View Full Version : China made laser engravers~Are they worth it??


velocitygraphix
11-03-2007, 02:22 PM
Hello, everyone! I just wanted to hear some comments on the laser engraver and software from china, especially wklasers.com. I have been in touch with them and plan on buying the LG900 in the very near future. I have been researching for a while now, and they seem to have the best overall package and customer service so far. Also, their engravers will work directly from coreldraw which is a big reason that I feel they would be a better choice. Most of the other laser engravers, operate only from their own software. I just wanted some comments and opinions on this subject of chinese laser engravers and recommendations. If anyone has a favorite please let me know. Thanks!

pedroman
11-03-2007, 04:29 PM
That's the main issue what version of corel??? Not X3 likely as all the chinese lasers are using the same packages.

My Rabbit is great!

Pete

dragoneye
11-03-2007, 04:44 PM
you will find the service from wklaser the best there is from china and the lg900 is probally their best machine ,

You may consider letting a young computer geek to install the software for you as they dont need to follow the instructions which is the only problem i have found bearing in mind my first machine was written in chineese but they have come leeps and bounds since i purchase my first lg1200 nearly three years ago and still working like new on original tube and mirrors.
regards

Micheal Donnellan
11-03-2007, 04:48 PM
dragoneye how you keep it running so long on orignal tube and mirrors, how the rest hold out

velocitygraphix
11-03-2007, 06:20 PM
Pedroman, yeh the only version I have is X3, is there a particular version I need, such as 12? Do you think this would work better? Also, Dragoneye, I am glad to hear how well the machine works for you. Did you find completing the transaction easy or difficult. They said they could ship it to me for 175 dollars, I would just need to pick it up at customs. Just wondered how difficult it was after coming to port to actually have all the paperwork completed. Didnt know if I need a customs agent or not. Please let me know. Thanks!!

lamicron
11-03-2007, 07:43 PM
If you dont want to have headaches, Corel 12 and windows XP ,

SkipW
11-03-2007, 10:37 PM
You can us Corel X3 if you save the files first as .ai (version 7 only I believe) or .dxf or .plt, then import them into the laser software. Corel 12 is more convenient because you can make the laser run right from that version, but if you save the files and then import them into LaserCut, X3 works fine, and like Luis said, use XP.

Am I right??? Anyone???

I've got the LC6090 from wklaser and it's a great machine. Dragoneye, I hope mine will run as long as yours has with the original mirrors and tubes. What's the secret?

dragoneye
11-04-2007, 06:51 AM
I change the water every three days as recommended in the manaul this as you know is very expensive using deminalized water at 30 litres a change twice a week at a dollar a litre = $3640 per year makes you wonder if you brought the wrong type of laser.

BUY A Distilling machine cost $300 from most health stores, will easy keep up with one machine and buy bigger as needed, 4c a litre = $ 145 per year yes it is worth it.
I clean the mirrors with camera lens cleaner and oil the rails once a week,i had a problem with the pci card when i first got the lg1200 took a month to get fixed and has been rock solid ever since .

i have an lg500 that i use just for photo engraving and a lg900 which are just as solid, had a stepper motor fail on the 900 but vwith the help of the machinery checking systems they now include in the manauls with some spares supplied shows that wklasers are trying to solve the problems by doing this, i also have a 300 which i lend out to anyone who wants to buy a laser so they have some idea of what makes them work and this has never had a thing go wrong with it 3 years old not used as much as my 1200 but get all the abuse and still on the same tube and mirrors.
I have a spare tube and mirrors for all and will have to wait and see if the stored tube will work or no as there seems some concern they dont hold the gas .

