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OMTech Polar vs xTool S1 — Which Should You Buy?

Side-by-side specs, settings, and decision guide. Both have community-tested settings for 45 shared materials.

OMTech Polar: $1,499 vs xTool S1: $1,699 — prices as of 2026, check retailer for current pricing.

Where to buy

Buy the OMTech Polar — 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 xTool S1 — check current price & availability

Buy on xTool →

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

Which one should you buy?

Pick the OMTech Polar if you want: CO₂ — cuts clear acrylic and engraves glass; diode lasers can't.

Pick the xTool S1 if you want: more cutting power (40W vs 30W); a more affordable price point.

OMTech Polar

Price
$1,499
Power
30W
Laser Type
co2
Buy OMTech Polar →
xTool S1

xTool S1

Price
$1,699
Power
40W
Laser Type
diode
Work Area
498×330mm
Software
xTool Creative Space
Buy xTool S1 →
80 settings for OMTech Polar176 settings for xTool S1

Settings Comparison

Material · OperationOMTech PolarxTool S1
2mm Basswood Plywoodcut22 mm/s · 38% · air assist5000 mm/min · 90% · air assist
3mm Baltic Birch Plywoodcut18 mm/s · 72% · air assist550 mm/min · 100% · air assist
3mm Basswood Plywoodcut20 mm/s · 70% · air assist600 mm/min · 100% · air assist
3mm Black Acryliccut—3000 mm/min · 75% · air assist
3mm Clear Acryliccut12 mm/s · 75% · air assist500 mm/min · 100% · air assist
3mm Coloured Acryliccut—3200 mm/min · 72% · air assist
3mm Hardboard HDFcut—400 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
3mm MDFcut15 mm/s · 70% · air assist600 mm/min · 100% · air assist
3mm Tinted Acryliccut14 mm/s · 68% · air assist600 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
3mm Walnut Plywoodcut14 mm/s · 78% · air assist500 mm/min · 100% · air assist
5mm Plywoodcut7 mm/s · 72% · 2× passes · air assist1500 mm/min · 100% · 3× passes · air assist
6mm Baltic Birch Plywoodcut8 mm/s · 88% · 2× passes—
6mm Basswood Plywoodcut—200 mm/min · 85% · air assist
6mm Clear Acryliccut4 mm/s · 80% · 2× passes · air assist—
6mm MDFcut12 mm/s · 80% · air assist300 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
9mm Birch Plywoodcut2.5 mm/s · 85% · 4× passes · air assist600 mm/min · 100% · 6× passes · air assist
Acrylic Feltcut—6000 mm/min · 38% · air assist
Alder 3mmcut—4200 mm/min · 62% · air assist
Aldercut—400 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Bamboo 3mmcut18 mm/s · 82%4500 mm/min · 60% · air assist
Bamboo Cutting Boardcut—1100 mm/min · 80–85% · 2× passes · air assist
Bamboocut300 mm/min · 90–95% · 2× passes · air assist400 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Basswoodcut15 mm/s · 70% · air assist3000 mm/min · 80% · air assist
Cardboard (corrugated, ~3–4mm)cut—300 mm/s · 80% · air assist
Cardboardcut80 mm/s · 30%3000 mm/min · 25%
Cardstock 300gsmcut—10000 mm/min · 20%
Cardstock (80–110 lb / ~220–300 gsm)cut—200 mm/s · 30%
Cardstockcut80 mm/s · 15%3500 mm/min · 20%
Cedar 3mmcut—4000 mm/min · 60% · air assist
Cedarcut—550 mm/min · 90% · air assist
Cherry 3mmcut—3800 mm/min · 65% · air assist
Cherrycut—400 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Chipboard 2mmcut22 mm/s · 48%5000 mm/min · 58% · air assist
Copy Paper 80gsmcut—11000 mm/min · 18%
Cork 3mmcut35 mm/s · 38%6500 mm/min · 35% · air assist
Cork Sheet 3mmcut—5000 mm/min · 55% · air assist
Corkcut20 mm/s · 60%800 mm/min · 70–85% · 2× passes
