OMTech CO2 laser engraver and cutter

OMTech vs HPC Laser vs Trotec: What Are You Actually Paying For?

In our view, an OMTech cuts and engraves wood and acrylic, and engraves slate, to the same standard as an HPC Laser or a Trotec; what the extra money buys is support, software and build. In October 2026 an HPC LS6090 PRO cost roughly two to two-and-a-half times an OMTech Turbo-758 including VAT, and Trotec only quotes on request.

Research CO2 lasers in the UK and three names keep coming up: OMTech, HPC Laser and Trotec. The price range between them is enormous, and understanding why tells you most of what you need to know about which one to buy. This comparison comes from a workshop that has run OMTech lasers in daily production since January 2023, has looked hard at the alternatives, and gets asked about this by showroom visitors regularly.

First: diode lasers are a different thing entirely

Before we compare CO2 machines, a word on diode lasers, because they come up constantly in searches and on social media, and they cause a lot of confusion.

Brands like xTool, Sculpfun, Atomstack and Ortur make diode lasers that look superficially similar and usually cost far less. Most entry-level diode lasers are open-frame and cost a few hundred pounds. Enclosed diode machines do exist (the 40W xTool S1 was listed from £1,599 at uk.xtool.com in October 2026), and xTool also makes CO2 machines. Diode lasers are typically lower powered and designed mainly for hobbyists engraving at home.

For a serious business they fall short in several ways. An open frame makes fumes and laser scatter harder to contain safely. Cutting thick materials is slower and less clean. The working area is often smaller. And most importantly, in our view, the output on natural wood (the contrast, the depth, the crispness of a cut edge) does not match what a CO2 machine produces.

If you want to make personalised gifts in the evenings as a hobby, a diode laser is a reasonable starting point. If you want to build a business, start with CO2. Everything below assumes you've made that decision.

At a glance

OMTech Turbo-758 HPC Laser LS6090 PRO Trotec Speedy 100
Price (checked October 2026) About £2,600–£2,900 inc VAT at omtech.uk, depending on listing and bundle From £5,350 ex VAT (about £6,420 inc VAT), delivery extra Quote only; used about €9,500–€11,000 on European resale sites in October 2026
Power Sold as 80W in June 2024; now listed as 90W 60W as standard; 80W and 130W versions listed 30, 45 or 60W on Trotec's datasheet
Bed 700 × 500mm 900 × 600mm 610 × 305mm
Controller and software Ruida; ships with RDWorks, LightBurn extra Ruida; RDWorks, LightBurn on request Trotec's Ruby software; LightBurn doesn't support Trotec
Cooling Water-cooled glass tube; pump included, chiller extra Water-cooled glass tube; pump and 35-litre tank included, chiller optional Air-cooled
Maker's warranty Two years on parts (some excluded), one year on tube and power supply for 70W-and-above machines bought direct (OMTech UK warranty page; the product page says six months) 12 months on site, excluding tube and optics, extendable to three years Ask Trotec for terms

OMTech Turbo 758: what you get

The OMTech Turbo 758 was sold to us as an 80W CO2 laser when we bought ours in June 2024; OMTech now lists it as 90W. It has a 700 × 500mm bed and was about £2,600–£2,900 at omtech.uk in October 2026, depending on the listing and bundle (check the current price). It runs on a Ruida controller and ships with RDWorks and a water pump; LightBurn and a chiller are extra. We've run ours 5 to 10 hours a day, five days a week since June 2024, cutting and engraving wood and engraving slate for a living. The build quality is solid, the running costs are manageable, and every maintenance job we've needed to do we've done ourselves. The full reliability and running costs story is here, and for a detailed look at the machine itself, see our OMTech Turbo 758 review.

What you don't get: a UK-based engineer who will come to your door, or hand-holding through setup. OMTech's UK customer service team is responsive (we've used them) and their YouTube tutorials are good, but the expectation is that you can sort most things yourself. One caveat if you do: OMTech UK's warranty terms (checked October 2026) exclude faults caused by not using an OMTech-supplied water pump or chiller, and alterations or servicing by anyone OMTech hasn't authorised. If your machine is still under warranty, check with OMTech before swapping the chiller, pump or other parts.

HPC Laser: the UK alternative

HPC Laser is based in Elland, West Yorkshire, and has been trading since 2007. Their most comparable machine to the OMTech Turbo 758 is the LS6090 PRO: a 60W machine with a larger 900 × 600mm bed (80W and 130W versions are also listed). In October 2026 hpclaser.co.uk priced it from £5,350 ex VAT (about £6,420 inc VAT), with delivery extra. That's roughly two to two-and-a-half times the OMTech price once VAT is added. HPC's base price does include an air compressor, an extraction fan and a pump with a 35-litre tank; a chiller is optional, as it is with the OMTech.

The headline difference HPC sell on is UK-based support. The LS6090 PRO data sheet gives a 12-month on-site warranty, excluding the tube and optics, extendable to three years. Delivery, installation and training are quoted separately on request rather than included. For buyers who are not technically confident, or who are putting a machine into an environment where downtime is commercially catastrophic, that support model has genuine value.

Here's the thing, though: look under the bonnet and the LS6090 runs on a Ruida controller, just like the OMTech. It ships with RDWorks, and LightBurn is available on request. The tube is a water-cooled CO2 glass tube of the same type. In our view, results on wood, acrylic and slate are, in practice, indistinguishable from an OMTech at the same power and settings. You are paying a substantial premium mainly for local support and the confidence that comes with a UK company standing behind the machine.

