age old question??????

[rescue]

...getting into signage as a part-time thing making small logos, lettering, etc. nothing big yet.... i did alittle vinyl work helping a friend...i know i should be purchasing a graphtec,summa or a gerber....but right now for a trial period...i might try the chinese knockoff till i feel comfortable to surge foward and have some money..
...which one
..24" jsi p24 w/signblazer5 $800 & supplies
..24" master cutter w?flexi starter $500
..25" (no name)mh721 w/artcut2005

....all on ebay
any guidance would be helpful
:Canada:

[Techman]

none of them.. waste of time and money..

[Fred Weiss]

The simple fact is that the better plotter doesn't cost more if you get in and get out because it will be worth more as a lightly used machine. The Chinese knockoff will likely end up a total loss on the resale market. The only difference is you'll have a little more money tied up with it while you figure out what you're doing.

[Derf]

Get A Graphtec..... You will be sorry if you buy that crap

[OldPaint]

why buy a plotter..go right to printer.....

[Bob 67]

Ive been using a master 24" for about two years now, And the only problem ive had was the wiring harness which was repaired locally for 20.00
Its has been a good machine for the money. Ive moved up to a roland verdacam now but i will never get rid of the master, great second plotter.

[rescue]

...i'm just concerned if these cutters /software will work....i don't care if they are slow and loud , if i get busier and want to get bigger , i will be in a better situation to upgrade.

[Techman]

if you read back in the posts, You will read that many are happy with their cheaper machines, Then later you will read where they have problems but are still happy with them. OF course they are happy with them. They wouldnt admit they made a mistake. Even tho it costs them. Any problem is a problem that could turn into a huge cost.. Theres no such thing as half a problem..

Then you will read where the software is just a very baisc dirver. They spend more to get softs what will do more.. All of it a waste of resources. If you feel you just need a cheapy then go ahead and get one. Go ahead and ignore experienced advice, But I for one will not bless your decision..

Get a good machine and don't look back.

[Bigdawg]

We have a Masters 24 cutter. We originally just bought it to cut thermoflex not vinyl so we weren't worried about getting a name brand. It is a pretty good cutter but it does have it's quirks. It is loud without a doubt. And to do small or detailed pieces you have to run it painstakingly slow but it will do it.
It really does do a good job on the what we use it for - which is mainly vinyl banners, coroplast & aluminum signs and car & window lettering. We've also done some pretty small lettering/detailed designs and it has done a good job.

Having said that it, if we were going to get a new cutter we would go with a name brand mostly because I feel it will expand what we can do. Probably wouldn't retire the Masters, but it would become a secondary machine.

[signage]

I would recommend getting a name brand! If you are doing work for someone and it brakes down easier to get repaired and parts. If purchased locally the vendor will usually lend you one to get your work done until yours get fixed!

[Scott Reynolds]

Save some more money and buy a good "budget" cutter. The very least I would start with is something,

like this ---> LINK (http://www.signsupplystore.com/ProductCart/pc/Roland_GX24_Sign_Cutter_packages.asp)

But with something from SSK, you get a cutter with SUPPORT! You get no support from the dude on Ebay. At the very very very least, look at the GCC Bobcat. I cant speak for their newer cutters, but I have an 7 yr old GCC Ulta pro 24", cuts great. :unclesam:

[TC49010]

Roland support is bar none. They help no matter if you bought the cutter brand new from a dealer or joe blow off ebay. I have used only Roland Brand cutters bought off ebay (sx-15 cx-24) and just purchased a pnc-5000 printer/cutter off ebay. No regrets at all!! When I upgrade to my versacamm I have no doubts at all that I will be able to recover the amounts I paid for my current machines.

You will need to do what is with in your budget becuase the purchase of the cutter is not going to be your only immeadite expense or learning curve.

Best of luck which ever cutter you pick.
Trixie

[rescue]

...thanks guys ...the info passed down is priceless....
...the way i look at it is that i'm only paying approx. $400 for a vinyl
cutter and some beginner software which will get me going....
...wouldn't that pay for itself in a couple of weeks ?
...some guys who have bought the cheap stuff agree it's not the greatest
but does work and is cutting vinyl....but $400 does make it tempting for a cheap unit...

[rescue]

...what about a cougar/bobcat with winpc or lxi for about $200...how do you beat that??? it looks like the jsi unit

[stickitco]

I have the master series cutter and I like it just fine. It is not quite as good or as quiet as my roland but it is a great machine to start on as long as you realize that it is just that..... a starter machine. P.s. take youe time setting up the feed alignment. and make sure everything is in place the first time you turn it on. shipping plays heck on these things.

[learned the hard way]

$400.00 and $200.00 ... those prices are so cheap it's hard to believe you're going to get anything for that amount. I have quite a bit of equipment and I wouldn't sell the oldest most worn-out machine I have for $400.00. I am almost certain that if you buy one of these, you will find that it doesn't come with all the stuff you need to get it up and running. I, personally, would not risk my money. Buy a beginner setup from JSI, SSK, Beacon Graphics, Signwarehouse, or whatever sign supply company you choose. They will tell you what you need to get started, if you have a problem they will help you, and if all else fails you can send it back.

[Bigdawg]

Do have to say that I bought my Masters 24 on ebay (closer to $700 than $400) and it does come with a 1-yr warranty and tech support. I've used tech support and while they are a little hard to understand... they have gone so far as to send screen shots to me so I would understand.
The software that came with it sucks though - i only use it as a bridge to the cutter. You'll need something like Corel or Illustrator (which we use) to actually do your layout.

[rescue]

...i have just been tossed around with all sorts of conflicted repports from this forum and others....
....it has certainly helped...

....might have a deal on a lynx 60 24" comes w/computer running flexisign 7.5 and a bunch of clipart and fonts for $900

am i heading in the right direction
...a used startup all setup or go new and figure it out slowly:Canada 2:

[Si Allen]

Just be very careful on Ebay with an item that is too cheap to pass up!

Lots of scams going on there lately!


If it sounds too good to be true...it probably is!

[TC49010]

Heres a link on a poll that was done on cutters:

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3675


Type in the name of any cutter your looking at in the " search" at the top of this forum and see what has been said by other users etc.

Trixie

[Cadmn]

...thanks guys ...the info passed down is priceless....
...the way i look at it is that i'm only paying approx. $400 for a vinyl
cutter and some beginner software which will get me going....
...wouldn't that pay for itself in a couple of weeks ?
...some guys who have bought the cheap stuff agree it's not the greatest
but does work and is cutting vinyl....but $400 does make it tempting for a cheap unit...
WoW seems like you got the sign world by the tail pay off in two weeks, Good luck I bet most wish they had that quick of a return Just starting out if your so sure , Why not go printer /cutter as some have said take the real plunge .