How about this one?....

[Ralph Lindberg]

People with really good memories might recall that I am basically bottom feeding, looking some a laser system suitable for small wood objects (pencils, pens, cases, etc).
Lots of people jumped in on the various Chinese made units :D(some increasing cheap prices, I've seen the small units under $1600).
Well, I found another model that I would like some comments on
http://www.worldlasers.com/productrelated_lr_1208_a.htm

[Mitchell Andrus]

Pretend you own one - and the tube won't fire. What do you do, who do you call, did you get a call back? Can you return it.

Sometimes, most of the value in a tool is the service available when something goes wrong.

I NEVER buy cheap. NEVER. I've thrown too much junk away doing that.

[Ralph Lindberg]

Pretend you own one - and the tube won't fire. What do you do, who do you call, did you get a call back? Can you return it.

Sometimes, most of the value in a tool is the service available when something goes wrong.

I NEVER buy cheap. NEVER. I've thrown too much junk away doing that.

Maybe you and I have a different definition of cheap. To me, $4900 to $44,000 is not cheap. Neither is a 1 year warranty on the tube

Tell me something, did you even look at the link? Or did you just shot from the lip.

[Keith Outten]

Easy Ralph, no harm was meant. We have been looking at the Chinese laser engravers for some time and have yet to find one that doesn't use a glass tube or has a major company backing them. No doubt they will get their program together some day but after looking at so many models lately that have come up short on one spec or another the odds of finding a reliable machine worthy of commercial work is slim at this point.

Recently one of our Members was asking for help aligning mirrors, it seems that he was not having any luck with the manufacturers tech support. I don't know what the outcome was or if the problem was resolved but it seems typical at this point based on the few reports we have seen.

.

[Nancy Laird]

I'd sure want to know a lot more about this machine than what's on the website. From their woefully inadequate product brochure:


"For good reasons. Lasers perform 24/7 for years, without maintenance.
There are no mechanical or moving parts to wear out or break down.
Production downtime is reduced. And, because the laser’s beam, not
the laser, comes in contact with the material it is working on, damage
commonly caused by mechanical machines is avoided."


Emphasis is mine. That is a downright mis-statement, as there ARE moving and mechanical parts--what about the table motor? what about the X and Y axis movement? Those things wear out and break down. I'd want to know where the service technicians are and how good they are and where they got their training. I'd want to know where this machine is built, what kind of tube it uses. There are a lot of unanswered questions on the website, and I'd sure want to know more before I plunked down my hard-earned money on an unknown quantity.


Just my HO.


Nancy

[Mitchell Andrus]

Easy Ralph,

You DID mention bottom-feeding... I didn't say this was a cheap unit. I don't waste my time buying cheap, and neither should you... if you have the scratch to afford better goods and services...

No offense.

But, now that you mention it, my 60 Watt laser cost $24,000.00 (+-), their 60 Watt, LR 2012 starts at $10,795.00. I'd expect less value for half the money.

I'd look for a compromise to save some money if that's your goal. A bed just big enough to fit anything you predict you'll need to fit through it, plus a tube just big enough to get the job done. Perhaps used??? They pop up once in a while.

I prefer to buy tools I'll grow into, not out of. Let us know what you end up with.

[Ralph Lindberg]

I'd sure want to know a lot more about this machine than what's on the website. From their woefully inadequate product brochure:..

Exactly, I spent the better part of last night digging through their site attempting to learn more:

They have a one year warranty, but it appears to be on parts only, no labor.
I could find nothing about the location of manufacture, although the units look nothing like the normal Chinese units (which all appear to come from one factory in China)
They appear to also sell YAG based
They have units that go to 400watts (!!!!!)
They have an in-house job shopBut still not as much as I would like to know. That (so far) no one had heard of the firm before is not comforting.

[Nancy Laird]

Ralph,

There are other engraving forums out there, Engraving, Etc. and World of Engraving and Laserists, where you might find a good used machine for sale, ULS, Epilog, etc. Also, engravingconcepts.com has used machines for sale. I see a lot of Epilogs for sale - don't know exactly why they are being let go, but...

If you are just getting into the engraving business, you might start by looking for a not-too-old used machine that someone is selling to upgrade. You might find out that a small used machine is all you need for what you are planning to do. You also might find that the potential for engraved products is so great that in a year, you'll be ready to move up to a larger and more expensive machine. You also might find out that you don't like doing it that much and you won't have a large $$$ investment to walk away from.

Just my thoughts.

Nancy

[Dave Jones]

Don't forget the used lasers at Access Business Solutions (a member of the Creek) http://www.usedlasers.com/

One reason you might see a lot of used Epilogs is that a lot of people seem to buy them as starting lasers and either move up to a larger model or realize that it's actually not as simple as buying an engraver and waiting for the cash to start flowing in the door. So end up selling it off after a year when the fantasy ends.

[Ralph Lindberg]

Just an update.... I emailed the firms sales address three days ago asking for more information, no response.

Not a good sign

[Larry Bratton]

Probably had to get it translated:D

[Patrick OBrien]

If $5000 is a lot of money to you, I would not experiment with Chinese crap.
Your money would be better spent buying a used or refurbed domestic laser.
Our Epilog Min18 25W has performed flawlessly for two and a half years. My 2 cents worth.