The Last Laser You'll Ever Buy

00:26:58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0YUu-4rx7A

摘要

TLDRThe Hydra Nine by One Laser is an innovative laser engraver and cutter featuring both RF and CO2 laser sources, allowing users to engage different laser technologies in a single job. With specifications promising 1200 mm/s speeds, 3G acceleration, and an expansive work area, it competes effectively against established brands. Notable elements include a robust build with significant Z-axis adjustment, an integrated camera for layout assistance, and a touchscreen interface for better user interaction. The safety features and ease of maintenance enhance its appeal for both hobbyists and professionals. Pricing is positioned attractively against similar machines, making it a compelling option for serious engravers and cutters.

心得

  • 🔍 Dual Laser Sources: The Hydra Nine combines RF and CO2 lasers for versatile applications.
  • ⚙️ Robust Build: High-quality construction minimizes flex and ensures precision.
  • 🚀 High Speed: Capable of 1200 mm/s, making it fast among industrial lasers.
  • 🖥️ User-Friendly Interface: Touchscreen control with internal project storage simplifies operation.
  • 🔒 Safety Features: Includes a polycarbonate lid, emergency stop, and air quality sensor for health safety.
  • 📏 Adjustable Work Bed: Z-axis movement allows for more versatility with thicker materials.
  • 🏗️ Easy Maintenance: Removable panels facilitate access to the interior for repairs.
  • 📦 Transportable Design: Breaks down into layers for easier transport through standard doors.
  • 💲 Competitive Pricing: Offers high-end specs without exceeding typical budget thresholds.
  • 🌟 Reliable Support: Backed by One Laser's design and support based in the U.S.

时间轴

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The Hydra 9 from One Laser is a new industrial laser engraver and cutter designed for professional use. The video introduces its features and compares it with competitors like Glowforge, XTool P2, and OM Tech. One of Hydra's standout features is its dual laser sources, which sets it apart from existing models.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The Hydra series includes four models: Hydra 7, 9, 13, and 16, based on the working area size. The Hydra 9 model is highlighted for its robust design, featuring high-speed capabilities, excellent acceleration, and a moving work bed, which provides more flexibility compared to desktop style machines.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The machine's Z-axis control is crucial for maintaining precision during engraving. Its design minimizes racking, ensuring fine engraving quality. The removable work bed allows easy access for cleaning. The unique locking system adds stability during repeated cuts.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The interface of the Hydra 9 is intuitive and user-friendly, combining touchscreen and physical controls. It supports local memory storage and file management, offering great convenience for users. Safety features include a polycarbonate lid and emergency stops for protection during operation.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:26:58

    A detailed comparison is made between the Hydra 9 and competitor models such as Thunder Nova 35 and OM Tech machines. The Hydra's pricing and dual laser sources are emphasized as its strong selling points, providing superior performance and value for professional users. The video concludes by inviting questions about the machine.

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思维导图

视频问答

  • What are the main features of the Hydra Nine?

    The Hydra Nine has dual laser sources (RF and CO2), a robust build with a large work area, integrated camera for ease of use, high-speed motors, and advanced safety features.

  • How does it compare to other laser engravers?

    It competes directly with machines like Glowforge and Thunder Laser, offering unique features like dual laser sources and a more advanced interface at a lower cost.

  • Is the Hydra Nine suitable for professional use?

    Yes, with its industrial design, speed, and dual-laser functionality, it is a suitable choice for professional applications.

  • What safety features does the Hydra Nine include?

    It has magnetic lid sensors, a thick polycarbonate cover, emergency stop button, and an air quality sensor.

  • Can the machine be upgraded?

    Yes, you can add the RF tube later if you start with just the CO2 version.

  • What is the price range of the Hydra Nine?

    The base price for the CO2 version starts around $5,000, with additional costs for upgrades like the RF tube.

  • How is the user interface designed?

    It has a touchscreen with physical controls for easy navigation, jogging, and file selection, plus internal memory for saved projects.

  • What models are available in the Hydra series?

    The series includes Hydra 7, 9, 13, and 16, varying by work area width.

  • What kind of support and warranty does One Laser offer?

    One Laser provides support and warranty options, typically localized due to their design and support being based in the U.S.

