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Ron Bontz
07-04-2012, 12:50 PM
Does anyone own or can tell me anything on Gravograph mechanical engraving machines reliability, cost, etc.? I was looking at an IS 400 For metal, and such. Lasers are just out of my price range at the moment.

Ross Moshinsky
07-04-2012, 1:18 PM
I'd suggest not buying a machine from Gravograph. We won't be buying any more equipment from them.

Also a laser vs a IS400 should be similarly priced. I'd pick which one you want to buy based on requirements and use. The price should not be the deciding factor.

Mark Ross
07-05-2012, 11:17 AM
We have an IS 400 and it is a workhouse. However, they tried to hold us hostage for "maintenance". Basically we ran along fat dumb and happy for years, then the machine running windows 95 died. The software dongle would not work and when we contacted them, we were told we had to pay ALL back maintenance (even though we were not on a contract), get back on maintenance, and then pay for a software upgrade. Would have been darn near the cost of a new machine. Our solution? Went to a ham radio swap, bought an old machine, found the original WIN95 disk, installed all the old software, and for less than 200 bucks we were back up an running.

Any company that holds machines hostage for "maintenance" won't get any of our business. They are not the only company that does this. When our 3D printer from Dimension dies, they won't be seeing any business from us either. We needed a flash upgrade to the BIOS, they want 8 grand in back "maintenance fees". Oh wait, they are fees any more their taxes! LOL...

Ron Bontz
07-05-2012, 1:04 PM
Thanks for the heads up. I am looking into a mechanical machine for marking/ engraving saw backs as well as other metal.

Bruce Page
07-05-2012, 2:34 PM
Ron, if you’re not doing production you might look into picking up an old manual pantograph engraver like a Gorton. You could also look into chemical etching. I use to occasionally use one like this: http://www.etching-metal.com/ with good results.

Paul Phillips
07-06-2012, 11:33 AM
Ron, do a search for Gravograph and you'll find out what people think about them. Consensus here seems to be that they make good equipment but have horrible customer service so looking at alternatives such as Roland or Vision may be a good thing. Some previous threads on the subject: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?186871-Engravers-How-would-you-rank-them&highlight=gravograph
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?176690-Gravograph-Won-t-take-care-of-a-loyal-customer-(spent-over-80k)&highlight=gravograph
Paul

Mark Sipes
07-06-2012, 11:53 AM
Several of use on the Mill have Newing-Hall engravers....... Great Customer Service, American Made, and Built to last. You can start with a basic flat table like most rotary engravers amd add cylindrical capability later. Design never goes out of style. and XP/VISTA/7/8 supported. www.newing-hall.com (http://www.newing-hall.com)