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Adam Less
02-09-2016, 12:10 PM
I guess this is a bit of a follow up to an earlier thread I started regarding my dilemna between choosing a 12 year old Epilog and a new Weike laser. But in this one, I'm only looking for input from folks who have or have used G. Weike lasers.

I recognize the US Laser supporters out there will be itching to tell me how bad Chinese lasers are, and I get that. But I'm not looking for US vs Chinese debates on this one. What I'm looking for is purely feedback from people specifically related to Weike lasers.

I'm heading to the ARA show in Vegas on March 2nd and have reserved my decision on which laser to purchase until after I attend that show. Though, at this stage, I am strongly (90%) leaning towards a Weike. Weike won't be in Vegas though Senfeng and a couple of other Chinese laser companies will be. I also know Epilog, Trotec and Universal will be there too, so I should be able to get a good opportunity to see some different quality machines, ask questions, etc.

In the meantime, what I'm looking for specifically from you guys is input on the following, specifically relating to Weike (I will likely be purchasing the 6040N, 60W model):

1. If you have a Weike laser, when you received it, did you get everything as ordered? (ie. was anything missing or was there anything that was a different item to what you'd requested)
2. If you have any means of comparing, how did the Weike machine compare to other Chinese machines? (quality, control, etc)
3. Is the Weike control panel ok (relatively easy to use)?
4. What software comes with and/or can you print directly from CorelDraw or, conversely, is it easy to simply import and Illustrator *.ai file into their software and print that way?
5. I will be ordering the Honeycomb tray, air assist, 5000W chiller, red point, autofocus and a spare laser tube. Is there anything else I should be adding?
6. Anything you can add re the quality and speed of Weike machines in general, (and ideally the 6040)?

Any other input, thoughts, comments, advice, tips, etc are all appreciated. But again, please, no "you shouldn't buy a Chinese machine, you should buy a US machine because..." posts. I know the reasons why many suggest the US machines are better.

Mike Null
02-09-2016, 12:16 PM
https://www.google.com/search?sitesearch=www.sawmillcreek.org&q=weike+lasers&submit.x=10&submit.y=8&gws_rd=ssl

Matt McCoy
02-09-2016, 1:02 PM
1. If you have a Weike laser, when you received it, did you get everything as ordered? (ie. was anything missing or was there anything that was a different item to what you'd requested)
2. If you have any means of comparing, how did the Weike machine compare to other Chinese machines? (quality, control, etc)
3. Is the Weike control panel ok (relatively easy to use)?
4. What software comes with and/or can you print directly from CorelDraw or, conversely, is it easy to simply import and Illustrator *.ai file into their software and print that way?
5. I will be ordering the Honeycomb tray, air assist, 5000W chiller, red point, autofocus and a spare laser tube. Is there anything else I should be adding?
6. Anything you can add re the quality and speed of Weike machines in general, (and ideally the 6040)?

Hey there. I have this machine (80W) but from a U.S. company (Full Spectrum).

1) Yes

2) I've used other machines at maker spaces and didn't notice much of a difference in build quality.

3) Mine is the the FSL proprietary panel and very easy to use.

4) RetinaEngrave3D and it works like a print driver which allows you to send jobs directly from your choice of CAD software (e.g., Illustrator, Corel, Photoshop, Etc.)

5) I would recommend a vector cutting table, exhaust, spare lens and mirrors but skip the extra tube due to limited shelf life and warranty that will expire before you will probably need to switch it out. All of these can be sourced from your choice of vendor too.

6) In my opinion, I would go with an 80W tube to help with average engraving and cutting speeds. A blanket statement -- but in my personal experience.

Hope that helps.

Adam Less
02-09-2016, 1:12 PM
Perfect, thank you Matt! Very helpful.

One question though. I have read a ton of bad reviews on FSL and a lot of positive reviews on Weike, yet you say you have the same laser from FSL. So are they all the same... exactly? Or is there a difference, say between a FSL, Rabbit, Weike, Senfeng, etc. I was under the impression Weiek was a manufacturer and that FSL was a manufacturer.

Bill George
02-09-2016, 1:12 PM
Bear in mind that a 60 watt water cooled CO2 Chinese laser will not output a full 100% power, most are limited to 80 or 90% or even less. When you get into the higher wattage unit the engraving dot size becomes an issue.
The metal tube units can be ran at full output and if the machine location is air conditioned , for long periods. This is not to say you can you should purchase a small unit and run at 100 % power 24/7.

Adam Less
02-09-2016, 2:56 PM
So one quick question. I forgot to add this to my original post. I keep reading all this stuff about ground wires... and digging rods into the ground, etc. I will be ordering the 110v machine. Is it just plug and play as far as ground is concerned, or do I have to use a separate wire placed into the ground to ground the machine? I assumed we have ground already built into out plugs and sockets, right?

