Need help on chosing/buying a laser....

[Francisco perez]

Hello to everyone! I'm new here and need help on choosing and finding a laser engraver, I been doing reaserch for about 2 months on laser engravers, i've found different brands and models out there, I been reading alot of good information here on sawmillcreek, alot of you guys have experience on this topic and I need advice and opinion on what will be the best choices on lasers, Im looking for an engraver new or used about 24x36 aprox. Working area, I will need it mostly for engraving glass,not much for cutting,a have found some nice engravers but the price is just so out of my range, I also found some nice ones and at a very good price but they are from china, i want american made but the china made ones the price is so tempting!! have any of you guys bought any of this china made engravers?? Do you guys recomend them?? What do you guys recomend and where to buy.. Thank you guys I realy apreciate the help!!

[Andrey Anfimov]

The good laser is the laser which works.
Search for the laser brand with good local service.

[bruno vanhenis]

don't buy chinese. if you can help your own industry by buying things that are made in your own country. it's probably a little bit more expensive, but a least you get service. If you buy a thing that you want to use for business, than the first thing you want is service. if you use your machine for 3 years, spread the more price over those 3 years and calculate it to your custormers.
A lot of those chinese cheap things are a waste of money, they are maybe less expensive, but if you give 8000 $ and it breaks down the whole time, then it's 8000 $ in the water and next time you will buy a decent machine of 12000$ and you have lost 20000$.
it's my opinion, i'm not a racist, support your economy...

[Mike Null]

Francisco

You have one of the best right in LA.

Give Mike a call.

http://www.cemlasers.com/catalog

[John Frazee]

I bought my laser from Brightstar Lasers. Yes it's made in China but what isn't? I may be wrong but these American made machines are probably full of parts made in China. I can call the owner of Brightstar with any problem and if it cannot be fixed over the phone, he flies in to take care of it. Jim Olsen, the owner has been such a great person to deal with. I plan to buy another one from him when I add another laser. I don't think you will find a sales rep with the understanding of lasers as Jim. I think for the most part that the Chinese lasers have received a bad rap from importers that didn't know lasers or how to set them up for being used here in the US.

[Doug Griffith]

My opinion: you get what you pay for.

I also recommend Cutting Edge Systems in Orange County. Great people.

http://www.cuttingedgesystems.com/

Cheers,
Doug

[James Jaragosky]

I sit here and read yet another Thread of someone asking about Chinese lasers.
And as usual the majority of people answering the post are against Chinese lasers.
The quality of my Chinese laser is not as bad as some would have you believe.
The service is slow but not bad, there is a difference.

Most of the horror stories about Chinese lasers are spread as hearsay. (just people validating there own beliefs, without any first hand experience with a Asian made machine).
There are those that will tell you to just read the posts about all the owners of Chinese lasers with problems,
As far as I can tell there just as many people with non Asian made lasers asking for advice with their local made machines.
As with any other product used by the public you rarely hear from the satisfied customers but you can be assured that you will hear from the unhappy ones.
There are literally thousands of off brand machines in the USA. And the majority function as intended.
Many people that purchase these machines and have problems have little or no mechanical experience, let alone laser experience, and thus they are the root of most of their own problems.
They expect to just plug it in, toss in some material and Walla presto completed project.
Even with the hand holding support of the locally assembled machines ( I say assembled because the majority of parts in these so called American machines are produced over seas) there is still a learning curve.
Many times Asian machine owners that request advice on this forum are met with responses that have a spirit and flavor that discourages them from making subsequent posts.
To avoid this many of the Asian laser owners that read this forum, and contribute as they can, do not post for help, but ask each other in emails or IM’s
.
There are many Business owners that post frequently on this forum, to them the Extra expense of a locally assembled and supported machine is absolutely necessary to the survival of their business.
There are many hobbyist that use locally assembled and supported machines, because they realize that they need the 5 star support that comes with the purchase price of one of these machines.
There are also many that cannot afford the higher priced local machines, the Asian machines offer these people a chance to realize the goal of owning a laser.
This is a scary proposition for some of the established business owners, because it places the laser engraver within reach of more businesses, both large small and the guy working out of his garage.
This increases competition and drives down prices and in some markets quality will suffer as well.

My Chinese laser has been running for 14 months on the original co2 tube, the quality of the work my machine produces is excellent.
My machine has limitations that I have had to work with or around.
But nothing has broken or stop working in the last 14 months, with the exception of problems that I created myself. I broke a mirror due to cold outside air back feeding into the laser chamber, and once I replaced the Co2 tube unnecessarily it took me some time to realize that I had the power off to the co2 tube.
There is a market for these lower cost Asian machines. But is one right for you?



