felder kf700

[scott huebner]

My new kf700 from felder will be arriving in March. Felder wants me to purchase a phase prefect phase converter. Phase perfect quoted me about 3000.00 for a converter to run the saw. The saw is a 3ph 230V 4.0kW - 5.5HP and 3ph 230V .75kW - 1.0HP scoring, 30amp breaker. What are other people using for this saw. Scott

[Rich Riddle]

You'd better believe they aren't running $3000 phase converters. Many would be running variable frequency drives which also provide perfect phase conversion. They are pricey for he size motor you have, but they aren't that pricey.

[David Kumm]

You can get into a rotary phase converter for about 1/3 the price and by fine. It will be noisier and use a little more power. I've had both the Kay RPC ( pick of the litter ) and the Phase perfect in several sizes. If you were willing to pay full bore for a Felder, I'd bite the bullet and go with the PP. I've bought several used and all work perfectly. They are good to deal with and the PP is virtually silent. Just enough sound for me to remember to turn it off when closing the shop. While the RPC works well, the PP is a step beyond. You won't regret the additional cost after you start using the machines. Dave

PS, the Felder combos are tricky to couple with a vfd. I'd avoid that although I'm a fan of vfd. Once you go three phase, you won't want a single phase machine. Three phase is the way to go for dust collection too.