Is it all worth it?

[trophyman]

I must be the all time winner for time spent reading about the CW without actually owning one. At least 4 years!

I keep coming close to purchasing a machine only to gravitate back to this forum & read up on all the problems this system seems to have. I keep wondering why hasn't LRH fixed these problems? Bad switches, loose parts, no lubrication, DOA on arrival. I keep waiting for an improvement.

I understand this is a complicated machine with a learning curve to contend with but these problems don't seem to be a result of this.

Does anyone ever buy a machine, take it out of the box & complete a project without having to take the whole machine apart & rebuild it?

I see there are many accomplished users who love their machines but I wonder what percentage of users they represent? How many buyers return their machines or just get frustrated & let the machine collect dust in the garage?

I love the 3D capability this machine offers.

The scanning probe is facinating.

This forum offers a wealth of information that it's users very graciously share & from someone in the engraving industry this machine is a steal.

But.....is it all worth it?

I know this not a production machine & is intended for the home hobbiest but would I have any better luck?

Thanx

Mark

www.trophyman.com

[Steven Alford]

I am one of the people that was able to open the box, read the instructions and do several carves with no problems. I don't know that I am one of many or one of few, but one thing to consider; For the most part, if you are happy with your machine you are busy carving with it. If you are not happy with your machine you are complaining on this forum. I really think we don't get to hear from all the owners of this machine because they are happily carving away.

I truly believe the the biggest problem with the machine is the QC. If you replace it with the Rock Chuck you will not have most of the problems people have had.

[fwharris]

Mark,

I am also one who has ,
"Does anyone ever buy a machine, take it out of the box & complete a project without having to take the whole machine apart & rebuild it?".

Mine is the CompuCarve from Sear's. After I spent a couple of hours reading the book and going through all of the menu selections/functions of the machine, I carved 4 short pattern projects using the built in patterns and a photo of the fishing buddy in a boat. With in the next couple of weeks I had carved something on one side or the other on just about every piece of wood I had in my garage.



Have I had a couple of bumps along the way, Yes. Were they resolved to my liking, Yes.

Has it been worth it, Yes!.

[ChrisAlb]

I must be the all time winner for time spent reading about the CW without actually owning one. At least 4 years!

Does anyone ever buy a machine, take it out of the box & complete a project without having to take the whole machine apart & rebuild it?

I see there are many accomplished users who love their machines but I wonder what percentage of users they represent?

But.....is it all worth it?

Mark

This is always tough to answer as it's really a personal choice. Now if you've been reading in here for almost 4 years, you might know this already but, let's look a few "Rough" numbers.

As of about a year ago I think the total amount of Machines sold was around 15,000. We have 5,298 Registered users on this form of which 599 are active.

Let's round off....15,000 machines, 5300 Reg Users is roughly 33% of them, 600 active is roughly 20% of them. If we're EXTREMELY generous and say that 1/2 of the active users have had nothing but trouble, that's 10% of the users (on this forum).

Where is the other 9700 owners? Who knows but I'm willing to bet that if they were having any real problems, they'd be here looking for answers. So even with my generous assumption at 1/2 the active users here having trouble, when you add that 9700 into the mix, I think we can safely "assume" less than 5% of all owners have any real problems.

I know it's less than that because first, not 1/2 the active users here have issues and second, When you see posts about real, repeated problems, they are often from the same folks.

So is it worth it? To me, absolutely. I wonder what the percentage of users having trouble with a table saw or any other piece of "much simpler" equipment is?? I'll bet it's higher and I'd also bet if there were a forum for each, we'd know it...LOL

[geekviking]

I've had my machine for almost a year now, and have had a wonderful time carving away... And reading/sharing on this forum. This community is the best knit group I've seen anywhere on the net (and believe me, I've been around, since before we even called it "the net" ) I would say, if you can afford to get one as a hobby, you WILL enjoy it & it WILL be worth it! Will it always be easy? Maybe not... Will things go awry sometimes? Possibly. But with the support & help of Carvewright & the great bunch of people here on the forum, this can be a life changing & very enjoyable piece of equipment. And look how intrigued you've already been... 4 years?
Just my two cents...

