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View Full Version : Which Laser system should I buy?



Lance Black
05-25-2005, 12:45 AM
Hello all,

New guy to the forum. I am trying to decide what laser system to buy and I need some advice. I talked to two sales people so far, one from Epilog and another from Laser Pro. Each has stated that thier product is better then the others, (I guess I should expect that). I would like to hear from people that actually use these laser systems. What are your likes and dis-likes. I like the Laser Pro for the price, but is it a good system? Please comment if you can, also any questions that you think I should ask the reps to demo for me.

Thanks.

Bruce Volden
05-25-2005, 2:23 PM
Lance, do you have specific laser jobs in mind, or are you talking "brand" of machine?

Roy Brewer
05-25-2005, 11:35 PM
I am trying to decide what laser system to buy and I need some advice....
Please comment if you can, also any questions that you think I should ask the reps to demo for me.



Lance,

I suspect every distributor is going to tell you their machine is the best. I suspect easily over 95% of all laser owners are going to tell you they made the right decision and they love their machine. Possibly that means that most of the machines will "get the job done" most of the time. Possibly what is more important is how comfortable you are with the manufacturer and distributor. Any key indicators that they will be available when you need help?

I suspect I'm going the same direction as Bruce, but every machine has its pros & cons and if we know what you plan to do with a laser, we'll be better able to point you toward the "pros" you need.

Which of the following are important to you?
How long has manufacturer been manufacturing laser engravers?
<X-TAB></X-TAB>Is that their specialty?
How long has distributor been distributing?
<X-TAB></X-TAB>Is that all they do? Or, do they do many other things?
Did your distributor give you references?
Did you follow up on references?
Made in USA?
Basic drive system (Servo or Stepper)?
On Site service?
How many colors available?
Ethernet? Serial? Parallel? USB?

I'd expect to get a demo from any all systems you are considering. Take some of your own files and some of the materials on which you plan to engrave --- Marble, mirror, wood, acrylic, coated metal, knife blade, cloth, mat board... If the distributor can't figure out (or won't) leave his/her canned presentation and do at least a few of your requests, they might not be able to help you when you need it.

Brent Brod
05-26-2005, 8:09 PM
My partner and I just went to two demos loaded with all kinds of things to try in the lasers. Both distributors were very willing to work with us and answer our questions.

If you know what you are planning to use it for and your distributors will spend the time with you and answer all your questions, then you probably will have an easy decision after you are done. If you have trouble getting the demo time, you might also have an easier decision. Good luck.

Lance Black
05-27-2005, 10:24 AM
Brent,

Which systems did you demo? I am curious to hear how the systems stacked up and what types of material worked and which did not do so well. I am currently pulling together a list of materials that I beleive will sell well. I plan on attending the AWFS convention in Las Vegas July 27-30 2005, Epilog, Trotec and Universal will be there to show off thier stuff. I would also like to see the LaserPro Explorer II but they will not be attending. Thanks

Brent Brod
05-27-2005, 9:24 PM
We looked at the Universal and the Epilog, and took samples of 1/4" hardwood lumber, 1/8" acrylic, picture matting, glass, and stainless steel with us. The glass and stainless were cylindrical items to see how that attachment works. We were glad to see that both distributors had samples of several other materials available, like marble, leather, and anodized aluminum. Try to compare "apples with apples", as each demonstrator will run jobs that play to the strengths of their equipment and avoid those that expose weaknesses. That is their job, so no hard feelings here :)

Although I think either would probably be a very fine system, I ordered the Epilog Helix today. We liked the speed with which it handled rasterized jobs and were impressed with the high resolution capability that is standard on all but the smallest Epilog Mini. Universal could probably match it, but it would require the optional optics attachment. Also, the cutting table and grid are included in the price on the Epilogs.

Other differences that may or may not affect your decision are the way focusing is handled, enclosed optics, the rotary attachement design, and the changing out of the laser.

The Epilog autofocuses at the start of each job and the Universal autofocuses when you tell it to (both have a manual focus mode). For large production runs of the same material, the Universal method may be more convenient. Bear in mind I'm telling you my perception of this process, which could easily be incorrect. I'm sure there are experts here that would be happy to elaborate on this.

The Universal distributor didn't play it up, but it is mentioned in the brochure that the optics are enclosed. That may or may not reduce the cleaning necessary. Unfortunately, we neglected to ask about it during the demo.

I liked the design of the Universal rotary attachment and the method of positioning the starting point of the laser on cylindrical work. The way the work is mounted in the Universal system seems a little more stable and if I recall you more or less point the red dot to the middle of the engraving area. The Epilog is a little bit like some questions on the SAT test, but once you have the process down it is easy to do. The work kind of rests on top of the rotary attachment and is not positively clamped into it like on the Universal.

The laser change out with the Universal is dirt simple and very easy. We thought that was cool, but just didn't see ourselves popping the laser in and out on any frequency that would make that feature a real benefit. If you perhaps had two units sharing a laser (rotary attachment in one and flat table in the other) you could use one laser between them, but that is a very unlikely scenario in my mind since installing the rotary attachement is a 30 second process in either machine.

All said, I don't think you would go seriously wrong with either piece of equipment, as long as you are happy with the distributor's ability to support you if something goes wrong.

Lance Black
05-31-2005, 8:18 PM
All,

Thanks for all the information. This is truly a great place to find information.

Thanks again.:D

alen lin
07-18-2005, 7:21 PM
Brent,

Which systems did you demo? I am curious to hear how the systems stacked up and what types of material worked and which did not do so well. I am currently pulling together a list of materials that I beleive will sell well. I plan on attending the AWFS convention in Las Vegas July 27-30 2005, Epilog, Trotec and Universal will be there to show off thier stuff. I would also like to see the LaserPro Explorer II but they will not be attending. Thanks

Lance,

Did you know that GCC has a local representative in Las Vegas? As an Corel Draw expert, he has written numerous articles for the Awards & Engraving magazine, and he is also very knowledgeable in the engraving business. Please feel free to contact him for a LaserPro demo. His contact information is provided as follows:

Louie Alvarez
(702) 395-0316
louie@laserprousa.com

Hope this will be helpful as you make a purchasing decision.

Best Regards,

Alen Lin
Business Development Manager
GCC America, Inc.