Jerome Stanek
02-09-2016, 4:07 PM
Check out Automation Technology sounds like what you are looking for. My G Weike LG500 came from them and I am very happy with it.

Matt McCoy
02-09-2016, 4:40 PM
Looks like my post is gone Adam. Not sure what happened there, but hope you were able to see my reply to your question.

Scott Shepherd
02-09-2016, 5:44 PM
Looks like my post is gone Adam. Not sure what happened there, but hope you were able to see my reply to your question.

It says it was deleted by you.

Adam Less
02-09-2016, 6:02 PM
I missed it Matt.

Matt McCoy
02-10-2016, 9:18 AM
It says it was deleted by you.

Well -- shoot. I was reading on a new tablet yesterday with a spotty signal.


I missed it Matt.

Blah, blah, blah... The machine I have is a Weike laser branded by FSL with some slight modification (electrical, etc.) with their control card and software. I've used it daily (almost) for over a year with no problems. Blah, blah, blah...

:)

Kev Williams
02-10-2016, 11:04 AM
Bear in mind that a 60 watt water cooled CO2 Chinese laser will not output a full 100% power, most are limited to 80 or 90% or even less.

--Now I don't know if this is a Triumph thing or what, but my 80 watt (as advertised) Triumph has a 110w tube 'as tested' by Reci at 32mA. My meter hits 28mA at just about 75% power per the software, and assuming 100% would be near 32mA, 75% of 110 watts is 82.5 watts 'safe' running max. And I figure it must be close, because the Triumph will engrave the same piece of wood nearly 3x deeper at full power and the exact same running speed as my 40w LS900.

But that's my Chinese machine, your results may vary ;)

Matt McCoy
02-10-2016, 11:56 AM
Interesting. First time I've read that about a Chinese machine.

Bob A Miller
02-10-2016, 2:05 PM
Adam

i have had my Wieke for about 3 years... I would add you may want to consider buying some other lens up front. Some people don't like autofocus but it has helped me.

i did get all my pieces. From the point of view of a Chinese company they were good to deal with.....machine runs ok....but.

-you do need to work on them a bit. I have a 1290... One belt never tightens all the way & about every 3 months I have to readjust & relevel one side.
-the pass through really isn't... The slot is there but if you need to adjust your table on a large piece of material...the pass through only lines up with the main steel frame... So not really useable in that capacity.
- robust machine, every now & then the auto up-down has an issue ( never been able to fix mine)
- great for cutting, not stupendously fast but cutting is robust. Engraving well let's say it will do it but not its strong suite. Get the Epilog or one of the other major ones if you really need the feature.....and you are a buisness. If only a hobby use it will work fine...just far from fast.

Now a few points...whoever you buy from...make sure they have someone that can speak English ...they have setup instructions you can understand, etc etc. I have been helping a fellow who got a great deal but on a support question...no one in support spoke English ..... He didn't get much documentation etc.

it doesn,t make them bad machines but balance cost V's what you want to do V's support for when something goes wrong.

good luck. Bob

Zach Browning
02-10-2016, 5:30 PM
I've got an 80w 6090 GWeike machine. I've only had it about 2 months, but besides some of my own mess-ups it's run perfect.

1. Everything I ordered was there when I received the machine.
2. I have no way to compare.
3. The control panel is pretty basic, but does what I need (move the laser head, and adjust table height).
4. It comes with LaserCut, which works fine for my needs. I save my files from Rhino 5 as .dxf and import them into LaserCut, not sure about Corel.
5. That's everything I got, but I also got a second set of mirrors and lens. (I also removed my auto-focus and red dot as they were a hassle when cleaning the lens. I prefer it with no auto-focus, and I might make a mount for the red dot to re-locate it from the air assist nozzle.)
6. I don't really have much to compare to, as the only other laser I've used was an older ULS (or was it Epilog?, don't remember) a few years ago in college. Works great for my needs, which is pretty evenly split between engraving and cutting.

Kev Williams
02-10-2016, 5:39 PM
This is some text I lasered last night on some operator panels- I made some adjustments and ran this on my 3 different machines, "E"xplorer, "L"S900 and "T"riumph...

Note the ARRET line, on the LS900 I used Arial regular with a .5 point outline. For the other 2 machines I used Swiss Medium BT with no outlining. "REARMEMENT" is also Arial plus .5 point on the LS900, but is Arial with NO outline on the other 2 machines. All machines engraved EMERGENCY STOP / RESET using non-outlined Arial...the reason for text change is because the beam-spot of the LS900 is far and away MUCH narrower than my other 2 machines. This is very evident with the Emergency Stop/Reset text. FWIW, the Triumph could use a backlash tweak, and I'm also needing a new belt for the Explorer and I've been adjusting the tension and backlash settings on it lately, so, it could do better. The LS900 is going on 11 years old, and except for the mirror above the lens and the power supply, virtually everything else is original equipment. Bearings, belts, steppers, everything.

