Carvewright at Harbor Freight!!!

[phoenix02]

Hello all,

I haven't been around in a long time as I am not an owner of a machine any longer and was very unsatisfied with the build quality of the three compucarves I went through a while back. I was and am still holding out hope that the CW will someday be up to the quality that I know this company should be capable of, seeing the design of the unit itself.

But, I digress...

Anyway, I just thought I'd give you all a heads up- I was looking around over on the HF website and came across these:

Carvewright for $1499.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66227

Carvewright full bit set for $269.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66228

Carvewright scanning probe for $249.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66239

Harbor Freight has an unconditional 30 day money back guarantee, and they have coupons every month or so for between 15-25% off extra. How about a CW for $1125, or a scanning probe for $187.50? Check it out and keep an eye out for the coupons. I normally don't buy anything more than scraper blades and gloves at HF, as they normally carry, well, if you know HF, you know the kind of tools they carry, but I'm guessing they got a good deal on all the refurbed CWs.

Take care,
Michael

[Dan-Woodman]

Yah!!!! Thanks for the info. The key words here are referb and
30 day warrenty. no thanks HF. and I don't believe there's any refund only replacement.
later Daniel

[phoenix02]

Actually, it's 30 day money back, 90 day replacement.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/cs.taf?f=FAQ

-Michael

Oh, and BTW- I wouldn't honestly consider buying a CW from HF. I just wanted to give you all a heads up on the bit set and scanning probe- not much that can go wrong with them, as long as they're CW branded accessories.

-Michael

[mtylerfl]

Yah!!!! Thanks for the info. The key words here are referb and
30 day warrenty. no thanks HF. and I don't believe there's any refund only replacement.
later Daniel

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see any statement on their website that says they are selling CarveWright refurbished machines or accessories. Did you guys see that somewhere, or was that an assumption based on other items they sell? (I'm assuming the machines are new 'cause I didn't see any info to the contrary.);)

[phoenix02]

The refurb statement was an assumption on my part, as I was kinda, honestly, hoping that CW would have the peace of mind to not make HF an authorized reseller of their product- seems counter productive to me from a marketing standpoint, if they're trying to prove the quality and worth of the tool. Kind of like making a high end kitchen appliance and trying to sell it on an infomercial- big loss of customer confidence.

BUT, if they are completely new or overstock units, you might want to contact CW and see if HF is an authorized reseller- if so, the CW warranty should stand.

-Michael

[jspringertx]

I was very surprised to learn that Harbor Freight was handling the CarveWright machine. I buy very little from HF as the quality of their electrical tools really sucks.

That may explain why WoodCraft is not pushing the CarveWright product as the local store has never put one on display. They have brochures, but no machines.

I did notice that the CompuCarve was not shown in the recent Craftsman tool catalog.

It is still a great machine and I would prefer buying one from anyone but Harbor Freight.

[phoenix02]

A few weeks ago I spoke to a Sears rep at my local store and she said they are no longer selling the Compucarve due to an excess in quality control issues and returns.

I didn't even know Woodcraft was a reseller of them- I've seen the Shark unit over at Rockler and it's none to appealing- at it's price point I would expect aluminum extrusions over UHWMV plastic.

I was just given a lead screw and rail arrangement for a 32" X axis- I'm slowly working on building my own CNC.

Are people still having problems with Z errors, cut motor errors, and board pressure problems on the CW, or has LHR taking care of a lot of the problems that were around at roll out?

-Michael

[Jeff_Birt]

A few weeks ago I spoke to a Sears rep at my local store and she said they are no longer selling the Compucarve due to an excess in quality control issues and returns.

Are people still having problems with Z errors, cut motor errors, and board pressure problems on the CW, or has LHR taking care of a lot of the problems that were around at roll out?

-Michael


Personally I would not put stock in anything that someone at Sears told me. Sears biggest problem it seems is selling an extended warranty on a piece of equipment that they did not have the foresight to actually train their techs for (not the techs fault.) Several people have recounted stories here on the forum about buying a machine from Sears, then calling them with some basic questions only to find out that not a soul at Sears knows beans about the machine (several such comments in the Sears reviews as well). I can fully understand why these folks would be upset. Again that is a management issue; at the very least Sears folks should have been informed to have new machine owners contact CarveWright directly.

As for the list of 'problems' you mention. A few minutes 'Searching' would have answered all of your questions. The Z-motor pack has been redesigned, a new sealed board sensor is available and a new retainer for the cut-motor magnet was implemented (incidentally I suspect that over lubing the flex shaft cable allowed excess lubricant to run into the motor and destroy the shrink tubing that used to hold the magnet.)