For many buyers, that premium isn't justified, especially as the engineer support gap is largely closeable. We can recommend an excellent freelance laser engineer if you ever need one (check your OMTech warranty first, as above). And in daily production since January 2023, we haven't needed an engineer for either of our OMTechs.

Trotec: a different category entirely

Trotec is an Austrian manufacturer, headquartered in Marchtrenk, with a UK office in Boldon, Tyne and Wear. Its Speedy machines are found in design studios, universities and high-volume commercial workshops. Trotec doesn't publish prices, so you get a quote; its UK site advertised Speedy finance from £90 a week plus VAT in October 2026.

The entry-level Speedy 100 (Trotec's datasheet lists 30, 45 or 60W; one used 2023 machine we found was advertised as 80W) has a much smaller 610 × 305mm bed. Used ones were listed for roughly €9,500–€11,000 on European resale sites in October 2026. With that bed it isn't a like-for-like match for a 700 × 500mm OMTech. Trotec's larger Speedy 300, 360 and 400 (60–120W) cost far more: UK public contract notices show the University of the West of England buying a Speedy 400 for £69,000 in 2023 and an ex-demo one for £35,005 ex VAT in 2025.

What do you get for that? Exceptional build quality, very fast engraving (Trotec quotes a top speed of 2.8 m/s for the Speedy 100), autofocus, and Trotec's full dealer support network. They are very well made machines; that's a fair description, not marketing. The Speedy 100 is air-cooled, so no external chiller is required, which simplifies installation considerably. On safety class, Trotec's Speedy brochure lists the series as laser Class 2, the same class OMTech's FAQ gives for its machines.

They run on Trotec's own Ruby software (older and used machines run JobControl) rather than LightBurn, which doesn't support Trotec. That's a real difference for anyone coming from the OMTech and HPC world. Ruby is polished and capable, but it ties you to one platform in a way LightBurn doesn't.

The honest assessment: for a new laser engraving business, buying a Trotec is very hard to justify financially. The payback period on the machine premium is extremely long, and the output quality advantage over a well-maintained OMTech is marginal for most commercial work. Our impression is that Trotecs make most sense for buyers with business or institutional funding, or running at a volume and day rate where the maths works. If you are starting from scratch and self-funding, the capital tied up in a Trotec is capital that could be doing something else.

That said, if you are buying for a school, a makerspace, a corporate design team or a business that genuinely cannot afford any downtime and values the support model, Trotec is the right machine and the premium makes sense.

The results are hard to tell apart

Place a piece of engraved oak from an OMTech next to the same job from an HPC or a Trotec, with equivalent settings and a skilled operator, and in our view you would struggle to tell them apart. CO2 laser technology is CO2 laser technology. The beam does the work; the machine holds the beam in the right place at the right power. Beyond a baseline of good build and accurate mechanics, which all three meet, the output difference is negligible for typical commercial work.

What differs is the ecosystem around the machine: the software, the support, the running costs, the confidence of the buyer. Those are real differences. The engraving quality is not.

Which should you buy?

Starting a business, self-funding, technically capable: OMTech. The capital saved is better used on materials, marketing and time to learn the craft. Our code Cherrygrovecraft takes 4% off at omtech.uk (checked October 2026), and the few thousand pounds you save against an HPC (about £3,500 or more against the LS6090 PRO's base price inc VAT, at October 2026 prices) can go on growing the business instead.

Not technically confident, want UK support, budget allows: HPC is worth the premium. The support model is real and the machines are good. You're paying for peace of mind, and that's a legitimate reason to buy.

School, makerspace, corporate, high volume, budget not the constraint: Trotec. It's the right machine for that context and the quality justifies itself at scale.

Not sure which category you're in? Come to our OMTech showroom in Buckley, North Wales and watch an OMTech running commercial production. Visits are free, informal and by appointment only: email info@cherrygrovecraft.co.uk with a couple of dates, and the full address comes with our confirmation. Ask the awkward questions. If the honest answer is that a different machine suits you better, we'll tell you.

Frequently asked questions

What CO2 laser would you recommend for a school or makerspace?
If the budget allows and support or downtime matter most, a Trotec, or an HPC Laser with its UK on-site warranty, is the safer institutional choice; the University of the West of England, for example, has bought Trotec Speedy 400s through public contracts. A self-funded makerspace with technically confident members will, in our view, get the same cut quality from an OMTech for far less.

Are there OMTech alternatives with better customer support?
If you want a UK engineer on site, HPC Laser in West Yorkshire gives a 12-month on-site warranty on the LS6090 PRO (excluding tube and optics, extendable to three years), and Trotec has a UK office in Tyne and Wear. Both cost much more. Our own experience of OMTech UK's phone support has been good.

Are HPC lasers any good?
Our own machines are OMTechs, so this isn't a long-term HPC review. On paper the LS6090 PRO is a solid machine, with a Ruida controller, a water-cooled CO2 glass tube, a 900 × 600mm bed and UK-based support, at roughly two to two-and-a-half times the price of an OMTech Turbo-758 in October 2026.

Is there a Trotec discount code?
Not from us: we have no commercial relationship with Trotec. Trotec doesn't publish prices, so the price is set in your quote, and its UK site advertised finance from £90 a week plus VAT in October 2026.

Disclosure: as an official OMTech showroom, we earn a commission from OMTech on purchases made with our code or link. The 4% discount comes off your price either way.

We have no commercial relationship with HPC Laser or Trotec and no financial interest in recommending either.

Sources

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