corkcut220 mm/min · 60%—
Corrugated Cardboard 4mmcut—22 mm/s · 45%
Corrugated Cardboardcut35 mm/s · 45%35 mm/s · 45%
Cotton Fabriccut45 mm/s · 20%60 mm/s · 28%
Craft Felt 3mmcut40 mm/s · 18%30 mm/s · 35%
Denim Fabriccut40 mm/s · 25%—
Denimcut—40 mm/s · 38%
EVA Foam 3mmcut35 mm/s · 22%40 mm/s · 22%
EVA Foam 6mmcut45 mm/s · 32%45 mm/s · 32%
Faux Leathercut35 mm/s · 45% · air assist35 mm/s · 45% · air assist
Feltcut—800 mm/min · 25%
Foam Board 5mmcut42 mm/s · 35%42 mm/s · 35%
Genuine Leather (Veg-Tan, ~3mm)cut28 mm/s · 45–55% · air assist—
Genuine Leathercut8 mm/s · 60–65% · air assist20 mm/s · 35% · air assist
HTV Vinylcut90 mm/s · 12%90 mm/s · 12%
Kraft Papercut280 mm/s · 12%80 mm/s · 12%
Leathercut9 mm/s · 80–85% · air assist10 mm/s · 50% · air assist
Maplecut12 mm/s · 65–75%—
Mylar Stencil 7.5milcut68 mm/s · 18%68 mm/s · 18%
Mylar Stencil Film 0.1mmcut—50 mm/s · 20%
Oak 3mmcut14 mm/s · 70%—
Oakcut—200 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Papercut300 mm/s · 10%100 mm/s · 10%
Pine 3mmcut18 mm/s · 60%—
Pinecut—350 mm/min · 90% · air assist
Plywoodcut125 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist—
Rubber Stamp Blankcut11 mm/s · 60–65% · air assist—
Walnutcut12 mm/s · 65–75%—
3mm Baltic Birch Plywoodengrave300 mm/s · 25–30%—
3mm Basswood Plywoodengrave130 mm/s · 40%300 mm/s · 30%
3mm Black Acrylicengrave—200 mm/s · 18%
3mm Cherry Plywoodengrave—250 mm/s · 28%
3mm Clear Acrylicengrave500 mm/min · 40%200 mm/s · 20%
3mm Maple Plywoodengrave—250 mm/s · 30%
3mm MDFengrave2000 mm/min · 40–45%300 mm/s · 28%
3mm Mirrored Acrylicengrave—200 mm/s · 20%
3mm Walnut Plywoodengrave250 mm/s · 25–30%—
6mm Basswood Plywoodengrave—250 mm/s · 35%
6mm MDFengrave150 mm/s · 25–30%—
Acrylic Feltengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%—
Acrylicengrave—300 mm/s · 20%
Alderengrave—350 mm/min · 55%
Anodized Aluminumengrave500 mm/min · 100%200 mm/s · 20% · air assist
Bamboo 3mmengrave290 mm/s · 18%—
Bamboo Cutting Boardengrave—250 mm/s · 35%
Bambooengrave—350 mm/min · 60%
Basswoodengrave—200 mm/s · 25% · air assist
Cardboardengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%—
Cardstock 160gsmengrave—300 mm/s · 8%
Cardstock 300gsmengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%—
Cardstockengrave400 mm/s · 8%300 mm/s · 6%
Cedarengrave—400 mm/min · 45%
Ceramic Tileengrave—200 mm/s · 60%
Cherry 3mmengrave270 mm/s · 22%—
Cherryengrave—350 mm/min · 55%
Chipboard 2mmengrave400 mm/s · 15–20%—
Copy Paper 80gsmengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%—
Cork 3mmengrave400 mm/s · 5–10%250 mm/s · 22%
Cork Sheet 3mmengrave280 mm/s · 14%—
Corrugated Cardboard 4mmengrave—300 mm/s · 18%
Corrugated Cardboardengrave500 mm/s · 10–15%—
Cotton Fabricengrave280 mm/s · 16%280 mm/s · 16%
Craft Felt 3mmengrave—200 mm/s · 15%
Denim Fabricengrave300 mm/s · 18%300 mm/s · 18%
Denimengrave—200 mm/s · 20%
EVA Foam 3mmengrave—300 mm/s · 8%
EVA Foam 6mmengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%—
Faux Leatherengrave500 mm/s · 10–15%—
Foam Board 5mmengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%—
Genuine Leather (Veg-Tan, ~3mm)engrave300 mm/s · 14–20% · air assist—
Genuine Leatherengrave150 mm/s · 22%200 mm/s · 25%
Glassengrave350 mm/s · 10–14%200 mm/s · 20%
HTV Vinylengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%—
Kraft Paperengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%—
Leatherengrave170 mm/s · 30% · air assist—
Mapleengrave250 mm/s · 20–25%350 mm/s · 18% · air assist
Marble Tileengrave80 mm/s · 55%80 mm/s · 55%
Mylar Stencil 7.5milengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%—
Oak 3mmengrave260 mm/s · 22%—
Oakengrave—300 mm/min · 60%
Paperengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%—
Photopolymer Stamp Blankengrave—150 mm/s · 40%
Pine 3mmengrave270 mm/s · 20%—
Pineengrave—400 mm/min · 50%
Rubber Stamp Blankengrave200 mm/s · 22%200 mm/s · 22%
Rubber Stamp Materialengrave—150 mm/s · 50%
Rubberengrave—150 mm/s · 35% · air assist
Slate (coaster)engrave350 mm/s · 15–22%—
Slateengrave130 mm/s · 80%250 mm/s · 65%
Stainless Steelengrave200 mm/s · 65%200 mm/s · 65%
Walnutengrave250 mm/s · 20–25%300 mm/s · 20% · air assist
All Glowforge Basic settings →All OMTech 40W CO2 settings →

