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Thread: Hurricane Laser

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Philman View Post
    Yep, just read where a Gene Sherman on CNC Zone posted his hurricane laser review. wow.. probably part of this lawsuit.

    If you read back further in the cnczone posts you will see were Hurricane took his 13000 dollars and never delivered his laser. Gene Sherman was not a part of that suit. FSE sued Hurricane for 2 Million and won that Judgement. Its all part of public records you can look it all up.
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  2. #17
    I am using a Charley 80 watt. Satisfied with flat goods, cutting, etching, photos, etc. but the settings for the rotary devise is giving me fits. They don't answer phone calls or respond to emails but I was able to reach them by phone the other day. So, if you have a question, just keep calling their 800 number until someone answers.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by jerry platter View Post
    So, if you have a question, just keep calling their 800 number until someone answers.
    Probably not a good system to purchase if you have to cross your fingers someone at the "help desk" will answer the phone today.
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  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Hintz View Post
    Probably not a good system to purchase if you have to cross your fingers someone at the "help desk" will answer the phone today.
    It is what it is. In other threads I've explained how this works. You're buying a laser first and customer service second. You never know when someone is going to sell their business, close their business, or simply close their business.

    When you're small, all you do is have time to take care of your customers. When your business grows, you have to grow with it, which is hard. That's why so many businesses close after 3-8 years.

    There was always a strong chance that Hurricane was going to fail. It's part of life. When you buy these lasers through importers, you're basically paying for a guaranteed working machine. Service is just the icing on top.
    Equipment: IS400, IS6000, VLS 6.60, LS100, HP4550, Ricoh GX e3300n, Hotronix STX20
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  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    I have a Hurricane Ivan that I bought Jan 2013. I'm happy with it and I was happy with Hurricane Lasers. As for the lawsuit, I looked up the info that was available online and it does give me some concern, but the lawsuit is not related to the way Hurricane currently does business. The owner of Hurricane apparently worked for the other laser company and left them and started his own company. They claimed he used company secrets to run his own company. Must have been something to it as the court ruled in their favor. However, if you look at customer reviews on that other company there is nothing stellar about them either.

    I also read the complaints from the other guy and I have my doubts about his complaint. And contrary to what was written on here he did not lose $13k. He ordered a laser and wanted some custom things on it and was told he would have to give a non-refundable deposit. He did that and when he canceled his order he acknowledged knowing he was going to lose his deposit.

    So back to his complaint. He knew the laser was being imported and was apparently given a date it would be there. He scheduled an open house at his store and needed the laser for the open house. He says he was promised the laser in time for the open house and didn’t get it and he says there were unanswered phone calls and bad customer service. The laser didn’t make it for the open house but was available for delivery the next week and he was mad so he cancelled the order knowing full well he agreed to the non-refundable deposit.
    I’m not going to dispute the claims he makes as I was not there. All I can tell you is my experience. When I ordered my laser the delivery date they told me happened to coincide with the ARA convention in Vegas. So I decided to kill two birds with one trip and arranged to attend the ARA convention and at the same time get my training on the laser and then on the last day load my laser into the truck and bring it home. I was told by the people at Hurricane that would be great with them, but I was cautioned that they could not positively guarantee that my Laser would be ready as sometimes there’s shipping or customs issues, or other issues. So I knew good and well that even though I had made hotel reservations and planned the trip, there was the possibility my laser wouldn’t be ready and I took the risk. Turns out it was ready and everything worked just fine.


    Now in the other guys complaint he claims Hurricane assured him the Laser would be ready no if ands or buts about it. But the owner of Hurricane in a rebuttal says he told the customer there was always the chance of problems with the delivery. All I can offer is Hurricane in fact did tell me that.

    In June I went to Vegas for another convention and stopped by Hurricane’s new showroom to say hi. While I was there I was asking questions about how to properly clean my laser. I forget the gentleman’s name now, but he said here let me show you and he took me in the back where several lasers were. He spent about 45 minutes with me showing me exactly how to take the lens apart and how to clean it and all the lube spots on the machine. And this was not scheduled in advance. I just dropped in off the street.





    -----------------------------------------------
    Mark Smith
    Tracy, CA
    Mark's Custom Woodcrafts
    Legacy Artie 58 CNC
    Hurricane Ivan 60 Watt Laser

  6. #21
    This is not to defend Hurricane, but to provide some balance.

    In November of 2013 I ordered what is listed on the Hurricane website as the 30W Lisa model (their least powerful model). I was told it would take 3 to 4 weeks to ship from Las Vegas because the model was new and they had not received the first ones in from China (G Weike). I was always able to get John on the phone and when the machine was a little late, he volunteered to upgrade it to their 40W Floyd at no additional cost to me and he shipped the next day. I took delivery on 12/13/13.