[peter_l]

They appear to be NEW units, not refurb.

With the list price of $1499, and the constant coupons of 10%-20% off any single item, it might make it a super-great deal.

Who cares where you buy a NEW machine from, the warranty is from CW!

Pete

[Bubbabear]

And if they decide to offer free shipping you can come out smelling like a rose

[peter_l]

I just went all the way through the on-line purchase of one (did not buy) The shipping costs are $11.95 (tax was $116.25 because I live in California)

Still seems like a great deal IF it is a new unit.

Maybe a call to HF will tell the tale.

[mtylerfl]

They appear to be NEW units, not refurb.

With the list price of $1499, and the constant coupons of 10%-20% off any single item, it might make it a super-great deal.

Who cares where you buy a NEW machine from, the warranty is from CW!

Pete

Absolutely correct, Peter. When it's all said and done, it doesn't really matter where you purchase the machine - all the help anyone would ever need is readily available from LHR/CW and from this forum.

I have two machines from Sears. Did I call them when I had a question? Of course not - the thought never occurred to me. I called LHR directly and checked the forum for answers. I've never been disappointed and have always found the answers I need. The "collective" of information is right at our fingertips or within a simple phone call.

I'll be so bold to say I think it is extraordinary these days to expect that any clerk that works in a chain store is going to know anything at all about the machines in the first place. Unless he/she owns and uses one themselves and/or has gone through a thorough training.

The funniest story I've heard is the guy who went into a store to buy a machine and the clerk was actually trying very hard to be helpful. One of the things he told the customer was the flex shaft could be pulled out, fitted with a bit and used like a Dremel tool to "touch up" carvings by hand. So you see, unless there is a concerted effort by store management to train their particular employees, they will remain clueless.

I'd say, go ahead and buy a machine from whoever and wherever you wish. Need help? Read the manual, call LHR, search the forum. Simple.

[peter_l]

Ok folks, just called Harbor Freight, and according to them, it is discontinued.

They do not show them as in stock or available.

Thanks

Peter

[jspringertx]

Boy, that item didn't remain on their stock list long. I hope CW questioned them as to the discount price and they pulled the item off the stock list.

As far as Sears in concerned I would never ask them for help with my CompuCarve. My only contact with Sears is when I bought the unit and any problems that I may have were resolved by LHR directly.

[phoenix02]

Peter,

that's actually really a rather good thing, perhaps. The units are still showing up on the website, so the discontinuation couldn't have been that long ago. When HF discontinues a product, there's normally very steep discounting to get them off the shelves. For instance, I was in there a few months back and found a Chestmate dovetailing fixture that normally sold for $130, discontinued, that I was able to pick up for $17.99.

I don't really have an interest in another unit just yet, but to any who do- why don't you call around to all the stores in your area and do a stock check with the item numbers? Seeing the discounts that I have on discontinued items, it's honestly not out of the question to possibly find a bit set or probe for under $100. It's worth a try- just make sure you have the item numbers to give them, as they folks at the HF stores aren't any brighter than they are at any other retail establishments.

I wholeheartedly believe that Sears stopped selling due to returns. Think about it- the CW is an innovative machine that sets the Craftsman name apart from others, and opens Sears to the CNC market, which they could have expanded further if it was successful with progressively higher end machines on a mail order basis, such as the shopbot. I don't think Sears would have given this up without a major impetus, that being a significant loss on returns and bad press from all the QC problems leading to lowered sales. Another reason why I think it's quite possible that it was a drastic issue with losses is that I've never seen a product pulled off the shelves at Sears when it's discontinued- there's normally a steepening clearance period to clear out stock units. For instance, they just discontinued their 12" SCMS in favor of a newer model- last year's model was discounted from the initial price in excess of $700 down to $175 to blow out the existing stock.

Honestly, I think it was a good thing, in the long run, if CW can get market proliferation through another means. Sears and the Craftsman name has been sullied with sub-par products for quite a while now. For instance, I have a top-of-the-line Sears Scroll saw, tilt arm, made by Emerson, as well as a Sears Scroll saw made by King-Seely around 1948 or so. Quality of the new product is significantly lower. Unfortunately the Craftsman brand is slowly slipping into ever lower and lower quality, while keeping costs at a higher price point, selling the name. CW is better off promoting their own branding through other sources.

Now, the big question in all this is- where did all the Compucarves go? Sears wholesales their returns and overstock by the truck load- somewhere, there's got to be semi trucks full of CWs sitting there, waiting to be sold off for LOW prices...

