Are There Any Lucky Ones

[MarkJamesDesign]

Are there any users on this board that have had no problems with their CC or CW. And isn't it amazing how many people still love a machine that has more technical problems than anything I've ever heard of? (Or is that only the 2 percentile of owners that have bad machines that come to this forum looking for a cure?) I hope that for every post of a owner in dispair, there are 100 others out there chipping away with no need or time to post. Just my little prayer as I'm supposed to get my CC this week.

Jim

[pkunk]

Are there any users on this board that have had no problems with their CC or CW. And isn't it amazing how many people still love a machine that has more technical problems than anything I've ever heard of? (Or is that only the 2 percentile of owners that have bad machines that come to this forum looking for a cure?) I hope that for every post of a owner in dispair, there are 100 others out there chipping away with no need or time to post. Just my little prayer as I'm supposed to get my CC this week.

Jim
Count the disgruntled users and divide by the 4000-5000 machines sold. There's your answer.

[HighTechOkie]

But you have to divide that by 3-4 as that is about the average exchange to get a good machine. :)

As for people liking a machine with so many problems... The other product we can all relate to would be the wonderful PC. I don't see people abandoning Windows :)

Rob

[rjustice]

Are there any users on this board that have had no problems with their CC or CW. And isn't it amazing how many people still love a machine that has more technical problems than anything I've ever heard of? (Or is that only the 2 percentile of owners that have bad machines that come to this forum looking for a cure?) I hope that for every post of a owner in dispair, there are 100 others out there chipping away with no need or time to post. Just my little prayer as I'm supposed to get my CC this week.

Jim

Jim, I am very cautiously saying YES I Love my machine!!... Ran most of the weekend without a glitch... probably 25-30 hours now... I am a firm believer that you can't run it like a hammer mechanic... be gentle, look over your designs very carefully, and above all....just talk nice to it!!!

(hope i didnt jinx it)

Ron

[rjp736]

I wouldn't say it's disgruntled users as much as it is problem machines. I love my machine but there are some machines that have the same type of problems. Mine finally died and I'll take it back and exchange it for a new one....I'll go from there.

[MarkJamesDesign]

Pkunk,
I'm sure there are 1000's of working machines out there. I'm just having anxiety attacks 'cause my CC is due tommorrow. I'm like a darn 5 year old at Christmas Eve. I've been planning some great things with this machine and don't know if I could handle seeing some carvings come out and then the thing just dies.

[BoardSilly]

Count the disgruntled users and divide by the 4000-5000 machines sold. There's your answer.

Not quite so simple. First off, we don't really have knowledge of exactly how many machines were sold to date. All numbers have been provided by others.

No firm count of 'disgruntled users' has ever been truly quantified. We can only judge a number by what we see here. How many support calls for mechanical issues have been logged to date? How many calls have gone unanswered? How many closed tickets have been completed?

There are no numbers on 'returns' due to defects, problems, etc. How many machines have been returned to Sears or LHR directly?

We can't even begin to assume to have enough information to determine what any realistic numbers on any of this would be.

If you want to use numbers at hand, count the number of 'active users' on here, ( not just signed up ) and then take a sampling of how many of the 'active users' on here have had mechanical issues with their machine. Of course, if we want to keep the numbers low we can just say 'If we haven't heard from them here, they don't exist".

I'm not painting a bleak picture, nor am I painting a rosey one. The machine has its pluses and it has its minuses. There are some terrific things about it and there are some issues with it. I think time will tell as to what happens with it and what direction LHR takes it.

[FINGERS]

Yes I'm waiting for #3, frist one ran 75 hr. and died
$2000.00 I'm not playing Mr. fix-it, back it go's, that's strike 1, got #2 ran for 47 min. and died, strike 2 and back to sears it go's, now #3 is due end of the week how long will this one last? After carverite go's bankrup china will come out with a $399.99 model. It was a big mistake having these made there but what do I know i'm waiting for #3.

