I am looking into getting a laser engraving business started out of my home, & I’m not sure which machines would be the best for the money. I would want a good quality machine, that isn’t going to break my wallet. Can anyone recommend a good machine? I have looked at the Universal, the Pinnacle, the Tortec, & the Epilog desk top lasers. Which one is the better value? If you read the sales literature, they are all the best!
I recently purchased a universal m300 50 watt laser and can only say that I waited far too long to make this purchase.
What are the pros & cons of the universal m300 & any other brand? I really want to get all the info I can before I commit to any 1 machine. My wife is really apprehensive about the initial cost, so I want to show her that I will be getting the best for the money. Did you look at any other machines before you got the Universal?
I have been in the engraving business with a good size shop for over 10 years. I started looking at lasers about 4 years ago. I have gone to every show and countless demos by almost every manufacturer. My final decision to purchase my m300 was that it was a good deal financially, excellent warranty, totally built by universal, upgradeable, and my customers were receptive to higher prices for the new and different products I would be offering. Since acquiring the machine I have picked up a customer a week because of the laser. 75% of the new customers are industrial type work, i.e. laser marking machine parts.
My advice would be watch for the sales on new equipment, start selling now and farm out the work until you get your own machine (I did that and the last 3 months prior to my laser arriving I was selling about $6000.00 per month in laser services, the people who actually did the engraving receive about half of that for their services depending on how much we were adding to the product prior to delivery). When you volume justifies buy, buy , buy get the most you can afford and look for service and support, I have received excellent training, and support today, with no service after installation required.
I agree that the Universal is a great machine with great support. I have had a similar situation as yours (wife was weary of cost) so, I bought in low end Pinnacle Venus 12 watt. It is MUCH more limited than the larger machines, but still allows me to offer services that I could not offer otherwise (I live in a rural area where subcontracting is not cost effective).
I paid $6,500 for the machine (you will need other venting equipment and a small air compressor add about $1,000) and have been very pleased. That ’small’ laser should pay for itself in less than a year. I have gained customers and I have had GREAT success in making rubber stamps!
Keep in mind, unlike the Universal you do not get the ‘hands on’ support, but then again, it seems to be pretty easy to operate and it comes with fonts, clipart and software that can also drive your rotary engraver (Engravelab - about $1100 all by itself).
If you can go with a larger machine and cost than the Venus do it! But, it you are looking to start small and build business without subcontracting…. go this route. By the way, after I pay this off, I plan to upgrade to a larger, more powerful machine (once the bank sees my R.O.I.)!
I am rally serious about getting one now. Since I don’t have a business established yet, I think I will probably follow John’s advice & start small. The market I am going to go after is industrial plaques for machines. I work at a mold shop, & we send out 6 plaques for every mold we build. My company would give me all the plaque work if I got a machine. The place that does them now has a poor delivery time line because of the other work that they do. I know I could turn the plaques around in just a day. I think the Pinnacle V12 would work perfect considering that the largest plaque is 8″ x 11″. I concerned about the lack of support, but I work on computers all day long, so I shouldn’t have too many problems. By the way, that is the difference between Pinnacle & LaserPro; they look the same to me except the label on the front.