Whether you're marking stainless-steel parts for aerospace, anodizing aluminum for custom gifts, or deep-engraving brass plaques, the laser source you choose determines speed, contrast, and permanence. The short answer: a 20–50 W fiber laser is the only technology that truly covers every common metal—bare aluminum, mild steel, tool steel, stainless, brass, copper, titanium, and even tungsten—without pre-treatments or consumables. Below are the 2025 models that proved best for each “metal family,” plus the settings that turn them black, white, or full-color.

1. LaserPecker 4 – the go-anywhere “dual-laser” for coated & anodized metals

• Lasers: 10 W 450 nm diode + 2 W 1064 nm pulsed fiber
• Markable metals right out of the box: anodized aluminum, painted steel, TiN-coated tools, lacquered brass
• Tricks for bare metals: spray-on CerMark; 160 mm × 300 mm slide extension lets you mark knife blades or iPhone backs in two passes
• Weight: 4 kg—fits a backpack; runs from a 100 Wh power bank
• Price: ≈ US $1 799
  Best for: craft-fair vendors, gunsmiths, jewelry pop-ups that need portability more than deep metal cutting .

2. Ortur H20 – desktop hybrid with a 420 mm × 300 mm bed

• Lasers: 10 W diode + 2 W 1064 nm infrared (same wavelength as big fiber markers)
• Bare-metal mode: 100 % power, 200 mm s⁻¹, 0.08 mm line gap → dark grey mark on 304 SS; repeat 3× for charcoal black
• Class-1 enclosure keeps the infrared beam eye-safe; no external fume extractor needed
• Price: US $1 539
  Best for: small machine-shops that want one cabinet for acrylic signs today and data-plates tomorrow .

3. OMTech Galvo 30 W Split Fiber – the “all-you-can-mark” workhorse

• True fiber source (Raycus); 1.06 µm wavelength is absorbed by every metal
• Speed: 7 000 mm s⁻¹; spot size 0.002″—serial numbers on aluminum take <0.3 s
• Field lens options: 110 × 110 mm (standard) or 200 × 200 mm for cutlery or tool trays
• Deep-engrave 0.3 mm into steel at 30 W, 600 mm s⁻¹, 15 kHz, 6 passes—no coolant needed
• Price: ≈ US $3 200
  Best for: job-shop runs of 1 000+ stainless tags, color logos on Ti, black anneal on 17-4 PH .

4. ComMarker B6 – autofocus fiber for mixed short runs

• 20 W JPT source; repeatability ±0.001 mm—perfect for QR codes on 6061 aluminum that must read under 10× magnification
• Rotary chuck built in; switch from flat dog tags to 3″ copper pipe in <30 s
• EZCAD2 software ships with material library: click “brass” and power/frequency/hatch auto-load
• Price: US $2 699
  Best for: gift shops that personalize both flat plaques and hip-flasks .

5. xTool F1 Ultra – fastest color/finish changes

• Dual head: 20 W fiber + 20 W diode; change source in software, no hardware swap
• MOPA fiber (tunable pulse 2–500 ns) produces saturated colors on Ti and stainless; cycle time <2 s per 10 mm logo
• 3D curved mode: auto Z-tracking keeps 0.05 mm focal distance on watch-bezel curvature
• Price: US $3 999
  Best for: high-end jewelry, colored medical implants, artisan knives .

Quick Settings Cheat-Sheet (30 W fiber, 110 mm lens)

Apply 90° cross-hatch; air-assist optional but keeps reflectivity down on Al & Cu .

Key Buying Rules

1. Bare aluminum or mirror stainless → you need 1064 nm fiber; diode/CO₂ will only scratch the surface unless you add expensive marking sprays.
2. Volume >100 parts/day → choose galvo fiber (OMTech, ComMarker); gantry machines are too slow.
3. Anodized/painted metals only → save cash with LaserPecker 4 or Ortur H20; infrared head removes the dye layer, not the metal.
4. Color or 3D deep relief → insist on MOPA source (xTool F1 Ultra, LaserGear QUBE); fixed-pulse fiber cannot vary tone.

Follow those four rules and you’ll own a system that jumps from aluminum business cards to hardened steel tools without ever sending you back to the supplier for “another attachment” or a chemistry kit.