[pamjmayo]

Fingers; Where did you take your machine to return it. Our Sears knows nothing about it. I thought CarveWright had to honor the warranty, not Sears?
Since mine just died, I'll have to follow you.

Pam

[Cliff]

The Sears in my area and others have a 90 day return policy. The manufacture carries a 1 year or 200 hour warranty. So it figures that for the first 90 days you could keep bouncing them off Sears until you get one that works correctly and after that rely on support from the manufacture. For a hobbyist this is a great machine as it does things that I can only dream of and creates a form of art limited only by the imagination. If I had to buy it again I would. Zero problems beyond those I’ve caused or did not understand and a great support group here if I should run into problems.

[Jon Jantz]

I'm on my original machine, with no calls to Carvewright or returns... I've had a few problems, but I suspect most have been user related.... as I'm sure a certain percentage of the problems overall have been.. it's funny how as people become more familiar with their machines it seems as though you hear less about their problems.

I think for a completely original design on a machine as complex as the Carvewright, made to sell to the general public who for the most part has NO experience with CNC type machinery, Carvewright has done a remarkable job in making a machine that anyone can figure out and use... think about how complex a the software AND the machine are on full-size CNC routers, and if there were as many of them sold in as short of time as the CW machines to complete newbies, what the trouble-shooting section would look like here.

My hours will getting close on my warranty here before long, so I'm about ready for something to happen to I can send it to Carvewright and have it reworked!! LOL

[CallNeg151]

My first 40 or so hours have gone off without a hitch. I did complain of a sticky quick-release, but that problem had an easy work-around (change one of the bit adapters, and use a small wrench occasionally). I carve mostly MDF, so I'm surprised that I haven't had a sensor error yet. If I do, I'm armed with this forum.

I'm also blessed with very good quality power in my area, and my work area is a pleasant 72 degrees at a constant humidity (I'm using it inside), so I think that might be why I've escaped some problems.

[FINGERS]

Frist one I got from sears.com after it died call them and they gave me the opp. to return it ups or local store and I live in a small town, yes I had the same-same on the frist one they didn't know what to do to return it but they worked it out, and now I got them trained they know just what to do!

[rjp736]

I'll be testing Sears in the morning. I'm going to return mine for a new one, we'll see if/what kinda hassle I get. I have about two weeks to go before my 90 days are up. According to their policy on the web, you can return it with NO questions asked.....thats what I expect. We'll see.

[FINGERS]

make sure you have all your reciepts

[rjp736]

I called Sears, they told me I need the packing slip and my credit card statement.....got'em both. Tried talking me into sending it back to CW for repairs. I'll take a new one and go from there. I hope the 2nd one is the charm.

[Sarge]

Okay, my two cents worth. I had mine for a month, ran beautifully for that time. Something........ I don't have a clue what, killed it outright.

I ordered my machine through the infommercial. When I took it to the local store, they said I couldn't return it there. Bottom line, my abrasive/aggressive personality took over. It's a Sears/Craftsman product, this is a Sears store...FIX THE ISSUE!!! No big problem, they figured out a way through the paperwork and ordered me a new one.

The computer said it would be in on the 4th of April. WELL, I got a giant surprise when I came home today. I had a message on the answering machine, "Your machine is at the store, ready for pick up". Two days early, 5 days turn around!!!

I got home, opened it up, set it up and flashed the card then loaded a small project for a test run. Before anything, I did a systems check (Option 0 then 7) ALL OKAY!!! Ran the test pattern and it ran SOOOOO smooth. I'm hooked on this darned machine. It could die next week and I'd go back for another.

[rjp736]

Glad to hear it Sarge. Funny how you can get addicted to this machine. I'm going nuts not having anything to carve. Best of luck with the new one.

[FINGERS]

Ya me to ,my work shop look's like the sears tool dept. but with out the compucarve I'm lost.When #3 comes and it pass the pre carve inspection and test run I'll fire-up the sears coffee pot and load the sears shop freg with Ho-Ho's and twikkey's and get to work I'll run the bo-ya out of it and if it die's well I'll go for #4, and kept going til they come out with the (Die Hard Compucarve Pro ) Get Some!

