Weike laser purchase - direct from china

[daniel coyle]

I just put down a deposit on a 100W Weike CO2 laser yesterday through sales rep, Abby. Both to continue to get help and to do some payback for all the help i got here I wanted to leave a thread about the purchase and machine. hopefully this will be useful to folks interested in buying direct from china in the future.

I have never owned or operated a laser but have been outsourcing my work for 18 months prior to the purchase. I did not have much luck finding many or very appropriate used machines (US or China makes). I got a lot of good references to US based dealers of Chinese made machines. Most of these seemed to have good to very good reviews including Turnkey, Hurricane, Rabbit USA and Legacy. The two companies I found on Ebay, Morntech and Cam five, gave me good service as well and seemed like solid bets.

Ultimately I decided to save what I am guessing will be about $4K-$5K buying direct from china on a machine that was quoted to me at $6790 (including shipping to the port but not including shipping to my door). The import process after the machine arrives, including shipping (i will be picking it up with a trailer from the port if all goes reasonably) should bring me in at a total of around 7.5K.

I am getting an LC1390 which has:

1300x900 mm table
100W RECI (glass) laser tube and one spare ($500)
motorized honeycomb table
2 rotary tools (optionals)
spare set of mirrors
CW 5000 water chiller (optional)
laser cut 5.3 software
dsp control
pass through machine set up
red dot and auto focus (optional)
set of 4 lenses from 38mm-100mm - will be mostly cutting with this machine


The research I did sold me on two companies, Weike and Shenhui. Picked Weike mostly because I learned about them first. Other Chinese companies had less feedback history to work with. Some were offering less expensive machines but not dramatically so.

spent about 3 weeks surfing forum at least a little on each day. also contacted and spoke with a importing broker before putting the deposit down.

Will update experience here.

[John Bion]

Hi Daniel, I will follow your thread with interest, I have been looking at both Weike and Shenhui, Shenhui more so, because of hearing of them first:)
Do you know the difference between the CW5000 and the LW06 chillers that Weike offer?
regards John

[Sam Larter]

Daniel,

I too am looking at getting a Weike laser later this year and I have a few questions.

How did you contact the sales rep? (I.e. webpage, e-mail or skype?)
Where are you located? East or West coast.
And how did you find an import broker? I found a list through the Customs webpage, but there are literally hundreds to choose from just in Southern California.

My reason for going with Weike is the sales support looks top notch based on reports here. Too many people not getting all of the items purchased with their initial shipment on some of the others.

Thanks for your help and have fun with your purchase.

Sam

[Walt Langhans]

I recently bought a laser from Shenhui and it should be here in the next few days. I also looked at G-Wekie, and the big 3 Trotec, Universal and Epilog (they were just out of the price range for me) The response that I got from both the Shenhui and G-Wekie reps was outstanding and the final decision really came down to splitting hairs.

@ Sam if you haven't looked into Shenhui you really should

@ Daniel you should take a closer look at your idea of picking up your machine from the port. This isn't like going down to the post office and picking up a package. If your planning on putting it on a trailer your going to need some way to get it on and off the trail, the crate doesn't have wheels and probably weights close to half a ton. If you looking at getting a truck with a lift gate you might be able to get away with a pallet jack, but those truck are VERY expensive to rent. Also your laser has to pass through customs, which requires an agent. I believe you can be your own agent but that requires paper work, and customs spot check items on a regular bases in which case there is more paperwork. I'm not trying to discourage you, I looked into picking it up at the port myself and these are the things I found out and decided that it was easier, and more cost efficient to hire a import agent.

[John Bion]

Daniel,

I too am looking at getting a Weike laser later this year and I have a few questions.

How did you contact the sales rep? (I.e. webpage, e-mail or skype?)

Sam

Hi, try this for G.Weike: han@wklaser.com, I have quotes from Lucy who has been very efficient, also you can search for her and PM her on this forum. I have primarily been looking at Shenhui, who have also been very pleasant and eficient, dealing with Blanca on: yanblanca@yahoo.com or: wozoula.love@163.com or skype on: blanca610616
Regards, John

[Rich Harman]

@ Daniel you should take a closer look at your idea of picking up your machine from the port. This isn't like going down to the post office and picking up a package.

If you decide to pick it up at the port make sure that you get educated on the path that your shipment will take. I would recommend you use a good broker and have them take care of the the entire shipping process - from the factory to your door.

