LaserPecker LP5 Review – 20 Watt Fiber and Diode Laser Engraver

If you’re looking into getting a laser engraver, you’ll find my thorough review of the LaserPecker LP5 laser engraver helpful! When you’re done, go ahead and try these fun wood and acrylic laser earrings. This post contains affiliate links.

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Getting your first (or second, or third) laser engraver can be intimidating. When LaserPecker reached out to me to review their LP5 laser engraver, I decided that it’s a great way to help you approach this purchase with a bit more clarity.

They did send me a sample to review. Because I do not currently need another one with these specs, and so you can rest assured that my review is completely honest. In fact, when they reached out, I agreed to review it on the condition of complete and total transparency and honesty, and they agreed.

Below I’ll be sharing everything you need to know about the LaserPecker LP5 before purchasing, so that you can make an educated decision to purchase or not to.

I’m reviewing it from the perspective of someone who has some experience with laser engravers but wouldn’t be classified as a “pro” – so I’ll be able to evaluate usability from closer to your own skill level if you’re relatively new or an emerging laserengraver.

And one final note before I begin reviewing: all links to LaserPecker in this post ARE affiliate links. If you do decide to purchase, I ask that you do so through my link. I use lots of material while testing (including those I purchase myself, and pricey items too), and spend many many hours away from other work doing so. I also disable in-post ads on long reviews like this one, so your reading experience is smoother. Purchasing through my affiliate links is the only real compensation I get for this post, helps support my kids’ education, and costs you nothing extra. It is very much appreciated!

About the LaserPecker LP5

Technical Specs – Know what you’re purchasing

The LaserPecker LP5 is a 20 Watt Diode and 20 Watt Fiber laser engraver. Those are fabulous, effective specs for a multi-purpose laser engraver.

It is a compact laser engraver, with some cutting capability. It is a galvo laser. That means that the laser is moved around via mirrors (and not physically). This typically results in much faster speeds – and a slight angle for thick cuts that are not in the center. This is the same across all galvo lasers.

Here’s a quick list of specs:

• Dual laser sources:
  • 20 Watt (Blue) Diode Laser (≈ 450 nm): this is ideal for materials like wood, black acrylic, leather (PU or real), slate, ceramic, paper, cork, and silicone.
  • 20 Watt Fiber Laser (≈ 1064 nm) – this is for metals, such as stainless steel, aluminum, brass, titanium, silver, platinum, and engraving plastics. This also performs really well on slate.
• Maximum working speed: up to 10,000 mm/s – thanks to the Galvo laser
• Cutting depth:
  • Diode: up to 20 mm Basswood, 15 mm black acrylic
  • Fiber: up to 1 mm brass, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium sheets
• Engraving Area:
  • Basic engraving area (ellipse): 120 × 160 mm (around 4.7×6.3 inches)
  • Square engraving area: 100 × 100 mm (3.9×3.9 inches)

The cutting and engraving area is expandable with a slide extension (which I have not tested)

• Laser spot size:
  • Diode: 0.08 × 0.1 mm
  • Fiber: 0.06 × 0.06 mm
• Positioning and motion accuracy: 0.0027 mm
• Image resolution options: 1K / 2K / 4K / 8K
• Software support: LaserPecker Design Space (mobile app and PC), and LightBurn (Diode only)
• Supported file formats:
  • PC: G-code, JPG, PNG, BMP, SVG, DXF, etc.
  • Mobile: G-code, JPG, PNG, BMP, SVG
• Connection methods: USB and Wi-Fi
• Supported operating systems:
  • Mobile: iOS 9.0+ (or 13.0+ per one page), Android 7.0+
  • Desktop: Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+
• Dimensions:
  • Laser Unit: 255 × 98 × 183 mm / 10.04 × 3.86 × 7.21 in
  • Electric Stand: 198 × 286 × 323 mm / 7.80 × 11.26 × 12.72 in
  • Conical Protective Cover: 167 × 231 × 160 mm / 7.80 × 11.26 × 12.72 in
• Weight:
  • Laser unit: 3.36 kg / 7.41 lb
  • Electric stand: 2.28 kg / 5.03 lb
  • Protective cover: 0.38 kg / 0.84 lb
  • Total: ~6.02 kg / 13.27 lb
• Preview Modes: Offers live preview options: Rectangle Preview, Outline Preview, and Center Point Preview
• Optional Accessories:
  • Slide Extension (expands working area)
  • Rotary Extension (engravable cylinders — 1 mm to 145 mm diameter)
  • Air Purifier
  • Safety Enclosure (with camera – reviewed below)

