Pinnacle M Tech.

[Brian Robison]

I know a guy that would like to sell me a barely used
M series Laser. Can I get tech support? I called a place that sells them and I was told, no warranty or tech support on a used Pinnacle Laser. These are the things I need to know before making a decision.
My understanding is Epilog would give tech support if I bought a used Epilog laser.......

[Jim Watkins]

Hi Brian,
I considered buying a used Epilog before I purchased the one I got, and Epilog told me that they would assist me and work with me even though I bought it used. I would suggest you call your local Epilog rep and ask. I bought mine (it was a demo unit from the distributer, which they gave me a great deal on) about 4 weeks ago and although I have not had my training, I am happy with the product.

I have been running tests and although i have not had much luck with the Aztec calendar I downloaded from the net, the Dice file which one of the members offered up as a demo worked great.

I have found this to be a great forum and I look forward to becoming a welcomed member.

Jim

Epilog Mini 24 / 45W

[Mike Hood]

I guess it depends on how much the Pinnacle is discounted. While a warranty is great, I think the proper discounting may work in your favor.

[Mike Null]

Jim

Glad to have you aboard.

[Jim Watkins]

THanks for the welcome Mike. I can see I'll be here a lot.

By the way, does anyone have a .CDR file of the Aztec Calendar of the quality that the Epilog and Pinnicle guys have? It's a great give away.

Thanks all.

[Rodne Gold]

I don't understand why there would be no tech support or warrantee? If there is still time on the original warantee , you would enjoy the balance of it. As to tech support , GCC support ALL their machines.
Free tech support or an additional warrantee is another issue altogether. You cannot reasonably expect another seller to provide this service at no cost. They made nothing on your machine. IOm pretty sure if one reseller wont provide tech support another will and im also pretty sure that if you had to mail GCC and tell them one of their authorised dealers is denying you tech support you are willling to pay for on your machine m they will take some action.
The M series is very much a workhorse laser , it does both engraving and cutting well and is pretty reliable , albeit a little slow.
I would say a reasonable price for a 2nd hand 25 watter is round 10-12k. Be VERY careful in regard to time based useage , it is unlikely , that even with heavier usage , that anything barring the tube would wear out , and the tube can fail 5 mins into usage or 5 yrs into useage. Whatever price you pay , factor in a tube swap over the next 12 months. You can either factor it into the purchase price or the running costs of the laser.
You can further either factor in a full replacement cost or a reconned tube cost. The M series used to use Synrad tubes , not sure if the latest models still do so find out what a new or reconned or repeaired tube will set you back.

[Marc Myer]

But on the bright side, we do have some very generous members here on the list who can help sort out problems. Some of these are in fact dealers, such as the Brewers and Rob Bosworth; I know I'm forgetting some. You're smart to look into a widely-used model, this way you'll be in good company.
For my first laser I went with a new one (it was a tough choice--I would never denigrate those who choose otherwise); it's well worth it for the tech support and warranty.

[Marc Myer]

Dang! I forgot Peck Sidara! There are probably many more; I'm still kinda new here. My apologies to the other great reps who help out on this forum.

[Brian Robison]

I have an Epilog Mini and they have been TOP NOTCH!
Problem is this one came up and it might be a good deal, but not without tech support.

[Mike Null]

Brian
The Pinnacle tech support rep is a member of the forum, why don't you call him or PM him for a direct answer.

[Dave Jones]

Jim, give this version of the Aztec Calendar a try:

http://www.redtengu.com/images/raw/Aztec_Calendar_3in.cdr

[Don Sims]

Most places that "sell" an item, won't or don't want to give support if you bought from someone else. That being said, the Pinnacle is just a rename of a LaserPro mercury and you could probably get support from them if you bought a used one.

[Jim Watkins]

Thanks Dave,
I didn't import it right so it didn't look very well when I had the EPS file.

Thanks so much for the help.

