xTool M1 Ultra Review After 2 Years: A Deep Dive Into Each Module

Update 7/13/2026: Unfortunately one month after I posted this review, xTool discontinued the M1 Ultra. They have since transitioned to the M2 which I also have a review on. I’ll still leave this post up in case anyone is looking to purchase an M1 Ultra second hand. It really is a great machine.

When xTool launched the M1 Ultra as the first 4-in-1 craft machine there was a lot of excitement. It combines a laser engraver, blade cutter, pen plotter and inkjet printer into one desktop system. On paper it sounded like the ultimate crafting machine.

After using it for two years I’ve learned a lot about the machine and the different modules. Some have become essential tools in my craft room and others I almost never use.

If you’re considering the xTool M1 Ultra, here is my honest review of each module based on my experience crafting with the machine over the past 2 years.

xTool provided me with the M1 Ultra for this review but all opinions are 100% my own.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thanks for the support!

My xTool M1 Ultra Ratings at a Glance

If you’re short on time, here is my overall assessment after two years of using the xTool M1 Ultra.

What is the xTool M1 Ultra?

If you found your way to this review you probably have some knowledge of the M1 Ultra so I’ll keep this brief.

The xTool M1 Ultra is a 4-in-1 crafting machine that combines:

• Laser engraving and cutting
• Blade cutting
• Pen drawing
• Inkjet printing

I also have the following accessories which are not included in the base package.

• Smart Air Assist
• Riser Base With Honeycomb Panel
• RA2 Pro
• Desktop Purifier

Review of M1 Ultra Modules

Laser Module

The M1 Ultra has two laser module options, a 10W diode laser and a 20W diode laser. I have the 10W version.

With it, you can engrave materials like wood, acrylic, leather, stone and glass and cut through up to 8mm wood and certain dark colored acrylics up to about 5mm thick depending on material and settings.

The 20W version mainly improves speed and cutting power, especially on thicker material.

Cutting and Engraving Wood

Most of my laser work has been on wood. The 10W laser handles 3mm wood sheets without any issues, which is what I use most often.

One of my first projects was customizing this little round wooden keychain. The laser did a great job engraving and not leaving charred marks but as you can see, centering the design on the round blank was difficult. I used the marking feature and chose a circle but it didn’t get it perfectly right.

I cut and engraved this little rainbow trout and then colored it in with watercolors and sprayed a clear matte finish on top. You could absolutely use the print head function to print color but I was testing out how watercolor would look painted on the wood and it turned out great.

Cutting and Engraving Acrylic

Acrylic is one area where it’s important to understand the limitations of a diode laser.

Unlike a CO2 laser, which can cut and engrave most colors of acrylic, diode lasers rely on the material’s ability to absorb the laser wavelength. Because of this, acrylic color options are limited.

The M1 Ultra can cut and engrave many dark and opaque acrylics, including black acrylic. However, it cannot cut clear and translucent acrylic since the laser beam passes through the material rather than being absorbed by it.

The same limitation applies to many light colored acrylics. Some may engrave well but not cut well while others may not respond to the laser at all.

If your primary goal is working with different colors of acrylic you’ll likely be happier with a CO2 laser.

For projects using dark colored acrylic the M1 Ultra does a good job. Here is an example of a keychain that I made using the laser module to cut the black acrylic and then the blade module to cut the shiny vinyl for the letters. I really enjoy being able to do multiple functions within the same machine and software. It definitely saves time.

Marking Metal

I’ve only used my M1 Ultra to mark metal once and that was after we moved and needed a new tag for our dog Abby. The address on the old one wasn’t applicable anymore. The marking feature worked really well to align where I wanted the text. I was impressed with how centered it was and how dark the text was.

Marking Stone

The laser does a really good job when it comes to marking stone. I have used it to customize some slate coasters and the contrast is really nice!