Corrugated Cardboardcut—5500 mm/min · 38% · 2× passes
Cotton Fabriccut40 mm/s · 38%6000 mm/min · 50% · air assist
Craft Felt 3mmcut—7000 mm/min · 48% · air assist
Denim Fabriccut30 mm/s · 45%6000 mm/min · 52% · air assist
EVA Foam 3mmcut—8000 mm/min · 45% · air assist
EVA Foam 6mmcut—5500 mm/min · 35%
Faux Leathercut28 mm/s · 52%4500 mm/min · 48% · air assist
Foam Board 5mmcut—6500 mm/min · 32% · 2× passes
Foamcut—1200 mm/min · 20%
Genuine Leather (Veg-Tan, ~3mm)cut20 mm/s · 55–65% · air assist5000 mm/min · 70–80% · air assist
Genuine Leathercut19 mm/s · 50–55% · air assist2000 mm/min · 90% · 2× passes · air assist
HTV Vinylcut—11000 mm/min · 12%
Kraft Papercut100 mm/s · 20%3000 mm/min · 18%
Leathercut300 mm/min · 75–80% · 2× passes · air assist2000 mm/min · 90% · 2× passes · air assist
Maplecut8 mm/s · 75–80% · 2× passes3500 mm/min · 75–90% · 2× passes · air assist
Mylar Stencil 7.5milcut—9000 mm/min · 18%
Oak 3mmcut—3500 mm/min · 70% · 2× passes · air assist
Oakcut—350 mm/min · 100% · 2× passes · air assist
Papercut100 mm/s · 12%2500 mm/min · 15%
Pine 3mmcut—4000 mm/min · 65% · air assist
Pinecut—500 mm/min · 100% · air assist
Plywoodcut15 mm/s · 70% · air assist600 mm/min · 85–100% · 2× passes · air assist
Rubber Stamp Blankcut—1000 mm/min · 95–100% · 2× passes · air assist
Rubber Stamp Materialcut8 mm/s · 80%600 mm/min · 95–100% · 2× passes · air assist
Walnutcut8 mm/s · 75–80% · 2× passes3500 mm/min · 75–90% · 2× passes · air assist
Washi Tapecut—2000 mm/min · 12%
2mm Basswood Plywoodengrave350 mm/s · 12%8000 mm/min · 40%
3mm Baltic Birch Plywoodengrave350 mm/s · 22%2000 mm/min · 25–30%
3mm Basswood Plywoodengrave300 mm/s · 20%6000 mm/min · 50%
3mm Black Acrylicengrave—6000 mm/min · 40%
3mm Clear Acrylic (Cast)engrave380 mm/min7500 mm/min
3mm Clear Acrylicengrave350 mm/s · 15%—
3mm Hardboard HDFengrave—2000 mm/min · 40–45%
3mm Maple Plywoodengrave350 mm/min4800 mm/min
3mm MDFengrave250 mm/s · 15–20%200 mm/s · 25–30%
3mm Mirrored Acrylicengrave350 mm/min7000 mm/min
3mm Tinted Acrylicengrave120 mm/s · 22%4000 mm/min · 60%
3mm Walnut Plywoodengrave200 mm/s · 20–25%2000 mm/min · 25–30%
5mm Plywoodengrave120 mm/s · 24%5000 mm/min · 55%
6mm Basswood Plywoodengrave—2000 mm/min · 35–40%
6mm Clear Acrylicengrave80 mm/s · 28%—
6mm MDFengrave200 mm/s · 20–25%2000 mm/min · 35–40%
9mm Birch Plywoodengrave100 mm/s · 25%4000 mm/min · 60%
Acrylic Feltengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Alder 3mmengrave—7500 mm/min · 40%
Alderengrave—4000 mm/min · 42%
Anodized Aluminumengrave150 mm/min · 85%1500 mm/min · 70–80%
Bamboo 3mmengrave350 mm/s · 22%8000 mm/min · 38%
Bamboo Cutting Boardengrave200 mm/s · 28%4000 mm/min · 55%
Bambooengrave250 mm/min · 60%4000 mm/min · 48%
Basswoodengrave250 mm/s · 15–20%—
Cardboard (corrugated, ~3–4mm)engrave—500 mm/s · 20–25%
Cardboardengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Cardstock 300gsmengrave—12000 mm/min · 10%
Cardstock (80–110 lb / ~220–300 gsm)engrave—500 mm/s · 12%
Cardstockengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%6000 mm/min · 12%
Cedar 3mmengrave—7500 mm/min · 38%
Cedarengrave—5000 mm/min · 30%
Ceramic Tileengrave200 mm/s · 55%500 mm/min · 90–100%
Cherry 3mmengrave—7000 mm/min · 42% · air assist
Cherryengrave—4500 mm/min · 40%
Chipboard 2mmengrave380 mm/s · 18%8500 mm/min · 32%
Coated / Powder Coated Steelengrave—3000 mm/min · 70%
Coated Stainless Steel Tumblerengrave230 mm/min · 55%2000 mm/min · 70–80%
