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Thread: 2nd laser...... is Epilog worth it??

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    19

    2nd laser...... is Epilog worth it??

    Hi, hope all is doing well and have a good holiday season!
    I bought a Boss laser (LS16-30 60W) about 4 years ago and have really liked their machine. We haven't had much problem with it and the support has been great. We are thinking about adding a second laser (one with a 100W or higher tube). Is the price difference between buying a 2nd boss laser or getting an Epilog worth it. This supports my wife (she does full time engraving) and we stay some what busy (it pays some of the bills!) I've done some research and found that a lot of people really like Epilog. Their machines seems to run faster and last longer? Is this true? Can one justify paying $$$$ more for an Epilog over the boss?
    If you own a new epilog or an old one, please tell me what you like about it and the benefits to it over the boss laser we currently have.

    Thank you and have a blessed day.
    Boss Laser LS 1630 60W

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sammamish, WA
    Posts
    7,630
    I bought my Epilog in 2004, and after 6 years running 10-12 hours a day and since 2010 about 20 hours every other month, it’s still running strong. I have replaced the tube 3 times, the first was on warranty. Also replaced the x-axis motor once, mirrors once, and the ribbon cable to the head 2 times. For me that’s reliable, and the service/help from Epilog has always been great. Whether it’s worth the difference in cost I can’t say, it’s a significant difference. If you have been happy with the Boss and their service it seems like you would stick to them.



    Sammamish, WA

    Epilog Legend 24TT 45W, had a sign business for 17 years, now just doing laser work on the side.

    "One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop." G. Weilacher

    "The handyman's secret weapon - Duct Tape" R. Green

  3. #3
    Depends on what you do with it. If you are vector cutting shapes all day, then probably not. If you are engraving, then it's a simple exercise in math, regardless of the brand you are looking at.

    Take your average job, run it on your Boss, then run it on the laser you are considering. Multiply it out and you'll see the time savings.

    I've been running lasers since 2007 now and one thing I'm certain of. A faster machine allows you a pretty good competitive advantage.

    Chinese lasers have their place and their niche. Nothing wrong with that, but if you are mainly engraving and doing a lot of it, speed=time=money.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Olalla, WA
    Posts
    1,532
    The price difference is only worth it if you will be using the new machine primarily for engraving. That is where the Trotec and Epilog machines really outperform the Chinese machines. No contest really.

    For cutting, all machines of equal wattage cut pretty much the same speed. A western machine can finish a cutting job in less time, not because it cuts faster but because it moves faster between cuts. Most likely, this is not going to be a significant enough difference to justify the substantially higher cost.

    If you are going to spend a bunch on a new western machine to take advantage of the faster speeds, you might give Trotec a look. I think they are the leaders when it comes to speed.

    Of course, you could also purchase three or four Chinese machines for even more throughput. You would also have a lot of redundancy, not to mention money left over.
    Shenhui 1440x850, 130 Watt Reci Z6
    Gerber Sabre 408

  5. #5
    (one with a 100W or higher tube)


    A 75w tube in a new epilog is going put the price tag into the 30's... most RF machines (Epilog, Trotec, Gravograph, GCC/Pinnacle, etc) running above 75 watts run 2 tubes due to cooling issues, hard to air cool tubes above 75 watts. It works, but keeping 2 tubes in alignment just doesn't seem fun to me at all...

    But 75w is a good balance, pretty good cutting speed to 1/4" thick, and for typical engraving jobs (Rowmark, black anodized alum) you'll almost always be able to run the machine full speed, which should be at LEAST 3x faster than your Boss. A fast check of Ebay used Epi's, there's a 9 year old 36EXT (36x24 work area, nice) running 120w, for just south of $19k, and a 13 year old same machine with a new 75w tube for $14.5k--

    While these prices may seem high compared to Chinese counterparts, it just shows how well RF machines hold their value, which should also be taken into consideration.
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  6. #6
    Only you can decide if Epilog will work for you. I agree, if all you do is a lot of engraving then a amd Epilog or Universal laser could be good choice.

    Though I just purchased a second laser, and I went with a chinese brand. Most of my engraving is are pretty small. So it burns through my item pretty fast. Now I have 2 lasers to engrave on. I guess I could buy 4 lasers and be enrgaving on all 3 and kind of make up the difference in speed, and still be spending less, and be able to cut on all of them at the same time.

    Though you have to consider detail. If you do a lot of grayscale or really tiny text then U.S. for sure. And then their is support.

    Will I get a U.S. laser in the future. Perhaps. But it will cash. I won't go into dept for it. If I can save up enough to pay cash then I consider I'm doing well enough to justify it.
    Redsail x700, 50watt & Shenhui 350, 50 watt

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