[jlovchik]

I was reading through the forum and noticed your posts regarding Sears. I am the Marketing Director for LHR and I wanted to clear up a few things. First, Sears hasn't discontinued the CompuCarve. Quite the opposite, they will have new stock in next month. There was a delay in them restocking due to a couple factors. One being that they weren't even aware they ran out until they were back-ordered. The second being that we had some renegotiating to do with them on some of our business terms. Sears alone sold over 10,000 CompuCarve units in it's first year!. This was one of their best selling benchtop tools for 2007. With some of the initial customer comments on the web, yes it seemed very troubling, but what we found was that the people who were not having problems were out carving and not expressing themselves on review sites. The majority of the problems people initially had with the machines was a lack of knowledge on proper use of the product. This was perpetuated by people turning to Sears for answers. LHR at the time was young and struggling with growing from 9 employees to more than 50 overnight, so keeping up with the customer educational needs was difficult. The "press" actually has praised this machine. Every major woodworking magazine has either reviewed the machine or is in the process of reviewing it. All have been objective and thorough with their evaluations, and all have been favorable. The machines weren't pulled off shelves at Sears. Very few Sears stores ever stocked them and the ones that did couldn't keep them on the shelves. Mostly they were warehoused and sent to individual stores when purchased. Also the assumption that the Sears sales lowered is also false. Sears orders steadily increased up until the point they sold out. Sears has been thrilled with the success of this product and can't wait to be restocked. Oh and yes there were returns, as with any product, but not nearly the numbers you seem to think. The limited stock are being sold back through Sears as reconditioned units. I understand a handful of expressive people have had bad experiences with the machine, but the vast majority have learned how to use it and love it. This forum and the many others out there dedicated to this machine are a testament to that.

On a side note, Harbor Freight IS selling the unit (not discontinued) online only. Also Woodcraft, Northern Tool, Amazon.com, Select Ace Stores, several independent retailers across the US and Canada, and now LOWE'S are also selling the machines. Look for the LOWE'S announcement and live demonstration dates next week. I hope this clears a few things up.

[Amonaug]

I was reading through the forum and noticed your posts regarding Sears. I am the Marketing Director for LHR and I wanted to clear up a few things. First, Sears hasn't discontinued the CompuCarve. Quite the opposite, they will have new stock in next month. There was a delay in them restocking due to a couple factors. One being that they weren't even aware they ran out until they were back-ordered. The second being that we had some renegotiating to do with them on some of our business terms. Sears alone sold over 10,000 CompuCarve units in it's first year!. This was one of their best selling benchtop tools for 2007. With some of the initial customer comments on the web, yes it seemed very troubling, but what we found was that the people who were not having problems were out carving and not expressing themselves on review sites. The majority of the problems people initially had with the machines was a lack of knowledge on proper use of the product. This was perpetuated by people turning to Sears for answers. LHR at the time was young and struggling with growing from 9 employees to more than 50 overnight, so keeping up with the customer educational needs was difficult. The "press" actually has praised this machine. Every major woodworking magazine has either reviewed the machine or is in the process of reviewing it. All have been objective and thorough with their evaluations, and all have been favorable. The machines weren't pulled off shelves at Sears. Very few Sears stores ever stocked them and the ones that did couldn't keep them on the shelves. Mostly they were warehoused and sent to individual stores when purchased. Also the assumption that the Sears sales lowered is also false. Sears orders steadily increased up until the point they sold out. Sears has been thrilled with the success of this product and can't wait to be restocked. Oh and yes there were returns, as with any product, but not nearly the numbers you seem to think. The limited stock are being sold back through Sears as reconditioned units. I understand a handful of expressive people have had bad experiences with the machine, but the vast majority have learned how to use it and love it. This forum and the many others out there dedicated to this machine are a testament to that.

On a side note, Harbor Freight IS selling the unit (not discontinued) online only. Also Woodcraft, Northern Tool, Amazon.com, Select Ace Stores, several independent retailers across the US and Canada, and now LOWE'S are also selling the machines. Look for the LOWE'S announcement and live demonstration dates next week. I hope this clears a few things up.

Well hopefully Sear's gets not only the CW but the bits, accessories, etc because the Sear's here doesn't even have those and the employees seem to not really care that they don't.

[peter_l]

Wow, I am very surprised to see that in fact Harbor Freight will be selling units. Can you confirm that they are indeed new and not a refurbished unit?

For $1499, it is a steal, partner that price with a typical Harbor Freight 15% coupon, and it is a steal.

Pete

[peter_l]

Ok, well I just checked the Harbor freight web site, and the price is now $1699, still not too bad if you can use a coupon.

Pete