Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Please read before posting to the forum

Moderators: HPC, Daven

Huggy75
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:16 am
Contact:

Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Huggy75 »

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the acceptance.

I am a complete newb/novice to all this, but am currently weighing up my options with regards to which machine I should go for.

Thus far, I have been tempted by:

• Ebay laser (500x300 bed)
• LS3050
• LS3060

However, I have the following reservations:

• Ebay laser – Cheap and cheerful. Most who've reviewed it on youtube seem to be relatively happy with it, given the price (even though most have had to fudge their way through the part English/part Chinese instructions), however I am slightly concerned that the power supply is 110v 60hz which is an American standard and further down the spec it says 220v!

Do they just ignore the 10hz difference between our supply and America and have just added a step down transformer? and doesn't this affect accuracy or on-board power supply efficiency as most modern supplies are based on switch mode power supplies.

• LS3050 – I could not find anywhere in the spec to suggest that this model has a water cooling system (unlike the LS3060 which says it has a "Closed loop water system". The reason I question this is because I have read that machines which aren't water cooled, i.e. those that are air cooled are much more expensive to replace parts for, namely when the bulb goes. Apparently, in a water cooled system, it could cost anywhere between £190-300 for a replacement bulb, whereas air cooled can be between 1-3K depending on your machine. Could anyone please confirm?

• LS3060 – Looks perfect but for the price and the fact that as I've gone down this list of 3, each respective machine has got larger in dimensions!! At 1100mm wide, it is starting to encroach on what little space my garage can currently accommodate.

If anyone provide more detail on these queries or indeed suggest an alternative cutter (with preferably a minimum bed size of 500x300), it would be most appreciated.

Regards
Lee
TimBobTastic
Posts: 152
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2015 6:38 pm
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by TimBobTastic »

I am not able to say for certain, but as far as i know the LS3050 is water cooled (I think all of the HPC machines are)

I have the LS3060.. and its fantastic, as is the support and training offered by HPC... I was very nervous about parting with my hard earn cash... but HPC have proven themselves to be trustworthy and reliable at every step of the way.

One thing to consider is no matter how big a machine you buy... you will always be asked to make something that is outside of your capacity and you will think... if only I bought the bigger one.... (it happened to me the week after I had my machine delivered)

my machine came with a 60w tube and the chiller, both worth the additional cost in my opinion....

I am certain someone who is much more knowledgeable about these things will be along soon (probably Dave :D ), but hopefully my reply is of some help...

If you stick with HPC... you will not be disappointed... there is nothing like the warm feeling you get when you realise there is service, support and spares based in the UK, all only a phone call away...
LS3060 PLUS with a 60w tube, Chiller and Bofa filter :-)
Online Store http://www.t2kreations.co.uk
Personal Website... http://www.timbobtastic.com
Huggy75
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:16 am
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Huggy75 »

Hi Tim,

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It was very helpful.

I guess you get what you pay for, but my only reservation with the 3060 is whether I will be able to eventually make it pay for itself.

Like yourself, I plan to do a bit of business on the side with some ideas that I have, however at this early stage, it's impossible to predict how much clientele and business I would be able to generate, least of all how long it would take me to earn back the £4K cost of the machine... :/

Hence, why I was leaning towards the ebay machine, or I would have snapped up the HPC long ago..

Decisions....

Regards
Lee.
Spooky
Posts: 1291
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 10:17 pm
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Spooky »

All current DC fired Glass Tubes are water cooled Lee. :) it's only RF etc that are air cooled under a certain power.

HPC machines are as standard DC glass tubes, Chris and the guys *can* fit RF metal tubes on request but as a rule they usually recommend against it (as do I) due to the huge costs for very little benefit.

Ebay lasers brother?.....don't, they can go from expensive junkers to dangerous death sentences.

