Welcome back to the workshop at Brook Valley Life — and yep, this one’s not archery (at least not directly). Algo Laser reached out and asked me to review their Alpha MK2 laser engraver, and as a total first-time laser engraver user I wanted to see if it’s genuinely “plug in and make stuff” or if it’s a headache. I run through what you get in the box, the build quality, and the setup (which was honestly easy). I also grabbed the honeycomb bed to protect what’s underneath, and I was pleasantly surprised the manuals weren’t the usual “Google Translate” mess. The big standouts for me were the safety and usability: proper PPE included (goggles), an emergency stop button, a key lock so people can’t muck around with it, and a really clear touchscreen with built-in projects and examples so you can start straight off the bat. I show how the air pump works (and why you want good ventilation because wood smoke is no joke), how the focusing spacer makes setup simple, and I test engraving on coated metal and birch/plywood. I even made a wooden medal idea for my local club comps — engraved and cut out on 7mm ply — and I’m genuinely blown away at how budget-friendly but capable it is. I also touch on using LightBurn (still on the trial) and why I’m considering buying it.