Rolls roller or CWT table?

[FS-Keith]

I am about to pull the trigger on a flatbed laminator. I can get the rolls roller for about the same price as the cwt. Which one do you like better. I have used the cwt at a show and used a rolls roller of various sizes a couple times. i really do not have enough time on either to have a preference at this point. do any of you have real world experience with them both? which one do you recommend? both that i am looking at have a light table if that matters at all to you.

Also I know supposedly i can get a china one for 5K but until one of you actually shows me a reputable distributor that has them and they speak english and support the product I am not interested. The 60 bucks a day its going to cost me for a rolls roller is not that hard to swallow with our volume.

 

[Ditchmiester]

I've been looking at the Rolls Roller because they have the table size we need we mount 3x4 foot sheets all day everyday. They are the only ones that I have found that are offering a smaller table size. I don't need or have room for a 5x17 or huge sized table. Let me know which one you went with will want to know how it turns out.

 

[reQ]

What do you need support for if you buy chinese table? Its metal frame + tempered glass + silicone roller + air compressor + pneumatic cylinders there, not much that can brake & they will send you replacement parts for free during warranty period.

Give you an example

CWT table from dealer in canada will cost me a little over 18k + taxes etc, after its delivered it will be well over 21k canadian funds. (RollsRoller table from ND was around 25k after taxes from ND Graphics)
Chinese table, same size, 12k canadian funds delivered to my door after taxes & import fees.

If you ready to pay almost double & buy it locally, by all means, go ahead, but in my opinions its not worth it.

 

[Ditchmiester]

Have you seen any of the Chinese version in a smaller than 4x8 table size?

 

[reQ]

Have you seen any of the Chinese version in a smaller than 4x8 table size?

They will make it any size you want, but i am pretty sure their smallest "standard" size is 1700mm long which is like 67 inches, and of course its roughly 5ft in height..

 

[GB2]

I too have been looking at those flatbed laminating tables for a long time and the CWT, Rolls Roller and Rollover tables have been the top considerations. Personally, I would never import such a thing directly from China myself, I know that 75% of everything we have these days is made in China but those things are dealt with and imported by professionals in those industries. I have heard many horror stories lately about people trying to save a dollar by importing these tables, lasers and CNC machines and when they have problems, which they do often, it's almost impossible to get support, parts and/or service and can be extremely costly to obtain parts if they can get them. I know others that have issues with the quality and flatness of the laminating tables from China and the risk and sole liability of doing that yourself is not worth the savings in my opinion. So, when considering the CWT, Rolls Roller and Rollover tables, a cost and feature comparison would be the first thing, then dealer support, parts and service availability. Sure it's not a very complicated technical piece of equipment but when I buy something like that brand new, I like to keep it in excellent working condition at all times.

 

[FS-Keith]

They will make it any size you want, but i am pretty sure their smallest "standard" size is 1700mm long which is like 67 inches, and of course its roughly 5ft in height..

Exactly who is "they" .Give me a persons name and number that I can call up and speak English too and receive technical info and details about shipping, delivery/setup? You seem to be always cheerleadling "them" do you personally have one? Sometimes buying from a company with a track record and after the sale support is more of a value then saving a few thousand dollars from a ghost company.

 

[Andriy]

Last I heard CWT was under a lawsuit by RollsRoller for a patent of sorts.
Not sure how that would affect CWT tables warranty in the future if things go bad for them.

 

[FS-Keith]

I can get a rolls roller for the same price as a cwt so its really not about that. the cwt table im looking at is 60"x140" and the rolls roller is 64x 122". my main question is does the cross bar on the rolls roller get in the way? the cwt table does not have it. rolls roller claims this is a flaw but i do not see it that way, longevity is yet to be seen. CWT also claims they can do 60" wide applications with their 60" roller. if they cant or its a pIA then thats out of consideration. anyone here with a cwt that can comment on that? Also can both of these apply prints to foamcore? not gatorboard, foamcore

 

[reQ]

Exactly who is "they" .Give me a persons name and number that I can call up and speak English too and receive technical info and details about shipping, delivery/setup? You seem to be always cheerleadling "them" do you personally have one? Sometimes buying from a company with a track record and after the sale support is more of a value then saving a few thousand dollars from a ghost company.

Yes, i will be buying mine from china around this Xmas. Guess what, all bigger companies have a rep who speak english very well. Also, if you don't feel comfortable saving 10-13k dollars & prefer buying it locally - go ahead. I mentioned that i am not here to convince anyone going that route, do exactly what works for you.