[Bob A Miller]

Dan

Congratulations...I am sure you will enjoy it. I do second Walt & Rich's comments. A good broker is really helpfull & I would look into getting them to set you up with a truck with a lift tailgate to get it to you, unless you have a forklift.

Bob

[Larry Robinson]

Bought my laser direct from Gweike about 2.5 years ago and have been very pleased. Just upgraded to a 130 watt reci tube and cuts great.

[Walt Langhans]

I hope you still keeping an eye on this thread Daniel :)

My Laser showed up in the shipping container to the warehouse here in Atlanta today. However there is hold on it from the FDA, yes the FDA of all things. Turns out since I can put someones eye out with it, they require documentation that says I won't (or something to that effect). My agent had already sent the necessary paper work prior to it showing up, and is working on clearing the situation now.

I never would have thought to check with the FDA about importing a laser in a million years.

Again, I strongly recommend you pay someone to handle this for you. Just my 2 cents.

[Rodne Gold]

I will add my vote to NOT trying a DIY Import , get a shipper/forwarder to do it all for you , Pay a FOB price Ex china , decline their shipping quote and let the agent you appoint handle it from the chinese port to your door.

[Khalid Nazim]

I imported my laser exactly as Rodne suggested - paid FOB price to Shenhui and hired an import/customs clearing agent in Canada to pick up from China and deliver it to my home. It was very smooth process till the machine arrived at my doorsteps where the truck driver realized that the drop down bed on the truck was too small for the crate to sit on..... its a long story but it took us 4 hrs to get the machine off loaded at my place.

So even if you use a broker, make sure that you talk to them before they deliver and confirm that they have all the equipment necessary to offload the machine at your place.

KN

[Andrew Kazakoff]

Man it must be different in Canada.... But I acted as my own broker, and {With no experience} thought the process was simple, straight forward and I think i saved around 800 bucks.

Customs officers actually saved me money by adjusting the shipping costs in my favour, and once cleared the laser arrived at my bay door 4 hours later by a private shipping company at a cost of only 100$.

I would not hesitate to act on my own behalf again. Even though the paper work is written in a language that is harder to decipher than Hieroglyphics.... Still worth it in my opinion.

[Rich Harman]

Just for comparisons sake, when I imported the 690 laser I paid less than $850 for everything. That includes picking it up from Shenhui, trucking to the Chinese port, sea freight to Canada, trucking it across the border to Seattle, clearing customs - including X-ray and all associated fees, and a delivery to my door with a lift gate.

[tommy suriady]

Cost me close to 4000 usd to get mine all the way from gz, china to my door. 10m3 of machinery. The machine only cost 9000 usd at the most. Crappy, eh? Yours is a bargain considering your labor cost 10x ours. You just dont have to dance at the custom.
Guess good governance makes a huge diff, eh?

[daniel coyle]

Well, great feedback and thoughts there. Thanks. I do have a broker that will be working with me. Jessica at CSAmerica. She was recommended by another forum member and has been great so far. I have an engine hoist in my shop (from the ceiling) that is rated for over half a ton so I should be able to back the trailer into the shop and cherry pick the crate (as I have done with a large planer and a large bandsaw.) Nonetheless, I will be getting quotes from Jessica on the cost of having it trucked down by someone else. The agent i have been dealing with is named abby. I have corresponded with her via email (she found me on the cnczone.com forum). her email is abby@wklaser.com. PM me if you need to hear more detail. right now I am waiting for the machine to be built. hoping that some pics will be sent. only because of the help i have gotten on this forum am i not entirely panicking and regretting sending a few thousand bucks away to china.

[Rodne Gold]

I don't think you have to worry about the funds side of things from what I have read re Gweike - they seem VERY reputable , I sent my payment in FULL to Shenui and there was no issue at all.

[Frontline Lasers]

I have purchased several machines from G. Weike to sell in the US with no problems. It takes about 2 months from ordering to arrival to a nearby
port of entry where you can pick up or have delivered.

[daniel coyle]

Ok. So my laser showed up yesterday in Portland, Oregon. I picked it up with a flatbed at the warehouse after it cleared the FDA and customs. All went really smoothly. Used Jessica Day from ASA brokers to help and she was great. I have a ceiling hoist in my shop that was stout enough to pluck the crate off the flatbed. Uncrated the thing and it looks in good shape. Nothing broken. Kind of oily film on the outside of the machine in places. Maybe to prevent rusting in the salty overseas transit? Will post photos soon. Trying to get the machine put together today but not finding any digital or paper manual on how to do this. China is asleep right now. Anyone have this info for a Weike 1390?

