Chinese Laser 's

[Ross minetti]

Hi All just thought I would give an update on my chinese laser. My laser now has over 2400 hours on it and not a single problem. to say I am impressed is understatement. I use it every day for my business and once I got used to the rd cam and corel 7 it is easy. I engrave glasses, mdf, pine,acyrlic and others with it as well as cutting all of the aforementioned. Well worth the money I paid for it and has paid for itself several times over. One happy chinese laser user.

[Clark Pace]

Hi All just thought I would give an update on my chinese laser. My laser now has over 2400 hours on it and not a single problem. to say I am impressed is understatement. I use it every day for my business and once I got used to the rd cam and corel 7 it is easy. I engrave glasses, mdf, pine,acyrlic and others with it as well as cutting all of the aforementioned. Well worth the money I paid for it and has paid for itself several times over. One happy chinese laser user.


I also use mine for business and have been very satisfied. I use it all the time.

[David Somers]

Same here! Very pleased with it, especially for the $$ paid. Nice folks to work with too.

Dave

[Robert Schmiede]

I have had mine for nearly two years now,been a workhorse,same tube. Made a few modifications like putting a gate on the intake exhaust grid to make it easier to clean the soot from cutting mdf, put a couple of computer fans in the front to blow the smoke back to the exhaust grid ,placed a brighter light inside the machine and with the exhaust motor supplied I took out the grate,that really improved the removal of smoke,so much so that I don't use the computer fans much now. Imported it myself from Philicam.good people to work with. 80 watt 6090. Bob from Australia.

[Chris J Anderson]

I also use mine for business and have been very satisfied. I use it all the time.

check his signature Clark :)

[Rich Harman]

I also use mine for business and have been very satisfied. I use it all the time.


check his signature Clark :)

Clark could have been saying that he uses his for business in addition to the things that Ross uses his for. :)

[Alan Carrier]

Has anyone purchased one of the Chinese lasers from the company on EBay that has the warehouse in California? If so, how did things go and how do you like the laser?

I was thinking about one of the "100W" 500mm X 700mm machines for hobby use. I doubt that their 100W machines are really 100W, probably more like 80W?

The machine that I was looking at has the electric powered table, but doesn't have autofocus. Anyone know if the autofocus feature be added later?

I realize that going this route is likely to require added work to get everything functioning correctly. At the moment, I have more time than I do money and their price is pretty attractive.

[Bert Kemp]

Don't worry about auto focus you don't need it. Just find your correct focus height and cut a small rectangle that size , works like a charm.
Ebay lasers well hey you get what you pay for maybe. So you said your handy thats good because you'll get no support, no clear directions or manual to figure out how to run it. I think you'd be better off with a direct import from China from a well know company. You'll get some support and direction on setup and operation.:) If your in the USA you can get an import from a US based Company and get better support cost more of course but if you need help its worth the extra.

[Keith Winter]

Just a heads up before you commit... Search the forum for ebay laser before you buy one. Lots of stories lots of recommendations. Topic that has been covered recently and also over and over in the past.


Has anyone purchased one of the Chinese lasers from the company on EBay that has the warehouse in California? If so, how did things go and how do you like the laser?

I was thinking about one of the "100W" 500mm X 700mm machines for hobby use. I doubt that their 100W machines are really 100W, probably more like 80W?

The machine that I was looking at has the electric powered table, but doesn't have autofocus. Anyone know if the autofocus feature be added later?

I realize that going this route is likely to require added work to get everything functioning correctly. At the moment, I have more time than I do money and their price is pretty attractive.

[Alan Carrier]

Just a heads up before you commit... Search the forum for ebay laser before you buy one. Lots of stories lots of recommendations. Topic that has been covered recently and also over and over in the past.


Thanks Keith. I haven't committed yet. I did do a search as you suggested and there appears to be some good comments, but more that aren't so good. Seems that several issues were with the cheap 40W units. I thought it amusing that one of the EBay vendors was offering the "100W" 500 X 700 laser with a "free" 40W unit.

