LEARN HOW TO UNBOX AND SETUP THE XTOOL M1 LASER AND BLADE CUTTING MACHINE

I have wanted to try laser cutters for a long time. However, they can be very expensive and I wasn't sure how much I would use them since they don't really do well with cardstock (from what I can tell).

Well, I was so excited when the team at xTool reached out to me to see if I would like to review their M1 machine that is not only a powerful laser cutter but also A BLADE CUTTER! Yup! It does BOTH!

I, of course, was very willing to try this out and review it for myself and for all of you!

In this post, we will be unboxing the xTool M1. I will go through every step to get this machine all set up and ready for our first project.

In future posts and videos, we will be downloading the xTool Software and making our first project! So keep an eye out for those blog posts coming soon!

Let's get started!

REMOVE THE PACKAGING

Once you remove the outer shipping box, you will need to open the beautiful, yes I said beautiful, box to access the machine.

Start by pulling this pull tab to open the box. Then, take your machine out and remove the plastic from around the machine.

Once you can open the lid on the M1, you will find a lot of foam packing material. I really loved how well this machine was packed for shipping. They took great care in making sure everything was secure.

Inside the machine, you will find the Owner's Manual and the sample Materials (we will get to those later).

Then, you will see the rest of the components to set up for the M1.

The vent hose.

The power cord and USB cable.

A case full of cutting blades. Don't they look similar to the Cricut blades?

The hose housing or cap to attach the vent hose to the machine. This will vent out the smoke produced from the laser.

The hose clamp to secure the hose to the housing.

Finally, the screws to attach the hose housing.

Remove the remaining foam packaging. Next, remove the foam around the laser and blade housing.

There is one more piece of foam to remove on the other side of the machine. This holds the triangular prisms.

Now that the packaging has all been removed, you can pull out the two cutting mats included with the M1. There is a LightGrip and FabricGrip cutting mat.

INSERTING THE BLADE

Now that all the packing material has been removed and our items have been taken out of their packaging, it is time to get the blade ready. Locate the laser and blade housing.

Remove the gold blade housing.

Remove the protective cover on the blade. Use caution as the blade is sharp!

Similar to the Cricut blade housing, press down on the plunger and insert the blade. Then, release the plunger.

Place the housing back into the machine. It is magnetic so it should just snap back into place.

I started to add the triangular prisms to the inside bottom of the M1. You don't have to do this now but it is something you will want to do before your first project.

The triangular prisms are what you will place your material on when making a project. The prisms help to increase airflow to help prevent burning and scorching.

ATTACHING THE HOSE HOUSING AND HOSE

On the back of the machine, you will see the vent.

Using the included screws, attach the hose housing or cap. I just used my hands for this as no tools were necessary for the installation. So easy!

Feed the hose clamp onto the hose. Then, attach it to the hose housing and secure the hose clamp onto the housing.

You will need to vent the house out a window. Laser cutters do create a good amount of smoke and you do not want to be breathing that in. Luckily, I have a window close to my work area so this was easy for me to do.

If you do not have a window near by, xTool makes an optional accessory that the vent hose can feed into that will take care of the smoke for you. This accessory is an additional purchase.

CONNECTING THE USB AND POWER CORDS

Now, attach the USB cable to the back of the machine and plug in to your computer.

Lastly, plug the power cord into the back of the M1 and plug it into an electrical outlet.

Now the machine should turn on. You will notice the white ring around the power button. It is powering on.

The M1 will being to boot up. Forgive the reflection from my ring lights.

The M1 is now setup and ready for you to make your first project!

I think the process of removing the packing materials and setting up the machine took no longer than 20 minutes. It was a very easy setup and I cannot wait to get started with this M1!

INCLUDED SAMPLE MATERIALS

Let's talk about the sample materials pack included with your machine.

Inside the sample pack, you get a piece of 3mm Basswood, a piece of pastel yellow cardstock, a piece of Orange Leather, a piece of Orange Vinyl, and a cute dog tag for engraving.

This pack is great. You get a wide variety of materials for you to try out as you get more familiar with the machine!

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this setup process was very straightforward and easy. I just followed along with the setup instructions included with the Owners Manual.

I am so excited to start experimenting with this machine! Let me know in the comments if you have the M1 and if you are loving it!

Thank you again to xTool for sending me this machine to play with! To find out more information about the xTool M1, click here.

Stay tuned for more M1 videos and projects!

Post a photo in the comment section or tag your projects on social media @thebeardedhousewife using the hashtag #beardedhousewife! I’d love to see how yours turn out!!

Happy Crafting!

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