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    oldgodzilla's Avatar
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    Default Best laser for around $5000

    Hello,

    I'm looking for suggestions on my first laser.

    For now I'm looking at it as a hobby, but may potentially start trying to make money off of it.

    The epilogs are really nice looking but seem very expensive.

    Someone recommended Thunderlaser to me, and I am currently looking at a 60W system.

    However, I wanted to ask your experience with the other cheaper lasers, such as the Chinese ones and the ones from automation technologies.

    Any suggestions/input you have would be great. Thanks!

    -oldgodzilla

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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    I have one of the smaller 60 watt Automation Technologies lasers and I just got a new big 130 watt laser off E bay the seller was Goldraydigital and their shipping and service is very good. I ordered it on a Friday and had it the next Wednesday here is a link to their store

    Goldray DIY Solutions | eBay Stores



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    I recommend you take a look at the Aeon MIRA. Of all the Chinese machines to choose from, this is the best engineered CO2 laser by far. If you take a look at an Epilog laser or any of the other high-line machines made in the US, you'll notice right away that they do all their own engineering. From the laser head to the gantry rails, everything is light weight and very well packaged for optimum performance.

    Now, take a look at any Chinese laser and you'll quickly see the same components being repeated throughout each brand. That is because, aside from the distinct cabinets, all Chinese laser companies recycle the same handful of components that are easily sourced locally. However, Aeon is the first company we've seen out of China to follow in the footsteps of the American brands and engineer everything from scratch.

    Aeon Laser Cutting Engraving Marking Machines

    Take a close look at their light weight laser head, mirror mounts and the enclosed gantry and rails. You would never guess this laser was made in China. In addition to being better built, the Aeon MIRA also out performs every Chinese laser with 5Gs of acceleration, amounting to 500mm/sec cut speeds and 1200mm/sec scan speeds. With all the ancillary components, like the exhaust fan, water pump and air comp pump already built in, you really do get the best bang for your buck.

    The 40W model is yours for $5995 and includes free startup training and unlimited technical support. Order before the month ends and you'll also get free shipping with it as well. It's a little more than what you were planning on spending, but well worth it in my opinion.

    I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

    Happy Hunting,

    Danny
    Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
    (321) 821-7774
    Melbourne, FL



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    Quote Originally Posted by Dmart321 View Post
    I recommend you take a look at the Aeon MIRA. Of all the Chinese machines to choose from, this is the best engineered CO2 laser by far. If you take a look at an Epilog laser or any of the other high-line machines made in the US, you'll notice right away that they do all their own engineering. From the laser head to the gantry rails, everything is light weight and very well packaged for optimum performance.

    Now, take a look at any Chinese laser and you'll quickly see the same components being repeated throughout each brand. That is because, aside from the distinct cabinets, all Chinese laser companies recycle the same handful of components that are easily sourced locally. However, Aeon is the first company we've seen out of China to follow in the footsteps of the American brands and engineer everything from scratch.

    Aeon Laser Cutting Engraving Marking Machines

    Take a close look at their light weight laser head, mirror mounts and the enclosed gantry and rails. You would never guess this laser was made in China. In addition to being better built, the Aeon MIRA also out performs every Chinese laser with 5Gs of acceleration, amounting to 500mm/sec cut speeds and 1200mm/sec scan speeds. With all the ancillary components, like the exhaust fan, water pump and air comp pump already built in, you really do get the best bang for your buck.

    The 40W model is yours for $5995 and includes free startup training and unlimited technical support. Order before the month ends and you'll also get free shipping with it as well. It's a little more than what you were planning on spending, but well worth it in my opinion.

    I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

    Happy Hunting,

    Danny
    Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
    (321) 821-7774
    Melbourne, FL
    That Aeon laser is very nice looking. Have you been using it for long? Do you have any pictures of work you have done with it?

    Thanks!