    I have not had any major problems and the few times that I had questions there was always a tech rep readily available.
    Pete James
    Awardmasters
    40W G Weike

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Your experience sounds similar to mine Peter. I had added more to my post above but I must have deleted it by accident before posting. What I had also added was that I have called Hurricane for support and questions probably five times over the last year. They have always answered my phone calls and always answered my questions. The last time I called them was just a couple of weeks ago just before Christmas. A person answered the phone and emailed me the information I needed within 10 minutes of hanging up the phone with me.
    -----------------------------------------------
    Mark Smith
    Tracy, CA
    Mark's Custom Woodcrafts
    Legacy Artie 58 CNC
    Hurricane Ivan 60 Watt Laser

  8. #23
    I've ordered what looks like their Floyd machine but direct from G Weike and there's over $5000 difference in the price, I know they are running a business but it's quite a markup?

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Senior View Post
    I've ordered what looks like their Floyd machine but direct from G Weike and there's over $5000 difference in the price, I know they are running a business but it's quite a markup?
    How much should he mark it up? If the machine gets stuck in customs for example, that could be a $500 right there. He's got to pay rent, internet & phone, ect ect ect. He could buy 10 machines and sit on 3-4 of them for a month or two because no one wants to buy that machine.

    Is it too high of a markup? Depends on who you ask.
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  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    The Floyd machine is listed at $8000 on their website which includes shipping and fees to get it to Vegas. Are you paying $3000 including all the fees?
    e
    -----------------------------------------------
    Mark Smith
    Tracy, CA
    Mark's Custom Woodcrafts
    Legacy Artie 58 CNC
    Hurricane Ivan 60 Watt Laser

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    I bought the same unit for $3199 after I picked it up in Chicago.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Tracy, California
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    It was $3199 total including all the shipping charges and customs fees and everything, and it was the exact machine Hurricane is offering?
    -----------------------------------------------
    Mark Smith
    Tracy, CA
    Mark's Custom Woodcrafts
    Legacy Artie 58 CNC
    Hurricane Ivan 60 Watt Laser

  13. #28

  14. #29
    Join Date
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    Mark Smith61,

    Keep in mind that once you involve a middle man in the process your costs go up. Ross was discussing markup earlier. I don't know the costs involved with Hurricane,
    but for the company I will very likely end up buying from eventually, Rabbit Laser USA, there is certainly a markup compared to buying direct from China. Which way you choose to go is going to depend on what you want.

    For example. While I would love to own an Epilog or a Universal or a Trotec, I am just a serious hobbyist at this point and may or may not get a real return on this investment over the long haul. That would be nice....but....

    I can buy a larger, more powerful laser from Rabbit for a bit over 1/3 of the cost of a big Epilog that actually is smaller and less powerful. And....if I wanted to, I could save big $$ again by ordering direct from China. I might do that ordinarily but I still have a day job that chews up a ton of my time right now and I am not willing to take the chance on having to fuss with the whole ordering process from start to finish to get that savings. The whole purchase might go as slick as White Lithium Grease, or not. NotIn this case I would rather deal with a company with a good reputation here to order from, get the machine checked before it ships, and even come out to fire it up and align it and get me running on it, as well as provide support and parts later on. I have lived in far flung places and I know what it is like to deal with businesses halfway across the globe where English is a second language at best and time zones and date changes make doing business a challenge. If I had the time to devote to that if it were needed...no problem. But it had potential to become an issue for me. The extra $$ were worth it for me to deal with a local (US based) company and avoid the issue. And I will still save a huge amount compared to a having bought from one of the big 3 western laser companies. In other words, I will likely choose the middle road.

    I do have to admit that I was not impressed with what I was finding by nosing around Hurricane. They may be a great company with good folks working for them. My personal comfort level was just not there with them. All I am trying to say is put their product in perspective....consider their place in the supply chain for these things and the prices start to make more sense. And then you can decide where your comfort levels are in terms of who you want to order from...direct from China....from a local supplier with the attendant price increase that will come with that, or do you want to buy a Western Machine. They can all be good choices from what I see depending on your needs, your resources, and your business model. (or lack of it in my case! <snort>)

    Dig through the forum a bunch. You will find lots of info here on all aspects of this.

    And good luck! Hope your choice ends up being an excellent one for you!!

    Dave
    900x600 80watt EFR Tube laser from Liaocheng Ray Fine Tech LTD. Also a 900x600 2.5kw spindle CNC from Ray Fine. And my main tool, a well used and loved Jet 1642 Woodlathe with an outboard toolrest that helps me work from 36 inch diameters down to reallllllly tiny stuff.

  15. Quote Originally Posted by Mark Senior View Post
    I've ordered what looks like their Floyd machine but direct from G Weike and there's over $5000 difference in the price, I know they are running a business but it's quite a markup?
    Yup as a business owner it always amazes me when people balk at a markup... Everybody forgets, that not only does the person/business have to pay expenses, but the business has to make sense. If they are only making a little money selling product X, then it makes no sense. It has to be a business they can build and be rewarded for or they could simply go to work for someone else and have a much easier life.

    Another thing to consider is demand.. The lower the demand for a product, the higher the markup. Lasers would be considered a pretty niche product with a fairly low demand, and thus a higher markup.

    Just some food for thought...

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