xTool S1 40W Review: The Enclosed Diode Benchmark

The xTool S1 40W is the machine most first-time sellers end up comparing everything else against. It is a fully enclosed, Class 1 blue-diode laser — meaning you can run it on a kitchen table without a dedicated laser room — and the 40-watt module cuts and engraves fast enough to fill orders instead of just decorating a hobby shelf. That combination is why it keeps surfacing in maker groups as the "just buy the S1" answer.

We score machines by class, not hype: what a laser costs to run and what it can realistically earn. This review standardizes the S1's published specs against owner reports and community-shared test grids, then puts numbers to the part nobody advertises — throughput and payback.

Verdict up front

If you want an enclosed diode that behaves like a small-business tool, the S1 40W is the benchmark. It loses to CO2 on clear acrylic and glass, and bare open-frame diodes cost far less, but nothing in its price band matches its enclosure, module system, and rotary readiness. At around $1,900 to $2,200 depending on bundle (current as of mid-2026), it is a clear buy for wood, leather, slate, and coated-metal sellers — and a skip if acrylic is your core product.

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The specs that actually matter

• Optical power: a true 40W diode module. xTool also sells a 20W diode and a 2W infrared module that marks bare metal and some plastics; all three swap onto the same gantry, so one frame grows with you.
• Work area: roughly 498 x 319 mm (about 19.6 x 12.5 in). A riser base plus front and back pass-through slots let you engrave taller and longer stock, and the RA2 Pro rotary handles tumblers, rings, and bottles.
• Speed: up to about 600 mm/s on the gantry — brisk for a diode, though raster photo work slows as your LPI climbs.
• Built-in air assist and autofocus: fewer add-ons to buy, plus curved-surface measuring for engraving domed items.
• Software: xTool Creative Space (XCS) out of the box, and it also runs in LightBurn if you prefer node-level control over layers and kerf offset.

Diodes are wavelength-limited. The roughly 455 nm blue beam is absorbed hard by wood, leather, anodized aluminum, and dark or coated surfaces, but it passes straight through clear acrylic and will not engrave bare glass without a coating trick. If your catalog is frosted acrylic signage, a CO2 is the right class — see our diode vs CO2 breakdown.

What it does well

The enclosure is the whole argument. An open-frame 40W diode can match the S1 on raw cutting, but you are then personally responsible for the light, the smoke, and a curious pet. The S1 boxes all of that: lid interlock, filtered exhaust port, and a Class 1 rating that makes it defensible in a shared apartment. Pair it with a desktop fume extractor and you can run it in a spare bedroom without cracking a window in January.

Cut depth is genuinely useful for a diode. With air assist and two to three passes, the 40W module cuts 6 mm basswood cleanly and pushes through thicker stock if you slow the speed — enough for layered signs, ornaments, and shadow boxes. Lay down masking tape on the good face first and you keep char off the show side, which is the difference between a $6 coaster and a $14 one.

For the module-swappers, the infrared add-on turns the same frame into a light-duty metal marker for anodized tags and some plastics. It is not a fiber laser, but it is enough to letter a batch of keychains without buying a second machine.

Materials, settings, and safety

The S1's sweet spot is the diode material set: basswood and hardwood plywood, veg-tan leather, cork, slate, painted or anodized metal, and cast acrylic that is tinted or back-painted so the beam has something to grab. It will not touch clear acrylic or bare glass, and — this is the hard line — you never cut PVC, vinyl, PVC-backed faux leather, or any chlorinated material in it. Those release chlorine gas that becomes hydrochloric acid in the exhaust path: a health hazard and an optics-killer. Keep vinyl out of the bed entirely.

Every diode, lens, and board batch drifts, so treat published numbers as a starting point. Pull your first settings from our settings calculator, then confirm them with a power/speed test grid on scrap before you burn product. Ventilate every job, keep a fire extinguisher within reach, and never leave the laser running unattended — enclosed or not, a flare in dry basswood can find its way past the lid.

The business math

Run the numbers before the upgrade itch hits. Say you sell engraved slate coasters at around $14 each, four to a set. Blanks land near $1.50 apiece in bulk, engrave time is roughly eight minutes per coaster, and you net about $10 each after materials and marketplace fees. At that margin the S1 pays for itself in roughly 190 coasters — a couple of strong craft-fair weekends, or two months of steady online orders. Bolt on the rotary and a line of engraved tumblers at $22 to $28 and the payback window shrinks again.

Stock a stack of 1/8-inch basswood for both test grids and product so a bad batch never stalls an order, and model your own pricing with our how to price laser-engraved products walkthrough before you commit a dollar.

Who should buy it

Buy the S1 40W if you sell wood, leather, slate, or coated-metal goods and want one enclosed machine you can run anywhere in the house. Skip it if acrylic is your product (get a CO2), if you already have a dedicated laser space and only want cut power (a bare open-frame diode is a third of the price), or if you only need occasional 12 x 12 craft cuts (the Glowforge Aura is simpler and cheaper).

Cross-shop it directly against the little Glowforge in our S1 vs Aura comparison, weigh the enclosure premium in our enclosed vs open-frame breakdown, and see where it lands among our best enclosed lasers.