Ready to buy the Glowforge Basic?

Buy on Amazon →

Ready to buy the OMTech 40W CO2?

Buy on Amazon →

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, the Glowforge Basic or OMTech 40W CO2?

It depends on your use case. Glowforge Basic is 45W co2. OMTech 40W CO2 is 40W co2 with 300×200mm bed. See the decision guide and side-by-side specs above.

What materials can both the Glowforge Basic and OMTech 40W CO2 cut or engrave?

Both machines have community-tested settings for 39 shared materials. The settings table above lists every material with side-by-side speed, power, passes, and air assist values for direct comparison.

Is the OMTech 40W CO2 or Glowforge Basic compatible with LightBurn?

The OMTech 40W CO2 works natively with LightBurn. The Glowforge Basic uses Glowforge App. LightBurn compatibility may be possible via a community device profile but is not officially supported.

Is the Glowforge Basic (45W) much faster than the OMTech 40W CO2 (40W)?

Higher wattage typically means faster cutting and the ability to cut thicker material in fewer passes. The Glowforge Basic (45W) cuts thicker material in single passes and engraves at higher speeds than the OMTech 40W CO2 (40W). For raster engraving the difference is smaller because surface engraving is limited by mechanical scan speed.

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Settings are community-contributed and may not reflect your exact machine configuration or material batch. Always test on scrap first. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What Makers Say

★★★★★5.0· 6 reviews
View all on Etsy →
★★★★★

"Used it with a Glowforge — engraved beautifully with no changes. I will be purchasing more digital downloads from this shop."

— Anna

★★★★★

"I was struggling with lining up my NFC business cards. I was able to not only line them up much better but also do multiple cards at once — making that job so much easier."

— Camp

★★★★★

"Excellent quality and design. Cut clean and neat!"

— LYNN

★★★★★

"Great jigs. Appreciate the time saved not having to build this from scratch!"

— Bruce

★★★★★

"Excellent quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded."

— Michael

★★★★★

"This template made my slate coasters so much easier. 4×4 coasters from Michaels drop in easily and are easy to remove. Def worth it."

— chris

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