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I’m new and want help
What a cracker of a site, new ish to this game but requireing to upgrade from what u would all call a toy to something right as a vinyl cutter. What would you recommend if spending between £1000-£1500 ex vat on a cutter. any info would help. Based in Oldham near manchester. Is there such a thing as a good showroom or what. New to this forum game. advised buy my brother who uses them all the time. eg scoobynet especially. SAD GUY car mad. But cut full rally scooby vinyls out for his car and must say even if it is myself it looked the dogs B*******. Well can anyone advise me of what to buy and from were. Hope i’ve done this right.
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TTFN Steve -
6 Replies
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We use Granthams in Preston. They deal in Macs and PC and a full range
of cutters. the software they deal in most is FLEXISIGN.Even if you do noy buy from them they do know what they are talking about, and from Manchester it is not to far for you to visit and pick their brains.
They are also competetivve with prcing, I think, on there machinery.
They are certainly not the worst place to start looking.
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hi steve welcome to the boards. if you have problems, then helping is what we all are best at!
im off home just now so ill try answer your question later tonight, but in the meantime im sure others will advise you.
personally i would recommend “graphtec” great machines & from what i have heard just keep on running…speak soon mate….
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Hi Steve…thanks for filling in your profile and gettin’ stuck -in!…you’re very welcome here.
I have a Graphtec machine which is a bit of a running joke cus it won’t die! – tried torching it, slappin’ it about – hell I’ve even unplugged it but it still keeps going! 😉
Thing is – I’ve only ever had the one machine – it’s done over 10 years now!…but in a way it’s like only ever having one girlfriend or one car…you’ve nothing to compare it too!
I read something the other night (on the Roland site I think it was) that mentioned two types of cutter; ‘cut to use’ and ‘cut to pay’…or something like that…I thought that was a nice way to sum up that there are different types of machine – those that are built to do hard work and those to do bits and pieces for yourself. Be careful you don’t buy the later unless that’s what you want.
Cost is the key and the sum you mention should get you a reasonable machine but only just! – not being funny…a good Gerber or Graphtec plotter is likely to be £2000-£3000 +VAT so you’re just about there. remember, sometimes it’s better to buy good gear slightly second hand than to buy cheap stuff new!
Anyway, others will no doubt have more information and perhaps even contacts and deals etc. but good luck and let us know how you get on.
more soon
mikethesign
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Hi there
Mike has just about summed it up mate… in the end if it’s down to money you will sway towards the cheaper.
Cheaper meaning cheap. How do they do this? Well by cutting corners or using cheaper gadgets within the machine. Gadgets that will burn out quicker & the supplier will get their cash back through maintenance charges. I have 3 Roland machines all run great. We didn’t purchase them all at once, but over the years.
What I saw was a drop in the price as time went on. What I also saw was the cutbacks!
We have a 610 wide Roland machine a good 6+ years old. It’s a workhorse, made of metal casing. This thing has run thousands of miles of vinyl. It never stops.
Now we bought one a few years ago. Wider machine, 1260. Still a great machine but now most of the casing is plastic. It’s also lighter for its size. The one thing I hate about it is the clamps for holding the vinyl are also made of plastic. The pressure they give out is about as tight as a clothes peg. Now go to the small older machine… the clamps are steel and snap closed on the vinyl like a crocodile… well you know what I mean…
😳 Our next cutter was the Graphtec 54” wide. Brill machine tracks great… metal casing etc… hopefully another workhorse… had it a couple of years now and not one problem.
It cost a little more than the Roland machines but in the end I reckon when the 1260 wide Roland dies on me this one and the little one will keep on going…well worth the extra few pounds…
Its not only the life of the thing that you want to last… the biggest cost can be maintaining it. Call out charges etc is a joke. So 2 years and not a thing wrong, is great value. Try buying a car and after 2 years it’s never needed a service or anything? Well this is the kind of money you are spending. The difference is, cars don’t bring you in money cars don’t put the food on the table!
Im not saying you have to buy a Graphtec by any means. Just don’t just buy the cheapest because it saves you a few bob. 🙂 -
I have to agree with both Robert and Mike, if you only have £1500 to spend on a plotter you are probably better off getting a used machine, have a look about and dont be in to much of a hurry to get one. Most of the supply companies have ex-demo or reconditioned machines so one of these might be a better bet if money is tight. I wouldnt look at anything under 610 wide either. I have a graphtec machine 1metre wide and it tracks great I have to agree with rob they make great machines, my only complaint with it is i sometimes wish it were wider.
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Hi Steve
You’ll certainly get all the info you need on here , welcome to the madhouse !!!!
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