Laser Pecker LP5 Review – Incredibly Powerful Laser

Looking for a powerful yet portable laser engraver and cutter? The LaserPecker LP5 promises high precision and the ability to work with a wide range of materials, all in a user-friendly package. Join us as we take a look at its features, performance, and see if it lives up to the hype for hobbyists and small businesses alike.

You can get the LP 5 right here.

What´s in the Box?

Your LP5 comes with everything you need:

• Sample materials to test engraving and cutting
• The main Laser Unit
• Power cables
• USB cables
• An exhaust pipe (for fumes)
• A USB flash drive
• All tools for assembly and maintenance
• L-shaped clamps (for aligning materials)
• Safety glasses
• An illustrated manual

Everything is well-packaged and protected. Plus, the design of the package looks really premium.

Setup

I was able to get the LP5 up and running in less than 15 minutes.

Assembly is simple and quick. All it took was four screws and the laser was operational.

Installing and connecting the software was also straightforward. The detailed menu runs you through the individual steps to ensure that even beginners can set the laser up without issues.

Overall, the setup was very easy, quick, and well-guided.

Technical Data

Features

The LP5 packs a bunch of incredible features. None of the features is groundbreaking or especially unique, but they don´t have to be. Everything works well, and every feature is well implemented. So let´s take a look at the most interesting features individually.

20W Diode Laser

The LP5 features a 20W diode laser that is capable of engraving wood, acrylic, leather, glass, paper, rubber, and more. And it does so at incredible speeds.

The 20W diode laser is also capable of cutting wood, black acrylic, leather, paper, rubber, and similar materials.

And if you can´t engrave something with the 20W diode laser, then you can engrave it with the 20W fiber laser.

20W Fiber Laser

A fiber laser operates at a different wavelength and enables you to engrave materials that can´t be engraved with a diode laser.

The 20W fiber laser enables you to engrave steel, aluminium, copper, silver, gold, plastic, and more.

You sometimes have to adjust the frequency of the laser to get good results, though. For example, when engraving copper, a low frequency works fine, but higher frequencies result in almost no reaction with the metal surface.

LaserPecker has a page where they list some basic parameters for different kinds of materials that will help you get started with the right settings. You can find it here.

High Speeds

The LP5 is built with two lightweight stationary mirrors that only rotate and redirect the laser to the workspace. This design allows the LP5 to achieve impressive engraving speeds of up to 10000 mm/s.

An engraving that would normally take 10 minutes on a regular diode laser with a moving laser head only takes a minute on the LP5.

Safety

The first LaserPecker portable laser engraver had some concerning safety issues, but since that, LaserPecker has begun to improve safety drastically.

The LP5 features a protective cover, comes with protective goggles, and has an exhaust built in. You will also get warnings in the software if you try to cut or engrave at potentially dangerous settings without the full enclosure installed. You have to enable the manual mode or install the safety enclosure to be able to engrave or cut with these settings.

I like to see all of this as lasers are dangerous tools to work with, and safety is important.

Software

When it comes to the software, there really are only two choices. We will go over both of them here.

LP Software

The official LaserPecker software is free to use and generally easier to set up and get started with.

However, there are some features that I miss dearly, like being able to engrave in multiple directions and disabling a layer from being processed. The LaserPecker software is constantly being worked on, and these features will probably be added in the future, but for now, the only way to use these settings is with LightBurn.

These features are very specific, though, and I think I only miss them because I’ve gotten used to them. For beginners, the LP Software is more than enough.

LightBurn

You can use LightBurn with the LP5 as well.

LighBurn is a professional software for laser engraving. It is not free, but it has a trial period, and their prices are fair.

LaserPecker has an official guide for using the LP5 with Lightburn.

Some features are a little hard to find in LightBurn, and you will be a little lost if you have never worked with Illustrator, LightBurn, Affinity Designer, or Inkscape.

So, LightBurn is supported, but not the best software for beginners.

Engraving Quality

You have to focus the laser before you can start engraving with it. This is easily done with the LP5 by moving the laser head up and down until the two indicator laser dots are aligned.

The engraving quality is incredible. You can choose between 1k, 2k, 4k, and 8k resolution.

This engraving was done on leather with a resolution of 2k. It turned out great with very sharp corners.

Engraving wood was just as easy and just as accurate. The engraving was very even and clean.

This image was engraved with 2k resolution on black PLA, and it looks amazing. The detail is sharp, and the engraving is very even.

So overall, the engraving quality of the LP5 is impressive even on low-resolution settings.

Use Cases

But what can you use the LP5 for?

Well, I used it for a bunch of projects to see how well it fares and to give you some inspiration.

Engraving 3D Prints

I tried to engrave some 3D prints with another fiber laser, which worked great, but engraving with the LP5 is much faster and more accurate.

I was able to engrave ABS, PLA, PETG, and ASA.

You can use this to engrave any 3D print that you want, adding text, logos, or a pattern.

Engraving and Cutting Leather Logos

A lot of higher-quality leather products or clothes have fancy leather logos on them.

Well, you can make these leather logos very easily and fast with the LP5. You can make them in any size and shape.

Making PCBs

You can also make your own PCBs with the LP5. The 20W IR laser is more than enough to engrave copper.

All you need to do is import your PCB design into the software of your choosing. Engrave the copper until only the copper traces are left.

Apply a layer of Insulation, a PCB mask, to insulate all the traces.

And finally, put the PCB back into the laser to remove the insulation where the soldering pads are supposed to be.

You can even cut out the PCB using the LP5 if you have a thin copper blank.

The result is a functioning and quite good-looking PCB prototype.

Making Dog Tags

The LP5 can engrave all kinds of metal, including steel and aluminum. So, you can engrave dog tags as well.

The designs can be more detailed than traditional dog tags, as these are usually engraved using a CNC machine. The point of the laser, however, is much finer than any milling bit. So this would allow you to even engrave fine images onto the dog tag.

Extensions

The LP5 comes with quite a few extensions that all work well and expand the use cases of the LP5 quite a bit.

Slide Extension

The slide extension will allow you to engrave larger pieces that usually as it expands the work area of the LP5 by 300 mm (11.81 inches).

I only have one issue with this, which is alignment. The slide extension needs to sit perfectly straight under the laser but there is no way to snap or align the slide extension without using external tools. And even then, the slide extension is not fixed to the LP5 it´s just sitting on its feet. So, one wrong move and you accidentally move it.

That being said, once you align the extension, it works great for larger pieces or to engrave multiple smaller pieces.

Rotary Extension

The rotary extension works great. It allows you to engrave round objects like bottles, glasses, rings, and so on.

It can be a little challenging to align it properly, but once it’s set, everything works great.

Air Purifier

If you plan on engraving plastic, wood, or similar materials, then the air purifier is a must.

It filters the exhaust from the LP5. This is absolutely necessary if you work with ABS or wood, as these materials will produce either toxic or very dirty smoke that should be filtered before you lead them outside.

Enclosure

The enclosure is another safety upgrade. It encloses the LP5 fully, making it easier to exhaust dangerous gases that can occur when you engrave some materials like ABS plastic.

Conclusion

The LaserPecker LP5 is an impressive leap forward in portable laser engraving technology. With its dual-laser setup, high engraving speeds, and broad material compatibility, it caters equally well to beginners and experienced makers. Its intuitive setup, quality hardware, and thoughtful safety features make it one of the most approachable yet powerful options on the market. While the software has a few limitations and alignment for some extensions could be improved, the LP5 more than makes up for it with performance and versatility. Whether you’re a hobbyist looking to personalize your projects or a small business owner in need of precision engraving, the LP5 is a solid investment that delivers on its promises.