Engraver Recomendations

[RICK BOWMAN]

Just joined Sawmill Creek today so if the question is redundant please forgive. And, if this is the wrong forum please point the correct direction.

We currently have a sign shop are trying to add a laser engraver. We quickly found out that selection is an arduous task due to the number of manufacturers. Is there a good, better, best choice out there? All the brands we look at seem to be similar in technical feature and price point, so how do we decide? Is there really a technical difference? Which mfg provides the best after sale support? Does any brand retain resale value better? Which is the appropriate unit for a beginner?

Any assistance is appreciated.

Rick

[Nancy Laird]

Rick,

Not trying to be snarky, but you really need to go back into the Laser forum and read some of the old threads about engravers, pro and con. There are some very good threads here that will give you some very good advice, and you can also go to a couple of other engraving forums and read all of their threads for information.

Bottom line, you need to talk to owners of the brands you are considering in the area where you are, find out how the service is after the sale. Get referrals from the sales people to owners of their machines, and talk to those people about how they like their machines, what they do with them, what problems they have had with them.

Personally, my ULS machines (both of them) are workhorses and I haven't had any major problems with either of them (one of them is 11 years old, the other is 2 years old). Our service assistance has been top-notch. Others here rave about their Epilog service. Others will rave about Trotec and other brands. It's all a matter of how YOU feel about your relationship with the sales and service people and your gut feelings---and about how much money you want to spend!!!!

Good hunting, and have fun.

Nancy

Nancy

[Joe Pelonio]

Like you, I added a laser to my sign shop, and went through all that. I finally went to a show where there were several of the laser vendors doing demos.

After seeing them in action, comparing features and price and keeping in mind what I thought I'd be doing with it, I settled on the Epilog Legend 24tt, 45 watts 12"x24". I have not needed more power or size than that more than a few times.

You can do a search of this forum and see what kinds of problems people have had with various makes, and what they have paid for replacement tubes.

If I were to add another or replace mine I'd probably stick to Epilog, their support is the best I've seen in any equipment I've had. Mine runs 8-10 hours a day sometimes 7 days a week, so while I've had some repairs to do it's had a tough life.

[RICK BOWMAN]

To Nancy and Joe. No, no one is being snaky, I asked and received a good response. Advice taken and I will definetely look at the previous threads,
Thank you!

[Shannon Burkitt]

Rick

I guess everyone has a different experience, but knowing what I know now - make sure whoever you deal with has great tech support. I have an Accuris Powersharp from SignWarehouse - nothing but trouble with it and the support sucks (sorry no other way to put it). Make sure that the laser is capable of performing on the entire workspace - a large workspace doesn't mean squat if the laser only works well on half of it!

[RICK BOWMAN]

Thank you Shannon. I have 2 plotters from Sign Warehouse and I must admit that the tech support does run hot and cold.

[Larry Bratton]

Rick:
Lookin for good laser and good tech support? Psssst.. one word Epilog.

[Mike Null]

I have 9 years in the laser engraving business. I have experience with Epilog, Universal and Trotec. All have been very good reliable machines. Tech support has been excellent with all three.

I feel the Trotec has the latest technology and best construction of the three and you may find it slightly more expensive. I considered re-sale seriously when I made my most recent purchase and determined that the Trotec would probably give me a better return. That is, of course subjective.