Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W: Smooth Engraving & Cutting

I’ve always been amazed by laser engravers, so I was excited to test out the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W. The machine helps bring beautiful designs to life on a variety of materials. Plus, you can cut through materials for those cute cut-out ornaments, puzzle pieces, and more. It was definitely a fun review to see how well this engraver performed.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by Creality. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

You can start your own engraving projects with the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W for just $489 after a $30 discount. Additionally, Creality launched the giveaway “Who Are Creators of Masterpieces.” Join in the fun for a chance to win your own laser engraver, a 3D scanner, 3D printer, and coupons! Take the chance and follow the steps to win.

Overview of Features

The Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W features a 10W laser, as the name implies. Thanks to the improved LD+FAC+C-Lens tech, the six-lens array compresses the laser to a 0.06mm focal point. This gives you far cleaner engraving and cutting. Plus, it’s powerful enough to cut through a wooden board up to 12mm in a single pass.

The laser is easy to adjust using the attached screws to get the perfect height for your project. The large table area, measuring 400mm (15.75 in.) x 415mm (16.34 in.) makes it perfect for a wide variety of projects.

It works well on numerous materials, such as wood, acrylic, stainless steel, bamboo, paper, leather, metal, and more. Plus, it can engrave in a hurry with a max speed of 10,000mm/min.

While you can work offline thanks to a microSD (TF card) slot, you can connect to a computer directly. Create projects with LightBurn, LaserGRBL, and the Creality Cloud app.

The 32-bit chip with a silent mainboard and custom algorithm drives steppers on the x and y axis smoothly. Thanks to four V-shaped motion wheels and high-tension timing belt, it’s made to work for long periods without wearing out. The aluminum frame is complete with a leveler to ensure that the table is always level. Corner leg grips keep the table from sliding.

If the table ever does get bumped or starts to fall, it shuts off immediately, which is a nice safety feature. Plus, the laser itself has a cover to protect your eyes.

In the Box

While having the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W come fully assembled would be awesome, there is assembly required. When I opened the box, everything was packaged nicely, with each piece carefully protected.

The entire kit comes with the following:

• 4 frame pieces
• 3 legs (4th leg is on the control box)
• Assembly kit with control box
• Power adapter with cord
• Laser module and laser cover
• Safety goggles
• Nuts, screws, Allen keys, and wrench
• Cable ties
• Multi-level fixed focus block (three measurements)
• 2 pieces of linden plywood
• Dust-free cloth
• User manual
• TF card and card reader (the card includes software and helpful videos)

I’d highly recommend laying everything out and organizing it before trying to put it together.

One thing you may notice is that an engraving mat isn’t included, and you’ll need one. Otherwise, you will scorch or burn any material under your project, especially when cutting. I used a flame-resistant concrete board.

Assembly

While the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W does come with an instruction manual, I’d just lay that to the side and watch the setup video that comes on the TF card. Honestly, the instructions are so tiny it’s hard to tell what the steps are, but the video makes assembling the engraver easier and faster.

I recruited my father, a woodworker, to assist with this review, as he has a shop with ample room to test out the engraver. We had the table put together in about 10 to 15 minutes after watching the video. The hardest part is securing the belt, as the screws are really slick.

Setting Up the First Project

The TF card includes LaserGRBL and a trial of LightBurn. It also has a sample project for the 5W and 10W models of Creality’s laser engravers. The 10W project is an eagle. The first test for the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W was engraving the eagle on some scrap wood in my father’s shop. The wood was approximately 4mm thick.

I was able to connect the engraver to the my computer using a USB-A to USB-C cable. A USB-C (or Type-C) power cable works well, too, if your computer has a USB-C port. LaserGRBL recognized and connected to the engraver as soon as I installed the included driver. (This is in the LaserGRBL menu.) Lightburn works incredibly well, too. The included TF card has instructions and the necessary file to ensure Lightburn recognizes the engraver.

Once connected, I loaded the eagle project into LaserGRBL. I didn’t have to adjust any settings for this one and only had to line up the wood board in the right location. A quick Frame in LaserGRBL showed me the exact positioning.

I started the project and waited about three minutes for it to complete. The results were amazing. The engraving wasn’t too deep, but was dark enough to stand out well against the wood. The detail looked great and the engraving was cool to the touch.

While you can technically glance at the engraver while it’s running, if you want to look closer, wear the included safety goggles. These protect very well against the laser.

Loading a New Project

Next up, I wanted to try the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W with a random graphic I found online. I found a cat head with flowers that had more detail than the eagle. After loading the graphic in LaserGRBL, I played around with the settings a little to size the image. (In hindsight, I should have made it larger.) I was able to take a JPEG image and turn it into a beautiful engraving that took maybe six to seven minutes.

Cutting with Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W

Finally, does the Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W cut through wood well? I didn’t really have any other materials on hand for my review, but I did play around with different thicknesses of wood. The focus block was wonderful for adjusting the laser’s height for cutting through a thicker board.

While the engraver is made to cut up to 12mm in a single pass, I’d recommend two passes based on my experience for a cleaner cut. After a single pass on a board about 8mm thick, a few places weren’t cut all the way through. After a second pass, it was fairly easy to push through all the cutouts. All in all, it took around 10 to 15 minutes to complete the heart I tried (courtesy of Vecteezy).

It does take time to learn the various settings to get things just right. Too much power at too slow of a speed, and you’ll have singed results. Go too fast and it won’t cut all the way through. Be prepared for a little trial and error, but that’s to be expected.

Obviously, use the engraver in a well-ventilated area due to the smoke from the burning wood or other material you use. It’s not a large amount of smoke but enough to stink up a room quickly.

One thing I absolutely loved, outside of the performance itself, is how quiet the machine is.

Final Thoughts

The Creality CR-Laser Falcon Engraver 10W was an impressive engraver, especially at the price point. For hobbyists or those looking for their first engraver, it’s hard to go wrong. While a cutting mat would be nice, Creality does offer these for sale separately.

All engravings and cuts were smooth and clean. They also finished quickly. I see myself using this machine quite often for custom items and gifts.