Glass vs. Metal Laser Tubes

Should you choose a metal or glass laser tube?

Metal vs Glass Laser Tubes
What’s the Difference?

Glass Tubes-

Glass laser tubes operate with CO2 gas charged with DC current to excite the carbon dioxide gas.  These tubes are used primarily for acrylic, worked, leather, plastic, paper, or bamboo. Because glass laser tubes do not dissipate heat well, they require a water-cooling system that uses circulated water to keep the temperature of the glass tube under control. For lower watt applications a glass laser tube works well and for many is the preferred method.  
    Longevity- Glass laser tubes have a life span estimated to be between 2,000 and 4,500 hours. You should also consider that glass tubes cut slower so the run times per project will be slightly longer.
Cost- The cost of the average glass laser tube is estimated to be 20-30% of the cost of a metal laser tube. Be sure to calculate down time cost for maintenance/replacement of the glass laser tubes. If your laser runs all the time, then the downtime could be very costly.

Metal RF Tubes-

Metal laser tubes also contain CO2.  The diameter of an RF laser beam is 0.2mm when focused it can be as narrow as 0.02mm, producing a cleaner cut. A glass tube is 0.6mm or as small as 0.04mm after focus.  Metal tubes can operate twice as long as glass tubes.  The metal tubes cut more quickly and produce cleaner cuts.  Metal tubes operate 2-3 times as long as a glass laser tube. This can reduce downtime and increase the labor costs associated with replacing laser tubes.
Longevity- Metal tubes are estimated to last 10,000 hours.  Metal laser tubes can run somewhat faster to much faster, so more products may be cut in the life cycle of the metal laser tube.  A metal laser tube can have more than double the live time of a glass tube.
Cost- Metal laser tubes cost can be 3-5 times more than glass tubes.  That difference could add up to 2 or 3 thousand dollars.  
Conclusions-
Metal laser tubes do last longer, however that longer life does not compensate for the increased cost.  Metal tubes do cut a little faster and produce a cleaner cut. Water cooling is not necessary for metal tubes and metal tubes are less likely to be damaged while handling them.
Glass laser tubes produce a good quality cut and are the laser tube of choice for plastic and laser cutting. The low cost of glass laser tubes makes them a good choice if down time is not an problem.