univer power feeders

[joe milana]

Just inquired about a new Univer power feeder & was informed that Univer has stopped producing power feeders "until further notice". I looked into a Maggi feeder, and notice that they are cheaper than a Grizzly or a powermatic (which I assume are the same feeder). I found that interesting since Maggi is supposedly Italian made & I would assume that they would come with a premium price. Any suggestions?

[David Kumm]

i had heard that some parts of the smaller Steffs were sourced in Asia and assembled in Italy but Steff is pretty quiet about what exactly they do. So Pertici isn't making them or just not sending them over here any more? Dave

[joe milana]

i had heard that some parts of the smaller Steffs were sourced in Asia and assembled in Italy but Steff is pretty quiet about what exactly they do. So Pertici isn't making them or just not sending them over here any more? Dave


Unfortunate Univer has stopped producing power feeders until further notice. Ed Papa Simantech

[David Kumm]

Bummer, another quality producer goes down. They did make a superior feeder. I believe the horizontal motor one was sourced from Asia as well. Dave

[joe milana]

Bummer, another quality producer goes down. They did make a superior feeder. I believe the horizontal motor one was sourced from Asia as well. Dave

Interesting, that was the one I inquired about.

[joe milana]

Called WMD to inquire about a Maggi feeder & their number is out of service.

[David Kumm]

Interesting, that was the one I inquired about.

I think the horizontal feeder is Comatic but Joe Calhoon referred to it as a Wegoma feeder. Joe has one and knows lots more about them than I do. They make one for Grizzly too. Grizzly stuff is speck'd specifically for them so it is hard to know if you are getting exactly the same thing. Dave

[Jeff Duncan]

I'm not that surprised as their feeders were at the top of the price range. I might call Martin to find out who's feeders they're using now. Univer used to be the go to feeder for Martin shapers, whatever replaced them is likely of equal quality....at least one would think?

I have a Univer with the horizontal motor and if you feed against the fence very often it is a good deal easier to use. Not sure what other companies make them in that configuration, but I find it pretty handy.

good luck,
JeffD

[joe milana]

Apparently Martin uses a "Wegoma/comatic" unit & the cost is $2700 :eek:

[David Kumm]

Apparently Martin uses a "Wegoma/comatic" unit & the cost is $2700 :eek:

The Grizzly version made by comatic goes for about 1800. Would be interesting to know how the units differ in build quality and how relevent the differences are in our world. Dave

[joe milana]

Agree Dave, but Grizzly only carries a 3 wheeler. Univer had a 4 wheeler. I can't seem to find a four wheeler.

[joe milana]

If anyone is interested...Just found out that Wood-Tech, int. is now the importer for steff power feeders. They have the inventory & all parts from the now defunct WMD. There was a picture of a horizontal motor steff feeder on the WMD website, but I was told the design didn't go over very well due to cost & they dropped the model.

[Jeff Duncan]

Apparently Martin uses a "Wegoma/comatic" unit & the cost is $2700 :eek:

If you can afford to drop $60k + on a shaper....what's another $2700;)

OK in all honesty, I like the Univer feeder, but in day to day operations it doesn't feed any better than my 4 wheel Delta or other feeders for that matter. I do really like the horizontal motor....but not sure I would be willing to spend a lot more just for that feature???

good luck,
jeffD

[joe milana]

If you can afford to drop $60k + on a shaper....what's another $2700;)

OK in all honesty, I like the Univer feeder, but in day to day operations it doesn't feed any better than my 4 wheel Delta or other feeders for that matter. I do really like the horizontal motor....but not sure I would be willing to spend a lot more just for that feature???

good luck,
jeffD

Is your univer a 3 or 4 wheeler?

[David Kumm]

The whole Univer vs Steff thing is pretty subjective. The Univer was better built with more protection around the switch housing and the spring wheel design seems a little more forgiving but it is hard to say how much better the motor and gears are made. I think the best thing about both is the castings lock against the tubes better than some Asian feeders just due to the better manufacturing. I don't know if the Steff castings are now sourced elsewhere. Steff says they are made in Italy but Univer advertised as the only Euro feeder left before they quit. The vertical motor 4 wheel come up used frequently. Both my Univer 1800 and Steff 2048 were about $500 plus shipping. You have to get lucky and move fast to find univer. Dave

[Jeff Duncan]

Joe, my Univer is the 3 wheeled version, my Delta is the 4 wheeler. To be honest the Delta is on my main machine as I prefer having the 4th wheel for feeding interior door parts. It also has a slower speed than the Univer which comes in handy on rare occasions. In actuality the only thing that bugs me about the Delta is rotating it to feed against the fence!

I recently picked up an older Steff and it seems like a decent feeder also. The only feeder that is really any different is an old Festo which features smaller single bolt wheels and a shift lever to control speeds!

I like having quality tools, however if I could keep only one feeder I'd have to go with the Delta. For me the 4th wheel and additional slower speeds are enough edge to put it out in front. I will also agree with David about the castings...the Delta requires a bit more persuasion to lock firmly in place;)

good luck,
JeffD

[joe milana]

Against the fence setup seems to be the common complaint. I wonder if the "smart stand" that grizzly offers would make things easier. A bit of an investment ($774.00) to find out though.

[David Kumm]

The older Deltas were made by Steff. The tubes and castings are generally the same size between Steff and Comatic. Univer uses different everything so very little is interchangeable with the others. Four wheel is my preference but you need a pretty big shaper. Dave

[Jeff Duncan]

Three of my feeders came with shapers attached....the only one I bought separately I really didn't need, but since nobody else was bidding on it, well what can you do;) Needless to say I won't be the one spending $700+ dollars to try out a Grizzly anything....but if anyone else wants to volunteer:)

In actuality I don't think that stand would help much, especially considering the cost is just for the stand. If anything I'd rather put the extra $700 towards a better feeder....or maybe just an additional feeder? Not sure if you've ever played around trying to flip one of these big boys from horizontal to vertical, but it's more to do with how some of the locking levers are positioned in relation to the motor. On the Univer with the motor being positioned differently it allows better clearance making it faster and easier to switch.....kinda hard to put into words....it's one of those things that when you do it you see what a PITA it is. Now having said that would most guys want to double the price of their feeder for the ease of a horizontal motor...probably not. In reality it maybe takes several extra minutes of time and is more nuisance than anything. And of course if you don't do much work against the fence, well probably not a big concern;)

JeffD

[David Kumm]

I think the horizontals ran a larger motor, at least the Univer did. I have a friend with a 6 wheel feeder and that is a beast. Does anyone use or prefer the track feeder? Dave

[joe milana]

I've heard the track feeders help with shorter stock, but are "no magic bullet". The track feeders & conversion kits all seem to be for 3 wheel feeders. I wonder why no 4 wheelers?

[Jeff Duncan]

My Univer is the same size as my other motors...both in HP and physical size. Your friends may have been bigger to power the extra wheels?

I have a belt kit a buddy gave me and have yet to use it. I normally don't run small parts so I haven't needed it yet. Also I usually have the wheels close up and straddling the cutter, they're close enough the belt would get chewed up. He bought it for a job consisting on thousands of little squares going through the table saw IIRC.

My guess is if your using the belts it's for short parts and as such you probable don't want a larger feeder getting in the way? Just a WAG though???

JeffD