Another possibility is that the new Laserpro has a colliminator or another lense that focuses the beam tighter. That would help if cut better. The beam on my 60 watt Epilog is a lot smaller than the beam was on the 45 watt machine it replaced. I can see the difference and it cuts a lot cleaner, especailly on wood. I just cut out a couple of the epilog bird homes from 1/4" poplar I got at Lowe's and no smoke residue even without taping.

Hale Reider
To Be Cherished