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    One more vote for Aeon MIRA. The factory that makes them is called Shanghai Pomello Laser. I would suggest buying directly from the factory.
    The
    Aeon machines are actually designed in Turkey (not China) by proper engineers according to the western quality standards.
    They offer RF tubes. Unfortunately, they don't offer SERVO drive systems.




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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    Yes, we have been importing and distributing their machines for about a year now. Shoot me your email address and I'll send you some pictures and videos to watch.



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    Quote Originally Posted by Storen View Post
    One more vote for Aeon MIRA. The factory that makes them is called Shanghai Pomello Laser. I would suggest buying directly from the factory.
    The
    Aeon machines are actually designed in Turkey (not China) by proper engineers according to the western quality standards.
    They offer RF tubes. Unfortunately, they don't offer SERVO drive systems.
    You got it! The engineering is above and beyond what we commonly see, but the assembly is still done in China, which has much left to be desired. On average, we spend 2 solid work days on each machine before we can say they are up to "Western" standards. Quality control has no place in a country that focuses on quantity. After sale support is still as inconvenient as with most Chinese companies. This is why we encourage end users to purchase from our US company. Sure, you pay a premium for it, but you certainly get what you pay for.

    Danny
    Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
    (321) 821-7774
    Melbourne, FL



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    I never had a chance to inspect a machine assembled by Pomelo Laser so I cannot comment on their quality control, but not all machines made in China a terrible. I've been to some factories there with better organization and QC than the average for the US or Europe. But I agree most of the Chinese laser-machine assembling brands are not focused on quality, reliability, prestige or service.

    I am not familiar with your company, however, my impression is that most resellers in the US and Europe charge insane markups often exceeding 2-3 times the price of the machine... Testing the machines and having some spare parts hardly justify their markups. Of course, buying locally has some advantages and I know some resellers that offer their services without overcharging. I am sure in future we will see more companies adopting this approach. Especially in Europe because of the trade war between the US and China. I expect hundreds of new resellers emerging in Europe to mediate between the US and China in order to avoid the absurd import tariffs. Of course, the tax revenue will go to Europe, not the US, until the Americans kick out "The Donald" from office.



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    Agreed! It's undeniable that China is the factory of the world. Both great and horrible products are manufactured there and just as there is a demand for great quality products, their is an even higher demand for cheap mediocre products. Finding the right companies to team up with has certainly been a challenge. We did quite a bit of legwork before we were comfortable enough to start promoting these brands. For 7 of the last 10 years, we solely dealt in rotary engravers from reliable brands like Roland U-Marq and Gravograph that did not even require us to stock their products (Ahhh, the good old days). For us, taking a step into the Chinese laser arena was done with a great deal of reservation.

    It was a real game changer to say the least. First we needed a warehouse to store these enormous crates and a showroom for demonstrations and training purposes. Then we had the joy of experiencing the logistic world and dealing with brokers, US Customs and the FDA. Once we realized that these machines were in no condition to simply hand off to the customer, then came the quality control program. Soon after, we discovered that the crates coming from China were about as good as putting them in a cardboard box. Rightfully so, once they load them into the container, they are safe all the way up until they reach our warehouse. However, one we loaded them on an 18-wheeler and hauled them across the country, it didn't take long before we realized we needed to build our own pallets and reinforce the crates. All this and we still haven't received a penny.

    Once the machine is sold and the customer receives it, then begins an entirely new chapter. Since day one, we've offered free startup training and unlimited tech support. It was easier to offer with our rotary engravers, since more of them came out of either Japan or Britain and required very little after sales support. Chinese lasers is a whole other story. We can easily fill a couple of full time positions doing just this and we're still in what I consider to be the early stages. The overhead to do all of these things right is one thing, now throw in the cost of advertising and the new 25% tariffs into the mix and the profits really begin to dwindle.