What else? Well, Abby continued to be helpful through the process of shipping. My costs, including the brokers fee, customs duties, handling charges etc. were about $600 after the machine arrived in the USA. I didn't have to do anything but stay in touch with my broker and show up with a trailer. It took a little under 2 months to get the machine after purchase. No surprises.

Like I said, I will post some more pics and story here soon.

[Rich Harman]

Glad to hear it went smoothly. Jessica is great to work with.

[Bruce Dorworth]

I purchased the LC1290 about 6 months ago and have been really happy with it GWeike makes a really great machine. I believe it is Sunday in China, so you may not be able to get a hold anyone tonight. There should be some form of manual on one of the cd/dvds.

The part that confused me for awhile was that there is a USB cable inside the cabinet on the right side of the laser. This cable plugs into your computer. The USB port on the side of the laser is for a jump drive. I guess another is that when you start up the laser the word laser in the LCD display will be highlighted. Laser is actually the name of the last file that was loaded into your laser. You can not move the laser head with the arrows with the word laser highlighted. Hit esc on the panel then with the arrows you can move the laser head. Then to move the table up and down you press the Z on the display. Now you can use the up and down arrows .

Bruce

Hope this helps.

Oh, and another thing you will figure out is that the pass through is unusable and must have been designed by someone who has never used the laser. When use focus the laser the table is about 1/8" down into the machine when you slide the material in to the machine it sits about 1/8" above the table.

[daniel coyle]

Rich, thanks for the referral to Jessica.
Bruce, thanks for that. I think I may have already noticed what you said about the pass through. One of the discs they sent is unreadable by my PC so I am guessing that is the one that has the instructions on it. Not yet exactly sure what I will do about it but I let Abby know and so hopefully she will have a solution.
I did do some set up and am playing around with the mechanicals a bit but am slow to hook up the laser without more instructions.

[Bruce Dorworth]

Daniel, I will look through my CDs and see if I can find the manuals.

Bruce

[daniel coyle]

Abby sent me the manual electronically. I will be away for 10 days and studying the instructions a bit before returning to the machine set up and more posts.

[James Brown 1]

I purchased the LC1512 from Abby at G Weiki and it arrived last week. Very happy with the product and the company. The broker was great too. It was held for two homeland security inspections and took about 2 months to arrive.

[daniel coyle]

Long time since last update. Sorry to those of you who might have been waiting. No news, in this case, is mixed news.

Generally speaking the machine seems to be able to do what laser machines do. I have gotten it to perform at acceptable, if not optimal, levels for my purposes. I should say that what is acceptable performance the first few times you have your own machine may not feel as acceptable after the romance wears off.

I bought from Weike largely based on the service, history and references I got for their salesperson, Abby, who dealt with me throughout my purchase and after recieving the machine. I was informed a few weeks ago that she had left the company and that Tina would replace her. So far I have had some issues that Tina has helped me with and some issues with which I have yet to get the help I need.

Mechancially the machine seems good and performs well enough. The software it came with, Laser cut 5.3, did not come with a tutorial/manual and the help button on the menu bar doesn't lead to anything. So, figuring out how to use it and what its capacities are has been all trial and error.

I managed to pop the autofocus knob and spring assembly apart. Not sure how this happened but suspect the knob caught some material that was not laying flat and got 'pulled' out of its casing (gold in the picture below). the knob is threaded on the inside but it does not seem to screw into anything inside the case when I have replaced it. thus, it doesn't really work as an autofocus right now and I have yet to hear back from Tina about how to fix it.
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When cutting the pattern of 12.5 mm circles that I need I import a dxf file from an opensource program called Inkscape into the machine's laser cut 5.3 software. I don't need anything fancy to create my files as they are relatively simple shapes but the Inkscape is easier to use than the Laser cut 5.3 because, in part, it actual has tutorials and instructions. However, when I do this the machine cuts each circle one quarter turn at a time which makes the process MUCH longer than it needs to be. Not sure what is causing this and haven't gotten a response from Weike about it after one week. They have been helpful on a few things but not as much since Abby is done. This video shows what I am talking about


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d_4jZC7Sdc&feature=youtu.be

I am also having problems optimizing my cutting of the .25 inch/6mm cork sheets. This is likely as much due to my inexperience with lasers as anything else. I don't always get great cuts (especially since the autofocus dropped out!) and I can't get useable cuts when I laminate the sheets to 1.5 mm neoprene (I have seen other 100w machines be able to do this though)

So, for the money I spent I am feeling pretty tolerant of the problems I have run into. I feel like it will take more work than it needs to to learn how to fix them all but that is what i figured i was bargaining for in the first place.