I notice there are some people not happy with the chineese lasers and their way of business but i feel if you treat them right they will treat you right this i find wklasers and also rabbit lasers are probally the best to deal with .

i only speak as i find and i find it all good so far.

velocitygraphix
11-04-2007, 11:08 AM
Dragoneye, Clearly you take care of your lasers. I believe in the same practice with any of my tools and plan on doing the same with the laser engraver. I am glad to hear that WKLASER is a dependable machine. This is the company I am leaning toward purchasing from, and seems to be the most reliable. I plan on getting the LG900 for photos on glass and wood. I checked into Redsail, and the contact person in the US still has NOT emailed me back. I beginning to see the customer service from them is not so good. Also, when you purchased your lg900, did the pci card come bad? Or did it go bad after a couple of uses. This is my biggest fear is that something will be wrong with the card or the software, and I will think that its me or the machine. How easy was it to get a replacement card from WKLASERS? I appreciate your help. Thanks!!

dragoneye
11-05-2007, 02:15 PM
the pci card went wrong a couple of months after using it and they now have a very good way of pinpointing problems with this now, it was my 1200 which had the problem. the quality of the 900 and indeed the 500 are greatly improved since i brought my first laser , make sure you read and understand the manauls before setting up your machine, get them downloaded from their site now so you can read them before it arrives.
i read that some people arnt getting support from wk i speak for myself now and i have never not had Jack reply to me since dealing with him maybe some people just piss him off, i know some do me

SkipW
11-05-2007, 02:24 PM
i speak for myself now and i have never not had Jack reply to me since dealing with him maybe some people just piss him off, i know some do me

Well said !!! Same goes for me...

MacGyver
11-05-2007, 06:48 PM
i read that some people arnt getting support from wk i speak for myself now and i have never not had Jack reply to me since dealing with him maybe some people just piss him off, i know some do me
If someone is so easily riled up, they really shouldn't hold a customer service position. If the product you represent has a high number of failures early on in its lifecycle, you can expect a lot of pissed off people. If your solution is to ignore customers who piss you off, you will quickly gain a reputation as someone who is difficult to do business with... and soon you won't have many customers to speak of.

Support your product AFTER the sale, give people the warm and fuzzies about the product they just purchased for a lot of hard-earned money, and remember... if it wasn't for the customers, you'd be out of a sales job.

ArturoV
11-05-2007, 09:58 PM
One of the big problems I had was the language issue. Whats so hard about hiring someone here in the US that speaks english? That will solve a lot of the problems.

SkipW
11-05-2007, 10:37 PM
If someone is so easily riled up, they really shouldn't hold a customer service position. If the product you represent has a high number of failures early on in its lifecycle, you can expect a lot of pissed off people. If your solution is to ignore customers who piss you off, you will quickly gain a reputation as someone who is difficult to do business with... and soon you won't have many customers to speak of.

Support your product AFTER the sale, give people the warm and fuzzies about the product they just purchased for a lot of hard-earned money, and remember... if it wasn't for the customers, you'd be out of a sales job.

Maybe you weren't speaking of wklaser specifically, only companies in general, but like dragoneye, I have had no problems with wklaser. Their after sale support has been excellent for me, and I expect that's true of 99% of their other customers. I'm sure you have had to deal with customers who are complete a-holes no matter what you do for them. I don't think 1 or 2 PO'd people out of 100 would matter to a company that ships products globally. Sure, it probably hurts their reputation to a degree with some people, but I'll bet there isn't a company out there of their size that has 100% customer satisfaction. It's a nice goal to strive for, but realistically it's pretty hard to attain. Just my .02.

velocitygraphix
11-05-2007, 11:16 PM
I completely agree with Skip W. I believe that any company has their number of complaints as well as praises. It all depends on who you talk to. However, anyone who wants a great price would be a fool not to buy a quality laser from China. You can purchase one there for around 1/5th the price as the same size in the US. If you are concerned with someone who speaks english so when you have a problem, then go ahead and spend the extra 10-15 thousand dollars. Me, I tend to be able to solve problems, or attempt to solve problems on my on, before I get on the phone and wait for someone on the other end to tell me what to do. According to most people who have bought machines from China, and inparticular WKLASER, seemed to be more than satisfied. I have purchase different machines made in the US and they have broke before 2 or 3 uses. It is the quality? No things happens. Just because you buy a new car with 1 mile on it, doesnt mean that the transmission wont go out, or the engine wont break! It seems like for the money difference, Chinese machines, whether you like them or not, would be worth taking a chance on trying. If they dont do what you need them to do, wouldnt it be better to be out a couple thousand rather than 20 thousand for the US model? Just thought I would chime in on the debate! Thanks!!