Unboxing – What you get

In the box, you get everything you need to get started including:

• The laser head – a separate unit that can needs to be supported in one of these ways:
  • With the cone attached, held against an object
  • On the stand
  • On the safety enclosure
• The stand base
• The stand
• A cone enclosure
• Manual
• Connection cables
• Ventilation ducts/connectors
• A starter material packet
• Safety goggles (win!)
• A toolkit in a case (win!)
• Positioning brackets with screws to use in the threaded base
• A cutting plate
• A USB drive

Feature rundown

The LaserPecker LP5 has loads of features, which I’ll outline here. This is not an exhaustive list – it’s a focus on the features I’ve been evaluating.

• Various engraving options – This is a PORTABLE laser engraver, which means you have a handheld unit that you can use anywhere. To make it doable, it has a cone attachment that connects around the laser head. Lean it on something and you can engrave. Or, use the stand, with the base for a desktop setup. You can also use it with larger items as it’s not “self-contained” – so there’s no limit on object size to engrave, just on engrave area. There’s also a full enclosure which is limited in size. I’ll review that separately below.
• Threaded base with brackets – You can easily position items for repeat engraving using the L brackets that are included.
• Up down physical buttons on the stand allow you to focus easily. Long press and it continues going, eliminating the need for repeated pressing.
• Engraving directly from USB – You will go through your device to run the engrave, but this allows for more fast and efficient engraving and reduces disconnect.
• Emboss, engrave, cut modes – You can deep emboss, engrave, score, or cut various materials.
• Easy carry handle – It features a handle on the top for easy transport and portability. Overall, the structure is one that’s easy to move around.
• Magnetic safety shield – You can remove the orange safety shield on the cone to give you access to the item you’re engraving, move it around. It is attached with strong magnets and comes on and off easily.
• Easy to remove side vent allows you easy access for cleaning and maintenance.

Software Overview

The brand software of LaserPecker is called LaserPecker Design Space. It is kind of a “known fact” that their software kind of lags behind others in user-friendliness.

You can use LightBurn with the LP5, however, only with the diode laser.

I found LaserPecker Design Space quite cumbersome to use, but also found that it had some features that were beneficial. For starters, they do have good image conversion features, especially for beginners. And while their design tools aren’t advanced, if you’re designing off-app (like me for the most part) that doesn’t matter.

What I did find most cumbersome was the whole panel where you work the settings. The workflow there isn’t very efficient, you can’t move around your artwork while framing, you have tabs that should always show but sometimes don’t… You get used to it after a number of uses.

One BIG advantage is that they do have an extensive clipart library.

In a nutshell: there is a learning curve, there aren’t good presets, but it’s definitely more than workable, can do what you need, and you WILL learn.

LaserPecker LP5 Review and Analysis of the Enclosure

What is the enclosure?

The enclosure is a full standalone unit that completely replaces the stand. You attach the laser head with the handle to the top opening, reconnect all those little cables, the exhaust, and then use it as is. It’s a self-contained unit that totally seals it off and has its own base that moves up and down.

Enclosure features

One of the biggest perks of the enclosure is that it allows your work to be fully enclosed – with no light leak. While the main unit has a cone cover, it moves up and down with the laser head, so you usually have a bit of a gap with light leakage there.

The enclosure is… fully enclosed. It has magnetic front and back doors so that you can engrave something longer – but then it’s not fully enclosed. It does have a stop feature that pauses engraving if the door is opened in middle.

The enclosure also adds a camera feature to the mix so you can preview your work area and blank from the screen.

More features/quick specs:

• Dimensions: 310 × 350 × 345mm / 12.20 × 13.78 × 13.58 in
• Weight: 8.9kg / 19.62 lb
• Automatic fill for engraving multiple items
• Optimal working area is the same – as it’s dependent on the laser output.