I guess at this point, I haven't ruled it out or in. It's cost is half or less than the US based resellers charge for the same size, but I do realize that brings with it potential problems. Other solution would be to go with a much smaller Chinese unit (40W-50W small w/ small work area) from a US based reseller. Guess I'm suffering from analysis paralysis right now, but hope to overcome that soon.

Thanks again.

[David Somers]

Alan,

Just a few thoughts to ponder.

Will you be using this for a business? If yes, then having the support of decent US company like Boss or Rabbit Laser USA or Automation Technology could be valuable to you. If you are not using this for a business and have a tolerance for down time and personal futzing then buying a machine with no support might be OK. The Chinese machines bought from reputable companies in China probably fall in between those two options. The big question though is....are you using this for a business or for fun, and what will your tolerance for downtime be?

The answer to that might help guide your decision on who to buy from...Ebay? China direct? or US based China reseller?

Another question might be are you more interested in cutting or engraving? And are you sensitive to speed of your engraving work? If yes, a western made machine might be a better bet with Trotec being at the top of the list for speed, not to mention quality of build. My Chinese machine does well with engraving and very well with cutting. But a western made machine will be roughly equivalent in its cutting ability, but do better at engraving in terms of speed and quality. Again, the answer to this might help guide you.

Dave

[Bert Kemp]

Another thing to take into consideration is that a US supplier such as Rabbit Laser or Boss go thru the machines when they arrive here, they set them up check them over and make sure everything is up to snuff, such as wiring, tubes not broken so forth and so on. When you direct import or buy from ebay you have no such assurances that its not broken, or the wiring is up to US standards non of that. Its a Risk.

[Keith Sherwin]

I recently purchased an 80 watt unit from China using AliExpress. It is a good and bad story. The good was it arrived! The bad, it did not have the specifications I had paid for or the RECI tube I had ordered. The auto focus was non existent as the dealer said the auto focus was the beam aiming! LOL. As others have said, not really needed. I had to go through dispute resolution. This is a lengthy process of over 6 weeks, in which case "YOU LOOSE" is usually the outcome as others here can attest. The dealer was Alan, and if I could post a link to his site, you would see similar units to this being sold on E-Bay. Stay away from them. One key item I noticed is the higher quality units seem to have the HiWin style rails for X & Y Axis.
Fortunately for me, The GOOD again, I finally got a settlement of half of what I wanted. Initially I wanted the dealer to pay return shipping and return my full amount paid - THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN! Then I wanted $1400 as that is what I felt I had been defrauded out of. In the end, I took the $700 refund and will try to make the unit in to a silk purse :-)). Eventually, I will put a decent tube in the machine. Send me a PM if you want the link so you can see what the unit looks like. There is more to the story, but I will keep it short.
Good luck on your decision.

[Zach Browning]

The key is to buy directly from a manufacturer, not a sketchy dealer on eBay or AliExpress. I ordered a G.Weike laser back in October which I received in December and it had all the extras I ordered (a second tube and set of optics). While I've only had it a month, it's run flawlessly.

[Bert Kemp]

gweki, Rabbit, Thunder , and Shenhui are well respected for direct imports

[Clark Pace]

Alan,

Just a few thoughts to ponder.

Will you be using this for a business? If yes, then having the support of decent US company like Boss or Rabbit Laser USA or Automation Technology could be valuable to you. If you are not using this for a business and have a tolerance for down time and personal futzing then buying a machine with no support might be OK. The Chinese machines bought from reputable companies in China probably fall in between those two options. The big question though is....are you using this for a business or for fun, and what will your tolerance for downtime be?

The answer to that might help guide your decision on who to buy from...Ebay? China direct? or US based China reseller?

