What We Like About Our Muse 3D

UPDATE (2/22/23): Don't buy from Full Spectrum! Read why by clicking HERE.

We have had our Muse 3D for almost a year now and have had plenty of time to get to know it. Overall, we are satisfied with the machine. It has definitely been a workhorse, as we run it almost every day for most of the day. The biggest question that we get about our machine is about cost. Is the laser worth the high cost, especially when there’s cheaper alternatives out there such as a K40? We think yes, it is worth it. There’s a caveat though; we think it’s worth it more for some people versus others.

Here are the kind of people that we think would benefit by spending the extra money on it versus a cheaper K40 laser:

• You have the money to buy a nice laser, but you don’t have the time to deal with a lot of technical issues

• You have a business and want something that works out of the box and can get you started quickly and easily

Here are the kind of people that would probably benefit more by saving their money and looking for a cheaper alternative:

• You’re a hobbyist and can deal with having your laser down for longer periods of time for repairs

• Laser engraving isn’t a core feature of your business or vital to your income

Ultimately, we recommend the Muse 3D for someone that is willing to spend a little more money to deal with less problems. With that in mind, what makes this laser better to other similar lasers on the market (like the Glowforge)? Here is what we love about our Muse 3D and why we think it’s a good buy:

External Cooling

Unlike other comparable lasers that use an internal cooling system, the Muse 3D has an external cooling system. This is great because it allows you to make upgrades to your cooling system as needed. For example, when we bought our second engraver we updated our external cooling system to a CW-5200 that actually run both of our lasers off of at the same time. This is a very nice unit that we wouldn’t have been able to upgrade to if the cooling system was internal.

Software

The Muse 3D comes with Retina Engrave 3 (RE3) installed on the actual engraver itself. What this means is that you can use your software without internet connection and never have to worry about the unit being useless if a browser-based software is no longer hosted. We like Retina Engrave 3 because it’s fairly straightforward and easy to learn and use. We do not, however, use RE3 to create or modify designs – we make everything in Adobe Illustrator. Although you can create designs in RE3, it’s better to