[mifflinlake]

Mark,

I too read this forum and other sources on the web for a long time before buying a machine. I had my doubts when I finally took the plunge and purchased one. Since this time I have made many great items along with a couple projects that were some real junk. The junk was all created by bad designs which I can blame on myself as part of the learning curve. As far as mechanical problems, I really have not had too many. I have had the head stuck in the up position, I think this was on the second day. This was a simple fix once I re-read the manual and checked the forum. I also had a bit stuck in the QC, once again checked here on the forum and it became an easy fix. I have never had to call LHR for a problem, so I can't attest whether the are as good or bad as some people claim. My machine is strickly for a hobby. I have turned down many people wanting to purchase items from me, just don't have the extra time. I would rather spend the extra time making one quality item instead of turning out 4 or 5 quick signs to sell. So now when I look back, I can say that I am one of the happy owners. I would tell anyone who was considering buying a CW, do your homework, read the forum and enjoy the projects you will make. Don't expect your first project to be a mastepiece, there is a learning curve to the design process. If you have questions on one of your projects, post it here and let others help you with them. The people on the forum can be one of your biggest assets.

John

[Wilbur]

I am a happy owner as well but not at first.
My first machine was full of mishaps and with the help of LHR we worked them all out except for one which was my fault. I just got tired of repairing and waiting on parts so I quit and gave back my machine to Lowes.
I still wanted a carving machine so I went to Sears and got another one with a 5 yr warranty. I had a QC problem right out the box. I got a Rock and installer it and now I am coming up on about 200 hr of carving.
I am happy that I went back and bought another one. I would suggest going the Lowes or Sears route and get extender warranty. This way if you need to send it back you want have to pay the shipping, they will. Check on this before you buy.

I really like my machine. See everything I have went through with both machines here http://www.angelfire.com/sc/candlema...rveWright.html

Wilbur

[MAX COX]

I have been a machine since 2006 as a beta machine. I am sure we all had our share of problems back then ,but i believe the folks at LHR have got it to where it is performing
pretty well. Yes, it is definately worth it. Would i do it all over again? YES I WOULD!!!

[Digitalwoodshop]

To me it is 90% Attitude.... If you have the Attitude or Mindset to want to "Calmly" solve the problems with the machine and learn to use it, then you have a satisfying experience with the machine.

If you have a Bad Attitude right from the start and take it personal that the machine has failed you. Then you feel it is your right to post a blast about it blaming LHR and the UPS man for your machine problems.

It is a high tech piece of wood working equipment, mass produced and shipped thousands of miles before you get it. A Hundred Thousand Dollar CNC is delivered with a team to set it up and run it through it's paces checking it out before the customer signs off on it. Your confusing this machine with a Hundred Thousand Dollar Machine and the service after the sale. I bet your Laser Engraver came with a Salesmen or Tech to help set it up.

So like Chris said, based on the numbers, there are less and less problems NOW.... Look at how few posts show up in the Troubleshooting Thread.

If the machine vibrates things come loose.... The ROCK helps solve that.

Thank you for your interest.

AL

Mark,

If you are planning to use it for your business, you would be better off to buy 2 hobby machines so you can get your orders out in the event of a fault and have the ROCK installed on both machines.

[SharonB]

Mark....I have a CompuCarve from Sears...no extra warrenty. I've had it a year and a half, put over 200 hours on it and the few problems I've had have been quickly fix...with the help of the forum or a quick call to Texas. Being a woman and having to fix most problems myself I don't find it that much of a challenge...so far. Would I go out and buy a second machine...yes...would just need to figure out how to put more hours a day in the shop. SharonB