I will update more as I figure out whether Weike is still in it to win it and as I fix (or not) the problems I am having.

[Ross Moshinsky]

Auto-focus tools break fairly frequently. They get caught on something and they pop off. You should go ahead and make a manual focus tool. You can do a search on here on how to find the focal point. A lot of people ditch the auto-focus because it gets in the way and the manual focus tool is just about as fast.

As for the circle problem, it's a matter of how the file imports. My guess is Inkscape sends the circles over in such a way that LaserCut sees it as 4 arcs. You need to go into LaserCut and make those 4 arcs one solid shape. There are write-ups on how to do these types of things and many others on Rabbit Laser's site and Hurricane Laser's site. This is going to be one of your on going issues with LaserCut. You're constantly going to battle on how to import files where you aren't required to do a ton of extra work. I'd have a Chinese laser right now if this wasn't an issue.

I should also mention that I don't believe neoprene is "laser safe". It can cause harm to your laser and to your own health.

[daniel coyle]

thanks Ross. makes some sense though its the first time I have heard anyone say the auto-focus tools are maybe less than stellar after doing as much front end research as i did. i suppose it is fortunate that my needs are simple from laser cut. not sure how i would go about seeing what laser cut is "seeing" and then changing it but good to know that is a place to start. i can see how the neoprene cutting could be bad for me but how would it be bad for the laser?

well, generally, it seems the laser cut system is a bit of black magic sometimes. i go through the process to download something successfully one time and then, seemingly with the same process (though i could be missing things in my lack of experience) it won't load up the same the next time. is it possible/difficult/expensive to switch the lasercut out with something else?

[Ross Moshinsky]

thanks Ross. makes some sense though its the first time I have heard anyone say the auto-focus tools are maybe less than stellar after doing as much front end research as i did. i suppose it is fortunate that my needs are simple from laser cut. not sure how i would go about seeing what laser cut is "seeing" and then changing it but good to know that is a place to start. i can see how the neoprene cutting could be bad for me but how would it be bad for the laser?

well, generally, it seems the laser cut system is a bit of black magic sometimes. i go through the process to download something successfully one time and then, seemingly with the same process (though i could be missing things in my lack of experience) it won't load up the same the next time. is it possible/difficult/expensive to switch the lasercut out with something else?

Auto-focus isn't good or bad, it's both. If you get it setup right and don't make any mistakes there is no real reason why you can't use it. We use ours. At the same time, it's fairly easy to knock it into something or other and damage the auto focus tool and possibly the piece.

As for why cutting neoprene is bad for the laser, because the gases emitted ruin the optics. That means your lenses will get damaged regularly and you'll have to replace them at $100+ a pop. Here is a few words on it from Epilog: http://www.epiloglaser.com/tl_msds.htm

The process isn't really black magic. It's just a matter of figuring out what works and what doesn't. That's the downfall of the LaserCut software. It relies on importing and doesn't use the WYSIWYG type driver that is common with laser engravers. I think you should read up on the articles posted on the two sites I suggested and it will probably help you quite a bit. You'd also probably benefit from buying an older version of Corel Draw as it's what most people use. Having to figure out how to do something in Inkscape vs Corel is an extra step you don't need at this time.

Sadly, there aren't many alternatives to LaserCut. You can swap boards and go to RDCam which is very similar to LaserCut. I have no idea which is better or if one is better at all. Another option is to contact someone like FullSpectrum Laser and buy their grossly overpriced "print driver" option. FullSpectrum the company has mixed reviews and I've read mixed reviews about the product as well.

If I were in your shoes, I'd go and read up on tutorials for LaserCut and get Corel Draw. As long as you keep working at it, you'll probably get used to LaserCut in a short period of time. Especially if your designs are easy.

[John Finnegan]

Daniel,

I would recommend finding an inexpensive old or used copy of Adobe Illustrator.
I have seen no problems importing files in .ai format when saved in 'Illustrator 10' format.
In my experience, the vector graphic programs out there never export proper .dxf files.