[rjp736]

Now thats funny, I don't care who ya are. Good sense of humor!

[Sarge]

Pam, no promises this will work or not. Try powering down your machine, then turn off and unplug it. Go Format your card, Flash the software again. Sometimes the files become corrupted. Upload your file. As much as it matters now, sometimes you can "crash" the machine by pausing it. It's just like crashing your computer, you have to make it reboot from the root of the system.

Hi Sarge, Thanks, I'm going to do it right now. Will write you back with results. I sure wish I hadn't stopped the machine. It really isn't worth it. You should put that message on the forum for people like me. So, you got your machine today..congrats. I know what you're doing right now. Are you trying to figure out how to make the saw pay for itself or are you just enjoying it for itself? It's such a guilty pleasure for me and I keep telling my husband I'll sell $2,000 worth of product and then it can be my toy. I'll write you back soon. Thanks for the note! Pam

About an hour or so later....

Sarge, It worked, I’m up and running again. Well, it’s too late to be running. Thank you so much. Life is good again. What a doll you are!

Pam

[KARSKI]

Have had the beast for 7 weeks,26 hours of carving. Just for normal cleaning have had -0- problems! I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

[Kenm810]

Great! Nice to hear,
If you get a chance post some photos of your
carvings. We wood chippers love photos:D

[dougmsbbs]

You bet there are! Mines been working flawless for two weeks now. Just finished my sixth project, and it's working perfect! Maybe it's this latest shipment that came in, but so far so good....

[MarkJamesDesign]

Not quite so simple. First off, we don't really have knowledge of exactly how many machines were sold to date. All numbers have been provided by others.

No firm count of 'disgruntled users' has ever been truly quantified. We can only judge a number by what we see here. How many support calls for mechanical issues have been logged to date? How many calls have gone unanswered? How many closed tickets have been completed?

There are no numbers on 'returns' due to defects, problems, etc. How many machines have been returned to Sears or LHR directly?

We can't even begin to assume to have enough information to determine what any realistic numbers on any of this would be.

If you want to use numbers at hand, count the number of 'active users' on here, ( not just signed up ) and then take a sampling of how many of the 'active users' on here have had mechanical issues with their machine. Of course, if we want to keep the numbers low we can just say 'If we haven't heard from them here, they don't exist".

I'm not painting a bleak picture, nor am I painting a rosey one. The machine has its pluses and it has its minuses. There are some terrific things about it and there are some issues with it. I think time will tell as to what happens with it and what direction LHR takes it.

I'd love to hear Cmolier's input on this matter.

[Tobarge]

I have had mine for close to a month and use it regularly. I do get the "Check Cut Motor" message, but feel it is a software issue. I certainly was apprehensive before I got the machine about whether or not it would die quickly, but it has behaved itself well. Love the machine!!!!

[beachman]

had mine for a couple of months and had no problems.Does a great job,keeping my fingers crossed

[Kenm810]

Sears 90 Day return policy; yes but guys also look in side The front page of your owners manual. It may not instill the greatest confidence. But at least you'll know you won't have to eat the machine.:(

[liquidguitars]

That looks ok to me.

I am getting close to 90 days and need a new chuck after my Z stall but I am sticking with the CW. :rolleyes:

The little CW kicks some major @#$ an cuts like butter, will save me a ton of
time in sanding alone.

[rjp736]

Took my machine back, new one on the way. Had it for 85 days.

[Gary]

I get all kinds of error messages whenever I try to start a project, but I wipe the board sensor, jiggle the y and z axis, and then the carving always comes out just like I drew it.

Gary

[cajunpen]

I have had my CW for just about a year now. I got it in April of last year and to date, it has not had any problems worth talking about.

I will be out of Warranty very soon and that is a bit scary, but I don't really expect any problems to arise now. Unfortunately, if they do - I guess I'll have to dig into my pocket and pay for them myself. Hopefully nothing will happen I just wish I had put a few hundred hours on it while it was in warranty.

