Why 700W Laser Welders Are Replacing TIG for Small Shops

My buddy runs a small custom jewelry and metal fabrication shop. Last year, he was spending three hours a week just cleaning up TIG welds on stainless steel brackets — grinding, polishing, cursing. Then he switched to a mid-range laser welder and cut that cleanup time to about 20 minutes. That's not marketing copy. I watched it happen. If you're still on the fence about laser welding for light-to-medium fabrication work, let me break down what actually matters at the 700W power class — because this is where things get genuinely interesting for small shops and independent fabricators. What 700W Actually Gets You Power ratings in laser welding get thrown around loosely, so let's be specific. A 700W continuous wave fiber laser sits in a sweet spot: powerful enough to weld stainless steel up to about 2mm in a single pass, yet precise enough that you're not burning through thin sheet metal or delicate assemblies. Here's a rough capability reference: Material Max Thickness (single pass) Stai