[George M. Perzel]

Daniel;
John is dead on-import files as .ai files for vectors and bitmaps for raster work-a bit more work but simplifies the conversion.
Also, if you can replace the neoprene, try EVA foam-many thickness available and cuts great with no hazardous concerns. Try ebay for EVA foam.
Best Regards,
George
Laserarts

[Bruce Dorworth]

Daniel, where are you located? There is a function in Laser cut that joins vectors. You might want to play with that. What file format are you importing from inkscape?

I have an 80 watt GWeike and love it. I am not really happy with the auto focus. I have ruined several pieces with the auto-focus. It hangs down and every so often a when cut will fall part way down and the auto-focus will catch it and now the alignment is messed up. I have been working with GWeike to try and get them to make an auto-focus that once it focused th focus tube can be rotated 90 degrees out of the way. Also they sent you a piece of Acrylic for manually focusing correct?

Did they send you some CDs or DVDs? The manual for lasercut is on there, or you can download it on the net somewhere.

Bruce

[daniel coyle]

Thanks guys. all very helpful and affirming. i will review what i have as to the manual focusing option. some of the discs that were sent to me would not open up on my computer but i have not tried in a while. will see if i can pull the laser cut info off there again. good to know that about neoprene, and thanks for the links, Ross. i did some testing and showed myself that it is indeed a file import problem. circles created in laser cut were fine. i will look into the file types mentioned and see if i can just become a laser cut 5.3 wizard so as not to have rely so much on importing.

[Rich Harman]

In RDCam there is a box to tick called "Path Optimize" or something worded similarly. LaserCut may well have the same thing and that may fix the circle cutting problem.

[Ross Moshinsky]

Thanks guys. all very helpful and affirming. i will review what i have as to the manual focusing option. some of the discs that were sent to me would not open up on my computer but i have not tried in a while. will see if i can pull the laser cut info off there again. good to know that about neoprene, and thanks for the links, Ross. i did some testing and showed myself that it is indeed a file import problem. circles created in laser cut were fine. i will look into the file types mentioned and see if i can just become a laser cut 5.3 wizard so as not to have rely so much on importing.

I wouldn't suggest trying to do all your work in LaserCut. What if you ever decide to change machines and LaserCut is no longer something you can use? Go on eBay and buy a cheap older version of Corel Draw. You'll be much better off that way.

[Roy Nielsen]

Daniel,

I second Ross' recommendation. I recently purchase a few years old G.Weike with LaserCut 5.3. I bought and use CorelDraw 12 with the and the LaserCut interface applet; think I paid around $100-125 including shipping. I tried LaserCut once or maybe twice while I was trying to troubleshoot something, didn't like it. If you go the CorelDraw route, do some research to determine which version you can use. The fellow I bought mine from told me that 12 was the newest version that would work, although I'm not 100% sure if that is correct or not. LaserCut definitely can't interface to the most recent versions.

Have fun,
Roy

[Rich Harman]

RDCam supports Corel Draw X5, don't know about X6. I would recommend going with at least X4 as I think that is the oldest version that has the Smart Fill tool which is extremely useful for dxfs.

[Roy Nielsen]

Daniel,

Another tidbit. Turn the laser frequency way down on your cuts. Mine defaults to 20,000, but works far better at much lower settings. Depending on material, I've gone down to something like 50-75 at the lowest for thin/delicate stuff to maybe 500-750 for harder/thicker material, and I'm still determining the best settings for different materials. I thought my tube was going bad, due to age, but it was more the frequency. You'll probably find that there is a balance of speed, power, and frequency. You might want to build a spreadsheet to help you remember the optimal settings for various materials and thicknesses. And use a caliper to measure your materials whenever you can, you'll find that even a little difference in thickness will affect your optimal settings and that various materials are not the same thickness (plywood for instance).

Also, "conner power" is actually "corner power".

Roy

[Bob A Miller]

Dan

I also agree with getting yourself an older copy of Corel draw...for something's it is much better. I have gotten better at laser cut but some features are far from a sure thing.

I have the Gwieke manuals on disc... The other one that doesn't open is probably the video one which I had problems with as well when I got mine... I found I also needed to update my video software to get it to work when it did open.

You may also find it usefull to visit Hurricane laser & get a copy of there lasercut manual... It is about as good an English translation as you can get currently.

Lastly did you check your level for the table vs the laser head... When my Gwieke arrived I had a problem where mine cut ok to the middle of the table & then went out of focus & didn't cut ok.... Turns out the right side of the table was about 1cm off of level.