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  • 00:00:00
    so this is the Hydra nine from one laser
  • 00:00:02
    the latest industrial style big boy
  • 00:00:04
    version of a laser engraver as well as
  • 00:00:07
    cutter now we're going to walk through
  • 00:00:08
    all the features of this machine and I
  • 00:00:10
    want to compare it directly with some of
  • 00:00:11
    the competition so if you are in the
  • 00:00:13
    market for a more professional style
  • 00:00:15
    machine like this you can know if it's
  • 00:00:16
    the right one for you but before we
  • 00:00:18
    start with that let's start with this
  • 00:00:20
    guy right here this is the one laser X
  • 00:00:22
    Series specifically this is the xrf
  • 00:00:24
    which is an RF tube they have on the
  • 00:00:26
    back um they have a CO2 glass tube
  • 00:00:29
    version as well but it's like one lasers
  • 00:00:31
    glow Forge xtool P2 om Tech polar style
  • 00:00:35
    competitor now there's two different
  • 00:00:36
    versions of that machine there's two
  • 00:00:37
    different types of laser tubes it's got
  • 00:00:39
    on the back there's only one version of
  • 00:00:43
    this machine because the most unique
  • 00:00:45
    feature about this laser actually has
  • 00:00:47
    two different laser sources inside of it
  • 00:00:49
    and that is a feature I have not seen on
  • 00:00:51
    any other machine that I've reviewed in
  • 00:00:53
    my shop but before we talk about the
  • 00:00:55
    Laser Source let's talk about the Hydra
  • 00:00:57
    in general as like a product line so
  • 00:00:59
    there's four different versions that
  • 00:01:01
    they offer you've got the Hydra 7 9 13
  • 00:01:05
    and 16 and those numbers relate to the
  • 00:01:07
    distance in the X so the Hydra 7 is 700
  • 00:01:10
    mm wide in this case this is the Hydra 9
  • 00:01:12
    or 900 mm wide and then it goes up from
  • 00:01:15
    there and even though this is the first
  • 00:01:17
    industrial style machine from one laser
  • 00:01:20
    they pretty much have packed in all of
  • 00:01:22
    the features that you find from other
  • 00:01:23
    manufacturers directly into this machine
  • 00:01:26
    and if you're not familiar with one
  • 00:01:27
    laser they basically launched both of
  • 00:01:28
    these machines in late 2024 there is a
  • 00:01:31
    pretty close relationship with one laser
  • 00:01:34
    and thunder laser and if you do watch
  • 00:01:35
    The X Series Desktop review I go through
  • 00:01:38
    some of the specific features that are
  • 00:01:39
    like identical to the Thunderbolts and
  • 00:01:41
    so there's actually a lot of crossovers
  • 00:01:43
    between those two Brands so I know a lot
  • 00:01:45
    of times when people see these new
  • 00:01:46
    manufacturers they get a little bit
  • 00:01:48
    nervous like is this going to go away I
  • 00:01:49
    definitely have seen my fair share of
  • 00:01:50
    companies that have disappeared in the
  • 00:01:52
    past but I do feel pretty confident
  • 00:01:54
    about them because there is a good bit
  • 00:01:55
    of crossover with existing laser
  • 00:01:57
    manufacturers specifically Thunder laser
  • 00:02:00
    they're basically using Thunder's
  • 00:02:01
    production capabilities uh to
  • 00:02:03
    manufacture all these but then they also
  • 00:02:05
    design and support all their machines in
  • 00:02:08
    the United States their offices are
  • 00:02:09
    actually in California but regardless of
  • 00:02:11
    the company what really matters is the
  • 00:02:13
    machine you wind up getting uh and this
  • 00:02:16
    is one beefy machine uh it got shipped
  • 00:02:19
    to me on a massive pallet caveat with
  • 00:02:21
    this this is actually a pre-production
  • 00:02:23
    unit so some things might look visually
  • 00:02:25
    different than the one that is being
  • 00:02:27
    manufactured um I've got an affiliate
  • 00:02:28
    relationship with one laser so if you
  • 00:02:30
    decide to pick any of these machines up
  • 00:02:32
    I'll get a kickback pretty much all of
  • 00:02:34
    the lasers that I talk about I have
  • 00:02:35
    affiliate relationships with so I try to
  • 00:02:37
    stay as unbiased as possible but keep
  • 00:02:39
    that in mind as we're going but in
  • 00:02:41
    general it's basically the same form
  • 00:02:42
    factor you're going to find in these
  • 00:02:43
    other cabinet style machines with a nice
  • 00:02:45
    high-end components internally
  • 00:02:47
    specifically on the speed side of things
  • 00:02:49
    so they internal gamry and Motors um
  • 00:02:52
    you've got a topend speed of this at
  • 00:02:54
    1200 mm/ second that's basically at the
  • 00:02:57
    top end especially at this price price
  • 00:03:00
    and it's got an acceleration of 3G which
  • 00:03:02
    is also going to be at the top end and
  • 00:03:05
    basically you can't get anything faster
  • 00:03:08
    with this style machine uh until you get
  • 00:03:10
    like well over $10,000 so like the new
  • 00:03:13
    Aon Redline series um if you get their
  • 00:03:16
    topend specs which I think use Servo
  • 00:03:18
    Motors and you actually have to get a
  • 00:03:19
    ceramic tube on the back so it's going
  • 00:03:21
    to be even more expensive you are
  • 00:03:23
    thousands and thousands of dollars more
  • 00:03:25
    expensive than what you can get for this
  • 00:03:27
    and we'll do some price comparisons here
  • 00:03:28
    in a second now that's starting to be a
  • 00:03:30
    lot more common is an inline red laser
  • 00:03:33
    beam so hopefully you can see that red
  • 00:03:34
    laser beam right there on my hand that
  • 00:03:37
    isn't the actual laser that's going to
  • 00:03:38
    be cutting that's like a little red
  • 00:03:40
    laser pointer laser um but you're going
  • 00:03:42
    to use that for positioning um so
