The xTool M1

Have you heard about the xTool M1? It’s a great crafting machine. Here’s all about it.

The good folks at xTool gifted me with an M1. The opinions are entirely my own.

What is xTool?

xTool believes that creativity is what sets humans apart. xTool offers a range of laser and blade-cutting machines. They offer 5 different machines.

The Xtool lineup

M1 – the home crafting machine. This is the product that I was given.
D1 Pro 2.0 – laser engraver
F1 – portable version
S1 – diode laser cutter
P2 – their top-of-the-line laser cutter.

About the xTool M1

The XTool M1 is quite a remarkable machine.

WHAT CAN THE XTOOL M1 DO?

Laser-cut hard materials such as wood (up to 10 mm) and acrylic (up to 3 mm).
Laser engrave onto materials such as wood, metal, leather and glass.
Blade cut softer materials such as vinyl (both adhesive and HTV)

Some great features of the xTool M1 include being able to make some items in batches – no more having to do things one at a time. It can also work with multiple types of material all in one go.

What’s in the Box?

First off, I received 3 packages – the xTool M1 itself, a smoke purifier and an air assist kit.

I really like the “extras” that it comes with.

5 blades
2 mats (low grip and light grip – very similar to Cricut mats)
material pack: 3mm basswood, adhesive vinyl, sticker sheet, polyurethane leather, metal dog tag

I also received some additional items:

air assist set
rotary attachment
rotary accessory kit
riser
premium material package: stainless steel dog tags, jewellery set, metal cards, stone coasters, wood coaster, wooden tags, 3mm basswood, 3mm black walnut, kraft paper, heat transfer vinyl, self-adhesive, PVC sheet, sticker paper, polyurethane leather, PVC sheets (coloured and transparent), canvas tote bag.

The xTool really goes out on the premium material package. You can make so many things with just that package alone.

How does the xTool M1 compare to the Cricut Maker 3?

Both machines can but paper, adhesive vinyl and heat transfer vinyl.

The Cricut can also cut wood, but my experience with that, using the deep cut blade has not been great. The Cricut can also cut fabric – which is great for quilting.

What makes the xTool M1 stand out is that it can score and engrave things like wood and stainless steel. For me, this extra skill I can add to my arsenal now makes all the difference.

Check out my first wood-scoring project.

With my Cricut, I have applied adhesive vinyl, which as many of you know, can be picked off. This is obviously a permanent application. I really like how it looks too!

The xTool M1 is definitely bigger than the Cricut. There’s also an additional piece – the smoke purifier.

Setting up the xTool M1

Setting the xTool M1 is slightly complicated. I had my son help me. There’s the main xTool machine and it connects to the smoke purifier. The smoke purifier needs access to a window. Both units require a power source. The XTool also needs to be connected to your computer.

This, perhaps could be a challenge. You will need a spot that has power, a window and access to a computer. Now the way my craft room is set up, the computer is not by the window. That said, I put the XTool on a movable island, allowing me to move the XTool closer to the computer. The hose attachments to the smoke purifier give you some leeway space as they are decently long.

Ideally, it would be nice to have a setup where nothing has to be moved, but that is not the case for me. I can make it work, however.

Using the xTool M1

Similar to the Cricut and Silhouette, the xTool machines have their own software. It is called xTool Creative Space and you can download it from their website.

Creative Space is quite easy to use and fairly straightforward.

Basically the xTool M1 is a big box. Open up the lid and put in whatever it is you are working on. Close the lid and get it to start.