xTool F2 Ultra UV vs F2 Ultra Dual: which one for your work?

Short answer: if most of your work is metal — awards, jewellery, tools, tumblers — take the F2 Ultra Dual. If it is glass, stone, plastics, coated parts or fine surface detail where low heat input matters, take the F2 Ultra UV. Both are flagship galvos; they are not competing versions of the same machine.

xTool now sells two flagship galvos: the F2 Ultra Dual (60W MOPA fibre + 40W diode) and the F2 Ultra UV (a true 355 nm UV source). They look almost identical. They do very different work.

Pick the F2 Ultra Dual if…

• Your bread and butter is metal — corporate gifts, awards, jewellery, branded tumblers, tools.
• You want colour marking on titanium and steel.
• You need to switch between metal and dark-coated materials in the same job without changing machines.
• Your customers ask for deep, tactile marks.

Pick the F2 Ultra UV if…

• You work with glass — perfume bottles, decanters, awards, presentation pieces.
• You mark plastics — including clear acrylic, polycarbonate housings, medical components.
• Heat damage is the enemy: leather, fabric, paper labels, food-contact packaging.
• You're chasing very fine detail at small scale — UV's short wavelength focuses to a finer spot than fibre or diode.

Where they overlap — and where each one is stronger

Both machines mark anodised aluminium and coated metals, and both will put a fine surface mark on many bare and plated metals. The difference is depth versus heat input: the Dual is the machine for deep, fast, functional marking and MOPA colour on suitable stainless and titanium, while the UV is the machine when heat input has to stay low — glass, plastics, leather, and plated or finished pieces. The Dual is not a glass machine — you'll get chipping and microcracks. Whichever way the job leans, confirm the finish with a sample first.