  • 00:03:44
    especially when you're framing which I
  • 00:03:46
    can do right
  • 00:03:47
    here you're going to get a red laser dot
  • 00:03:49
    to see where that's going to go now
  • 00:03:51
    cheaper machines a lot of times that's
  • 00:03:52
    going to be like offset from the laser
  • 00:03:54
    head itself I know my budget style
  • 00:03:56
    bigger M Tech 60 W unit that's the case
  • 00:03:58
    where in this case that red dot is in
  • 00:04:00
    line with the actual beam path itself
  • 00:04:03
    now again the Hydra 9 specifically is
  • 00:04:04
    900 mm by 600 so a very large uh work
  • 00:04:09
    bed and then when you move into machines
  • 00:04:11
    like this versus desktop style machines
  • 00:04:14
    typically to have a higher Z axis like
  • 00:04:17
    if you want to do rotary stuff or you're
  • 00:04:18
    working with like thicker material you
  • 00:04:20
    have to wind up having some type of
  • 00:04:22
    external accessory in this case you can
  • 00:04:23
    get a riser or one laser calls it a base
  • 00:04:25
    boost which is what's underneath this
  • 00:04:27
    machine the xtool P2 has a pretty Sim
  • 00:04:29
    similar setup but with this there is no
  • 00:04:31
    Riser uh because you have a very large
  • 00:04:34
    z-axis underneath to where this entire
  • 00:04:36
    work bed will drop down that's opposed
  • 00:04:40
    to the laser head itself moving up and
  • 00:04:42
    down which you typically will find on
  • 00:04:44
    the desktop style machines what's good
  • 00:04:46
    about the work bed moving is you have a
  • 00:04:48
    lot more room for it to go up and down
  • 00:04:50
    versus having like a laser head that
  • 00:04:52
    would have to go like way up here and
  • 00:04:53
    then way down the bigger industrial Pro
  • 00:04:55
    style machines um this is normally the
  • 00:04:57
    way they do it to where the entire work
  • 00:04:59
    bed will adjust and then another element
  • 00:05:02
    about the work bed I wanted to point out
  • 00:05:04
    is actually the movement of the z-axis
  • 00:05:06
    so again you've got all those controls
  • 00:05:08
    right here so I can drop the Z down and
  • 00:05:10
    when I do that this entire bed is moving
  • 00:05:14
    down um you've got these screws on all
  • 00:05:17
    four sides um that's driving that
  • 00:05:20
    movement um but with some designs you
  • 00:05:23
    can actually get a good bit of racking
  • 00:05:25
    especially with a larger work bed like
  • 00:05:27
    this to where the stipper motors that
  • 00:05:28
    are driving those screws um aren't
  • 00:05:30
    completely in line so it's going to get
  • 00:05:32
    a little bit off especially if you're
  • 00:05:34
    doing some fine engraving which you
  • 00:05:35
    definitely will with this machine but I
  • 00:05:37
    just pulled the bottom tray out to give
  • 00:05:38
    you a better idea what's going on you
  • 00:05:40
    can see how we've got a single belt uh
  • 00:05:42
    that is going throughout the entire
  • 00:05:44
    worked so that one belt is driving all
  • 00:05:47
    four of those screws that bring that bed
  • 00:05:50
    up and down and it actually goes to the
  • 00:05:53
    stepper motor but this stepper motor is
  • 00:05:55
    what's driving that entire system and
  • 00:05:58
    this is a really nice thick belt and if
  • 00:06:00
    we take this up and down you can see
  • 00:06:03
    that we're getting movement throughout
  • 00:06:05
    the entire system and since it's all
  • 00:06:07
    being driven by the same motor that is
  • 00:06:09
    synced and with how the belt is routed
  • 00:06:12
    to all four of these screws you're not
  • 00:06:14
    going to get racking so everything's
  • 00:06:15
    always going to be aligned um as we
  • 00:06:18
    bring this up and we bring this down
  • 00:06:20
    speaking of the work bed itself as I
  • 00:06:23
    bring this all the way back up um you've
  • 00:06:25
    got a few different options right now um
  • 00:06:27
    I have the slats inside of it and so
  • 00:06:30
    these are removable but there are slots
  • 00:06:32
    on the front and the back and then this
  • 00:06:35
    also comes with a honeycomb work bed is
  • 00:06:38
    a large metal frame and then you've got
  • 00:06:41
    your work bed underneath uh but
  • 00:06:43
    hopefully this gives you a little bit
  • 00:06:44
    better idea of just the size that you're
  • 00:06:47
    getting with uh specifically the hydro 9
  • 00:06:49
    and then what's nice about this and this
  • 00:06:51
    is also something you're going to find
  • 00:06:52
    on their desktop series are these pins
  • 00:06:55
    these are basically like index locking
  • 00:06:56
    pins and so you've got a couple holes
  • 00:06:58
    drilled into the frame itself that those
  • 00:07:00
    pins will sit down on um which will lock
  • 00:07:02
    the bed to the machine itself and that's
  • 00:07:05
    real nice especially if you're doing
  • 00:07:06
    repeat cuts to where you need the work
  • 00:07:08
    bed to stay in the exact same position
  • 00:07:10
    you maybe have a jig set up in there and
  • 00:07:12
    running the same thing over and over and
  • 00:07:13
    over again I'm being able to lock
  • 00:07:15
    everything to the bed itself is great
  • 00:07:17
    but if that bed can move around which it
  • 00:07:19
    can on a lot of other types of machines
  • 00:07:22
    um then it's really easy to get it
  • 00:07:23
    knocked off you can see there's a pretty
  • 00:07:24
    beefy aluminum bar that these actually
  • 00:07:26
    lock into and both the front and the
  • 00:07:29
    back uh and that just helps add overall
  • 00:07:32
    rigidity to the frame um so when this is
  • 00:07:34
    running at like high speeds you're not
  • 00:07:37
    getting Flex in the frame itself and
  • 00:07:40
    that is actually
  • 00:07:41