Another question might be are you more interested in cutting or engraving? And are you sensitive to speed of your engraving work? If yes, a western made machine might be a better bet with Trotec being at the top of the list for speed, not to mention quality of build. My Chinese machine does well with engraving and very well with cutting. But a western made machine will be roughly equivalent in its cutting ability, but do better at engraving in terms of speed and quality. Again, the answer to this might help guide you.

Dave

Several of us use our Chinese laser for business, and we use them a lot. Many Chinese laser are very reliable. As a matter of fact I used one for 2 years will very little issues. I left that job, but from what I hear it still works fine. We used if for hours, upon hours a day. It's mis-conception that you can't use a chines laser for business. But would I buy off of ebay. And my personal machine. It a very good machine. So don't outright just say no a Chinese machine won't work for me, as it has worked for so many of us. It just bugs me when I hear (Oh you can't you use a China laser for business on go with a US based machine.)

[David Somers]

Clark,

Sorry, I may be misreading your post, but it seems like you felt I was being negative about a Chinese machine for business use? I wasn't trying to imply that. I was just trying to get the OP to think about his own business and his sensitivity to down time and his personal "fixit" ability. If he is fairly sensitive to it then I was suggesting a Chinese machine that was provided by one of the US importers who then reworks the machine and resells it, and also has a strong ethic in terms of support. The ones I am familiar with being Rabbit Laser USA, Boss, and Automation Technologies. Otherwise a direct from China machine can represent a great savings. Each approach has a strong and weak point and I simply wanted him to think about which might best work for him. I bought direct from China and am VERY pleased.

If you were advising a friend starting their own laser business.....cutting plywood and acrylic parts for example. And while they enjoyed lasers were pretty inept in terms of knowledge of electronics and and had a fairly poor "fixit" ability would you suggest they buy direct from China, or would you more likely steer them towards a Chinese machine but from a US source like I mention? Or perhaps steer them towards a western made machine like Epilog or ULS or Trotec beacuse of other reasons? That was the point of my post.

Apologies if I made you think I was down on direct from China purchases for a business. Definately not the case. We just each need to be aware of what we are doing with each of these options.

Dave

[Clark Pace]

Clark,

Sorry, I may be misreading your post, but it seems like you felt I was being negative about a Chinese machine for business use? I wasn't trying to imply that. I was just trying to get the OP to think about his own business and his sensitivity to down time and his personal "fixit" ability. If he is fairly sensitive to it then I was suggesting a Chinese machine that was provided by one of the US importers who then reworks the machine and resells it, and also has a strong ethic in terms of support. The ones I am familiar with being Rabbit Laser USA, Boss, and Automation Technologies. Otherwise a direct from China machine can represent a great savings. Each approach has a strong and weak point and I simply wanted him to think about which might best work for him. I bought direct from China and am VERY pleased.

If you were advising a friend starting their own laser business.....cutting plywood and acrylic parts for example. And while they enjoyed lasers were pretty inept in terms of knowledge of electronics and and had a fairly poor "fixit" ability would you suggest they buy direct from China, or would you more likely steer them towards a Chinese machine but from a US source like I mention? Or perhaps steer them towards a western made machine like Epilog or ULS or Trotec beacuse of other reasons? That was the point of my post.

Apologies if I made you think I was down on direct from China purchases for a business. Definately not the case. We just each need to be aware of what we are doing with each of these options.

Dave

If it were a friend I would tell him to never get a laser. I don't want the competition. Ha! Just joking. But seriously, it would depend on his skills. Everyone one is different and has different level of technical know how. And some people pick it up quicker. Personally I'm glad I went direct. However there are those who might want extra hand holding. That is understandable. In that case I would suggest some local support.

[Alan Carrier]

If it were a friend I would tell him to never get a laser. I don't want the competition. Ha! Just joking. But seriously, it would depend on his skills. Everyone one is different and has different level of technical know how. And some people pick it up quicker. Personally I'm glad I went direct. However there are those who might want extra hand holding. That is understandable. In that case I would suggest some local support.



