If you searched "xTool S1 clear acrylic," here's the direct answer: the xTool S1 can cut clear acrylic—but only if you add a light-absorbing layer to the surface and stick to thin cast sheets. If you're asking whether it does it the same way a CO₂ laser does, the answer is no. In 2024, I burned through $80 of clear cast acrylic before I learned that difference. Here's the honest version, including the settings and mistakes that matter.
I've been running small-batch laser jobs for six years, with both diode and CO₂ machines. I've made my share of expensive "it should work" assumptions. Now I keep a material checklist that has caught 47 potential errors in the past 18 months. This article is that checklist, applied to the three questions I get most about the xTool S1.
Can the xTool S1 Cut Clear Acrylic?
Let's separate this into two questions, because they have different answers.
Can the xTool S1 cut acrylic? Yes—but only certain kinds. Colored opaque acrylic (black, red, blue, green) cuts reasonably well with the S1's 20W or 40W module. I regularly cut 3mm black acrylic for product housings, and it's become one of my favorite materials.
Clear acrylic is a different material from a diode laser's point of view. A blue diode laser emits light at 455nm. Clear acrylic is designed to transmit visible light. Instead of being absorbed and vaporized, most of the beam goes straight through.
That's the physics problem. It's not about cutting power, not entirely. It's about absorption. This is why xTool's official material guide, which I checked in January 2025, lists transparent acrylic as not recommended for standard cutting with the S1's blue diode module.
Does that mean zero? No. There's a workaround. If you add a light-absorbing layer on the surface—dark transfer tape, laser marking spray, or a layer of black paper between the sheet and the honeycomb—the laser can heat that layer enough to start a localized cut. The beam then has something to work with.
My process for clear acrylic now:
- Use cast acrylic, not extruded. Extruded acrylic tends to crack and melt unevenly under a diode laser.
- Keep it thin. 3mm is workable. 6mm is a gamble. 10mm is, in my opinion, a waste of time.
- Cover the cut line with laser tape or a dark coating so the beam has a starting point.
- Set air assist high. Clear acrylic produces more melt than vapor, and airflow is the difference between a clean edge and a wavy scar.
- Always do a test pass on a scrap piece first. Always.
What surprised me: the issue wasn't the laser's rated power. It was material absorption. On paper, 40W should cut something 3mm thick. In practice, the beam went through the acrylic and marked the honeycomb below before the acrylic even softened.
One more caveat: this workaround leaves a rougher edge than a CO₂ laser. If your part needs edge-polished clarity, you'll still need to flame or sand the edge afterward. For straight cuts, that's manageable. For complex interior geometry, it's painful.
Actually, Balsa Wood Is Where the S1 Shines
If you've searched for the best laser cutter for balsa wood, here's a less obvious answer: for thin balsa sheets, the xTool S1 is hard to beat for the money. Balsa doesn't need high wattage; it needs controlled low power and a fast pass.
Never expected a 350mm/s pass on 3mm balsa to beat a CO₂ laser. But it did. The lower heat input means less burnback and almost no char. My starting settings with the 20W module: 12% power, 350mm/s, one pass. With the 40W module, I start at 8% power. Then I adjust from there.
If you're cutting balsa for model airplane ribs, one 12-inch sheet is cheap. Buy a pack and test. You'll likely find that the difference between "just right" and "burned" is a 2% power change.
Why "Handheld Laser Welder" Is a Different Search
If you landed here because you were searching for a handheld laser welder, let me save you some time. The xTool S1 is not that. A handheld laser welder is a different tool for joining metal, usually using a fiber laser source and a manual welding head. The S1 is a desktop cutter/engraver. It won't weld anything.
The confusion happens because both phrases include "laser," but the application is completely opposite. If your goal is to weld metal, keep looking. If your goal is to engrave or cut wood and plastic parts, the S1 deserves a serious look.
What About Stainless Steel Color Laser Marking?
Same category of confusion. Stainless steel color laser marking—the kind that produces brown, gold, blue, and green marks on bare metal—is usually done with a MOPA fiber laser. It works by growing an oxide layer on the metal surface, and the color comes from the interference pattern of that oxide layer. The xTool S1 cannot do that. It's not a matter of skill or software settings; it's the wrong wavelength and pulse structure.
What the S1 can do with metal: mark anodized aluminum, mark painted or coated metal, and produce a durable mark on bare stainless steel if you use a marking spray. But that's not color marking in the fiber-laser sense.
The Mistake That Made Me Build a Checklist
In February 2024, I accepted a small order for 12 clear acrylic signs. I had cut dark acrylic on the S1 all month, so I assumed clear was the same. It wasn't. I didn't have a formal material-test process. That order cost me $80 in scrap and a two-day delay because I had to re-cut everything on a borrowed CO₂ machine.
The mistake wasn't the xTool S1. The mistake was skipping the test. I now follow a simple pre-flight routine:
- Check the material on the manufacturer's compatibility chart.
- Search for one experienced user's settings, then ignore them until you test.
- Cut a 2-inch by 2-inch test piece with your actual material and your actual machine.
- Measure the result. "It looks okay" isn't a specification.
- If the job is on a deadline, use the process that already works. Don't use a deadline as an excuse to experiment.
There's something satisfying about a checklist that actually prevents pain. This one has caught 47 potential errors in the past 18 months, and it's the same process I'd recommend to anyone with an S1.
When the S1 Is the Wrong Tool
Here's the part most reviews leave out. The S1 is a great machine, but there are boundaries. If your business plan depends on cutting clear acrylic all day, get a CO₂ laser instead. If you need stainless steel color marking, get a fiber laser. If you need welding, get a handheld laser welder. The S1 won't be all things to all people, and pretending it is causes the same frustration I went through.
Personally, the S1 handles 80% of my work: wood, leather, colored acrylic, balsa, and light metal marking. That said, this is based on my experience with the 20W and 40W modules, not the 10W. If you have the 10W, expect even more limitations. The other 20% is where I learn the hard lessons. That's the honest balance.
