Chinese Lasers - your experience

[Tony DeSimone]

I am interested in starting a laserengraving business and have been observing, studying and learning asmuch as possible without very much actual “hand's on”experience”. Mostly I'll be working with anodized aluminum, softwoods and leather. Balancing speed/power/cost I've decided I'll befine with a 40 – 60 watt machine. Machines sold in the U.S.specifically Epilog and Universal are pricey, Trotec is even pricierand Gravograft is ballistic. Therefore I'm looking at “Chinese”machines and finding numerous nightmare posts but very few (noneactually) stating “I have a (brand) chinese machine and it's beenworking fine since I got it”. So, I'm looking for honest feedbackabout your chinese machine, ease of tech support if you've needed it,speed of delivery etc etc. I thoroughly expect to see a few “I hadissues with the software, but I'm not a geek” which isunderstandable. Software support from overseas is challenging at bestand from the big companies really crappy from my personal experience.


I'm after brand and model, especiallyif you haven't had any major issues. I've been in contact withThunder, G.Weikeand a few others.


Thanks for your feedback.

[Kev Williams]

First, this post may soon be moved to the 'engravers' section

Now I'll say this:

If your intent is to start a laser engraving business and have it succeed, then spend the money and get a western machine.
If you're simply 'testing the waters', then get a Chinese machine.
If you're really serious, you'll get one of each, a 40-60 watt western machine, and an 80 watt Chinese machine.

Here's the cut-to-the-chase bottom line about 'really pricey'--
If you spend $5000 on a Chinese machine, in 2 years it will be worth $800-$1000, maybe.
If you spend $25,000 on a western machine, in 2 years it'll be worth $20,000. (maybe )
After say 10 years, you'll have probably replaced the Chinese machine twice, whereas the western machine will still be running strong, and still have around a $10-12,000 resale value.

So essentially, the long term cost is the same. Oh, maybe the western machine will need some spendy repairs which may skew the net cost, but know this- If in those 10 years you have a few regular engraving jobs, such as Rowmark nameplates, anodized, etc, a western machine will have made you FAR more money than the eastern machine for no other reason than sheer engraving speed.

Then there's ease of use...
Making a Trotec, Gravograph, Epilog or Universal engrave something is like to jumping into a BMW and putting it in 'drive' to make it go...
Making a Thunder, Ray Fine or Triumph work is akin to jumping into new Caterpillar track hoe and making it dig a hole

That's my

[Bert Kemp]

Hi Tony,
I have a Rabbit Laser 6040 -60 watt that I purchased over 2 years ago from Rabbit Laser in Ohio. I got the rabbit on recommendation from the many knowledgeable people here. Rabbit Lasers are one of the best built machines on the market. Yes they cost a little more but no where near what you pay for a Epi or trotec. I use mine for all the things you mentioned and it does a great job. Ray Scott of rabbit helps me when ever I have questions. So far the machine has had very few problems and those were operator related and software the machine itself has been great. if you have any questions you cam pm me or post them here or in the engravers forum. Were here to help.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have a GWeike that I have had for 4 years now and only had 1 issue the control panel went out but was replaced by the dealer I bought it from Automation Technologies and I was only down one day.

[Keith Downing]

I'm looking at “Chinese”machines and finding numerous nightmare posts but very few (noneactually) stating “I have a (brand) chinese machine and it's beenworking fine since I got it”.

Welcome to SMC Tony! I think if you'll spend a little more time on the Engraver's forum you'll find a lot of people have Chinese machines that they like. Even if they don't always say explicitly "I have a chinese laser, it is great"; most people have their machine types in their signature at the bottom of their posts, and a lot can be inferred based on the posts they make combined with the machines they have.

Also, there are a lot of posts here about buying a Chinese machine, US companies reselling Chinese machines (Rabbit, Boss, etc), and how to import a Chinese machine directly. In most of these threads you'll see a LOT of comments about who has what machine, what they like about it, and who to contact in said company to get a fair shake.

I know these are active forums, that cover a broad range of topics, and I can't say I blame you for wanting your own thread; but there is a LOT of good information already posted on this topic. I remember when I was researching for my purchase I read every thread on the last 60+ pages here. The search function works (pretty well) also. Happy hunting!