    compared uh to the other large machine
  • 00:07:44
    that I have in the shop and that is
  • 00:07:46
    going to be uh the M Tech Pro uh if we
  • 00:07:49
    look inside of its work bed um you can
  • 00:07:52
    see that the slots on this guy are a
  • 00:07:54
    good bit smaller and so uh they're a lot
  • 00:07:57
    easier to flex but especially how they
  • 00:07:59
    connect to uh the work bed um this is a
  • 00:08:03
    really thin rod so I find that
  • 00:08:05
    especially over this work area which is
  • 00:08:07
    a good size that I do get some Flex so
  • 00:08:10
    the design of this is a lot more robust
  • 00:08:12
    and there's a lot less Flex in the
  • 00:08:14
    system and then pretty much all of the
  • 00:08:16
    panels on this machine are removable uh
  • 00:08:18
    so it's really easy to get to the
  • 00:08:20
    electronics get to the laser system for
  • 00:08:22
    maintenance or if you need to adjust
  • 00:08:24
    things uh but one of the things you can
  • 00:08:25
    also remove is this front panel right
  • 00:08:28
    here uh there's another one on back as
  • 00:08:30
    well and this will pop out and this is
  • 00:08:33
    your pass through so if this door was
  • 00:08:34
    shut it's actually going more than the
  • 00:08:36
    full width of the machine with a good
  • 00:08:38
    bit of clearance in the z-axis I believe
  • 00:08:40
    it gives you like a Max of 1 and 1/2 in
  • 00:08:44
    in terms of thickness to where it can
  • 00:08:45
    still fit underneath the laser head
  • 00:08:47
    itself um so pass through front as well
  • 00:08:50
    as on the back so you can slide material
  • 00:08:52
    all the way through the machine if
  • 00:08:54
    needed now another panel that can open
  • 00:08:57
    right up is down here at the bottom and
  • 00:08:59
    with this fully out U this bed bottom is
  • 00:09:02
    actually on rollers uh and this is
  • 00:09:05
    removable you got handles on the sides
  • 00:09:07
    you can see I've already got a bunch of
  • 00:09:08
    debris and stuff that gets cut out
  • 00:09:09
    especially when I'm using the slats I'm
  • 00:09:11
    doing smaller stuff so really easy to
  • 00:09:14
    take that entire tray out uh to dump
  • 00:09:16
    things out and clean it out I'm really
  • 00:09:18
    really easy to get to versus kind of
  • 00:09:20
    having to get in there with a vacuum and
  • 00:09:21
    dig around now another feature that is
  • 00:09:23
    starting to be a lot more common
  • 00:09:25
    especially on the desktop style machines
  • 00:09:27
    is integrated cameras in this cas you've
  • 00:09:29
    got a camera right here at the top of
  • 00:09:32
    this lid kind of the only drawback with
  • 00:09:34
    that is you can only take a picture of
  • 00:09:35
    the work bed when the lid is open um so
  • 00:09:38
    that it is shooting straight down you're
  • 00:09:40
    going to be using lightburn as your
  • 00:09:42
    software there's a few different
  • 00:09:43
    walkthroughs that you'll use to
  • 00:09:44
    calibrate the camera so you get an
  • 00:09:46
    accurate view of what's going on uh but
  • 00:09:49
    because it's a lightburn camera and this
  • 00:09:51
    is kind of a drawback of any lightburn
  • 00:09:53
    based systems which basically all of
  • 00:09:55
    these are um other than the xtool P2 is
  • 00:09:59
    uh in addition to having just a normal
  • 00:10:01
    Computer Connection there's also another
  • 00:10:03
    USB port out that is your camera
  • 00:10:05
    connection so if you want to be
  • 00:10:06
    connected to the camera you have to
  • 00:10:08
    hardwire into the machine itself versus
  • 00:10:11
    some of the other desktop style machines
  • 00:10:12
    that are totally Wi-Fi we're going to
  • 00:10:14
    get a camera feed as well and a lot of
  • 00:10:16
    times that camera feed can be live um or
  • 00:10:20
    will update when the lid is closed uh so
  • 00:10:22
    like the xtool P2 um their camera is
  • 00:10:25
    actually in the back attached to the
  • 00:10:27
    frame itself not to the lid um so
  • 00:10:29
    regardless of what the lid's doing you
  • 00:10:31
    kind of know what's going on inside but
  • 00:10:33
    I actually find when you get into these
  • 00:10:35
    larger machines um your use of a camera
  • 00:10:37
    is going to go down further and further
  • 00:10:40
    because a lot of the positioning stuff
  • 00:10:41
    you're going to be doing is going to be
  • 00:10:43
    happening with the actual interface
  • 00:10:45
    itself it has built into the system um
  • 00:10:47
    so using that red laser dot to do
  • 00:10:49
    framing um setting different origin
  • 00:10:51
    points all that kind of stuff you
  • 00:10:52
    normally would have to do on a computer
  • 00:10:54
    um with this machine you can do it all
  • 00:10:56
    from the machine itself so if you want a
  • 00:10:58
    camera you definitely got it but you
  • 00:10:59
    don't have to use it and actually I wind
  • 00:11:01
    up not using the camera much myself all
  • 00:11:03
    right but let's actually talk about this
  • 00:11:04
    interface itself as of today this is the
  • 00:11:08
    nicest style interface that I've seen on
  • 00:11:11
    pretty much any machine um this is more
  • 00:11:13
    or less the same one that you're going
  • 00:11:14
    to find on uh the Thunderbolt not only
  • 00:11:17
    is it a touchcreen so you can kind of
  • 00:11:19
    jump around to all those different parts
  • 00:11:21
    on the menu um but um you have physical
  • 00:11:24
    controls um which are great for jogging
  • 00:11:26
    so you have access to jogging the
  • 00:11:28
    machine really quick
  • 00:11:29
    really easy as well as the z-axis so I
  • 00:11:32
    can drop this up and down uh then you
  • 00:11:34
    can fire it and then if you had a rotary
  • 00:11:36
    setup um you could also control it from
  • 00:11:38
    here as well then on the actual touch