Blade Module

The blade module turns the M1 Ultra into something similar to a Cricut or Silhouette machine. I’ve been very happy with the quality of cuts with the blades and actually boxed up my Silhouette machine and took it to the basement. It’s just as good in my opinion.

Fine point blade

I’ve tested the fine point blade with some small intricate designs and the cuts are very clean. The trick is to get the pressure and speed set up properly.

I cut some small vinyl letters with my logo to put on the front of my M1 Ultra machine and it came out perfect! The photo below shows the logo and is also a good reference if you’re wondering how much height the riser base adds.

Other laser machines may claim to cut vinyl with the laser itself but note that it only works with laser friendly vinyl that must be PVC free so it limits your options.

Cutting Blade

The larger cutting blade is good for cutting felt. I’ve tested small shapes and it does a really nice job with details.

Rotary Blade

I don’t work with fabric (can’t sew) so I personally haven’t found much need for the rotary blade. I tested it out to cut fabric once and while it cut the simple heart shape easily due to mostly rounded edges. It struggled to cut a star shape due to all of the intricate corners.

You can see in the image below where the rotary blade wasn’t able to cut the small star on the right.

Foil Transfer/Embossing Tip

This feature has been one of my least favorite which is a bit of a bummer because I was very excited about it.

My issue is that the embossing tip doesn’t give a perfect transfer of the foil. It’s often spotty in places. I won’t say that it doesn’t work because I’ve had some projects come out ok but I’ve also had the most frustration with this tool.

You can see in the project below that the gold is more vibrant on the left and lighter on the right. It isn’t terrible but it also doesn’t look professional quality.

While I do not own it, xTool has come out with a hot foil pen that claims to do a better job.

Inkjet Module

The inkjet module is one of the coolest features of the M1 Ultra. It allows you to print full color on just about any flat surface which is awesome. There are some limitations though.

One thing that is important to understand is that the print module uses a single tri-color ink cartridge rather than separate tanks.

The cartridge contains cyan, magenta and yellow inks and creates additional colors by blending those three colors together. Unlike many traditional desktop printers, there is no separate black cartridge.

Photos are surprisingly good considering it only uses three colors but I wouldn’t describe them as professional.

Images tend to have:

• Less color depth
• Reduced contrast
• Less detail in shadows
• Less vibrant colors compared to a dedicated photo printer

For craft projects and custom gifts, the quality is more than acceptable and did I mention how fun it is? Let me share some examples of ways that I’ve used the printing module.

Printing on Paper

Making stickers is a great use case for the M1 Ultra because you can print and cut all with one machine. Here are some that I designed a while back.

I also customized a candle for Halloween by printing my own sticker for the jar and cutting it with the fine point blade. To customize it even more I engraved a spider web on the wood lid using the laser. That’s 3 of the 4 features in one project! Tell me another machine that could do that!

Printing on Wood

Printing on wood is another thing that I’ve experimented with quite a bit. You can set your intensity for the color within the xTool software so if you want more vibrant colors it is possible. I had it at 100% for the magnets that I made below.

One thing that is a little bit of a bummer with the M1 Ultra is that after you print on wood, if you want to cut using the laser, you’ll need to remove your piece, add the laser slats to the base plate and then change out the module from the printer module to the laser module. That means that your piece will be shifted after you print it and you need to align your piece perfectly in the software to get an even cut.

Sometimes I struggle with this and it takes me a few tries. The marking feature in the software is easy to use but not always 100% accurate. xTool also has an option to take a picture with your phone and upload it and that typically gets me better cuts.

Here are some fun wooden magnets that I printed and cut using the M1 Ultra.

The ink is not washable so while it can be used to print on fabric, it would wash out if you threw it in the washing machine or went out in the rain.

Pen Module

The pen module is similar to those from Cricut and Silhouette. I’ll be honest, I don’t use them but I tested them out once.

The kit will come with 8 pen colors. While xTool doesn’t sell other options, I’ve read that many have used the Cricut brand pens with no issue.

The software will allow you to choose between line drawing and color filling. Below is an example of a multi-colored fish that I made using the line drawing option.

This cute little guy is a good example of the color filling option.

The pen drawing feature would be great for addressing envelopes for an event.

Adhesive Cutting Mats

I wanted to add this section on the two cutting mats because they are used with many of the modules (printing, cutting and pens).

While they work well with vinyl, if you’re using paper they can leave a sticky residue on the back. It’s also a bit difficult to remove the material and can damage the piece when you remove it.

I’m guessing this was a common complaint because xTool has come out with an electrostatic mat to replace the adhesive mats. I do not have the electrostatic mat so I cannot speak to the quality but if you’re wanting to work with paper a lot I would recommend looking into it.

User Experience

Software Interface

xTool machines require xTool Creative Space (XCS) in order to process your designs.

I find the software to be fairly intuitive however I should also note that I have experience with photoshop and other design tools. I don’t find the software to be any more complicated than Silhouette’s if you’re familiar with that.

For designs, you can create them outside of the xTool software and then upload them into XCS or you can use xTool Studio which has some great AI features and project templates to get you started.

Learning Curve

They really try to make the software as easy as possible with things like automatic settings populated once you pick your material, measurement device to determine material thickness and photos that show the modules you are selecting.

Switching between modules on the machine is very simple. The modules easily snap in place.

After testing it out for a weekend I felt very comfortable with the machine and software. I’m sure that you will too.

Support and Resources

xTool is very responsive. I only had one issue with my machine and they resolved it quickly. The print head didn’t work properly with my machine when it delivered. They had me run some tests and determined that I needed a new module which arrived days later.

There is also an amazing facebook group with M1 and M1 Ultra owners that are extremely knowledgeable, helpful and creative. I would highly recommend joining if you get the machine.

Who Should Buy the M1 Ultra?

The M1 Ultra is a great fit for:

• Crafters who enjoy trying different types of projects
• Small business owners creating personalized products
• People with limited workspace
• Anyone choosing between a laser and a cutting machine

It might not be the best fit for:

• Users primarily focused on acrylic work
• Production environments

Conclusion

What I Like About the xTool M1 Ultra

• Printing and cutting all with one machine is amazing. I love that I can print on wood as well.
• The machine itself is small and light. It’s similar in size to a desktop printer.
• No need for my Silhouette anymore. The M1 Ultra has replaced it entirely. This saves space in my small office.
• I can bring so many of my ideas to life with the M1 Ultra. I also find myself looking at things at the store and saying I could make that!
• The laser feature isn’t scary like many more powerful CO2 lasers.

What I Don’t Like About the xTool M1 Ultra

There isn’t much that I didn’t like about the M1 Ultra but a few things are a bit annoying at times.

1. The sticky mat that is required for blade cutting, printing and embossing leaves a sticky residue on the backside of the material that you are working with. It’s very noticeable with paper.
2. The Diode laser has limitations in materials that it can cut.
3. Having to switch between modules without an integrated camera makes getting your cuts aligned perfectly difficult.

How Has it Held Up?

I’m sure I’ll get this question from many of you so I’ll just go ahead and include it in the post. The M1 Ultra has held up very well. I honestly haven’t had any issues with parts wearing or breaking over the past 2 years. Some of the accessories will have normal wear and tear and need to be replaced like the ink, blades, sticky mats etc. but the hardware itself is in great condition. The orange cover is plastic and that has a few scratches on it but they aren’t too noticeable.

Final Thoughts

After two years of using the M1 Ultra, I can confidently say that it has earned its place in my craft room. While I don’t use every module equally, the combination of laser cutting, blade cutting, printing and drawing gives me creative flexibility that no other machine I’ve owned has offered.

If your looking for one machine that can handle a wide variety of projects, I think the M1 Ultra is an excellent investment.

If you have any questions about my experience with the M1 Ultra feel free to ask in the comments!