Enclosure vs. no enclosure

So do you want to use the enclosure or not?

The biggest advantage of the enclosure as far as I’m concerned is that it’s just so much easier to position your design using the camera. I did run into some hiccups with it and needed to calibrate it a few times before getting it right, and once again, the software for this is not intuitive. But once I had it set up, it was so much easier.

It also contains the fumes better and makes the air purification more effective, and of course offers no light leakage.

The biggest disadvantage of using it with the enclosure is that it’s just not compact that way. One of the biggest perks overall of the LP5 (which I will highlight below) is its compact size. It truly allows it to stand out in the market. You lose that with the enclosure. It turns it more into a full-sized laser engraver BUT you sill have the portability.

If you tend to use your laser engraver on your desktop but want the possibility to move it around, the enclosure is still a really cool optional feature to have.

Overall LaserPecker LP5 Review

This section of the LaserPecker LP5 review is designed simply to show you what I personally liked or didn’t like about it. When choosing a laser engraver, focus on your own needs, how much the pros meet those, and to what degree the cons don’t contradict your needs.

Pros of the LaserPecker LP5

• Compact size – is perfect for smaller spaces. Its footprint is very small and it can simply sit on a tiny corner of a desk.
• Portable – It’s not only small, it’s also lightweight and easy to transport with the carry handle. That means that for lighter use, it can even be stored up on a shelf, brought to markets…
• Enclosure – This fully enclosed zero light leak setup allows me to move around the room and do other things during longer runtimes without annoying goggles.
• Large item engraving – Since it can be placed on any surface, it can be used to engrave logos on handmade furniture, addresses on wall bricks, or anything anywhere really – as long as you can vent it and power it on. There is only an engraving size limit, no object/surface size limit.
• Individual previews – A more obscure feature that I loved that is not to be taken for granted is the fact that it shows each element as its own preview when you preview your engrave. That means that if you are engraving ten pens with different names, each one will show as a separate rectangle – not as one long rectangle. That allows me to position it for better engraving.
• Extremely accurate engraving with fine detail
• Galvo laser gives extremely high speeds – fabulous for batch processing, despite working area limits.
• Sturdy and solid – Its compact size and relatively light weight does not come at the cost of feeling cheep. It is a solid, metal piece and has weight to it – though a very manageable weight.
• Outline preview – the light preview can show a rectangle or outline. The outline mode is very stable and easy to use.
• Dual lasers open up a world of possibilities – and both have decent entry-level power. There are so many things this can engrave that it makes it a perfect machine for those who aren’t looking to set up a huge workshop with dedicated machines for each material type.

Cons of the LaserPecker LP5

• No adjustments in preview – when using the light preview feature, you can’t adjust your design. I do personally use that feature a lot but keep in mind that you CAN adjust your material.
• No curve map – I’d love to see them add software capabilities for curved surface engraving on the enclosure! It has a camera so that would be a great addition. Now, you’d need to use the rotary, which I haven’t tried personally, to do a tumbler.
• Software learning curve – As I mentioned above, the software is not very intuitive and has a steep learning curve, and some quirks.
• No good material settings library – While you’ll typically want to run your own material tests for things you plan to engrave and cut, a material settings library is a very good jumpstart. I found LaserPecker’s to be lacking and hard to understand. I recommend keeping your own spreadsheet, and finding starting points in their project library and Facebook groups.
• Slow file transfer – Unless you’re working from the USB, it sends each item individually – and is so slow. You need to combine every element on the design into one shape to enhance speed.

LaserPecker LP5 Material Tests and Results

When it comes to writing a laser engraver review, material tests are so helpful in indicating what you can or can’t do with your machine, and what it’ll take to get each material done, how well it performs, etc. It’s a great way to analyze whether a machine is right for you.

But it comes with a caveat: it’s endless. When working on this LaserPecker LP5 review, my goal was to get a good overview and sampling. If you want to know a specific material, feel free to drop a comment or email me and I’m happy to guide you on it!

Meanwhile, I tried my own top used materials and shared the results of some gifts I’m making too, and things I’m personalizing for my own kids.

Wood Engraving and Cutting

The LaserPecker LP5 can engrave different types of wood and can cut up to 20mm basswood.

