Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver Review

The Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver is, as the name implies, a small laser engraver designed to work with organic materials.

Brought to you by Tuopuke, you will find that this engraver delivers accurate results in a fast and reliable way, as should be expected from an international company that’s branching out.

The compact design is both futuristic and friendly, making it an easy companion for those who are looking to involve others in their hobby.

Thanks to the overall size, it’s easy to find a space for this engraver just about anywhere in your home and since it’s lightweight, it’s a breeze to move, which also great for the traveling craftsmen.

While this engraver has a few solid strengths, there are some things to look out for as well. Tuopuke was courteous enough to make this engraver compatible with several languages, but sometimes the translation is not quite as straightforward as we would like.

While the language issues aren’t a deal breaker, they might make things harder for beginners who aren’t proficient in installing new systems.

Thanks to the overall great features and a few drawbacks that naturally come with mini engravers, this is a machine with several pros and cons.

If you’re curious about finding out more, then read on – we have all the juicy details. Let’s find out what makes this machine worth considering. 

Tuopuke 1500mw USB Laser Engraver: The Details

In a Nutshell

• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.75 x 7.8 inches.
• Weight: 4 lbs.
• Plate size (if relevant): 512 x 512 pixels.
• Stand-Out Feature: Durable, with offline use available.

Features

Good, Basic Material Lineup

As a mini laser engraving machine, we expect to have a good, basic lineup of materials available. Tuopuke has made sure that you can enjoy working with hardwood, plastic, bamboo, rubber, leather, cut paper, and various other materials.

While harder materials, such as a range of metals and stone, will result in a more faded result, these organic materials are easier to find overall and will give you a good idea of what laser engraving entails.

Compact

The name itself says it all; the Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver is compact and easy to place, no matter how much space you have left.

In combination with the square shape and relatively light weight, it’s easy to move this engraver around.

That’s perfect for those who move their hobbies around often or don’t have space for a dedicated crafting spot.

Efficient

Efficiency is all part of getting what you want fast and with a good finish. You’ll find the Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver works quickly and delivers good results overall.

This is in part due to the smaller engraving area. Those who want to create larger designs can certainly do so with some creativity, although they’ll find that this does end up taking a bit longer.

Offline Use

If your hobby room doesn’t have the most reliable internet connection, you’ll probably have ended up sighing more than once no matter what you were working on.

Thanks to the capacity to work offline, you don’t need to worry about the connection failing halfway through.

Simply hook up the printer to your PC with the USB cord and it will continue to work without a hitch.

Windows Supported

The Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver can connect to Windows 7, XP, 8, and 10.

No need to go upgrade your systems just to try out a new hobby – just plug in and play.

Weak Light Support

While this may sound like a less optimal feature to the layman, we can assure you weak light support is a good thing.

If you happen to be working in a dim environment, this support system will help you analyze the best starting point for your project.

This support system is also a lifesaver for beginning engravers who don’t yet have the necessary experience to make this kind of judgment call at the start of their journey.

Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver Review

The Positives

Multiple Language Support

While Tuopuke is located in China, they have gone to some lengths to make their products available to the larger public.

The Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver can operate in English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian, and German.

This allows Tuopuke to reach a wide market with their Mini Laser Engraver, and with a wide variety of languages available, no one will feel left out.

Fast

The small printing surface does play a role in this, but the Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver also works very fast in general.

Tuopuke has found a way to improve on their own limits by making this engraver ten times faster than any of their earlier models. Not bad for such a small printer, and certainly a positive that ought to be mentioned.

A faster printer model makes this hobby all the more fun instead of spending a large amount of time eagerly awaiting your project.

For business owners, this is especially great since your orders won’t be delayed due to a slow machine. You’ll be able to quickly get through your list efficiently and on-time with less of a hassle.

Good-Looking

A good-looking machine does a lot in introducing your new hobby to friends and family. The Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver looks a bit futuristic but in that friendly, feel-good movie way.

If you choose to display it on your work table (or on any other surface in your home or office), it won’t take up too much space, saving you room to work on other things while your project prints nearby.

On the other hand, if you choose to keep it tucked away in a cupboard or closet until you need it, it won’t be a hassle to move thanks to its easy-to-handle weight (and it won’t be hogging all the space inside!).

The green safety screen adds to its overall impression and will allow you to keep an eye on the engraving as it’s happening. It will also act as a boundary between the project in process and curious fingers.

Durable

Tuopuke is very proud of their machines and considers durability to be one of the main aspects for making a reliable product.

With its alloy structure and 108 screws, you’ll find this laser engraving machine to be both lightly pliable and still capable of taking a punch.

Especially the former is important if you plan on moving this engraver around a lot, since it can subtly adjust to being moved among other items.

Great for Beginners

While advanced hobbyists may find this machine too minimalistic for full-time use, those just starting out in the craft will be in good hands with the Tuopuke Mini Engraver.

It’s a less intimidating machine thanks to its compact size, and comes with many accessories you need to get started, saving new users time, money and hassle.

Price

Starting a new hobby or even purchasing a new crafting machine can usually cause some alarm for your wallet. Fortunately, Tuopuke eases the strain by offering their mini engraver at an affordable price.

You won’t have to dig too deep into your savings for this one, making it a great option for those on a budget, and beginner crafters.

The Negatives

Dubious English Translations

While the attempt has certainly been made, some of the English translations don’t feel quite natural.

This isn’t a problem in itself since context and common sense alleviate a lot of the pressure in this regard, but it can get quite frustrating if you are completely new to laser engraving.

When setting up this engraver, we recommend searching for set-up videos online or getting help from someone with prior experience who can help guide you through the process.

Small Engraving Size

It should be obvious, but this is a mini printer. If you’re looking to make large engravings right from the start, this won’t be a good match for you.

While it is possible to divide larger designs into small pieces and engrave them that way, we recommend starting small and working your way up to the big leagues.

Not for Mac Users 

It’s great that this machine is accessible to most Windows users but those who own a Macintosh computer will be left out.

While many machines only support a few operating systems, we hope to see Tuopuke upgrade their future devices to include the Mac crowd.

This can be limiting when using this printer in a classroom or office setting where there are Macs present.

Overall Verdict

The Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver scores well on the most important aspects for a beginner level engraving machine; it’s fast, delivers high-quality prints, and makes for a smooth introduction to the hobby.

Since it is aimed mostly toward beginners, you’ll find that the workspace has been kept small to increase both accuracy and speed.

As such, it is important to remember that it is a mini engraver and therefore not suitable for creating large projects right off the bat.

The good variety of organic materials it can handle does make it a tempting way to get started with laser engraving.

Because of the smaller size, we can’t recommend this laser engraving machine to veterans with higher demands. But, if you’re looking for a great way of becoming familiar with this craft, this is the best engraving machine for organic materials you could find.

Asking someone with more experience for assistance the first time might be a good idea if you know you find it a challenge working with new machines.

Where to Buy the Tuopuke 1500mw USB Laser Engraver

There’s no doubt that Tuopuke has made an excellent entry-level machine with their 1500mw USB Laser Engraver. While this aims to please a variety of crafters, it may be hard to find in-store or online.

Tuopuke is still making their name known in the crafting world, and though they have a number of machines under their belt, there’s not much of a brand presence to help their company really grow.

We hope to see more products like this from Tuopuke in the future and hope to see more retailers boasting their name.

While it’s always best to check craft or specialty stores, you’ll be more likely to find this laser engraving machine on Amazon.

That’s all for our Tuopuke Mini Laser Engraver review. Curious to give it a try?