  • 00:11:39
    screen itself you have access to like
  • 00:11:41
    all of the controls that you would
  • 00:11:43
    normally need uh with autof Focus right
  • 00:11:46
    here really easy to get access to as
  • 00:11:49
    well as setting your origin uh and then
  • 00:11:50
    you can also frame it uh really easy as
  • 00:11:53
    well so if I hit the frame button you
  • 00:11:54
    can see that fire real quick uh and then
  • 00:11:56
    you can just jump in here and run it I
  • 00:11:59
    also has a full file system so you've
  • 00:12:00
    got internal memory built in um the
  • 00:12:03
    previews on mine are being a little bit
  • 00:12:04
    wonky um but they normally do work and
  • 00:12:06
    you can go in and select whatever you
  • 00:12:08
    want to run hold it down it's going to
  • 00:12:10
    load that file up and then um you're
  • 00:12:12
    going to be able to run it from there
  • 00:12:13
    now this is a DSP style controller
  • 00:12:16
    versus like a straight G-Code style
  • 00:12:17
    controller that you're going to find
  • 00:12:19
    with the X tool P2 some of the more
  • 00:12:21
    budget end machines they can just
  • 00:12:23
    process stuff faster they're nicer to
  • 00:12:25
    work with and they have more internal
  • 00:12:26
    inbuilt memory which is good as well
  • 00:12:28
    because you you can upload a file to
  • 00:12:30
    this machine either by Ethernet or by
  • 00:12:32
    direct Computer Connection U but then it
  • 00:12:34
    saves it to local memory and then you
  • 00:12:36
    can go through like all of your past
  • 00:12:38
    files that you've used and then run it
  • 00:12:39
    directly from the machine itself without
  • 00:12:42
    having to be connected to anything
  • 00:12:43
    whatsoever and it kind of show you how
  • 00:12:45
    fast this goes to get something uh going
  • 00:12:48
    so uh I'm going to put this out of focus
  • 00:12:50
    I'm actually dropping this down uh right
  • 00:12:52
    now I'm going to load up a file real
  • 00:12:54
    quick I am going to autofocus it so you
  • 00:12:57
    can do all that again directly from the
  • 00:12:59
    machine itself uh I'm going to set the
  • 00:13:00
    origin point because that might change
  • 00:13:02
    I'm going to hit frame you can see it
  • 00:13:04
    framing right there and then I actually
  • 00:13:06
    have some safety features turned off
  • 00:13:07
    we'll talk about safety here in a second
  • 00:13:09
    so I can run this um with the lid open
  • 00:13:11
    but normally you can't uh which you
  • 00:13:13
    normally don't want to uh so you don't
  • 00:13:15
    want to do what I'm doing right now and
  • 00:13:16
    you can see it's already started going
  • 00:13:19
    that's going to do a fast engrave and
  • 00:13:21
    actually I believe this one right now is
  • 00:13:22
    at uh like 900 mm/ second so kind of
  • 00:13:25
    pushing the top end that's actually
  • 00:13:27
    using the rf2 tube which we'll talk
  • 00:13:29
    about here in a second now it's
  • 00:13:31
    switching over to the CO2 glass tube to
  • 00:13:33
    cut which is what it's doing right
  • 00:13:37
    now and it's going to cut that piece out
  • 00:13:40
    and we're good to go so really really
  • 00:13:42
    easy to load something up move stuff
  • 00:13:44
    around reset origin points frame it and
  • 00:13:46
    start it all directly from the
  • 00:13:48
    controller itself and speaking of safety
  • 00:13:50
    you should have safety features turned
  • 00:13:52
    on and the big one is the lid uh so you
  • 00:13:55
    don't want to run a laser without the
  • 00:13:57
    lid shut but the lid has magnetic
  • 00:13:59
    sensors on the side which have to be
  • 00:14:02
    engaged for it to run and then the lid
  • 00:14:04
    itself is coated even though the beam
  • 00:14:06
    itself is invisible um this is going to
  • 00:14:09
    give you extra protection this is like a
  • 00:14:10
    thick polycarbonate lid uh versus like a
  • 00:14:13
    straight glass lid uh glass still feels
  • 00:14:15
    a little bit nicer but what I like about
  • 00:14:17
    these polycarbonate and it's kind of
  • 00:14:19
    hard to tell with the way I have things
  • 00:14:21
    lit up even though it's tinted you have
  • 00:14:22
    visibility into pretty much the entire
  • 00:14:24
    work bed uh because you don't have like
  • 00:14:26
    a frame structure right here uh so you
  • 00:14:28
    can kind of always look around the
  • 00:14:30
    machine and see what's going on and you
  • 00:14:32
    also have this big red emergency stop
  • 00:14:34
    button right here at the top now this
  • 00:14:36
    one actually just cuts power to the
  • 00:14:38
    laser so you might have just heard the
  • 00:14:39
    fans turn off but not power to the
  • 00:14:42
    machine itself they're on like different
  • 00:14:43
    circuits so I still have the machine off
  • 00:14:46
    giving me an error saying that I've got
  • 00:14:48
    the emergency stop turned on so if I
  • 00:14:50
    flip it back the laser is going to reome
  • 00:14:53
    itself and be good to go so there's a
  • 00:14:55
    lot of times you might accidentally
  • 00:14:57
    forget that your emergency stop is Eng
  • 00:14:59
    engaged but since you can still turn the
  • 00:15:00
    machine on it's going to tell you hey
  • 00:15:02
    you may want to turn it off if there's
  • 00:15:04
    no emergency but you can still turn off
  • 00:15:07
    the machine itself uh and not only does
  • 00:15:09
    it have a switch but uh that switch uh
  • 00:15:12
    is on a key so something really handy
  • 00:15:15
    especially if you're in a situation
  • 00:15:16
    where you just don't want people turning
  • 00:15:17
    the laser on itself maybe you got kids
  • 00:15:19
    or just people you don't want using your
  • 00:15:21
    machine you got to have a key you can
  • 00:15:23