Bamboo Pens (Diode engraving)

I love engraving these bamboo pens for gifts for everyone – counselors, teachers, family. They are also a very hot seller.

They engraved nicely and quicky, with the basic unevenness that you’ll pretty much always find in bamboo engravings. The trick is to keep the design small enough that it doesn’t curve and fade on the edges.

Wood Keychains (Diode engraving)

This is another blank that engraves beautifully. It’s easy to get a nice, deep engrave on these and they make fun swag and handouts. I engraved my husband’s logo on these.

Basswood Plywood (Diode engraving and cutting)

I tested the 3mm basswood plywood that came with the sample pack by engraving my own logo and cutting out a circle around it. The fine detail on this isn’t the greatest because my logo doesn’t scale well (note to the designer – me!) However, it engraved easily and quickly. It cut well as well – I personally prefer to do a few passes at higher speeds and get very little charring that way.

Metal Engraving, Deep Embossing and Cutting

Since I’m a jewelry designer, and the 20 watt fiber laser is a standout feature on the LP5, I focused a lot of my material tests for my LaserPecker LP5 review around metal.

It performed as expected for a 20 watt fiber. It performed best on brass. Sterling silver is a bit more complex to cut because of its high thermal conductivity.

The LP5 can cut up to 1mm of brass – which I did not test, but figuring that I embossed that deep, cutting should be a no-brainer.

Challenge Coin (Fiber Deep Embossing)

One of the coolest things you can do with a fiber laser is deep embossing… and challenge coins are quite popular. I am so not into them so I really honestly didn’t feel like trying it – but then I realized it’s a great test to see how it would perform on brass signet rings.

I should have just gotten a brass signet ring because the surface area is so much smaller, which makes the engrave time much shorter.

I ended up running it twice, once since one time it got disconnected. HOwever, it did do a great job and look forward to eventually trying a signet ring. I plan to keep designs simpler – just because that’s my style, rather than the complex designs. I ran the coin test to push it to the max.

Once I got to see this, I figure it’ll do even better on the simpler deep emboss projects I plan to run on brass.

I did polish these up with a rotary tool and a steel brush.

Aluminum Stamping Blank (Fiber Engraving)

Stamping blanks are a nice, soft metal and I wanted to see how well they engrave. I did this super quick heart and it zapped it in a second. This is a super fun, affordable customizable jewelry option.

Coated Tumblers (Fiber Engraving)

I engraved a monkey from the clipart library on my son’s tumbler, and once again, it went okay. However, I was very limited in the width of the design without the rotary, so if you plan to do these, get the rotary. I wish they had a curve mapping feature so I could do this without a rotary – I really only like to use a rotary extension for full wraps.

Coated Aluminum Sheet/Business Card (Fiber Engraving and Cutting)

These popular business cards go so fast with the galvo Fiber, however I never thought to cut them! The material sample pack came with a sheet version and it cut like a charm (no pun intended). I don’t think I’d use this for jewelry, however it can be fabulous for engraved inlaid plaques or any other inlay as it comes in many different colors. You can also do die cut aluminum business cards as a premium product, or even make clip-on bookmarks with it.

Since it’s a thin material you don’t have the slanted edge issue.

Brass (Engraving and Cutting)

Brass up to 1mm can be cut, however, I went a bit thinner to test it for brass inlays. I cut .2mm brass sheet and again, it just sliced right through it like butter.

It engraved beautifully as well, and once again, brass is a favorite material to work with.

925 Sterling Silver (Engraving and Cutting)

Sterling is more challenging with a laser engraver. I did manage to cut 24 gauge sterling. You always want to tape it down to secure it, as it’s lightweight and the fans can blow it out of place.

It engraves beautifully, and this charm was already claimed by my four year old!

Black Cast Acrylic Engraving (Fiber) and Cutting (Diode)

Acrylic is a popular material for laser crafters and while it can be cut using a diode laser, you’re really better off with a CO2 laser if you plan to dedicate yourself to different colored acrylic.

However, those are very pricey, harder to maintain, and the diode laser can cut many colors of acrylic. When it comes to a diode laser, black acrylic is really your best bet – and it can look adorable!