    It's no wonder so many dealers are emerging and then jumping ship within the first year. There are far easier ways to make a living as far as I'm concerned. If it wasn't for my love and fascination with lasers, I'd certainly be off doing something far more lucrative and far less stressful. Lucky for us, I enjoy a good challenge and we have a long list of loyal businesses and consumers that we've worked with for many years.

    Fulfilling the needs of every customer is still something we're working on. Most businesses, would rather trade money for time. While a consumer, especially a hobbyist, has the opposite mindset. Because of this, we've had greater success building B2B relationships, since we justify the majority of our markup by all the time we have already and will put in. Nevertheless, we are finding more and more consumers that would just rather not roll the dice, largely due to some of the horror stories they've read on this forum. Making a poor buying decision has much greater consequences on an individual than it does on an established business. So for a lot of consumers, buying direct from China is less like your typical wager and more like going "all-in".

    We're hopeful that as time goes by, more and more fly-by-night companies will disappear and we'll have a chance to establish a reliable dealer network and pricing structure that can cater to both the needs of businesses and consumers. Until then, we're just focused on putting one foot in front of the other and maintaining our composure in the process. It's been great listening to your prospective and getting a chance to share mine. Looking forward to many more intelligent discussions on this forum.

    Cheers!

    Danny
    Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
    (321) 821-7774
    Melbourne, FL



  10. #10

    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    Quote Originally Posted by oldgodzilla View Post
    Hello,

    I'm looking for suggestions on my first laser.

    For now I'm looking at it as a hobby, but may potentially start trying to make money off of it.

    The epilogs are really nice looking but seem very expensive.

    Someone recommended Thunderlaser to me, and I am currently looking at a 60W system.

    However, I wanted to ask your experience with the other cheaper lasers, such as the Chinese ones and the ones from automation technologies.

    Any suggestions/input you have would be great. Thanks!

    -oldgodzilla
    Is no competition between Thunderlaser and Aeon Mira by no means. Thunderlaser is a workhorse, Mira range is in the prosumer range. Pomelo are just distributors for that machine and they call it Aeon Mira, are another few in China distributors much cheaper than Pomelo, all they come from the same bolt on factory. Aeon Mira 9 and Nova 35 are the same price in US about $10K, and makes absolutely no sense to go for a prosumer machine when you can have a workhorse. Mira is 4.1K at Pomelo, average $3.5K from other distributors. Nova35 is $5.6K directly from the manufacturer.If you are in US look also at the spare parts side. ex an upgrade from a W2 Reci to W4 Reci is marketed at $1000.00 when in fact cost $152.00(china quoted me so) what is a total ripoff. Hope this helps.



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    Default Re: Best laser for around $5000

    Quote Originally Posted by poco_bw View Post
    Is no competition between Thunderlaser and Aeon Mira by no means. Thunderlaser is a workhorse, Mira range is in the prosumer range. Pomelo are just distributors for that machine and they call it Aeon Mira, are another few in China distributors much cheaper than Pomelo, all they come from the same bolt on factory. Aeon Mira 9 and Nova 35 are the same price in US about $10K, and makes absolutely no sense to go for a prosumer machine when you can have a workhorse. Mira is 4.1K at Pomelo, average $3.5K from other distributors. Nova35 is $5.6K directly from the manufacturer.If you are in US look also at the spare parts side. ex an upgrade from a W2 Reci to W4 Reci is marketed at $1000.00 when in fact cost $152.00(china quoted me so) what is a total ripoff. Hope this helps.

    I've been to the Aeon Laser factory in 2019 after a sign show in Shanghai-- the factory is about 1-hour drive from Hongqiao station- it does not belong to shanghai, Taichang or Jiangsu i think, their export company is pomelo laser-- two company with the same boss, forgot the name but his Chinese family name is Wen, the designer of those machines.
    There seems many copy machines in the market, be careful. of course, Thunder is good as well, with good quality control. and if you have the option to buy from China directly, both Aeon and Thunder are good choices!! Good luck!!!



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