Put it this way...I've been doing this a lot of years, I want a machine for cutting organics,woods,plastics etc? HPC is the only phonecall I make

Metal cutting in decent thickness (10mm+) then Mitsubishi get the call (and usually enough money to buy a nice detached house)
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
Dave@OpticalPower.co.uk
Daven
Posts: 1632
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 6:44 pm
Location: Devon
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Daven »

Another way of looking at it is you buy the eBay doorstop - it could work out well but it could also be time consuming trying to set it up, get it running with no or little support (a lot of eBay laser sellers seem to sell a wide range of items so can't really know the business that well).

Alternatively you can get a HPC machine which will work from the get go and have good support on the machine and software leaving you time to concentrate on making stuff...

A HPC machine is more likely to hold a better 2nd hand value as well (some imports are not UK safe so could be hard to sell complete).

Best
Dave
Using two LS3060's and an ex 3020 user
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
TimBobTastic
Posts: 152
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2015 6:38 pm
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by TimBobTastic »

I started looking at the cheaper lasers when I was considering starting a business... But after reading a few reviews and talking to people who had purchased them, I decided the safest bet, and the best value for money was to buy a machine from a uk supplier, who has been trading for years..... I figured my money would be much safer with them than trusting it to some guy in China who is only an email address. The reviews for machines direct from China ranged from... It's ok, but I get little or no support from the supplier, to, it arrived in pieces and I am still trying to get a refund...

Then I found HPC... And to be honest the LS3060 was about £2k north of where I wanted to be.... But I figured investing in a machine that is safe, delivered, set up, and then demonstrated by an employee of a limited British company was worth the extra investment... Yes it will take me a little longer to get payback... But, the machine I have is safe, it works well and I have support from the suppliers whenever I need it.... And if the worst happens and I royally mess the machine up... I make a call, and I can have an engineer come and fix my machine.... Allowing me to continue with production much quicker than if I had to rely on support and spares from China.

One important lesson I learned early in life.... Buy cheep... And you will buy twice...

That said... If you are investing in a business you need to know your market... Do some research, check there is need for your product, at the price you are selling it for... I am sure there are plenty of users here who, for a small fee, would be willing to cut prototypes for you to demonstrate to prospective customers before you invest thousands on a machine.

As a closing thought... HPC supply machines to many schools and universities across the uk.... I wonder how many schools and universities have Chinese lasers?
LS3060 PLUS with a 60w tube, Chiller and Bofa filter :-)
Online Store http://www.t2kreations.co.uk
Personal Website... http://www.timbobtastic.com
Huggy75
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:16 am
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Huggy75 »

Hi Dave,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply

Trust me, the only reason I was contemplating the eBay laser was because of the cost. That said, I know that cheaper isn't always the best option and that sometimes you need to bite the bullet.

Do you know whether HPC do reconditioned cutters, which are slightly cheaper?...to soften the blow?

Regards
Lee
Daven
Posts: 1632
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 6:44 pm
Location: Devon
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Daven »

Give them a call Lee - they may do ex demo but not that often as far as I'm aware! We do sometime hear of machines that are up for sale but I'm not aware of any at present.

Cheers
Dave
Using two LS3060's and an ex 3020 user
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
llamalasers
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:17 pm
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by llamalasers »

HPC all the way.. at first we were looking at the cheaper Chinese ones on ebay last year, back then it was Triumph Lasers that we were looking at and in all honesty, their approach was pretty solid and they have a reasonably good reputation. But then we found HPC. The fact that you will have UK based support and parts, a properly tested and guaranteed machine and best of all THIS VERY FORUM.

Is the reason I'll be sticking with HPC for the foreseeable.



As for choice of machine, I'd say get the one you think you'll need.

If you make a good amount of money with it you can upgrade to the Pro machine in a year or two.
60W LS6840 & CW4000
started out with LS3040
Huggy75
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:16 am
Contact:

Re: Newb alert - Difference in spec LS3050 & LS3060

Post by Huggy75 »

Thanks guys.

I have emailed them, so will see what they come back with.

Can anyone confirm how much support you get from them? One year?...

Lee
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests