xTool F2 vs F2 Ultra: Portable Dual Laser or MOPA Production Machine?

Buy the xTool F2 if you personalize small items, sell at events or are starting a side business. Buy the F2 Ultra if metal is your main product and you need color marking, deep engraving or thin metal cutting. The xTool F2 pairs a 5W infrared laser with a 15W diode in a 10 lb portable body, from $1,149. The xTool F2 Ultra runs a 60W MOPA fiber laser, with an optional 40W diode, from $3,799. That price gap buys a different class of laser, not just more power.

Table of Contents

1. Quick Answer: F2 vs F2 Ultra
2. Spec-by-Spec Comparison
3. Infrared vs MOPA: Why the Laser Type Matters
4. Metal Work: Color, Depth and Cutting
5. Wood, Leather and Acrylic
6. Field Size, Speed and Batch Production
7. Price Ladder and Which Version to Buy
8. Choose the F2 If / Choose the F2 Ultra If
9. Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answer: F2 vs F2 Ultra

The F2 is xTool's portable personalization machine. It's small enough to carry to a craft fair, runs from a standard outlet, and lets you drop a design onto a piece with its 50MP camera and engrave it while the customer watches.

The F2 Ultra is xTool's flagship metal machine. Its 60W MOPA source produces more than 100 repeatable colors on stainless steel, engraves deep enough to feel, embosses, and cuts brass and stainless up to 2 mm. It's a production tool that lives on a bench.

Based on the feedback from real Maker's Chest customers, the people who end up disappointed are the ones who bought on the shared name: F2 buyers who expected F2 Ultra metal results, and F2 Ultra buyers whose work turned out to be mostly wood. The sections below are built to prevent both.

Spec-by-Spec Comparison

Prices as of publish time, subject to change.

Infrared vs MOPA: Why the Laser Type Matters

Both machines have a "metal laser" and a diode, so on paper they look like the same idea at two price points. They aren't.

The F2's 5W infrared source is absorbed by metals and plastics, so it makes permanent marks on stainless steel, gold, silver and platinum without spray or coating. It's a marking laser: ideal for names on jewelry, logos on tumblers and serials on tags.

The F2 Ultra's 60W MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier) source does two things the F2 can't. First, it has twelve times the power, enough to remove material rather than just discolor it. Second, its pulse width is adjustable. Changing the pulse controls how much heat reaches the surface, and on stainless steel that controls the oxide layer, which controls the color. That's where the F2 Ultra's 100+ repeatable colors come from.

Metal Work: Color, Depth and Cutting

Color marking

The F2 can produce color and deep black marks on stainless steel, but xTool's own ranking of color vividness puts it last in the F series, behind the F1 Ultra and F2 Ultra. If color-marked metal is a product line you plan to sell, the F2 Ultra is the machine built for it. Expect a parameter-testing session per alloy and finish either way: color depends on the steel as much as the laser, and once a recipe is dialed in it holds batch to batch.

Deep engraving and embossing

Engraving you can feel with a fingernail, raised embossing and relief coins need power to remove metal. At 60W, the F2 Ultra does this routinely. The F2 is a surface marker and isn't the right tool for deep work.

Cutting metal

This is the cleanest dividing line. The F2 doesn't cut metal at all. The F2 Ultra cuts brass and stainless steel up to 2 mm and aluminum up to 1 mm, which opens up name necklaces, cut-out pendants and thin metal ornaments. If cut metal jewelry is part of your plan, only the F2 Ultra gets you there.

Wood, Leather and Acrylic

The F2's 15W diode cuts wood, leather, MDF, paper and felt, and engraves coated metal and some dark opaque acrylic. For a mixed product line of steel keychains, wooden ornaments and leather patches, it covers the lot by switching lasers in software.

The F2 Ultra's organic capability depends on the version. The Dual Laser version adds a 40W diode, which is the stronger option for wood and leather. The MOPA-only version has no diode, so it can't cut wood or leather. xTool prices that version $1,000 lower specifically for shops that only work in metal.

Neither diode cuts clear acrylic, because blue diode light passes through transparent material. For clear acrylic you need a CO2 machine such as the xTool P2S.

Field Size, Speed and Batch Production

Both are galvo machines: they steer the beam with mirrors inside a fixed field rather than moving a head across a large bed. That's what makes them fast, and it's why field size matters.

The F2's 4.5" × 4.5" field suits keychains, tags, rings, pendants, coasters and phone cases. The Slide Extension stretches it to 15.75" × 4.5" for rulers, pens, bookmarks or rows of small blanks. The F2 Ultra's 8.6" × 8.6" field is about 3.7 times larger, and its Auto Streamline Conveyor extends that to 8.6" × 19.6" and feeds parts through automatically.

Speed compounds the difference. At 15,000 mm/s versus 6,000 mm/s, plus a larger field and an automatic conveyor, the F2 Ultra is the machine for fifty-piece metal batches. The F2 is fast enough for on-the-spot personalization and small orders, which is exactly what it's designed for.

Portability

At about 10.1 lb and roughly 6.9" × 9.3" × 13.2", the F2 fits on a card table at a market and runs from a standard 100–120V outlet. Its enclosed body keeps laser light contained when customers are standing close. The F2 Ultra is a desktop production machine with a separate touchscreen controller, and it's meant to stay put.

Price Ladder and Which Version to Buy

The jump from F2 to the cheapest F2 Ultra is $2,650. For a metal-only business, that's the comparison that matters, and the MOPA-only F2 Ultra is the right version. If you also need wood and leather, the Dual Laser version costs $3,650 more than the F2.

There's a middle option worth knowing about. The xTool F1 Ultra ($2,299) runs a 20W fiber and a 20W diode over the same 8.6" × 8.6" field as the F2 Ultra. It doesn't do MOPA color like the F2 Ultra, but it deep-engraves and cuts thin metal sheet, which the F2 can't. Our F1 Ultra vs F2 Ultra comparison covers that step in detail, and our F2 vs F1 vs F1 Ultra guide covers the F2 against the F1 Ultra.

One naming trap: the F2 Ultra UV is a separate 5W UV machine for glass, crystal and plastics, not a version of the MOPA F2 Ultra. See our F2 Ultra UV vs F2 Ultra MOPA comparison, or our F2 Ultra UV vs ComMarker Omni X comparison if glass is your focus.

Choose the F2 If / Choose the F2 Ultra If

Choose the xTool F2 if:

• You personalize small items: jewelry, tags, keychains, tumblers, pens and leather patches
• You sell at craft fairs, pop-ups or events and need a machine you can carry
• You're starting a side business and want metal marking plus wood for about $1,150
• Name and logo marking on metal is enough; you don't need deep engraving, vivid color or metal cutting

Choose the xTool F2 Ultra if:

• Metal is your main product and you want to sell color-marked stainless steel
• You need deep engraving, embossing or cut metal jewelry up to 2 mm
• You run batches of 50+ metal pieces and need the conveyor and 15,000 mm/s speed
• You work only in metal (buy MOPA only, $3,799), or you need a strong 40W diode alongside it (buy Dual Laser, $4,799)

Comparing the F2 with its closest portable rival? Read our xTool F2 vs LaserPecker 4 comparison. Browse all of our MOPA fiber laser engravers or the full xTool lineup to compare other options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the xTool F2 and F2 Ultra?

The F2 is a portable dual laser with a 5W infrared source and a 15W diode, starting at $1,149. The F2 Ultra uses a 60W MOPA fiber laser (with an optional 40W diode), starting at $3,799. The F2 Ultra adds 100+ color marking, deep engraving, embossing, metal cutting up to 2 mm, a field 3.7 times larger and 15,000 mm/s speed.

Can the xTool F2 cut metal?

No. The F2 marks, colors and engraves metal surfaces but doesn't cut metal. The F2 Ultra cuts brass and stainless to 2 mm and aluminum to 1 mm, and the F1 Ultra cuts thin metal sheet.

Can the xTool F2 do color marking on stainless steel?

Yes, but with a less vivid range than the F2 Ultra or F1 Ultra, according to xTool's own comparison. For a color-marked metal product line, the F2 Ultra's MOPA source is the right tool.

Should I buy the F2 Ultra MOPA-only or Dual Laser version?

MOPA only ($3,799) if you work exclusively in metal; it marks metal identically and saves $1,000. Dual Laser ($4,799) if you also cut or engrave wood, leather, acrylic or fabric, which the fiber source can't do.

Is the xTool F2 good for a beginner business?

Yes, for personalization. It's portable, camera-guided and covers both metal marking and wood or leather for $1,149. If your business plan centers on high-volume or premium metal work, start with the F2 Ultra instead of upgrading later.

Is the F2 Ultra UV the same as the F2 Ultra?

No. The F2 Ultra UV is a separate 5W UV laser engraver for glass, crystal, plastics and heat-sensitive materials. The F2 Ultra discussed here uses a 60W MOPA fiber laser for metal.

Not sure which F-series machine fits your products? Contact The Maker's Chest team. Tell us what you sell, and we'll point you to the right machine and version.

Written By

Alina Oprea

Maker & Equipment Specialist

Alina Oprea is a hands-on maker, jeweler, and workshop specialist at The Maker’s Chest, with 25 years of silversmithing experience alongside a background in woodworking, renovations, construction, and commercial ductwork installation.

Her experience spans decorative woodwork, hand-carved doors, jewelry fabrication, homebuilding with Habitat, and real jobsite problem-solving — giving her a practical understanding of materials, tools, workflow, and what machines need to deliver beyond the spec sheet.