Of the 3, the LS900 is the best quality (it should be), the Explorer second, and the Triumph a very close 3rd. The Triumph results are the brightest white of the 3, and since the RESET text is only .060 tall, for a 1300 x 900 cutting machine, the engraving results are quite good IMO.



http://www.engraver1.com/erase2/3test.jpg

Bill George
02-11-2016, 9:10 PM
--Now I don't know if this is a Triumph thing or what, but my 80 watt (as advertised) Triumph has a 110w tube 'as tested' by Reci at 32mA. My meter hits 28mA at just about 75% power per the software, and assuming 100% would be near 32mA, 75% of 110 watts is 82.5 watts 'safe' running max. And I figure it must be close, because the Triumph will engrave the same piece of wood nearly 3x deeper at full power and the exact same running speed as my 40w LS900.

But that's my Chinese machine, your results may vary ;)j

I would say you got a good mfg in Triumph. That would be one I would purchase, a honest 100% rated machine.

Rich Harman
02-11-2016, 11:59 PM
Bear in mind that a 60 watt water cooled CO2 Chinese laser will not output a full 100% power, most are limited to 80 or 90% or even less.

A Chinese water cooled glass tube certainly will output full power. Full power means max recommended power which is governed by regulating the current going through the tube (that's why having an ammeter is important). The number value you punch into the program could be 80, 90 or just about anything - it depends upon how the power supply is adjusted. If it is 80, then that is the number that makes full power. That does not mean it is only making 80% of full power, it only means that that is the number you need to make full power. If you enter a higher number then you will be over driving the tube and significantly shortening its life.

Ed Bath
02-12-2016, 10:30 PM
Hi Adam,

I have two G. Weike lasers. One is a two year old 60 watt 16" by 30" that I bought from a U.S. distributor. The other is a one year old 130 watt 24" x 36" that I imported myself directly from the Chinese factory.

I use both of these lasers in my business for engraving logos and text on wood. Each one runs from 15 to 20 hours per week.

Here is my feedback to your questions:

1. If you have a Weike laser, when you received it, did you get everything as ordered? (ie. was anything missing or was there anything that was a different item to what you'd requested)

I received everything as ordered from both the U.S. distributor and from G. Weike.

2. If you have any means of comparing, how did the Weike machine compare to other Chinese machines? (quality, control, etc)

These are the only lasers that I have ever operated.

3. Is the Weike control panel ok (relatively easy to use)?

Yes , it's easy to operate.

4. What software comes with and/or can you print directly from CorelDraw or, conversely, is it easy to simply import and Illustrator *.ai file into their software and print that way?

Both lasers have Lasercut 5.3. I use CorelDraw to do my artwork and export to .dxf files then send to Lasercut.

Lasercut is slow to import files and is a pretty crude software program, but it works without crashing. The user interface and manuals are lacking.

5. I will be ordering the Honeycomb tray, air assist, 5000W chiller, red point, autofocus and a spare laser tube. Is there anything else I should be adding?

For my uses, I would eliminate the honeycomb, autofocus, and spare tube. I do not need the honeycomb, the autofocus gets in the way of engraving in tight spaces, and the tubes last long enough that a spare one would deteriorate while sitting on the shelf.

6. Anything you can add re the quality and speed of Weike machines in general, (and ideally the 6040)?

I'm satisfied with the quality and speed of both of my machines, but I don't have much else to compare to.


Note: Both of my machines paid for themselves within the first six months of use (versus outsourcing the engraving). I bought the first one from a U.S. based distributor to help me overcome the learning curve and I'm glad that I paid the premium for their support. I imported the second one directly from G. Weike and saved a significant amount of money.

I hope this helps.

Ed

Jerome Stanek
02-13-2016, 7:03 AM
When I checked with Weike some of the items you have listed they would include free just have to deal with them a little

Larry Robinson
02-17-2016, 8:24 PM
I have had my Weike for 5-1/2 years. 24 x 36 with an 80 watt tube. I upgraded it to 130 watts about 2 years ago. I cut mostly 1/4 BB. I got everything I ordered. The only problem with the laser was that the On/Off switch went. Replaced it from Mcmastercarr.com. I got the 5000 series chiller and it has worked fine. The only thing I bought that I regret is the smoke filter, did not do a very good job.

I got the cutting table and wished I had gotten the honeycomb table instead. Reason: one of the cut pieces fell down at an angle and caught the laser. Started a small fire. I would not pay for Autofocus again either.

I would certainly not hesitate to by another Weike laser.

Zach Browning
02-17-2016, 10:46 PM
I think the new ones come with both the knife table and honeycomb bed. Mine's got the knife table bolted on, and the honeycomb sits on the knives. It also has a little drawer that catches any small bits that fall through, which from what I can tell is a newer addition.