thinking of buying a used machine

[c_mjenkins]

hi guys im new and was hoping to get some advice. Im thinking of buying a used a series machine for 600 it has zero cut time and was never registered. my ques. is that a fair price. i know it probably needs upgrades of around 400 so would i be ahead to just save a little longer and buy a new one. thanks im anxious to here your thoughts

[chebytrk]

Doesn't sound like a bad price. Not sure how much you really need to spend to bring it up. All depends if it's a "A" or "B" series machine. If it has the old QC installed, you definately need to upgrade that for sure (either the Rock Chuck or Carve Tight). Not sure that you would need too much else to start off with except maybe Centerline Software as that helps alot when making projects. If the machine has a Probe and it has not been registered then that will be good to have. At least to be able to use Pattern Editor Software that comes with the probe. Other things you can get as you go and become more familiar with your CW. Be sure to try and locate a STARTU member close by (if possible) and they'll be able to help you get started and point you in the right direction. You should get the serial number if possible to made SURE that it has not be registered with LHR before.

[fwharris]

hi guys im new and was hoping to get some advice. Im thinking of buying a used a series machine for 600 it has zero cut time and was never registered. my ques. is that a fair price. i know it probably needs upgrades of around 400 so would i be ahead to just save a little longer and buy a new one. thanks im anxious to here your thoughts

If you have the serial number you can call CarveWright to verify if it has been registered before. They can also let you know what kind of upgrades you might need. Being an A series machine things to look at for any upgrades are the chuck system and the Z pack upgrade.

[lynnfrwd]

FYI - he has done his homework and called us with the serial number. He wants to know from you guys, if he should buy new or go with the A series machine.

[dbfletcher]

I'm still sticking with first time buyers should "buy new". Nothing can take the fun out of this quicker than buying a used machine, with no warranty, and quickly develops issues.

After you get up to speed and have a better understanding of how the machine works, then by all means, go with a cheap used machine if you can get it.

[atauer]

I'm still sticking with first time buyers should "buy new". Nothing can take the fun out of this quicker than buying a used machine, with no warranty, and quickly develops issues.

I am seconding this. Unless you are already familiar with the Carvewright machine, I would recommend buying new. Sure the price of a used machine is a big factor in purchasing, but after you factor in the costs of any upgrades/updates, repair costs, etc., you could potentially have a brand new machine. Not to mention that we have numerous sales throughout the year.

[eelamb]

I am with Doug, and atauer, first time buy, buy new. Will cost you less in the long time. Think of it like this you said 600 plus 400 for upgrades. That is 1000 without a warranty. Add another 600 or so and you have a new machine with a warranty. Which will probably save you the extra 600 in repairs alone. Plus right now they have a very good deal for about $2000 which includes a lot of extra's.

[chebytrk]

After thinking about this I also agree that for a new user it would be easier to just start off with a new ("C" series" machine). Older model (like mine.. "A") there would be more of a learning curve and would have some costs involved to upgrade. I guess by the time I factor everything that I've added to mine, it is about the price for a "C" nowadays. Only advantage with mine right now is that I got it thru Sears and have the 4 year warranty so any repairs don't come out of pocket. Upgrades I pay for, but that's all I pay for. So... yup... a new machine would be better in the long run.

[c_mjenkins]

Ok thanks for all of your input. I think ill sleep on it tonight but im probably leaning towards the new machine unless if when I tell the guy I'm not interested he comes down some more on the price then it would be hard to pass up. Either way in the near future I'll have one,so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me in the future with more questions. Thanks. One more thing in the last few weeks i have read alot of reviews on cw both the machine and their customer service. Some good and some very bad i dont know about the machine yet but my experience with customer service today was all good. I called in the middle of the day and was on hold for maybe 30 seconds and both reps were very nice and answered all ques. Considering I called saying i wanted to buy a used machine I'm surprised. Thanks again

[chevytrucking]

I'll take the other side, I guess. I bought a used Craftsman version having no experience with Carvewright at all. As far as I know, it's never had any upgrades. I've been using it without any major issues for over a year. I still have issues with the software sometimes and I still get confused with the "auto jig" stuff, but I think that's going to happen either way. I think I paid $700 for mine, but it came with the whole set of bits, already mounted on nice stand, Centerline, some patterns he'd bought, and the guy even threw in some Walnut boards with it. If the previous owner will give you a good demo in person when you're buying it to prove that it works, I'd say go for it.