Someone asked me what laser module I would buy today, here is my response.

There are three modules that are worth looking at:

• The N40630 30w module that I have for $80 (https://neje.shop/collections/all-products/products/30w-laser-module).
• The A40630 30w module with the FAC lens for $140 (https://neje.shop/collections/all-products/products/neje-a40630-laser-engraver-cutter-module-kits-fac-7-5w-output).
• The A40640 40w module with the FAC lens for $260 (https://neje.shop/collections/all-products/products/40w-laser-module-laser-head-for-cnc-laser-cutter-engraver-woodworking-machine)

The N40630 module is by far the best deal, and I really like it. It can cut through wood up to 3mm without much trouble, and with enough time and effort it can just barely make it through 6mm of wood. The price is right, it really is a no brainer as an add on.

You may want to consider upgrading to the A40630, the price is 75% more than the N40630, but the FAC lens should square up the laser dot, and in theory it should cut with almost twice as much power as the N40630. I can't find anyone online who has tested this module, so I have no evidence that it works better.

And then there is the A40640 module. This uses two of the laser diodes from the N40630 module, and uses the FAC lens. In theory those together should give you 4x the cutting power of the N40630 module for a little over 3x the price. Again I can't find anyone that compares this module to the N40630, or really to any other module. However there are reports that it can cut through 6mm wood in a single pass at a reasonable speed so I suspect it does at least have 2x the cutting power of the N40630 module.

What one to buy? That depends on how much money you have, and what you expect to do with this laser. If you are into etching then look at the A40630, it is not too expensive and should make as nice an etch as any module can because of the small dot size. If you are interested in cutting thick materials, or $260 is not a lot of money, then get the A40640 module because it has the most capacity. And finally if $100 seems like a lot of money, or your just curious then go for the N40630 module and be happy that you got a good bargain.