    turn it on and then everything will boot
  • 00:15:25
    up and you're going to be good to go now
  • 00:15:27
    a couple other unique features to the
  • 00:15:29
    Hydra specifically one is going to be
  • 00:15:32
    this visual indicator and actually if I
  • 00:15:34
    just rerun that file you can see this
  • 00:15:36
    panel right here is a red LED light uh
  • 00:15:39
    that is going to I believe pulse yes it
  • 00:15:42
    is pulsing uh while this is running it's
  • 00:15:44
    kind of hard to see with the lights that
  • 00:15:45
    are set up um so you can visually see
  • 00:15:48
    when this thing is going versus when
  • 00:15:49
    it's not when it's staying a solid state
  • 00:15:52
    and over here on this left side uh they
  • 00:15:54
    have a bubble level makes it really easy
  • 00:15:56
    to figure out how to level your machine
  • 00:15:58
    because underneath it you do have this
  • 00:16:00
    on Wheels so this can move around fairly
  • 00:16:03
    easily as you can see right there to
  • 00:16:04
    wherever it's going to live in your shop
  • 00:16:06
    and then finally you have an air quality
  • 00:16:08
    sensor readout that is what you've got
  • 00:16:10
    right here that's something they also
  • 00:16:12
    have on the X Series that sensor lives
  • 00:16:14
    inside of the laser itself so you always
  • 00:16:17
    get an idea especially when the lid is
  • 00:16:19
    closed how much like slit and stuff you
  • 00:16:21
    have in the air and how you know when
  • 00:16:22
    it's safe to have everything opened up
  • 00:16:24
    and the air quality brings us to what
  • 00:16:26
    I'm calling the trifecta of accessories
  • 00:16:28
    that you're typically going to find with
  • 00:16:30
    machines like this one is going to be a
  • 00:16:32
    water chiller slw waterer pump that's
  • 00:16:34
    going to be for the glass tube on the
  • 00:16:36
    back to keep it from heating up and the
  • 00:16:37
    one that comes with it is nice to where
  • 00:16:39
    not only does it receive power from the
  • 00:16:40
    unit itself actually like a data
  • 00:16:42
    connection throw an air to the overall
  • 00:16:44
    machine itself and not let it run if it
  • 00:16:46
    sees it doesn't have any water flow um
  • 00:16:48
    or if like the water temperature is too
  • 00:16:50
    high you might be in danger of damaging
  • 00:16:52
    your machine but then the other two
  • 00:16:53
    things that you also are going to have
  • 00:16:55
    included with this machine one is going
  • 00:16:57
    to be an air pump or like air compressor
  • 00:17:00
    uh that's going to be for the air assist
  • 00:17:01
    uh that is coming right here through
  • 00:17:03
    this tubing that's giving you really
  • 00:17:04
    clean especially Cuts uh you're not
  • 00:17:06
    going to use it with engraving as much
  • 00:17:09
    and then finally the third one is going
  • 00:17:10
    to be an inline fan so this is a fan
  • 00:17:13
    that will just be in line with the
  • 00:17:14
    ducting that you have with the machine
  • 00:17:16
    to where you'll be either venting
  • 00:17:17
    outside or into some type of filtration
  • 00:17:19
    box but again that power is connected
  • 00:17:22
    directly to the machine compressor to so
  • 00:17:24
    those aren't running until they need to
  • 00:17:26
    be and all that is controlled by the
  • 00:17:28
    software now one last thing before we
  • 00:17:30
    get into the Dual Laser Source feature
  • 00:17:32
    of this is the fact that these are
  • 00:17:33
    larger machines and you may not be like
  • 00:17:36
    in a garage or like in a big shop space
  • 00:17:38
    with big doors uh it may be a lot more
  • 00:17:41
    difficult to get this inside of your
  • 00:17:43
    house especially if you're going through
  • 00:17:44
    a normal doorway and they're saying even
  • 00:17:46
    with the Hydra 16 which is a massive
  • 00:17:49
    machine you could still fit that through
  • 00:17:51
    a normal doorway because this is built
  • 00:17:53
    kind of like a layer cake to where
  • 00:17:55
    you've got three different layers um
  • 00:17:56
    you've got your base layer right here uh
  • 00:17:59
    you've got your middle layer right here
  • 00:18:01
    which basically comes up to like right
  • 00:18:03
    above your red LED and then finally your
  • 00:18:05
    top lid layer um all of those can be
  • 00:18:08
    taken apart and be brought in separately
  • 00:18:10
    and then reassembled inside it's not
  • 00:18:13
    just like one huge box you got to figure
  • 00:18:14
    out how to get inside of your shop space
  • 00:18:16
    you can break this down to get this
  • 00:18:18
    inside of smaller spots as needed so
  • 00:18:20
    let's talk about the Laser Source
  • 00:18:21
    sources and where the Hydra name comes
  • 00:18:24
    from just like with Hercules Hydra has
  • 00:18:26
    multiple heads all within one body
  • 00:18:29
    multiple laser sources all within one
  • 00:18:31
    frame and structure so we've got our
  • 00:18:34
    glass tube on the very back that's
  • 00:18:36
    pretty standard if you've seen machines
  • 00:18:37
    like this it's actually sticking off to
  • 00:18:39
    the side over here on the left side
  • 00:18:42
    because this is the 100 watt version and
  • 00:18:44
    they also have an 80 watt version for
  • 00:18:46
    the hydron as well but then you also
  • 00:18:49
    have a 38 watt RF tube that is a metal
  • 00:18:53
    RF tube that's actually kind of the fans
  • 00:18:54
    that you're hearing right now that's
  • 00:18:56
    kind of living where uh the left back
  • 00:18:59
    leg is it's actually shooting up and
  • 00:19:01
    what's really cool about this is you can
  • 00:19:04
    tell which Laser Source you want to use
  • 00:19:06
    inside of light bur all within the same
  • 00:19:08
    job so these little like one laser
  • 00:19:10