I made these name keychains for my son’s day camp counselors using 3mm black acrylic. It works quickly and effectively. I engraved using the fiber laser, which looks fabulous and gives a high contrast.

Cutting acrylic is tricky because of the angle, however, in small projects like this it doesn’t matter. It was centered vertically and the angling isn’t really prominent.

I engraved the thank you message in tiny on the back and it’s nice and sharp. I designed the whole thing in LaserPecker Design Space (the font is a system/self-owned font, not an app font).

Leather and Leatherette Engraving and Cutting

I’ve shared before that I’m NOT the biggest fan of working with a laser on leather just because of the fumes and the inconsistency between various leathers. However, I did test it here and it worked quite well, as expected.

Leatherette Hat Patch (Diode Engraving)

I engraved a black-to-silver adhesive hat patch with my logo. My settings were too strong and it engraved right through the coating, so yes, you’ll want to run tests and be very accurate with your focusing.

I like how the silver outline looks, though.

PU Leather (Diode Engraving and Cutting)

The sample pack came with a sheet of PU leather. I didn’t love how it engraved, but again, it’s leather dependent and you’ll want to test different PU leather types, run test grids, etc. so that you get the perfect engrave.

It cut beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised. I might rethink my whole attitude towards lasers and leather.

Genuine Leather (Engraving and Cutting)

I also engraved a piece of leather that I had at home and, well, the results are again the leather’s fault. It went beautifully through the top layer – but it’s too close in color to the surface to be visible. Colored leather or leather with a different core would look quite different. I need to try burning raw tooling leather now!

It cut nicely – I need to tweak my settings so it cuts a bit better – but again, I’m thinking that maybe I DO like laser cutting leather after all!

Slate Coaster (rock) Fiber Deep Embossing

I don’t think I am ever doing a deep emboss on slate ever again – the dust is next level – but it did a gorgeous job. Here’s where I ran into issues: I should have run it from the USB. After a few hours of embossing, it disconnected, didn’t manage t continue, and I was done. I had designed something special for it – I wanted to try for that layered water look with a resin fill – but I had to let it go so that I can get this review live, as it takes many, many hours to emboss slate of this size.

When it comes to any deep embossing, it’ll take much longer and majorly lag between layers if you don’t work from the USB. You’ll want to run these from the USB only. Trust me.

LaserPecker LP5 Final Review and Analysis

In a nutshell

To summarize: the LaserPecker LP5 is a dual laser engraver that’s a powerhouse for engraving loads of materials including metal, wood, slate, PU leather and genuine leather, and more.

It’s got a 20 watt fiber and 20 watt diode laser which is quite effective at engraving a variety of materials. Since it’s a galvo laser, its cuts tend to angle a bit. This matters more on larger cuts on thicker materials. For that reason, smaller cuts on thinner materials can still cut very efficiently, and cuts that matter less (that don’t need to join accurately) can still be done very effectively.

It’s a very compact laser engraver, with its small footprint, portability, and storability being one of my favorite perks.

The software has a steep learning curve but is learnable, and there’s no really good consolidated material library, so you’ll want to collect data and do full grid tests before starting your product line.

The unit with the stand has its own cover that does have some light leakage on some thicker materials, but that cover can be held up against surfaces to allow for protected engraving. The unit does come with safety goggles, a fabulous bonus.

It’s got loads of convenience and usability features and despite the steep learning curve it is a fabulous entry level, small business, on-site market, or secondary machine.

Is it right for you?

I always recommend that when making an investment purchase like the LaserPecker LP5, you start with a lists of musts and a list of “good to haves.” Once you covered those, here’s my advice:

If you’re looking for:

• a mid-market reliable laser engraver that’s
• perfect for small cuts, jewelry, and engraving or
• is portable and has a small footprint and doesn’t require a dedicated workshop and
• can cut and engrave a larger range of materials well rather than being highly specialized for a narrow range of materials

the LaserPecker LP5 is probably the right machine for you.

Feel free to drop a comment with your specific needs and I’ll let you know if I feel it’s the best fit for you – or just email me!

Get it here!

You can get the LaserPecker LP5 here and the safety enclosure here! Or, if you prefer, you can get it on Amazon!