Cost of a used Epliog Mini 18x12 30 watt

[Bert Kemp]

Lots of us here use water cooled tubes and I for one have no problems , Lots of reasons their cheaper, their imports for one, the tubes are cheaper to make and they cost a lot less. they don't last as long but for the price to replace them they are ok. You can get a much bigger machine and lots more power for less money because of this and because they don't have all the bells and whistles of the big 3, but there perfectly good lasers and will do the same thing as the others lasers they cut and they engrave. Sure theres a learning curve but sounds like you know the basic so you won't have a problem. I would recommend you have a look at Rabbit Laser USA Or Boss laser, or Automation Technology. There all USA based companies that sell imported lasers with USA support. I have a Rabbit and am very happy so far and the support is excellent to date. Not that I needed a lot of support but I did have a few questions and found that it was mostly my errors LOL

He's not open again until Monday but I figured I'd talk to Epilog and see what they say, then pay this gentleman a visit and have him use the laser, then do an inspection of the mirrors and over all health of the machine. The only thing is, as far as I know there are no visible signs of something being wrong with the tube. Thank you for your reply.

Does anyone here use the water cooled lasers and if so, what do you think of them? I am curious why they are so much cheaper than other kinds.

[Lisa Walter]

Lots of us here use water cooled tubes and I for one have no problems , Lots of reasons their cheaper, their imports for one, the tubes are cheaper to make and they cost a lot less. they don't last as long but for the price to replace them they are ok. You can get a much bigger machine and lots more power for less money because of this and because they don't have all the bells and whistles of the big 3, but there perfectly good lasers and will do the same thing as the others lasers they cut and they engrave. Sure theres a learning curve but sounds like you know the basic so you won't have a problem. I would recommend you have a look at Rabbit Laser USA Or Boss laser, or Automation Technology. There all USA based companies that sell imported lasers with USA support. I have a Rabbit and am very happy so far and the support is excellent to date. Not that I needed a lot of support but I did have a few questions and found that it was mostly my errors LOL

Do those lasers run off of Corel Draw also? Thank you for the informative post!

Lisa

[Bert Kemp]

well sort of I do all my design in corel then I just import to lasercut put in my setting and hit start no big deal.

Do those lasers run off of Corel Draw also? Thank you for the informative post!

Lisa

[Bill George]

Do those lasers run off of Corel Draw also? Thank you for the informative post!

Lisa

Lisa for the Chinese lasers you can design in Corel or other software as long as you can Export the file into the laser machine software. Not that big a deal over using Epilog or ULS print driver method. I have both types. There is a lot of support for Corel on here as you know.

[Dave Sheldrake]

I would highly suggest staying away from water cooled Chinese lasers Lisa, no matter where they retail from (Imports or US)

DC lasers require a LOT of thought before jumping and coupled with the fact you weren't aware of the differences between them would make one a bad choice in your own circumstances.

[Matt McCoy]

I would highly suggest staying away from water cooled Chinese lasers Lisa, no matter where they retail from (Imports or US)

DC lasers require a LOT of thought before jumping and coupled with the fact you weren't aware of the differences between them would make one a bad choice in your own circumstances.

Hi Lisa: Sounds like you have a good line on a machine and one that might include the prospect for a few jobs. If you can agree on a fair price and the machine will be used mostly for engraving, it might be a good way to go, especially if you are already familiar with its software and workflow. Of course, this will depend on the type of work you want to do. However, I will offer that for around the price you are considering, you might be able to buy a larger Chinese machine with a little more power to afford the potential for faster engraving and larger pieces. Not to mention the ability to cut thicker materials. As advised by the knowledgeable folks here, you will probably want to consider the cost of replacing the consumables as well as parts that can konk out, like a power supply -- which I didn't see mentioned. Also, parts from western lasers are typically proprietary and quite spendy without a warranty, which might nullify the the prospect of a good deal if parts need replaced.

As Dave mentions, much thought is a good idea if you want to go with a Chinese (DC) laser. But, it appears to me that you are doing just that. I'm a little more positive and will opine that even if you were are not aware of the differences between the two, it is pretty easy to remedy that. If you're a little handy and can troubleshoot, you have a lot more options available to you.

Good luck with your decision.

[Lisa Walter]

Hi Lisa: Sounds like you have a good line on a machine and one that might include the prospect for a few jobs. If you can agree on a fair price and the machine will be used mostly for engraving, it might be a good way to go, especially if you are already familiar with its software and workflow. Of course, this will depend on the type of work you want to do. However, I will offer that for around the price you are considering, you might be able to buy a larger Chinese machine with a little more power to afford the potential for faster engraving and larger pieces. Not to mention the ability to cut thicker materials. As advised by the knowledgeable folks here, you will probably want to consider the cost of replacing the consumables as well as parts that can konk out, like a power supply -- which I didn't see mentioned. Also, parts from western lasers are typically proprietary and quite spendy without a warranty, which might nullify the the prospect of a good deal if parts need replaced.

As Dave mentions, much thought is a good idea if you want to go with a Chinese (DC) laser. But, it appears to me that you are doing just that. I'm a little more positive and will opine that even if you were are not aware of the differences between the two, it is pretty easy to remedy that. If you're a little handy and can troubleshoot, you have a lot more options available to you.

Good luck with your decision.

Thank you Matt! I am still waiting to hear back from Epilog. This afternoon I put a call in to a "local" salesman (closest to me) and no call back. I'll try again tomorrow. Besides advice on a used one, I also want to hear what is the latest and greatest since I bought mine a few years ago.

Lisa

[Keith Colson]

Hi Lisa

My laser was a bargain because I managed to get all the extraction system and ducting, an air dryer (3k worth) and a huge pile of sheets of "stuff" and a PC with Corel already loaded. This was lots of dollars saved. The laser was almost free if I just purchased all the stuff attached to it. You should see what else you can get thrown in.

Cheers
Keith

[rich shepard]

A new Mini 18 30 watt runs 10500 right now. I have had a 35 watt for 10 years now and it still is running great. Have only changed the encoder strip, tube and think one servo motor in that time, and I use it. I don't count encoder strips as they are 12 bucks and keep a spare in stock. Lens and Mirrors were under 300 if I remember right and just replaced the vector grid at 108. Hope to order a new 40 watt later this week and run them both as needed. Not sure what a used one would bring but do know the last one epilog had for sale lased under a hour on their web site.
rich

[Dan Hintz]

A new Mini 18 30 watt runs 10500 right now.

Is this list price? My watermark for small machines is usually the 30W ULS mini, which generally lists for <$8k... after discounts and such, there's a lot of money to be saved.