Another Newbie needing advice

[DaveSUK]

Hi Everyone

I have been following this Forum for a couple of months now because I am trying to convince my wife that getting a Laser Cutter (new toy) is a good idea. I have read several reports regarding Chinese Lasers off the Bay, some bad but none have put me off completely. My budget is between £1500 and £3000 (yes I'm in the UK).and I am looking at a 40 - 60w laser with a decent size work area. This will only be used as a hobby machine, card, thin ply etc.

I was looking at either E-Bay or HPC 3050, then I found "Just add Sharks" with their Blacknose 40w. I can only find 2 reviews regarding this product (both very impressed)
.

• Has anyone here had dealings with this company or know anything about their machines,
• Does every E-Bay machine require modification or is it just a few unlucky buyers with issues

Only a couple of questions but this could help me decide

Dave

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[Storen]

I may be wrong but "Just add Sharks" machines look like rebranded "Gweike" OEMs. See if they have some in stock. If they ask you to wait for weeks it would be better to contact the original manufacturer for better prices and more custom options.

BTW for £3000 you should be able to get much better machine than these.

One more thing - try to get samples from your own custom files before buying the machine. Even samples cut from paper will tell a lot of the build quality.

[Labmaster]

Hello Dave,

if you have some basic techincal knowledge and some basic tools at home you should definately check out the popular 500 x 300mm China Laser solder all over the different platforms.
A guy from the UK (Russ) made some very good videos how he learned about this machine. Check out his videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/SarbarMultimedia/videos
You should easily get this machine including a fume extractor + all needed addons, far below 3000£.

best regards,
Walter

[DaveSUK]

Thank you for the quick replies, I know this is a re-occuring question but it really does help us newbies getting this sort of information

Storen - I did read that "Just add sharks" do import from China, check the machines and sell them on. Not sure what stock they hold but I will find out, Thanks for the samples advice, I think I will do that when I decide which laser to go for. Can you reccomend a couple of better machines for this price for me to look at

Labmaster - I have spent days watching Russ on YouTube set up and adjust his machine. He is one reason I am still thinking of getting a Chinese Laser.

[Storen]

Hey Dave,

I’ll join Labmaster in recommending the eBay 500x300 50W (Shenhui). It is a descent, affordable machine for hobby projects and learning. It is equipped with one of the best Chinese motion controllers and it is very easy to use.
The way it is designed makes it also easy to service and modify. The actual laser power is around 35W which is sufficient for most applications. It is a cheap machine and it has some quality issues, but nothing to be scared of

On the other hand, your budget will allow you to get higher class machine. If you go that route you should have significantly less issues using it and it should be much easier to sell it later on if you decide to do so. I don’t know what projects you have in mind so I can’t recommend a specific model, but I would suggest to contact these 2 manufacturers:

Non-metal laser cutting machine,auto-feeding laser cutting machine,fabric and leather laser cutting machine,craft gifts laser cutting machine,movable platform laser cutting machine-Foshan Beyond Laser Technology Co., Ltd.

Laser Cutting - Wuhan Sunic Photoelectricity Equipment Manufacture Co,.Ltd?PV Solar Equipments?LED LGP Laser Marking Machine?Laser Cutting&Engraving Machine?Laser Marking Machine

I’ve seen excellent samples from these brands. Very close to the top class machines.

Of course the down side is - you will have to import the machine from China, pay for the freight and custom charges and it will take awhile.

[wklaserliu]

Hi Everyone

I have been following this Forum for a couple of months now because I am trying to convince my wife that getting a Laser Cutter (new toy) is a good idea. I have read several reports regarding Chinese Lasers off the Bay, some bad but none have put me off completely. My budget is between £1500 and £3000 (yes I'm in the UK).and I am looking at a 40 - 60w laser with a decent size work area. This will only be used as a hobby machine, card, thin ply etc.

I was looking at either E-Bay or HPC 3050, then I found "Just add Sharks" with their Blacknose 40w. I can only find 2 reviews regarding this product (both very impressed)
.

• Has anyone here had dealings with this company or know anything about their machines,
• Does every E-Bay machine require modification or is it just a few unlucky buyers with issues

Only a couple of questions but this could help me decide

Dave

HI Dave,

I am QUiven from gweike laser
according to your news, i recommend you our strom600 laser engarver.
http://www.wklaser.com/index.php?m=c...128&l=2&id=254
check above if its link.

dear, we also have dek top model LG500 (500*300mm) ,but LG500 is higher price than strom600, for strom600 is our new design and cheapest model in world.

i had sent you private news, please check.

ok, for more news you can contact me at:
chloe@wklaser.com
skype:wkquiven

[DaveSUK]

Thanks again Storen, I don't fancy the hassle of importing from China, I think I will go down the E-Bay route some of these are supplied from local areas so I could possibly collect, all savings can then go in a pot to sort out any issues I come across.

You say that the 50w advertised lasers are actually around 35w, is this the same with all 50w lasers or just the E-Bay ones?

[Storen]

Most tube manufacturers spec. their products accurately. In fact the good brands tend to specify lower values than the peak wattage.

The label on the tube on this particular model says 50W but the laser will reach its maximum power at about 65%. I recall someone in this forum posting a table with milliampere measurements per different percentage settings for this exact machine. If you upgrade your machine with milliammeter you should be able to check the tube yourself.

So, the long story short - don't run it above 65%. It will only shorten the tube's life.

[DaveSUK]

OK, I have finally done it.......purchased a 50w Shenhui form E-Bay. Ordered it on Thursday evening and it was delivered this morning (Monday). Impressed.

At first glance the crate it was delivered in was damaged, one corner ripped open. When I opened the crate and examined the machine there was no damage and all the accessories were present. I have read that some machines were delivered with loose connections, damaged panels and metal filings in the bottom, mine is straight, tight and clean. Im well impressed so far. I have not fired it up yet due to me not being able to locally source Distilled Water, I am searching the area and should find it soon.

Thank you for the advice so far and I am sure I will be back for more over the coming months.

Dave

[fixtureman1]

I use the pink RV antifreeze in my unit. I am not sure what you call that over there in the UK

[nivlek]

Nolang
Could you please explain why there is a need to change the water each month... I have not done this.

I also use antifreeze in the water

Thanking you in advance
Kel

[Labmaster]

If you use distilled water in a somehow protected or closed system, add some additives for preventing growing algae and other microorganisms you water might be good over years.
Anyway it is always god to check it regularly.

best regards,
Walter

[nivlek]

Labmaster and Nolan
I used distilled water mixed with antifreeze in a plastic water tight system. No dirt or dust should get into. but I expect a little would.
Also the antifreeze should stop any growing algae , I hope

Kel