    rectangles I was cutting out until one
  • 00:19:12
    laser engrave was with the RF source and
  • 00:19:14
    then the outside was with the glass tube
  • 00:19:17
    and inside of lightburn you can assign
  • 00:19:19
    different laser sources to different
  • 00:19:20
    layers so I sent this entire file and
  • 00:19:23
    ran it then it engraved then
  • 00:19:25
    automatically switched to the glass tube
  • 00:19:27
    and then ran it from there so it's
  • 00:19:29
    really cool not only do you have the
  • 00:19:30
    option to do two different lasers but
  • 00:19:32
    the two different lasers can be
  • 00:19:33
    controlled from the software itself okay
  • 00:19:35
    so doing a quick tour of the laser path
  • 00:19:39
    on this machine this is where the laser
  • 00:19:42
    comes out uh it bounces through this
  • 00:19:45
    point right here and then comes over to
  • 00:19:47
    our laser head and they're doing a good
  • 00:19:49
    job of making the alignment of the
  • 00:19:51
    mirrors pretty easy so you have all of
  • 00:19:53
    these thumb screws um at each of these
  • 00:19:55
    points uh as well as on the flip side of
  • 00:19:58
    this but this is where it gets very
  • 00:20:01
    interesting um with this machine so this
  • 00:20:05
    is the Hydra 9 which is a 100 wat CO2
  • 00:20:10
    glass tube that is what we've got here
  • 00:20:12
    on the back this is the interesting part
  • 00:20:15
    so this actually combines two different
  • 00:20:16
    laser sources again the glass tube is
  • 00:20:18
    coming right here bounces and then is
  • 00:20:20
    going through the hole right there but
  • 00:20:22
    if we look down you can see we've got
  • 00:20:24
    another hole right down there uh and if
  • 00:20:27
    we flip all the way around to the other
  • 00:20:29
    side of the
  • 00:20:30
    machine this is our RF tube it's
  • 00:20:33
    actually identical to the one they've
  • 00:20:34
    got on the xrf right there but what's
  • 00:20:36
    cool is the laser gets generated there
  • 00:20:38
    bounces through there and then goes up
  • 00:20:41
    through that laser path to where comes
  • 00:20:43
    up and bounces on that mirror and then
  • 00:20:45
    through the system so the RF tube is
  • 00:20:47
    actually firing right now and in just a
  • 00:20:50
    second we're going to see this entire
  • 00:20:52
    symol move down so you can see that drop
  • 00:20:55
    down now the glass tube is about to
  • 00:20:57
    switch on
  • 00:20:59
    and it might be hard to see with the
  • 00:21:00
    light uh but there is light going
  • 00:21:02
    through it and so now that is firing and
  • 00:21:05
    then we are done so really cool you can
  • 00:21:06
    have both the RF and the glass tube
  • 00:21:08
    firing in the same file RF you're going
  • 00:21:10
    to use more for Engraving and fine
  • 00:21:12
    detail and then glass you're going to be
  • 00:21:13
    able to get some really nice cuts from
  • 00:21:15
    it so how does this compare to the
  • 00:21:17
    competition first let's compare it
  • 00:21:19
    directly to the other machine that one
  • 00:21:21
    laser offers and actually I think the
  • 00:21:22
    Hydra 7 would be the more interesting
  • 00:21:24
    thing to compare it to uh because it's
  • 00:21:26
    going to get a lot closer in terms of
  • 00:21:28
    price so the hydro 7 just the glass tube
  • 00:21:30
    is going to be 5,000 bucks and you don't
  • 00:21:33
    actually have to get this machine with
  • 00:21:34
    the RF tube that's something you could
  • 00:21:36
    actually add in the future you're just
  • 00:21:38
    going to add $2,000 for that RF tube to
  • 00:21:41
    any of these configurations so just keep
  • 00:21:42
    that in mind as we're going so looking
  • 00:21:44
    at just the glass tube we're talking
  • 00:21:47
    5,000 bucks for the Hydra 7 versus the
  • 00:21:49
    one laser XF which is also the glass
  • 00:21:51
    tube version is going to be
  • 00:21:54
    $3200 now most of the features are going
  • 00:21:56
    to be pretty similar between the two the
  • 00:21:58
    seven you're going to have a bigger tube
  • 00:22:00
    at 880 watts versus 55 watts and then
  • 00:22:02
    the seven is going to have a much bigger
  • 00:22:03
    work area about 100% larger than what
  • 00:22:06
    you're going to get with the desktop
  • 00:22:07
    unit then if you compare it with the xrf
  • 00:22:09
    so the RF version of this uh the price
  • 00:22:11
    is going to go up but again you would
  • 00:22:13
    have to add 2,000 bucks to the seven to
  • 00:22:16
    get that same RF tube inside of it but
  • 00:22:18
    then you're also getting the big glass
  • 00:22:19
    tube and the bigger work area so
  • 00:22:21
    honestly really it's going to be more of
  • 00:22:23
    like a form factor so like what types of
  • 00:22:25
    things are you making and like how much
  • 00:22:26
    do you really need to make them because
  • 00:22:28
    you can make more or less the same
  • 00:22:30
    products between the two especially if
  • 00:22:31
    you have the base boost so you have that
  • 00:22:33
    additional z-axis but obviously like
  • 00:22:35
    with a bigger work area you can make
  • 00:22:36
    more all at once um and if you're doing
  • 00:22:38
    a lot of cutting being able to go from
  • 00:22:40
    like 55 watts to 80 watts is going to be
  • 00:22:42
    a pretty substantial jump uh and that's
  • 00:22:45
    at the low end you can go way up from
  • 00:22:48
    there oh and quick plug all of these
  • 00:22:49
    comparison charts I'm pulling from
  • 00:22:51
    machines for makers.com I pretty much
  • 00:22:53
    took the database of all the machines
  • 00:22:55
    that I know about that I use to make
  • 00:22:57
    these reviews and I tried to make a lot
  • 00:22:58
    more easy to use for anybody and
  • 00:23:00
    hopefully be able to compare a lot of
  • 00:23:02