To answer that question ask yourself:

Can I trouble shoot mechanical problems?
Do I have any skill with both high and low voltage electricity?
What is the primary use of the machine going to be?
Will I need step by step support?
Can I Wait for parts to be shipped from over seas if I have a problem? (many parts are now available locally).
Do you really need a laser or do you want a laser?
Can what you need the laser for be farmed out for a reasonable price? (why buy the cow when you can get the milk on the cheap.)
IN short the machines sold by USA suppliers have superior service, software, parts availability and warranty’s compared to the low end Asian lasers.
But all that comes with a price.
The Asian machines come with a poor instruction manual, limited service, software, parts availability and warranty’s in comparison.
But if you have the skills and time they can be a cost effective way to break into the laser market.
Regards
Jim J.

[Aleta Allen]

I hear a lot about good service. This is important on some machines. But a couple of things to think about. I have needed my service A LOT. It is not only your rep but the manufacturer that you count on for service. You can have the best rep there is, but if the factory won't stand behind their machine and warranty, the rep isn't going to have the support to help you. I have a good rep and terrible factory support. Yes, I said it, terrible.:(

Now a friend has a universal, she hasn't needed the rep or the factory support, so it is not as important as her machine, she has ran without one problem for a year now. :)

If I bought again, I would buy a universal! JMO

Aleta

[Tim Bateson]

I bought a used Epilog (I think it was setup once - like new) and was surprised that I could still get full service from the company. They have a VERY good tech support department and are knowledgeable and willing to help Mon-Fri. I have yet to have a problem that didn't get solved in one phone call or call back. Yes, leaving an email for tech support on the weekend and receiving a call first thing Monday morning with a solution.
I too almost went a less expensive route, but am very happy with what I got.

[Francisco perez]

Wow!! Great advice guys, yes it realy puts me thinking about getting a china made machine due to the lack of customer service and maybe parts,but yeah there is a few people out there with china made machines and they love them and the price is not bad at all, I will love to have an American machine(and help our economy)but the price on them makes me rethink about buying one, I'm a small bussines owner and like every one else money is an essue, maybe if i can get my hands on a good deal on american made laser ill jump on it, but great info. From all of you guys !!! I got to make the rite decision and do reaserch I don't want to regret it later LOL !!

[Doug Griffith]

Besides the machine, look into the driver and software that works with it. I suggest being proficient with the software before making the equipment plunge. Corel Draw is the most widely used (think support) and compatible but there are other options such as Adobe Illustrator (my preference). From my understanding, Some Chinese machines require output through Newlydraw. I'd do some searches on SMC for it. ULS seems to have the most powerful driver but the Epilog driver is not far behind. The driver makes a big impact on useability.

Cheers,
Doug

[Jim Watkins]

My opinion: you get what you pay for.

I also recommend Cutting Edge Systems in Orange County. Great people.

http://www.cuttingedgesystems.com/

Cheers,
Doug
Wow, I didn't know Doug was so close to me. I too would recommend CUtting Edge Systems. Ask for Steve Courtsey for a demo. Steve, Syndy and Dave have been great to work with and will always be there for help.

[Doug Griffith]

Hi Jim, Irvine is right next door. I'm in Costa Mesa by the airport. About a 5 minute drive from Cutting Edge Systems. Let me know if you ever need help.

Cheers,
Doug

[Jim Madaras]

I bought a used Epilog (I think it was setup once - like new) and was surprised that I could still get full service from the company. They have a VERY good tech support department and are knowledgeable and willing to help Mon-Fri. I have yet to have a problem that didn't get solved in one phone call or call back. Yes, leaving an email for tech support on the weekend and receiving a call first thing Monday morning with a solution.
I too almost went a less expensive route, but am very happy with what I got.

If you're interested I have a 60 Watt Epilog with the rotary attachment that I am selling. It's and EXT from 2006 with very low hours, works great, almost perfect cosmetically even. I'm looking for around 20K, a great savings over new for a solid machine with excellent support. Visit my shop site at http://www.ipsolutions.us and fill out the contact form if your interested in more information.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Francisco,

We will be getting in some used systems this month check in with us and see if they will fit your needs.

We completely re-build all of the used systems we get when they leave here they are basically "new" used systems.