[Mike]

I am on my first machine. Purchased Nov. 06. recieved early Dec. 06. Sent it to Texas once. 1 week to get there 1 week there 1 week to get home. I had to replace 2 boards that they sent me a month after that. I now feel that I know this machine pretty good and if I wasn't waiting for sandpaper belts to arrive I would still be carving today. about 100 hrs. without down time. I would not trade mine for a new one but an extended warranty would be nice. I thinf that I have worked out lots of problems on my own and thriough this forum. Trading in yuour machine over and over might not be the best thing to do as some of you are on your 4th or more machine. This is a high maintanence hands on machine. When cordless tools first came out they where cheap junk. With todays battery technology they are irreplacable. This tool will have its day. as the technology gets better and they learn from all of us. We are almost ALL beta testers as this machine is still being served by LHR only not Sears.

[dreisig]

Picked up my machine last Saturday from Sears. Took it home, hooked it up, loaded a project I had set up using the design software. The machine measured the bard. homed the cutting head, touched the board with the bit and issued a Z axis stall error 246. I checked the log and the machine already had over two hours time on it. So Sears sold me a returned machine. Well, I called Sears and they said they don't service the machines, I would have to call LHR. Well, from the comments on the forums, I thought, OK, they talk about the great service, I'll try it. Have called the last three days. I get a return call in the middle of the day when I'm at work. I have left messages asking for a call later in the day, but today, got a call at 2:00 PM Easter tiime. I called Sears and they said it would be at least 2 weeks before I could get a replacement from them (with no guarantee it wouldn't be another returned machine). I don't realy expect anyone here to solve my problem, I'm just venting because I really want to start using this thing, and so far I'm just banging my head against a wal!!!

[Cliff]

Sears has a 90 day return policy. They can not sell a used referbished machine as new at full price or even at a discount without identifying it as a returned rebuilt machine. If you paid full price I would return it. the norm for a new machine with QC testing is 20 minutes not 2 hours. If you choose to take on the challange of repairing with CW help, I would still look into getting a discount for the used machine.

[MarkJamesDesign]

I would have Sears replace it. I ordered mine from my local store and had it in a week. They have warehouse stock. As for the used machine, it may have just been a fluke error. Things do happen like that. Odds are you'll get a new replacement.

[oldjoe]

Pick mine up last Monday night but had some family illnesses that kept me away from it all week. Put it together cranked head up to far but finished reading the manual the answer was there. Fixed it was going to try and measure a board and the Z axis wouldn't home, Z axis stall was the message wiggle the wire connections. One seem to snap in farther so I tried again. Still the same message. Was starting to get bummed so I tried unplugging rebooting still the same message. Tried 0-7 that only told me where it was. So in desperation I gave the Z axis a Fonzy tap thinking Sears will never know. And low and behold it took off with no more problems. Did a couple of test pieces and they went fine no stalls and I couldn't light a White Owl off the flex cable, now I just have to get comfortable with the software part of it. I did download the update but not real sure if it worked, when I start the software it still says 1.113
But this machine is soo cool I don't want to leave its side.:) :cool: :p

[Kenm810]

Glad to hear your up and running,
Now you can stand back and watch the adventures begin!

[dreisig]

After numerous attempts to speak to a live person at LHR, I decided to bring the machine back to Sears for a replacement. It supposed to arrive this Friday, so I'm hopefull I'll soon be making chips with the new machine.
(btw, when I returned it, I got the original price (which was 20% off), and an
additional 10% for using my Sears MC...maybe if I do this a few times more I'll get the machine for free!!!)

[ruggybear]

I had no problem talking with a live person at LHR. My machine arrived there today.

[pastime106]

I guess I am swimming against the grain here and hope that I don’t inflict some evil spell on myself, :wink: but I have had nothing but good luck on my machine thanks to this form. I had to update the firmware, but, that has been about it.
I have about 20 hrs. on the machine so far and have not replaced anything. I only use it for decorative carving. Anything that is cut, mitered, or routed is done on a dedicated machine in my shop. I figured I have 200 hrs or one year (I know I will hit 200 hrs before one year) To me this machine can only do one thing well, that is carve. But, oh what a job it can do! I look at it much like a Porsche or a Ferrari, it is picky, high maintenance, it CAN be driven off road but that is not what they made it for.

