Newbie- Pleasantly surprised by Chinese laser machine

[Vincent de Kler]

I am “new” to this forum in the sense that this is my first contribution. I have been reading and learning a lot from all the threads posted here since I decided to purchase a laser cutting machine about six months ago.
My experience was so positive and painless that I feel I have to share it with whoever is in the same predicament of having to choose between all these Chinese laser machines and cannot distinguish between the offers.
After reading a couple of horror stories of people that imported Chinese laser machines I did feel very apprehensive in going that route myself but my budget did not allow any other route. I decided that I will have to ready myself for some modifications and setup time if I decided to import this machine myself.
I contacted about 20 Chinese laser machine suppliers/manufacturers and it took me about 3 months and 100s of e-mails to whittle it down to about 2 suppliers. Eventually I decided to go with Shandong Shenhui Laser Science and Technology R&D CO as the sales lady, called Blanca Yan, was the most responsive with sending photos, manuals and answering my questions honestly and precisely. No e-mails were left unanswered. As this company is a manufacturer their price was also the best.
I eventually ordered an 80watt machine with cutting bed of 1200mmx 800mm. I also asked for a spare laser tube, lenses, mirrors and a honeycomb cutting table to be added to the order as I was unsure of the service I would get after buying the machine. Other parts/features that was included in the order was an upgrade chiller(CW-5000), upgrade exhaust blower(from 330w to 550w), a spare laser power supply, blade type cutting table, through the mirrors red dot pointer and motorized Z- axis with two spare sets of drive belts for the entire machine. A total of 12 spare belts. Other factors swaying my decision was the software that could cut straight from CoreDRAW and the fact that the Chenglish in the manual was not completely impossible to decipher.
As soon as the order was placed Blanca contacted me with the shipping arrangements and Bill of lading was sent in double quick time.
After about 5 weeks the machine arrived in a big crate. I was really surprised by the sturdy construction of the machine and the quality of the assembly and parts. The electrical layout was very neat and well secured.
As I expected I had to set the levels and relative alignment of the mirror holders so it was all on one plane and perpendicular to one another. After that the beam alignment was really easy to set up. I had to grease the screw threads that operated the up/down of the table and made some modification to the way the cutting table is fine tuned to level so the focus will be the same all over the cutting area. Please contact me for detailed specs on this modification, if you need it. That was it.
The software was a breeze to install and really easy to work after I spent an hour or two on Skype to Blanca with all my questions on how this and how that. (all text and no talk as I doubt we will understand one another if we have to speak)
My experience of importing this machine was painless largely due to the fantastic service and care that I received from Blanca at Shenhui Laser CO. I am extremely satisfied with the way this machine operates and would encourage anybody that wants to go this route(taking into account that some setup and modifications will have to be done by you) to contact this lady at the company mentioned above. The service I got from her was better than what I get from some local suppliers. And all of the above for USD4500.00! Import duties and handling was a further USD1500.00.

[bpoulin]

Originally Posted by Vincent de Kler Import duties and handling was a further USD1500.00.

How much were the duties alone?

[Vincent de Kler]

There was no import tax. Only VAT which was 14% of the total. The rest was payment for handling, documents and payment for my clearing agent.

[Tweakie]

Nice to read a success story.
Good fortune with all the items and projects you are going to make with your new machine.

Tweakie.

[bpoulin]

Ouch, mine is on it's way in, and all the paperwork I got from the freight company shows my handling, and all the paperwork fees for ISF will run me about $500 plus VAT. That's why I was worried about how much Customs charged, I was scared their fee was the additional $1000.

[Vincent de Kler]

Thanks Tweakie for the good wishes. All I can say about customs cost is that my overall expense is still much lower than if I had to buy it through a dealer or another source. Good luck with your machine bpoulin.

[bpoulin]

I totally agree with you! even the ones that are pre-imported are far more expensive than importing your own. It just takes a bit of research, and knowing what to expect when the machine arrives. A little TLC, patience, and a steep learning curve. I hope the whole import process goes smoothly, that is my biggest concern. Mainly because I have no control over it and I'm a bit of a control freak lol. Good Luck with your machine, I hope you have fun with it and make some money!

[Vincent de Kler]

I understand exactly where you are. As long as nothing major is wrong I am willing to set and improve most of the systems. But it needs to work to start off with. Lots of prayer and good fortune. Which company are you buying from and which machine?

[bpoulin]

I went with XYZ-tech and their model 1280 1200x800mm 80w along with their 4040 CNC router 400x400mm cutting bed, and a vinyl sign plotter, I can't remember right now if it's 32" or 34" CNC Router Laser Cutting Machine CNC Engraving Machine-XYZ Technologies Limited

[zax15uk]

Vincent,

It is good to hear you are happy, actually I don't think your experience is so different to others. It is just that your expectations were reasonable and your technical skills sufficient to complete the installation and alignment.

I am sure your story will help others make their decisions, best of luck with the system and let us know how you progress.

Zax.

[zax15uk]

Originally Posted by bpoulin Ouch, mine is on it's way in, and all the paperwork I got from the freight company shows my handling, and all the paperwork fees for ISF will run me about $500 plus VAT. That's why I was worried about how much Customs charged, I was scared their fee was the additional $1000.

Keep in mind that import tax (duty) and handling charges are very country dependant.

Your customs agent, freight forwarder or shipping company (for air freight) should be able to provide an estimate.

Good luck with the purchase.

Zax.

[Vincent de Kler]

Hi Zax
I think you are right. The perception is created that the Chinese machines is utter junk. If you compare the prices, then that is reinforced where in reality the "other" machines are just overpriced, in my opinion. The back-up and service card is then overplayed to such a degree that a lot of potential buyers are scared away. We have companies here in South Africa that do just that. They would import these very same machines from China, do some modifications and then sell it at 6-10 times the price. At the same time they would warn people against buying Chinese machines as it is deemed junk with no backup whatsoever.
So the reason why I started this tread was to show potential buyers out there that there are Chinese companies that provide value for money machines with backup. The only thing they cannot provide is a pair of hands to do whatever needs to be done on all machines in anyway. Those hands will have to be yours. All machines needs maintainence and some type of adjustment along the way if it is to be maximised.