Does anyone have any recommended settings for the Aztec calendar. I have been testing (14x) and can not recreate the demos which I got from the laser distributers as clearly.

Thanks

[Mark Koenig]

Dang... I've been lookinf for that file!!!

Thanks for posting it...:)

Mark.

[Dave Jones]

Jim, are you doing it on Alder? That's what they use. I usually do it at 600dpi, 50% power, 20% speed. Or at 25% P, 20% S to not go so deep.

I haven't done a lot of experimenting. Maybe going faster and higher power power would be better, but I get good results at those settings.

[Rob Bosworth]

Don, we get and give support to owner's of machines all the time. So does Epilog and Universal. I would guess that most companies support equipment that they have made. After all, it is their name that is prominently displayed on the front of the machine.

Some companies might want to charge some kind of fee for support, but most that we have dealt with tend to give it away as part of doing busiess.

[Jim Watkins]

Jim, are you doing it on Alder? That's what they use. I usually do it at 600dpi, 50% power, 20% speed. Or at 25% P, 20% S to not go so deep.

I haven't done a lot of experimenting. Maybe going faster and higher power power would be better, but I get good results at those settings.
Thanks Dave,
It's good to have good help when getting started. Also having someone with the same unit as I do doesnt' hurt.

I'll try it tomorrow.

I have used Alder, but I started running short on what my rep gave me, so I have been using 1/8" birch plywood to practice on. I'm getting my all day training in a few weeks so I have to save my good stuff until then.

[Mike Hood]

The only problem I ever had with mine (belt tension adjustment), was solved right here on SMC by Kevin Huffman (Pinnacle Rep).

They've got great customer service at Sign Warehouse from what I've experienced.

I purchased my vinyl cutter, laser and am getting a sublimation system together at the beginning of this week. I also buy most of my supplies there. Never had a single negative experience in the last 4-5 years.

Give 'em a call and see what they say.

[Dave Jones]

Each material has it's strong and weak points, and looks different when engraved. It's a good idea, especially when starting out, to get a bunch of each material to experiment on so you can get to know each material well.

If you haven't done so already, get a notebook and write down the settings that work well for each material. The settings people give here are just a starting point, and you need to experiment and find the settings for your specific machine. Even with us having the same machine, our laser tubes will be slightly different power and our optics might not be aligned the same, so we could end up using slightly different settings.

Do a search for George M. Perzel (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?u=2842) in this forum. He sells 5/32" cherry and maple in 5-3/4 x 24 (or x 12). He also has walnut and Brazilian cherry, but the maple and regular cherry engrave the best. His wood is good and flat, though doesn't have a finished sanding or clear coat. But it's also cheap and perfect to experiment or for low cost products where some saw marks are not an issue.

And maybe you could get some 1/8" Alder from these guys: http://www.memphishardwoodlumber.com/thinstockhardwoods.html
I haven't bought from them, but got the link from this forum.

The nice thing about having lots of raw materials, of a wide range of materials, is you then won't be shy about experimenting, and for me at least experimenting is where I learn the most.

[Brian Robison]

The only problem I ever had with mine (belt tension adjustment), was solved right here on SMC by Kevin Huffman (Pinnacle Rep).

They've got great customer service at Sign Warehouse from what I've experienced.

I purchased my vinyl cutter, laser and am getting a sublimation system together at the beginning of this week. I also buy most of my supplies there. Never had a single negative experience in the last 4-5 years.

Give 'em a call and see what they say.

I don't want this to be taken wrong but, I did contact them, that's the entire reason for the post. Who do you go to if they won't support a used machine?
Nothing against them, if that's their policy so be it.
It's just information I need before I look at buying a used machine. My understanding is Epilog will support a used machine. What about the other brands?

[Jeanette Brewer]

My understanding is Epilog will support a used machine.


Just to confirm your understanding, it is correct: Epilog offers tech support for any/all Epilog Lasers (regardless of whether or not it was purchased on the used market).