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/cta...emnumber=66227

Carvewright full bit set for $269.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=66228

Carvewright scanning probe for $249.99
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=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