 

[FS-Keith]

Yes, i will be buying mine from china around this Xmas. Guess what, all bigger companies have a rep who speak english very well. Also, if you don't feel comfortable saving 10-13k dollars & prefer buying it locally - go ahead. I mentioned that i am not here to convince anyone going that route, do exactly what works for you.

based on your figure of 12k for a Chinese one. I would not be "saving" 10-13k, it would be half of that. I thought you had first hand experience based on how you always recommend them. Hope it works well for you. thanks

 

[reQ]

based on your figure of 12k for a Chinese one. I would not be "saving" 10-13k, it would be half of that. I thought you had first hand experience based on how you always recommend them. Hope it works well for you. thanks

Do you even read people's posts? i am in Canada & talking Canadian funds, not US. If US around 8k delivered to ur door in States, +/- 700 dollars

 

[FatCat]

Went to the NBM show in Indy last weekend and pulled the trigger on a CWT 1640. Mike and the crew at CWT really impressed me with their knowledge and attitudes. I feel they really believe in their product and helped me work out the logistics of buying the 1640 they had at the show and shipping it back to my shop that same day!! Yeah, was kind of crazy, and perhaps an impulse buy, but we really are digging the table and will definitely post back with our opinions after we've put it through its paces after a few weeks time.

 

[reQ]

How much did you pay?

P.S. Im 100% sure you will love flatbed laminator. Never heard from anyone that they did regret purchasing one!

 

[FatCat]

How much did you pay?

P.S. Im 100% sure you will love flatbed laminator. Never heard from anyone that they did regret purchasing one!

Well, I don't want to post what we paid openly, because this was a special circumstance, demo table, at the show...had to take it right then and there...etc. Honestly, it's a miracle it worked out the way it did. My wife and I left Indy around 2:30pm on Saturday and the flatbed rolled up to my shop with the table on it about 10:30pm that same night. (Poor driver had to turn around and drive the 3.5 hours back to Indy that same night...but he was compensated well for his troubles.)

We had to make some room, this table is roughly 5x13, lighted and came with all the bells and whistles. We've already mounted, masked, laminated - but one of the main reasons I got it was to help speed up production of cutting down posters and such. We also got one of their linear cutters (Sweet tool) that really shines with this table. Hoping to see a drastic reduction in time using this tool and table vs straight edge and olfa. Really wanted to pull the trigger on a digital cutting table like a Zund or Summa, but I just can't make the numbers work right now.

Again, will post back once we've had some time to use it and find out.

 

[JJM7288]

We purchased a Rolls Roller because the patent infringement lawsuit against CWT. I thought the CWT a better value though. The Rolls Roller has serves us well for 18 months now.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Well, I don't want to post what we paid openly, because this was a special circumstance, demo table, at the show...had to take it right then and there...etc. Honestly, it's a miracle it worked out the way it did. My wife and I left Indy around 2:30pm on Saturday and the flatbed rolled up to my shop with the table on it about 10:30pm that same night. (Poor driver had to turn around and drive the 3.5 hours back to Indy that same night...but he was compensated well for his troubles.)

We had to make some room, this table is roughly 5x13, lighted and came with all the bells and whistles. We've already mounted, masked, laminated - but one of the main reasons I got it was to help speed up production of cutting down posters and such. We also got one of their linear cutters (Sweet tool) that really shines with this table. Hoping to see a drastic reduction in time using this tool and table vs straight edge and olfa. Really wanted to pull the trigger on a digital cutting table like a Zund or Summa, but I just can't make the numbers work right now.

Again, will post back once we've had some time to use it and find out.

Does the linear cutter attach to the table some how? Can you rip and cross cut with the cutter and it not be clunky?

 

[rjssigns]

Went to the NBM show in Indy last weekend and pulled the trigger on a CWT 1640. Mike and the crew at CWT really impressed me with their knowledge and attitudes. I feel they really believe in their product and helped me work out the logistics of buying the 1640 they had at the show and shipping it back to my shop that same day!! Yeah, was kind of crazy, and perhaps an impulse buy, but we really are digging the table and will definitely post back with our opinions after we've put it through its paces after a few weeks time.

Holy structural steel Batman!!!!!!!!!!!
Enough metal there to build a battleship. If you run out of sign work you can always use it as a work table for dump trucks.

 

[FatCat]

Does the linear cutter attach to the table some how? Can you rip and cross cut with the cutter and it not be clunky?

No it doesn't physically attach to the table, it has a really grippy pad (and I do mean grippy) that works very well with their clear cutting mat. The linear cutter alone is a very nice tool and once that has already seen lots of use in our shop cutting down vinyl, banner and magnets so far this week. I don't feel it's clunky at all - really much nicer to use than a straight edge and olga, but it takes some getting used to for all of us as we've been doing it the old fashioned way for years.

 

[FatCat]

Holy structural steel Batman!!!!!!!!!!!
Enough metal there to build a battleship. If you run out of sign work you can always use it as a work table for dump trucks.

Yes, it does seem over-built, but that is something I can live with and a refreshing change over other equipment that seems to get built cheaper and cheaper each year. Table weighs about 1200 lbs, but its really nice to work on and dead flat. We seemed to always struggle with our own built tables in getting a perfectly flat for quick laminating, masking, etc...