Open and small against closed and camera-guided

Longer Ray5 Mini 3.5 W, 140 × 130 mm area vs Creality Falcon A1 10 W, enclosed CoreXY, 381 × 305 mm

Which diode laser engraver: the Longer Ray5 Mini or the Creality Falcon A1?

The Longer Ray5 Mini and the Creality Falcon A1 are both diode laser engravers that name LaserGRBL and LightBurn, and both give a wattage without saying whether it is electrical or optical. Beyond that they are built for different benches. The Longer is a small open frame of about 1.8 kg with a 140 × 130 mm area and a published spot size; the Creality is an enclosed CoreXY machine with a 381 × 305 mm area, a lid sensor, a camera and an air assist set, and no spot size.

LONGER Ray5 Mini compact open-frame diode laser engraver

Longer Ray5 Mini 3.5 W, 140 × 130 mm area

Wins 1 of 7

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≈ 104 €

Creality Falcon A1 white enclosed laser engraver with amber-tinted windows

Creality Falcon A1 10 W, enclosed CoreXY, 381 × 305 mm

Wins 3 of 7

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≈ 501 €

Line by line

Compared on	Ray5 Mini 3.5 W, 140 × 130 mm area	Falcon A1 10 W, enclosed CoreXY, 381 × 305 mm
Optical output power	Not published as optical power — the title says 3.5 W and no bullet says what the figure measures	Not published as optical power — a 10 W diode laser is stated in the title and third bullet
Working area	140 × 130 mm, title	381 × 305 mm, title and fifth bullet
Spot size	0.04 × 0.04 mm, third bullet	Not published
Air assist	Not published	Air assist set included free, fifth bullet
Published laser class	Not published	Not published — the housing is described as filtering the laser light, with no class given
Enclosure	None; a laser shield and safety glasses are included, described by the maker as reducing eye strain, second bullet	Fully enclosed with transparent windows; a sensor stops the laser when the lid opens, fourth bullet
Software compatibility	LaserGRBL (free) and LightBurn (paid), over USB, Wi-Fi or app, with an offline mode, fourth bullet	Falcon Design Space, LightBurn (sold separately) and LaserGRBL, on Windows and macOS, fifth bullet

A tick means one listing published something the other did not, or published a better figure. It does not mean the product is better, and the column is not a score out of anything: a maker who says less loses lines here without losing a comparison. The two verdicts below are where the page is settled.

Which one, for whom

Buy the Longer Ray5 Mini 3.5 W, 140 × 130 mm area

The Longer Ray5 Mini suits tags, coasters and small leather or wood pieces on a bench where a light machine can be moved and put away. It is an open frame, and eye protection is chosen against the laser’s wavelength as its maker documents it.

Buy the Creality Falcon A1 10 W, enclosed CoreXY, 381 × 305 mm

The Creality Falcon A1 suits a home studio that wants larger work, placement by camera and air assist from the start, inside a closed housing with a lid sensor. Its listing publishes no laser class, and the maker’s manual remains the reference for how it is used.

Questions makers ask before buying

Is the Creality Falcon A1 three times as powerful as the Longer Ray5 Mini?

The figures cannot say so. The Longer lists 3.5 W and the Creality lists 10 W, and neither laser engraver listing states whether its figure is electrical input or optical output. Only optical output describes the light reaching the material.

Does the enclosed Falcon A1 laser engraver need safety glasses?

Its listing says the windows filter the laser light and that glasses are not required while watching, and it publishes no laser class. This comparison does not repeat that as advice; the label and manual of the machine are the references.

Which of the two diode laser engravers publishes a spot size?

The Longer Ray5 Mini, at 0.04 × 0.04 mm in its third bullet. The Creality Falcon A1 listing gives no spot size.

The full reviews

Diode laser engravers

Longer Ray5 Mini 3.5 W, 140 × 130 mm area

3.5 W, type of power not stated · 140 × 130 mm working area · 0.04 × 0.04 mm spot · pre-assembled, about 1.8 kg · LaserGRBL and LightBurn · emergency stop

A pre-assembled 1.8 kg diode engraver with a 140 × 130 mm working area, sold with a laser shield and safety glasses, whose listing gives a 3.5 W figure without saying whether it is optical or electrical.

Best for: A first engraver for tags, small wooden signs and leather patches, used with the included glasses.

≈ 104 €

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Diode laser engravers

Creality Falcon A1 10 W, enclosed CoreXY, 381 × 305 mm

10 W diode, type of power not stated · 381 × 305 mm working area · enclosed with lid auto-stop · HD camera and material recognition · CoreXY, up to 600 mm/s · air assist set included

The dearest of the five diode engravers on this site, a fully enclosed CoreXY machine with a 381 × 305 mm area, a camera that recognises material and loads settings, and an air assist set in the box.

Best for: A home studio wanting an enclosed, camera-guided engraver with a larger area and air assist from day one.

≈ 501 €

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A price quoted in the text of a MakerVerdict page dates from the day that page was written; the live figure beside each product is fetched while you read and replaces it.