jinu117
11-05-2007, 11:27 PM
So I guess I am the person who pissed Jack off eh?
But he won't mind selling me router even if he is pissed off at me?
(no response for a month and when I ask about router... instant response back ha!)
All I asked him were few simple things... picture documentation of how to set up the machine, how to focus lense, etc. The manual that came in with is rubbish from what I see (drawings don't even match what I have), whatever video they sent me was corrupt on CD...
The only thing that got me be able to going is actually forum members who helped me. If you call that support ...:confused:
Ignoring paying customer NEVER is right from where I work at. I just wish they had something like BBB in Chinese.
If you are right sales person, you turn those annoying one's into your best marketing tool, you don't just walk away.

SkipW
11-06-2007, 12:23 AM
So I guess I am the person who pissed Jack off eh?
But he won't mind selling me router even if he is pissed off at me?
(no response for a month and when I ask about router... instant response back ha!)
All I asked him were few simple things... picture documentation of how to set up the machine, how to focus lense, etc. The manual that came in with is rubbish from what I see (drawings don't even match what I have), whatever video they sent me was corrupt on CD...
The only thing that got me be able to going is actually forum members who helped me. If you call that support ...:confused:
Ignoring paying customer NEVER is right from where I work at. I just wish they had something like BBB in Chinese.
If you are right sales person, you turn those annoying one's into your best marketing tool, you don't just walk away.

Hey sorry Jinu, I wasn't talking about you when a said some customers were ass-holes no matter what you do for them. I was talking about experiences that I've had when dealing with the public. I would never call another cnczone member an ass-hole. Unless they pissed me off of course... ha ha

You have a legitimate complaint. If Jack couldn't help you, he should at least explain why. And send you another video and manual. How long could that take? Must be that your 1 year warranty expired, but that's still no excuse.

MacGyver
11-06-2007, 07:36 AM
I don't think 1 or 2 PO'd people out of 100 would matter to a company that ships products globally. Sure, it probably hurts their reputation to a degree with some people, but I'll bet there isn't a company out there of their size that has 100% customer satisfaction.
True, but what about when those statistics are reversed? What happens when there are only a handful of satisfied people, and a long line of highly unsatisfied people? The unhappy are going to talk louder than the happy, so we could probably go as far as a 50/50 mix of happy/unhappy people and notice a lot of complaints... wouldn't you think twice about doing business with a company where your chances of getting what you pay for are the same as flipping a coin? Sure, there's a lot of money to be saved, but you only save it if your coin ended up on heads... too many people get the tail end.

It seems like for the money difference, Chinese machines, whether you like them or not, would be worth taking a chance on trying. If they dont do what you need them to do, wouldnt it be better to be out a couple thousand rather than 20 thousand for the US model?
Yes, there is plenty of money to be saved going with Chinese lasers, enough to prevent me from completely discounting them. However, I don't think it's fair to directly compare US and Chinese sellers. You may pay 10 times the price for a US-based seller, but you have a huge protection network in place should things not work out... credit card chargebacks, lawsuits, etc. What protection do you have with a Chinese laser if it fails? Practically zero. So you can take a chance on a Chinese laser, but that's exactly what you're doing, taking a chance... if it doesn't work out, you're still stuck without a working machine, and you're now in the hole for the purchase price.



Don't get me wrong guys, I'm not saying Chinese machines are the devil, I'm simply saying caveat emptor. I've seen way too many complaints for every single Chinese manufacturer ever mentioned in this forum to say any one of them is a high-quality outfit. You may get satisfaction, you may not, but so far none deserve the title of "quality" or "after-sale friendly". Ignoring service request emails but answering price request emails is a sure sign of a company's lack of interest in after-sales reputation.

wklaser
11-08-2007, 07:33 PM
Hi velocitygraphix ,
We have an exclusive distributer in USA for LG models, but from now on for all models- LG model and LC model.. So please contact them directly, here are their information:

Attn: Jim Olsen
31220 Hilltop Blvd.
Running Springs, CA 92382
(909) 936-5554

Please call them!!! :rainfro:

JackYin