CW quality?

[roosterize]

I recently was reading some of the CompuCarve reviews on the Sears website and realised there are a significant number of complaints of 'malfunctioning' equipment. I was wondering if this is typical or if this is just a few making a lot of noise?

-Sean

[Digitalwoodshop]

Do a good job and the customer tells 10 people about your quality work or quality product.

Make one mistake and get one unhappy customer and he will tell 1000 people....

Yes, the machine does have it's share of small problems. LHR has been good to address them for the most part. Generally Happy Customers don't post in feedback forums, it's the Unhappy people with an Axe to grind or feel it's there right to tell everyone they are unhappy. Makes them feel better, like they got "Even" with the "Fill in the Blank" company.

Seldom do you hear them say... "O' I should have read the Instruction Manual" I was wrong.... My Bad...

"I my opinion", where the problem comes in is the guy who brings this home and treats it like a Table Saw and just plugs it in. He expects his "Intrinsic Knowledge" of WOOD and Machines to help him through the "I don't NEED to read Instruction Manuals, how hard can this be......." I saw it on TV....

Then his first post is "My head is stuck in the up position and it just clicks".... A sure sign that he did not open the Instruction Manual.

I was reading every entry in this forum I thought had knowledge I would need when I Finally got my machine. It paid off big time when my Head was stuck in the up position and I knew what to do along with the hundreds of tips I picked up. Reading the manual helps too.

So again in my opinion, this is a GREAT QUALITY HOMEOWNER / HOBBY unit that is not for everyone. It takes a Computer Savvy person with a desire to learn and be willing to get his hands dirty maintaining the unit. If your a guy who has never changed your own car oil this "Might Not" be for you. Not that Oil has anything to do with it....

It is not an Industrial work horse ready to run 12 hours a day. I have 2 machines with a combined 600 carving hours because I do use it for a small business and yes this summer and fall there were days that I did in fact run the unit for 12 hours a day. Did it fail?.... Yes, some parts failed that I consider "Consumable" like Sand Paper Belts, Drive Gears for the X, Cut Motor Brushes, QC Chucks to name a few. I keep one machine in standby using only one for the most part. There was a week before Christmas when both machines were down waiting on simple parts, just luck of the draw. I have a stockpile of parts at the ready just to cut the wait time. Pay me now or pay me later.... I am Retired Navy and we carried high failure parts with us on the ships to fix the Radars, Computers, and Weapons so it's just a habit.

If you weigh the capabilities of this machine to the next step up in Hardware and Software you will find this machine to be a Fantastic Bargain.

90% of this stuff in the pictures were made with this machine.

Worth every penny.

AL

[jlitz]

I recently was reading some of the CompuCarve reviews on the Sears website and realised there are a significant number of complaints of 'malfunctioning' equipment. I was wondering if this is typical or if this is just a few making a lot of noise?

-Sean

I purchased a CompuCarve through Sears a year ago and have been very happy with it. Of the very issues I've run into, all were user error (poorly designed patterns, poor quality wood, etc.). I've never had to send the machine in for repairs.

With frequent preventative maintenance (cleaning, lube, new traction belt, etc.), quality wood and carving bits, few problems should be
encountered assuming one reads the manual and understands there are limitations - maximum carving depths, carving too close to the edge of the board, staying under rollers or using a sled, etc.

[deemon328]

I think the better choice in buying a CW/CC is to get one direct from Carvewright.

I got mine at Sears and immediately had problems with the Z-axis. Based on my conversation with sales staff at Carvewright, they get the same machines from the manufacturer, but they go over every one and replace the problem parts with the upgraded parts. You don't get that benefit with Sears, so you have to deal with the added frustration of waiting for parts and the possibility that you'll screw up the repair.

Yes, I think the machine requires more care and maintenance than my entire wood shop full of tools and has to be treated gently. It has a learning curve that you can conquer by reading these forums and troubleshooting PDFs.

I debated whether to return my machine and give up, but then I got to thinking about what this machine can add to my woodworking that I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else. I decided to stick with it no matter what and poured myself into the docs and support here.

So, after that long winded talk, the bottom line for me is that it's worth the maintenance issues to be able to create things I otherwise could not.

[leesheridan]

I believe the big difference is units shipped. Sears sells out of stock on hand and that can either be shipped in from a warehouse to your store or from stock on hand at the store or shipped direct to you from their warehouse. And once CW ships to a Sears location and then a problem rears it's head, CW dosen't recall. The idea is let it get to the customer and then we'll take care of it when it comes up. And as long as CW works with this game plan and not recall before they get into the hands of a customer then yes the units from CW might have a better track record. Because they don't have to have the unit shipped back from Sears, they just have to deal with the end user. Us. If you have noticed though, the price from Sears has come down. The best known recall of a product by a company I feel was the Saturn car. When it first came on the market they had a problem and they exchanged the owners car with a new car. Not a waiting list of people wondering when the new engine was going to be installed, just give them what they paid for.

[Fireman Phil]

I love my machine. I bought mine from Sears and yes, I did have many problems with my first machine. It had about 3 hours of cut time on it and the Z-axis quit working. The other problems were simple fixes that I perform before every cut now. When the Z-axis quit, I simply returned the machine to Sears and they ordered my another one. Was here in 2 days. I have been up and running for almost a year now with no problems. Just lube it periodically, clean it during and after each use and allow yourself a bit of learning curve and you will more then enjoy your new Carvewright or Compucarve machine.