WAINLUX K10 mini laser engraver review

2024-05-30 for

Coming into this review as a complete engraving n00b, I did have some expectations of the difficulty level. I understood how a laser engraver works, but wasn’t sure about the process. I’m fairly competent at 3D printing and know it’s not a simple print-it-and-forget-it process. There is generating the STL file, slicing it into a gcode file, and then there are all the manual parameters (both physical and in the software) to print. I didn’t know how this would translate into the engraving world, or if it even would.

Unpacking the Wainlux K10 Mini Laser Engraver helped ease some of my trepidation. Everything was already put together and just needed to be plugged in. It was small, measuring 270mm x 250mm x 240mm (10.5in x 9.8in x 9.4in). I quickly scanned through the instruction manual, thankfully it is detailed and explains a lot. There are quite a few warnings, as you would expect for something that involves a laser. The hinged light shield is a thoughtful safety precaution and allows you to see the progress of the engraving without having to wear special safety glasses. The laser will automatically stop when the light shield is lifted or if the engraver itself is tilted more than 13 degrees.

I chose to connect to the Wainlux K10 Mini Laser Engraver via WiFi and use the CutLabX app on my iPhone. The great thing about this engraver is that almost any system can be used to generate and push projects. CutLabX can be run on Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS. GRBL is also supported. I did read that LightBurn is also an option but with a cost. Although I chose the WiFi method, there is an offline method whereby files can be loaded on a microSD card, and using the buttons on the engraver,  the engraving process can be started.

Using Wifi to connect to the engraver means that my iPhone wasn’t connected to the internet. I had to make sure that whatever I wanted printed was already on my iPhone or iPad. I stumbled upon this a few times but was able to disconnect from the engraver, connect to my home WiFi, get what I needed, disconnect from the home WiFi, and then finally connect back to the Wainlux K10 Mini Laser Engraver.

My first attempts were on one of the included wooden boards. I left all the speed and power settings as default and honestly, I wasn’t impressed. The engraving came out faint and in some places, it looked like nothing was engraved. Then I started playing around with the speed and power settings and paid more attention to making sure the laser was focused correctly. I used the included black paper to fine-tune the laser by rotating the focus knob until the dot on the black paper was perfectly round and small. I also went out to a local discount store and picked up a couple more items to engrave. I picked up some cork drink coasters that I did most of my tinkering and fine-tuning on.