which printer should i buy uniform cadet v Roland versacamm?

[Mark Candlin]

Do a search on the boards, this subject has been covered in depth before.

[Kevin.Beck]

just bought a cadet, it came with the troop rip, so just use what ever soft ware you have at the moment and export into troop…

i went for the cadet so i can print some decals with out the need to lam, although i hoping to recieve my laminator next week……….

down side of a cadet- the smell. I bought an extractor fan from machine mart that solves the problem.

i`m having great fun with the machine, although not everythings plain sailing, there is a bit of a learning curve with these machine.

i think i`ve seen a versacam for sale on these boards, with laminator…

[eddie cotter]

i used to sub out print stuff to a firm with a versacam the prints were crap
& faded within weeks, it turned me right off that eco sol stuff,
rob lambie sujested the cadet! & i can honestly say its the best thing i ever did, i have the machine now nearly a year, its done wonders for my business & i even supply the trade, as for the smell, my cadet sits about three feet from my work station & even if its running for hours i dont even notice any smell, once every few weeks i do a maintenance clean, only takes ten mins, now & again i get the odd air block, only takes a min to sort, my next step will be the cadets big brother, the grenadier,
& the best thing is the back up from b&p they are a great bunch
always happy to help, its great to know if you have any tech problems
you can make a call & get back printing in no time at all,
😉 eddie

[asifnmalik]

I can never understand what this is about. It doesn’t matter which machine you use, they were both built to print outdoor stuff (allegedly), and as far as I am concerned all outdoor stuff should be laminated especially car/van wraps, its not as if it adds alot to the cost of the job and in the long term is better for you ’cause the customer won’t come running back to you after a few months complaining. It comes down to running costs and the amount of space (the cadet should never be used in a small space without at least an open window or extractor fan. We have the versacamm from Roland and have been happy so far, although to be honest I hear that B&p have a very good service (Oh well) 😕

[Peter Shaw]

This debate will probably go on forever but I thought I would add the following:

I bought a Cadet about 10 months ago after comparing Cadet and v
Versacamm output. I could little difference in visual quality but the Cadet had far better physical quality. By this I mean that the print was far more scratch resistant. In fact you’ll tear the vinyl rather than remove the print on a scratch test.

Am I happy with the Cadet? You bet, and this week we are upgrading to the larger Cadet 1400.

I hope I stay as happy !!

Peter

[Mike Grant]

I have had my Versacamm only one week, went down the Ecosol route. The first few prints off the line were fantastic quality and the rub test after 24 hours was all I expected it to be. Will print off a banner next week so we shall see how long it takes to fade. 🙄

Very pleased at the moment. 😀

[Ian Higgins]

Hi,
I bought the Cadet and have just upgraded to the new 1400+ … I think it is a great machine for the money.

[UniformBod]

There has been some factually incorrect information about the exact differences between a VersaCAMM and a Uniform CADET so…

VersaCAMM arrives at Uniform factory, is stripped down, all ink feedlines are replaced with pharmaceutical grade solvent resistant tubing, ink pumps replaced with high grade solvent resistant pumps, cap tubing is replaced, ink wiper blades are replaced, ink supply dampers replaced, ink plate is replaced.

All of this additional work is to facilitate the reliable use of active solvent inks as opposed to eco-solvent inks.

Finally the machines are then changed cosmetically with Uniform livery and badges before going on the market at the same price as the VersaCAMM (higher cost if ordered with TROOP/Wasatch RIP).

Can a CADET use either Uniform or VersaCAMM inks? Yes it can.

Can a VersaCAMM use Uniform inks? No it cannot.

Hope this heps to clear up some of the confusion.

[Alan Cooper]

We bought our Cadet Plus 54″ just before Christmas, and after a few problems with the computer that was linked to the cadet, we finally got the cadet earning it’s keep towards the end of Jan. Had a job in Feb. from one of our regulars to produce 10 – 3m x 2m signs, 30 – 1500 x 1000mm and 20 – 1000 x 750mm. All printed on vinyl and then mounted onto correx. We only had a week to turn this job around and I was worried about the machines capability to output prints continuously without the need to do regular cleaning and maintenance etc. The cadet performed
faultlessly, printing each 1500 x 1000mm in 30mins.We used the fastest speed (360×720 – 2 pass) and the quality was perfectly acceptable for a fairly short term promotion. So I can say that we are more than pleased with our cadet which can also be used as a plotter although we haven’t done so yet.

[Kevin.Beck]

UniformBod

nice to see another supplier getting involved with the board.

perhaps you could shed some light on some of the settings in troop.

for example , why would i want to change the direction the print head prints etc.
Change the number of passes from 4 to 8.

any extra info would be welcome.

perhaps somesort of demo, on how to get the best from these machines.

I`ve only had mine since the end of Jan, although its made me money, I`m still alittle bit in the dark.

cheers kev

[Cookster]

Well said uniformbod! if the price is the same given the choice why would anyone buy a versaCAMM? I have no idea but as you said I do hope this clears thing’s up.

All I know is we prefer full solvent as we print a lot of stickers on 100 micron vinyl and we don’t have to laminate although we have a laminator it’s just quicker & easier and we still charge the same anyway.

John

[Mark Shipley]

quote :

if the price is the same given the choice why would anyone buy a versaCAMM?

…. and what would all the cadet users do if Roland stopped producing VersaCAMM’s? 🙄

I can work with ECO-SOL inks unlike full solvent inks that aggravate my asthma! Plus I can supply unlaminated graphics for use in small confined areas that don’t stink the place out.

The VersaCAMM can also print onto both coated and uncoated media opening the possibilities of printing onto artists’ canvass, coated papers and many more of the emerging specialist medias.

Also the VersaCAMM doesn’t ‘gum’ up if not used for a couple of weeks or even months, that reason alone should persuade people to use ECO-SOL inks and avoid what can be a very costly, messy and time consuming problem.

I think I’ll stick with Roland and the VersaCAMM.

<just my 2p’s worth> 😮

Mark

[UniformBod]

…. and what would all the cadet users do if Roland stopped producing VersaCAMM’s? 🙄

That’s not happening anytime soon, and simply isn’t an issue. Even if it did, Uniform source parts from many suppliers and would potentially have less problem than Roland users who are reliant on a single source for service and parts.

As regards the Eco-Sol issue, you can buy a CADET and use Eco-Sol inks purchased from Roland if that is your preference. At least you then have the option of using Eco or active solvent inks at a later date or as needs dictate.

I won’t post on this topic again, I have stated the facts and don’t really want to get involved in a tribal debate about who made the right product choice. Both CADET and VersaCAMM printers are superb machines.

Becky as regards your TROOP questions, you are more than welcome to come to Chertsey for some additional hands-on training, if there is enough interest from users here, we can probably arrange a full training day specifically for you all as a group. Seems like a good excuse for you all to meet up, exchange ideas, get some training, and have a few shandies 😉 . I would be happy to organise this, those interested can PM me.

For more immediate assistance with TROOP questions call us or PM me.

[Kevin.Beck]

i would be intrested in that. will pm you.

i get good support from my supplier, but being shown things is always better.