[David Somers]

Welcome Tony,

I have a Ray Fine 900x600 80watt machine. I am very pleased with it. Having said that I would tend towards Kev's comments. If you are embarking on a serious laser business, especially if you are focused on engraving, you are better served with a western machine in terms of support, speed, machine build, etc. If you will do a combo of work, engraving and cutting, two machines, one Chinese and one western, might be a good investment. The Chinese machine will cut as well as the western machine. And having it gives you a spare that can do both jobs in a pinch, and at a low cost. If you do not want to deal with a direct from China purchase then a machine from Rabbit, to use Bert's example, is a good, intermediate choice and you will have Ray's support and prep work on the machine which is exceptional in the industry. His are still Chinese machines however and will give you the same performance as a direct from China machine.

And as Kevin said, dig in the forum. This is a frequently asked question and there is a ton of discussion already available on it to help you.

Incidentally, I use my Ray Fine machine for a paying hobby/business. It is one of several machines I work with to make things for fun and for sale at craft and art fairs and shops. It is a paying hobby for me and not my main source of income. If I ever turned this into a full time business I would likely turn to the western machines, preferably Trotec, or Epi, or perhaps go for a galvo fiber for metal/plastics marking, or a fiber for metal cutting of some sort. But I really dont see that happening.

Good luck!

[Dana Walker]

Tony,
I have an 80 watt Rabbit that I got from Ray Scott. The machine has been flawless; only problems have been owner/operator caused. I can't say enough about Ray. He came out and set my machine up, has helped me on the phone whenever I have had a problem [again - owner/operator] and his staff is excellent. It's well worth your time to talk to him and seriously consider his product.
Good luck!!

[John Noell]

In short, Chinese MIGHT be okay if you get something like a Rabbit from someone like Ray. If you are handy with tools and electric, Chinese can be quite okay. I liked my Shenhui and am quite happy with my Longtai. However, if I had gone Chinese instead of Epilog when I started my business, I doubt I would have survived. The Epilog worked perfectly out of the box. When it quit working, parts were available from people who were fluent English speakers and FedEx can be quick. IF you buy two machines, having one go down for a while is not as serious. With only one, reliability is critical. My 2 cents.

[David Somers]

And keep in mind that John (previous post) lives and does business in Fiji. So for him parts delivery and being able to deal with tech support can be a challenge.

[Rodne Gold]

I have 9 chinese machines , the shenhui's are 6 years old already.. never had any issues apart from tube and lens replacements which are quite cheap.

[Mike Null]

Rodney has a staff of people to maintain his machines.

I'm with Kev--if you're going to start a business you need a reliable machine. That ain't Chinese. Before you write that check read the posts here about Chinese machines. I guarantee you'll find the majority of them deal with issues on Chinese machines.

My Trotec will be 11 years old in June and I've had one week of down time.

[John Lifer]

Ill chime in. Ive had my ray fine machine coming up on 90 days. Has worked fine out of the box. Just ordered a fiber from them to add to my shop. I would agree that the Western machines are the better choice for dependably and availability of parts. Now i would say that for not a lot of money (as compared to the cost of a Western machine) you could have the majority of failure spares on hand. I have a few, but i ddnt go that route. Yet! Ill reexamine before my warranty goes out. I would have bought a Western machine if id had the money. Now i will say if things go well for me I might continue down Chinese route with a second CO2 machine, or I may move towards a Western.

I would say dont go down the eBay machine route. Just forget that. Buy from decent company.

Ive been on the epilog Facebook for a while and must say not everyone is happy with their machins, there are the random hard to fix, and multiple breakdowns. The most serious are the tube failures that hav happened multiple times. So there is no perfect machine.
You have to determine where you and your money fits.

[Clark Pace]

I have a redsail. I mainly cut. Had it for 3 years very reliable. Cutting time is on par with western machines. Engraving is much slower

[John Noell]

..parts delivery and being able to deal with tech support can be a challenge.

Challenge? That's an understatement! Seriously, the major pain was Epilog insisting that everything had to come FedEX ($$), especially when in Fiji we pay duty and VAT on the cost of shipping as well as the value of goods we import. And when Epilog sends two tubes in a row that quickly fail under warranty, we still have to pay full duty and VAT on the VALUE of the "free" replacement tubes. VERY expensive.

[John Noell]

As for buying a laser on eBay, I can save you a lot of hassle. Just send me your money. No, I won't send you anything. But at least you won't have tons of frustration when it never worked right and you could not get any help from the seller (who knows just enough English to take your money).