No competition here! I don't have a buisness, so this will just be for hobby use. I appreciate everyone's input. I don't think that I'll be going the EBay route. Instead, I'm giving serious thoughts to importing one directly from the manufacturer. I'm in the process of getting quotes from Redsail, GWeike, Sheuhui and Thunder Laser.

I would have gone this route to begin with, but didn't want the added hassle of importing, not to mention that it seems the shipping and port charges are pretty expensive. On one post I read, importing charges to the US totaled to about $1500. That's 50% the cost of the unit...seems pretty high.

Again, thanks everyone. Your advice was greatly appreciated.

Alan

[Clark Pace]

No competition here! I don't have a buisness, so this will just be for hobby use. I appreciate everyone's input. I don't think that I'll be going the EBay route. Instead, I'm giving serious thoughts to importing one directly from the manufacturer. I'm in the process of getting quotes from Redsail, GWeike, Sheuhui and Thunder Laser.

I would have gone this route to begin with, but didn't want the added hassle of importing, not to mention that it seems the shipping and port charges are pretty expensive. On one post I read, importing charges to the US totaled to about $1500. That's 50% the cost of the unit...seems pretty high.

Again, thanks everyone. Your advice was greatly appreciated.

Alan

I paid $2200 for my machine a few years ago. The broker fees / custom charges etc ended up being around $700.00. Shipping around $400 from the sea port for me.

Anyone ever try ordering a machine from amazon? Maybe safer then from ebay.

[David Somers]

Alan,

I worked with a broker here in Seattle. This was my first time doing an import like this so it seemed like a safe thing to do to avoid snags and problems. The shipping costs were much lower than I expected for a 900x600 laser and a similar sized CNC. The big cost was the customs fees. The initial estimate from the broker was wicked high, but they dug and found product codes for the machines that applied and greatly reduced the customs fees. For shipping from the port to you you could always borrow a buddy's Pickup and drive to the nearest port. Don't know if that makes sense for you or not. In my case, the shipping from port to house was almost nothing because I can see the port from the house. Heck, if I had been really frugal and ambitious I could have brought a set of wheels and a trailer hitch down to the port and hooked the crates up to my bicycle and biked it evvvvvvvvvver so slowly home. OK....maybe not. <grin> $1500 seems very high though.

Clark, Have never tried buying something like this from Amazon, and not heard of anyone who has either. Will be curious to see if anyone responds? My guess, and this is a total guess mind you, is that while you might get return protection from Amazon from the sale you are not likely to have any real support from the company itself. You have me curious though. I hadn't considered them when I was ordering. Winder if you can get Prime shipping? <silly grin>

Dave

[Clark Pace]

Alan,

I worked with a broker here in Seattle. This was my first time doing an import like this so it seemed like a safe thing to do to avoid snags and problems. The shipping costs were much lower than I expected for a 900x600 laser and a similar sized CNC. The big cost was the customs fees. The initial estimate from the broker was wicked high, but they dug and found product codes for the machines that applied and greatly reduced the customs fees. For shipping from the port to you you could always borrow a buddy's Pickup and drive to the nearest port. Don't know if that makes sense for you or not. In my case, the shipping from port to house was almost nothing because I can see the port from the house. Heck, if I had been really frugal and ambitious I could have brought a set of wheels and a trailer hitch down to the port and hooked the crates up to my bicycle and biked it evvvvvvvvvver so slowly home. OK....maybe not. <grin> $1500 seems very high though.

Clark, Have never tried buying something like this from Amazon, and not heard of anyone who has either. Will be curious to see if anyone responds? My guess, and this is a total guess mind you, is that while you might get return protection from Amazon from the sale you are not likely to have any real support from the company itself. You have me curious though. I hadn't considered them when I was ordering. Winder if you can get Prime shipping? <silly grin>

Dave

I know 1 person who got 350 Model. As far as I know he has not had problems yet. But I have not seem him in a while. Last time he had problems he called me. So my guess is he still is doing fine.