    different machines quickly against the
  • 00:23:04
    same type of spec also like different
  • 00:23:06
    promo codes and Deals I've got up there
  • 00:23:08
    as well let's go on the top end
  • 00:23:10
    comparison uh so actually with thunder
  • 00:23:13
    so this machine the Hydra 9 versus the
  • 00:23:16
    Thunder Nova 35 that is basically this
  • 00:23:19
    style machine with the glass tube and
  • 00:23:21
    then after the success of the
  • 00:23:23
    Thunderbolt which is their RF machine
  • 00:23:26
    they're kind of introducing RF
  • 00:23:27
    technology the rest of their line as
  • 00:23:29
    well and so that is what the Thunder
  • 00:23:31
    Nova plus 35 is that's more or less the
  • 00:23:34
    same machine as the Nova 35 with an RF
  • 00:23:36
    tube as well as with some upgrades with
  • 00:23:38
    motors and cameras and stuff like that
  • 00:23:40
    now the price you're seeing here again
  • 00:23:41
    is just for the glass tube uh but you
  • 00:23:43
    can see even if we were to jump from 7
  • 00:23:46
    to $9,000 that's still going to be less
  • 00:23:49
    than even uh the Thunder Nova which is
  • 00:23:51
    just going to be that glass tube and the
  • 00:23:53
    specs are going to be pretty comparable
  • 00:23:56
    across the board the Nova is a little
  • 00:23:57
    bit older so the speeds aren't going to
  • 00:23:59
    be quite as high also it doesn't have an
  • 00:24:01
    integrated camera I actually have the
  • 00:24:02
    Nova 24 in my shop one feature I really
  • 00:24:05
    do like about it is it's got a red light
  • 00:24:07
    and a green light on the top it'll be
  • 00:24:09
    like green or red depending on what the
  • 00:24:10
    machine is doing the pulsing beam is
  • 00:24:12
    nice but it's just easier to see like an
  • 00:24:14
    actual red or green light from across
  • 00:24:16
    the shop but still not a huge deal now I
  • 00:24:18
    haven't been handson with a Nova plus
  • 00:24:20
    but I'll say overall the build's going
  • 00:24:23
    to be pretty similar to what you're
  • 00:24:24
    finding with this machine but at the
  • 00:24:26
    time of this video I would have a hard
  • 00:24:28
    time recommending uh just the straight
  • 00:24:30
    Nova 35 versus this now I believe you're
  • 00:24:33
    also going to be able to get a 75 watt
  • 00:24:35
    RF version of this versus just the 38
  • 00:24:38
    watt but that price is also going to
  • 00:24:39
    bring it a lot closer to that 10K Mark
  • 00:24:42
    now another interesting comparison is
  • 00:24:43
    going to be between this and om Tech and
  • 00:24:46
    also kind of mport because a lot of
  • 00:24:47
    their industrial style machines are
  • 00:24:49
    pretty much the same thing as om Tech
  • 00:24:51
    just with a different name but we're
  • 00:24:52
    going to look at two different ones one
  • 00:24:53
    is going to be the AF 2440 their 100
  • 00:24:56
    watt version and then also their new
  • 00:24:58
    Pronto 45 another 100 watt version and
  • 00:25:01
    really the Pronto is kind of like their
  • 00:25:02
    upgraded line now one caveat with that
  • 00:25:05
    is the Pronto seem to be shipping out
  • 00:25:07
    really slow so I don't know if there's
  • 00:25:08
    some issues going on there now for this
  • 00:25:11
    we're basically taking the RF piece of
  • 00:25:12
    this completely out of the equation all
  • 00:25:14
    of these are glass tubes uh the hydr 9
  • 00:25:17
    is going to be the most expensive at
  • 00:25:18
    7,000 Bucks versus about 6,000 uh for
  • 00:25:21
    the Ponto and then about $4,500 for the
  • 00:25:24
    AF but I will say having a version of
  • 00:25:26
    the AF in the shop I have a 60 version
  • 00:25:28
    that's a manual focus but basically the
  • 00:25:30
    frame is the same the build on this is
  • 00:25:33
    much much nicer and then the internal
  • 00:25:35
    components are much nicer as well and
  • 00:25:37
    you can see that reflected especially in
  • 00:25:39
    the speed to where we've got like 3G
  • 00:25:41
    acceleration and 1200 mm/ second versus
  • 00:25:44
    a th000 as the Max on the Pronto and
  • 00:25:46
    then the 600 on the AF and then you're
  • 00:25:49
    not going to have some of the bells and
  • 00:25:50
    whistles as like cameras and stuff like
  • 00:25:52
    that as well so overall what are my
  • 00:25:53
    thoughts of this machine for the price
  • 00:25:56
    point this thing is really really hard
  • 00:25:58
    to beat especially versus like the
  • 00:26:00
    direct competition really to get a
  • 00:26:01
    machine that is spec like this you're
  • 00:26:03
    going to have to go well over 10,000
  • 00:26:05
    bucks and so the price for this even
  • 00:26:07
    just for the CO2 version of it is really
  • 00:26:10
    cool but then when you add on the Hydra
  • 00:26:12
    aspect of it the Dual Laser Source that
  • 00:26:14
    you can use all within one file that I
  • 00:26:16
    pretty much haven't seen on any other
  • 00:26:18
    type of machine that feature is very
  • 00:26:22
    very cool it's also very cool you don't
  • 00:26:24
    have to have the rf2 from the jump you
  • 00:26:26
    can like upgrade to that in the future
  • 00:26:28
    so the dual head Hydra nature of this
  • 00:26:30
    for the price makes this thing really
  • 00:26:32
    hard to beat now I know this is a brand
  • 00:26:34
    new machine a lot of people haven't been
  • 00:26:36
    hands on with it if you have questions
  • 00:26:38
    specific to it be sure and drop it down
  • 00:26:40
    in the comments I would love to answer
  • 00:26:41
    all that I've got all right until next
  • 00:26:43
    time go make or break something in your
  • 00:26:45
    shop see you guys
  • 00:26:47
    [Music]
标签
  • Hydra Nine
  • One Laser
  • laser engraver
  • dual laser
  • industrial machine
  • CO2 tube
  • RF tube
  • safety features
  • usability
  • comparison