xTool P2S vs Glowforge Pro: CO2 Value Showdown

On paper the choice looks lopsided. A 55W xTool P2S sells for around $2,000 to $2,700, while a 40W Glowforge Pro runs about $6,995 (current as of mid-2026). More power, less money, so why does anyone still buy the Glowforge? Because these two CO2 machines answer different questions. The P2S is the value cutter that treats you like a technician; the Pro is the polished appliance that treats you like a customer. This is the showdown between watts and workflow.

We score by class, standardizing published specs against owner reports and community-shared results rather than operating a test lab. Here is how the two stack up where it counts.

The quick answer

Buy the xTool P2S if you want the most cutting and engraving power per dollar and you are comfortable dialing in your own settings. For most sellers scaling a side business, it is the better machine and the better math. Buy the Glowforge Pro if a frictionless, phone-simple workflow and the rear pass-through matter more than raw watts, and the premium is not a barrier.

Check the P2S on Amazon or see the Glowforge Pro.

The two machines at a glance

Specs current as of mid-2026.

Power: the P2S has more of it

Fifteen watts does not sound like much until you cut with it. A 55W tube slices cast acrylic in fewer passes and holds faster feed rates than a 40W tube on the same material, so the P2S clears thicker stock and finishes production batches sooner. Both machines cut the CO2 staples (wood, acrylic, leather, cork, paper) and both leave the glossy, flame-polished edge on cast acrylic that no diode can produce at any wattage. The P2S simply does it with more headroom.

For engraving the gap narrows; raster fill on wood and slate is fast on both. But if your catalog leans on cutting, layered signs, shadow boxes, edge-lit acrylic, the extra watts are the P2S's most bankable advantage.

Workflow: the Glowforge is easier

This is the Glowforge's whole pitch. The lid camera, the phone-simple app, and pre-tested materials that load their own settings mean a first-timer engraves a coaster in minutes without touching a power or speed number. The P2S has dual cameras for accurate placement and a competent workflow, but it expects you to understand focus, power, speed, and a test grid. One machine hides the settings; the other hands you the controls.

That trade cuts both ways. The Glowforge app gates some features behind subscription tiers, and its convenience can become a ceiling when you want manual control. The P2S runs xTool Creative Space or works with LightBurn, and its settings are yours to tune; pull starting points from our settings calculator and bracket from there.

Pass-through and bed

Both offer pass-through, but differently. The P2S has a larger bed at about 600 x 308 mm with front and back slots for feeding oversized stock. The Glowforge Pro's headline is a front-and-rear pass-through rated for effectively unlimited length, so you can feed a board far longer than the bed, which matters for long signs and shelf edging. If pass-through length is central to your product line, the Pro's implementation is the more polished of the two.

Running cost over time

CO2 tubes are consumables. Every glass tube has a finite service life measured in operating hours, and eventually it weakens and needs replacement, so a CO2 laser's true cost includes a tube swap somewhere down the line. This is where open hardware matters: a P2S-class machine built around a more standard, user-serviceable tube is generally cheaper and simpler to bring back to full power than a tightly integrated appliance whose service runs through a single vendor. No maker publishes an honest lifespan number because it depends on duty cycle and cooling, but you should budget for it either way and weigh how painful that eventual service will be.

Add the consumables both machines share, lens wipes, air-assist parts, and masking tape to control char, and the running cost is modest next to the purchase price, but it is not zero. A high-volume shop burns through tape and optics faster than a weekend maker, so fold those repeat costs into your per-unit pricing rather than treating the machine as a one-time expense.

Materials and safety

Between them these machines cover wood, cast and extruded acrylic, veg-tan leather, cork, slate, paper, and glass (engrave). Stock a variety pack of cast acrylic and you can test most of the catalog on one machine.

The material law does not bend for either brand. Never cut PVC, vinyl, PVC-backed faux leather, or any chlorinated plastic; the beam releases chlorine gas that becomes hydrochloric acid in your lungs and on your optics. Skip polycarbonate (fire and fumes) and ABS. Both machines need real extraction, a fire blanket or extinguisher within reach, and a hard rule that a running laser is never left unattended. A CO2 cutting acrylic makes flame, not just smoke.

The business math

Price the two as tools that earn. Model a run of edge-lit acrylic signs at around $30 each: a sheet of cast acrylic yields several blanks at a few dollars apiece, cut-and-engrave time runs five to eight minutes, and you net north of $20 a unit. At that margin a roughly $6,995 Glowforge Pro clears its own cost in about 300 to 350 signs, while a $2,500-class P2S clears the same run in well under 150, because you spent a third as much up front for more power. Unless the Glowforge's workflow saves you real labor at scale, the P2S reaches payback far sooner. Run your own numbers with our pricing walkthrough.

Which one should you buy

For most makers running a laser as a business, the P2S is the honest pick: more watts, a bigger bed, open software, and a price that reaches profit faster. Choose the Glowforge Pro when workflow simplicity and the unlimited-length pass-through are worth paying roughly triple for, a real consideration for a busy studio that values a hands-off appliance over tuning. Still deciding between CO2 and a cheaper diode? Start with our diode vs CO2 guide, compare the field in our best CO2 laser roundup, and browse all our buying guides.