[benluz]

The cw is a very capable machine with a few problems that will go away in time .So far...I have fixed all the problems myself,but I realize this is not for every one.I think it would be good to have complete trouble shooting guide with tips and fixes for newcomers and those who are not as inclined to work on their machines.There was talk of doing this at one point either by forum members or Cw staff.A lot of what we get by calling tech support could be compiled into a pdf file for quick reference.I know from experience that you don't worry as much about breaking if you have confidence on your ability to fix it and getting the required parts.

[CallNeg151]

Alright Rick, I'll post on open forum then. Keep your negative attitude to yourself, read the forum guidelines & behave or you'll find out what Mods can do!:mad:
I don't think Rick was being all that negative, Pkunk. Now, perhaps it was a little bit of bad form to throw the gauntlet down by directly addressing you, and ruminating on being criticized for a bad attitude, but other than that, he does have a legitimate comment along the lines of this thread. I'm hoping that this sort of open discourse doesn't die out. One of the things that I learned while I was lurking here for many months was that although there are a lot of problems, many of those problems are user error, and many of the remaining problems are relatively simple fixes that can be done with common tools, a call to tech support, and a new part.

Now, I, for one, have been able to run the machine on a six hour project with no problems, other than stopping periodically to remove some of the sawdust build-up. On the other hand, I think my power supply failed last night. I've got a call into tech support, and anticipate, if we are able to match our schedules (I don't have telephone access from 8:30 to 5:30 p.m., but live in a different time zone), that they will be able to ship me a part, and I can send them back the dead part for rebuild, and I'll be back up and running in no time.

[pkunk]

It's not context as much as attitude. I won't post the PM's. Forum guidelines/rules WILL be followed.

[pastime106]

I think the point I was trying to make was that I realize that there are a lot of things that the CC can do. In that light I could also use my router table to cut all the way through a board, but why not use one of my other machines to do this, it puts less wear on the CC. I agree that the carvewright should do everything that they say it will. But it is a delicate machine and I DO pamper it because of this. I knew what the flaws, and limitations were before I bought it. But I still bought it to carve. I just wanted to post my positive experience on this board. The way I see the more of us that own, use, and work with carvewright the better the machine will be in the long run for all of us. Mine might break down tomorrow, but it just wont be while cutting a 10 min miter on a board that my table saw would rip in 30 seconds. It just makes sense to not expect everything from one machine.

[Sarge]

OK....... I'm not a moderator, administrator or the like. In my opinion, there is no room for BS like this on here. It sounds like my children bickering. Knock it off and grow up. If this post violates forum policy, then I'll clear out of here and go my way.

[Sarge]

It's my opinion that to carry on further is antagonizing the issue. Grow up and get on with your lives. Stop the childish banter.

[RC Woodworks]

Sorry pastime this turned out this way. Still I hope the best for you and I was just agreeing with you.

Rick

[pastime106]

Im not bickering or arguing with anyone. There are many people out there that are right on the edge of buying this machine. Much like I was not that long ago. I have read this form for some time. The majority of the posts have been helpful and then I decided to make a positive contribution to the form. As you can see I have only made a couple posts. I hesitate to go onto public forms because it people have a tendency to read into postings. I have gained so much from here I decided to not just sit back and sponge off of others. I decided to get involved and do what I can to help others help as folks like YOU have helped me. I am waiting on my probe now and plan to post scans and in the meantime I figured I would try and stay active in the post section. Im not sure what part you consider BS I was merly attempting to let people know that the machine is great at some things but not all things.

[RC Woodworks]

My post is gone? Hard to dispute when it is gone?

[CallNeg151]

My post is gone? Hard to dispute when it is gone?

Oh well. We've always been at war with Oceana...