Bob

[daniel coyle]

Thanks again for the tips on manuals and the software. Very helpful. As for the table I have not checked it for level but it doesn't cut as well far away from the origin point/datum as it does near. I just thought that would be because of the distance the laser has to travel (and lose some power). will check it out. no level in the shop!

[daniel coyle]

Just bought a $20 copy of corel draw 12 off ebay. hope that was the right one. laser cut 5.3 is pretty simple and i haven't yet figured out which file type to import from the inkscape software (which does not generate .ai files).

Tina finally got back to me the last couple days. She doesn't seem familiar with the history of the purchase I made through Abby but at least she is returning my messages. Told me a new lens to replace my cracked 38mm would be $50. is that a good price?

[Clark Pace]

Hi. Have a Weike laser at my work. Our is a full table 1050Watt. Just got it about 5 months ago. I'm the person who runs it. So if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. We did have a few issues when we got it. Be prepared for a few late nights if you have any problems because of the time zone. I suggest having a web cam and getting their skype address. Also ask if you can with an actual engineer. My experience with the general tech support was not that great. They are good at any warranty issues we have had thought.

[daniel coyle]

This probably deserves a new thread. Two weeks ago my laser burned down. OUCH. The thing was working pretty well and I am so embarrassed that I was not monitoring it more closely. While cutting cork I am sure the the head/autofocus assembly picked up some pieces that got popped onto the top of the cork sheet after being cutout from the sheet (the air assist forced them out on occasion as the honeycomb table would not let them drop out. Anyway, the autofocus assembly had broken (one of my only complaints) and my fix for it may have failed mid stream and aided in pulling some pieces along while the laser combusted them. 3 months old. Weike would not warranty, which I have mixed feelings about but don't want to start a discussion about that right now.
265279
At the time there was another chinese laser available for sale nearby. It hadn't been used, was a little smaller and had a 60, instead of 100watt, tube. I jumped on it hoping to get things rolling again quickly assuming I would upgrade it to one of my spare 100W Reci tubes from the burned laser. This, as I understood/understand it, would involve swapping the power source with my old machine. Right now I think that swapping the power source is too complicated and I will have to buy another one for this machine. Its a YH 9060 from Laser world http://www.laserworld.com.cn/English/100.html
Well, the new machine runs off 240 only so that took me a while to transition to as the old one was 110. The power strip (for the accessory bits) it came with connects to a ground wire inside the machine but there is no ground wire on the strip
265280
Not sure what to do about this or whether to worry about it. The main power has a ground and two 120 wires.
So, I got the thing turned on and am figuring out, for now, how to bypass using this power strip until I can figure it out (hint hint, any ideas?) I attached the old CW 5000 chiller from my old machine using a separate 110 circuit (the new machine's CW 3000 runs off 240 but, like I said, I don't want to use the accessory power strip and don't have spare 240 outlets to use right now in the shop.) I turned it on and started pumping water into the 60W tube (which i don't think has ever been used) and, low and behold, a profound leak at a crack at the inlet end of the tube.
265281 265282
you can even see some of the water in these pics. the crack is substantial and it is at the very end of the tube. it is not in the "meat" of the tube, the part that houses the gases for the laser's function (at least this is what I can see and understand). The rest of the tube seems crack free. Is there a way to "patch" or glue this back together so I can make sure the rest of the machine runs before doing the 100w upgrade? Obviously would be nice to salvage the 60W cracked tube for longer term use if possible as well. In a quick search for how to deal with cracks like this on the tube I could not find a thread to look at. Maybe someone knows of one though?

[Bruce Dorworth]

Daniel, where are you located? As far as repairing the tube I would probably use epoxy or some form of it.

Bruce

[daniel coyle]

Bruce, located in Corvallis, Oregon. Thanks for the direction on the epoxy. That is what I was thinking makes most sense. Will see about a second and third opinion and hopefully get a consensus. Thanks

[Bruce Dorworth]

I am located in Northern California. I thought if you were close I could possibly help. I also might have an extra 60 watt tube, but I would not risk shipping it.

Bruce

[Rich Harman]

I'll second the epoxy and add to it some fiberglass fabric.

[daniel coyle]

Thanks Bruce. Really awesome consideration. Ultimately I want to get this thing running on a 100w tube. I think that between the options of epoxy and going to a glassblower I still have a good chance of salvaging this one. Will let you know what happens.