Copy Paper 80gsmengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Cork Sheet 3mmengrave—8000 mm/min · 30%
Corkengrave300 mm/s · 15–20%4000 mm/min · 35–45%
Corrugated Cardboardengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Cotton Fabricengrave500 mm/s · 10%9000 mm/min · 16%
Craft Felt 3mmengrave—3500 mm/min · 25–30%
Denim Fabricengrave400 mm/s · 12%8000 mm/min · 30%
EVA Foam 3mmengrave—10000 mm/min · 20%
EVA Foam 6mmengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Faux Leatherengrave400 mm/s · 12%8000 mm/min · 15–20%
Foam Board 5mmengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Foamengrave—4000 mm/min · 10%
Genuine Leather (Veg-Tan, ~3mm)engrave250 mm/s · 18–25% · air assist7500 mm/min · 40–50% · air assist
Genuine Leatherengrave350 mm/s · 18%3000 mm/min · 40%
Glassengrave300 mm/s · 12–18%1000 mm/min · 55%
HTV Vinylengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Kraft Paperengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Leatherengrave200 mm/min · 50%4000 mm/min · 55%
Mapleengrave200 mm/s · 25–30%7000 mm/min · 45–55% · air assist
Marble Tileengrave60 mm/s · 55%2000 mm/min · 85%
Mylar Stencil 7.5milengrave—8000 mm/min · 10–15%
Oak 3mmengrave—7000 mm/min · 45% · air assist
Oakengrave—4000 mm/min · 45%
Paperengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%6000 mm/min · 10%
Photopolymer Stamp Blankengrave100 mm/s · 48%3000 mm/min · 55%
Pine 3mmengrave—7500 mm/min · 40% · air assist
Pineengrave—5000 mm/min · 35%
Plywoodengrave250 mm/s · 15–20%3000 mm/min · 50–65%
Powder Coated Steelengrave250 mm/min · 55%3000 mm/min · 70%
Rubber Stamp Blankengrave—3500 mm/min · 75%
Rubber Stamp Materialengrave150 mm/s · 28%2000 mm/min · 70%
Slate (coaster)engrave300 mm/s · 20–28%2200 mm/min · 90%
Slateengrave300 mm/s · 60%3500 mm/min · 70%
Spray Painted Metalengrave280 mm/min · 50%3500 mm/min · 65%
Stainless Steelengrave180 mm/s · 62%3500 mm/min · 90%
Walnutengrave200 mm/s · 25–30%7000 mm/min · 45–55% · air assist
Washi Tapeengrave—5000 mm/min · 8%
Stainless Steelmark—400 mm/min · 90–100%
All OMTech Polar settings →All xTool S1 settings →

Ready to buy the OMTech Polar?

Buy on Amazon →

Ready to buy the xTool S1?

Buy on xTool →

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, the OMTech Polar or xTool S1?

It depends on your use case. OMTech Polar is 30W co2. xTool S1 is 40W diode with 498×330mm bed. See the decision guide and side-by-side specs above.

What materials can both the OMTech Polar and xTool S1 cut or engrave?

Both machines have community-tested settings for 45 shared materials. The settings table above lists every material with side-by-side speed, power, passes, and air assist values for direct comparison.

Can the xTool S1 cut clear acrylic like the OMTech Polar?

No. CO₂ lasers like the OMTech Polar cut clear acrylic cleanly because the CO₂ wavelength is absorbed by transparent materials. Diode lasers like the xTool S1 struggle with clear acrylic — only painted or tinted acrylic works reliably.

Is the xTool S1 (40W) much faster than the OMTech Polar (30W)?

Higher wattage typically means faster cutting and the ability to cut thicker material in fewer passes. The xTool S1 (40W) cuts thicker material in single passes and engraves at higher speeds than the OMTech Polar (30W). 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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