[damian nygaard]

Can you still buy direct from G. Weike? I contacted them through alibaba website and instead of getting back to me a Canadian dealer called Lumicision emailed me. Waiting on their price quote. The FS and Boss dealers in the US more than double the G. Weike price they list on alibaba. I'd rather buy direct and save $$ even if it takes a few months.

Damian
Windsor, ON

[Gary Hair]

Can you still buy direct from G. Weike? I contacted them through alibaba website and instead of getting back to me a Canadian dealer called Lumicision emailed me. Waiting on their price quote. The FS and Boss dealers in the US more than double the G. Weike price they list on alibaba. I'd rather buy direct and save $$ even if it takes a few months.

Damian
Windsor, ON

Contact Lucy Lee - han@wklaser.com

[Keith Winter]

You might be better off buying from a weike distributor closer to home unless you're an expert like Gary. Weike distributor might fix the bugs before you get it. Lot of issues with g weike products in the past year or two if you read on here and cnc forum. Seems like every order reports issues.

[Gary Hair]

unless you're an expert like Gary
Good thing I don't drink coffee, if I would have had a mouthful when I read that I'm pretty sure I would have been buying a new keyboard and monitor...


Weike distributor might fix the bugs before you get it
I wouldn't bet on any distributor fixing anything.


Lot of issues with g weike products in the past year or two if you read on here and cnc forum. Seems like every order reports issues.
Wow, that's not been my experience. I know personally of 4 people, 5 if you count me, that have bought G Weike lasers over the last 18 months and not a single one had problems other than self inflicted. Are they more difficult to get going than a "mainstream" machine? Sure, but that's how it is with every Chinese machine, it's certainly not exclusive to G Weike. I'm betting that most of the "issues" you see are from very inexperience users that either cause their own problems or just simply can't figure out how to make it work. Lasering with a co2 isn't easy sometimes and if you throw a fiber into the equation then it adds a few levels of difficulty. FYI - I have no stake in G Weike but I hate to see unfounded assertions posted.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Sadly I'd have to add to this,

In the past I've been a supporter of WEike but due to the number of emails I've had from their customers who have had machines go wrong I can't say I'm of the same position anymore.

It's not the fact machines go wrong (that's a given with Chinese lasers) the problem is the lack of support WHEN they have gone wrong. There seems to be a "1 - 10 of problems" list that once it is exhausted users find themselves on their own (and in my email box).

I'd have to disagree Gaz, the users who have mailed me are very laser savvy and operate often more than one machine but when parts fail and they have trouble getting new ones (without paying again for stuff that should have worked in the first place) that's when my BS meter starts ringing :(

Overall good machines, good prices...dreadful support :(

[Keith Winter]

Search G Weike Cnczone on Google. You'll quickly see what I'm talking about. I cannot say I'm speaking from experience only what I've read. I realize Cnczone is full of people that buy cheapo lasers with many times unreasonable expectations, but the sheer number of issues reported, and lack of response from Weike to publicly posted issues is alarming. Especially when they jump to post on that board when someone is looking to buy. And Gary yes I would consider you an expert in Chinese lasers compared to us average Joes :)

[John Bion]

I have 2 Weike Lasers and could be one of the owners mentioned by Dave S ; I have owned them for a little over two years, importing direct from Weike into UK.
On the positive side: the machines are well made especialy in comparison to some other junk I have seen come from China. The frames are sturdy and the components fine and installed well. If a part goes wrong, they will get another to you very quickly and cheerfully, thanks Lucy.
Now the negative side: When I bought, fault finding/service was almost non existent, you pretty much had to figure it out for yourself, which is a steep learning curve for someone who has little experience of working on CNC (by that I do not mean opperating, I mean repair/fault finding - esp on a brand new machine). If I had purchased from a local supplier I would have had no.2 machine running within an hour, instead it took months and Dave S's help. If you are trying to claim under warranty, you have to jump hoops to prove your claim, take pictures, take a video, they think it may be something else etc, which all leads to delays in getting the machine producing again. If you tell them what you need and pay for it, then supply is within a couple of days.

I am happy with my machines, they are not Trotec's and cannot be expected to perform as such, they are workhorses. I am happy to say that these are on the top end of the Chinese quality scale, but with a few idiosyncrasies.

An aside: Weike are willing to custom build for you.

I hope this helps.
regards, John