Buying a older table
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Buying a older table
Found a older table on Craigslist. I was told it was about 15 years old with only 40 hours on it. What are the pros and cons of buying a table this old and what is a reasonable price to pay? Does this table have height control? And what gen would a 15 year old plasma cam be?
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Re: Buying a older table
Got some more info it is a DHC model
- Ironken
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- Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 7:29 pm
Re: Buying a older table
You may want to post up in the Plasma Cam forum....I have read more than a few horror stories of PCam not supporting older tables/software and charging a King's ransom for the upgrades. Somebody in the PCam forum could probably give you the low down on what to expect. As for me....I would run but, I wouldn't purchase anything from PCam. I don't like their business practices. Que the flaming in 3...2...1...
Last edited by Ironken on Sun Jun 09, 2019 11:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- djreiswig
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- Location: SE Nebraska
Re: Buying a older table
I agree Ironken. Of all the table manufacturers out there, it seems like pcam is the one you hear the most horror stories about. I'm glad I went with a Starlab.
2014 Bulltear (StarLab) 4x8
C&CNC EtherCut
Mach3, SheetCam, Draftsight
Hypertherm PM65
Oxy/Acetylene Flame Torch
Pneumatic Plate Marker, Ohmic, 10 inch Rotary Chuck (in progress)
C&CNC EtherCut
Mach3, SheetCam, Draftsight
Hypertherm PM65
Oxy/Acetylene Flame Torch
Pneumatic Plate Marker, Ohmic, 10 inch Rotary Chuck (in progress)
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- 1/2 Star Member
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Re: Buying a older table
thank you all for the replies. id also like to say he is asking $3500 for it
- Ironken
- 3 Star Member
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- Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 7:29 pm
Re: Buying a older table
And you got a damn fine table that Matt will support indefinately that is a welded heavy tube frame not sheet metal. It was a tossup between JD2 and Starlab for me....after contacting the clowns at Pcam. I went with JD2 which has free lifetime upgrades/updates and a solid PUBLISHED price tag not some runaround crap that Pcam pulls.
Last edited by Ironken on Mon Jun 10, 2019 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Buying a older table
Test drive it if you can. I just sold my well maintained 18 year old PlasmaCam machine with 1.2 software for $5150.....still runs great. I bought a newer PlasmaCam with DHC2 and DesignEdge with 50 hours on it. Sounds like a real good buy if it works and looks good. Does it have DHC and what software version?
Dave Hanks
- rdj357
- 4 Star Elite Contributing Member
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Re: Buying a older table
The horror stories with Plasmacam are few and far between. I teach their current software and have literally spoken to hundreds of owners. Considering the number of tables they have in the market compared to other manufacturers, it is obvious that their machines and software are not junk.
That said, the company is notoriously difficult to deal with. Because some jerks decided to hack and steal their software, they have become militant in their defense of pirating and illegal copies. Sometimes a license reset can take days to complete while they make sure you're not trying to steal something. Their technical support is good for troubleshooting but they aren't really interested in helping you learn to use the software which is why I began offering training a little over a year ago and have helped now over 100 owners in person.
As for the table you're looking at - I'm no fan of the DHC machine. It's a workhorse but it lacks ohmic sensing which I feel is a necessary option for the best cutting experience. You can get an upgrade from Plasmacam to make that machine equivalent to a current model with design, machine control, and height control at advanced levels for $7k. That gets you current software, a new gantry and carriage, new controller, and new harness. This makes the machine capable of ohmic sensing with a height control system that outperforms most of their peers in the marketplace.
I'd personally top out at $2k on a DHC machine knowing that I need to put $7k with it to have essentially a new machine. Then I'd be 9k into a machine that would cost $12-13k to get new with the same setup.
That said, the company is notoriously difficult to deal with. Because some jerks decided to hack and steal their software, they have become militant in their defense of pirating and illegal copies. Sometimes a license reset can take days to complete while they make sure you're not trying to steal something. Their technical support is good for troubleshooting but they aren't really interested in helping you learn to use the software which is why I began offering training a little over a year ago and have helped now over 100 owners in person.
As for the table you're looking at - I'm no fan of the DHC machine. It's a workhorse but it lacks ohmic sensing which I feel is a necessary option for the best cutting experience. You can get an upgrade from Plasmacam to make that machine equivalent to a current model with design, machine control, and height control at advanced levels for $7k. That gets you current software, a new gantry and carriage, new controller, and new harness. This makes the machine capable of ohmic sensing with a height control system that outperforms most of their peers in the marketplace.
I'd personally top out at $2k on a DHC machine knowing that I need to put $7k with it to have essentially a new machine. Then I'd be 9k into a machine that would cost $12-13k to get new with the same setup.
Robert Johnson
----- PlasmaCam 5x10 Table -----
FourNinety Creations & Learn PC, LLC
Plasmacam Goodies! Snap'NCut Mount, AXXON Cards/Cables, Maintenance Items
Learn Plasmacam Workshops
Learn Plasmacam on Facebook
Learn Plasmacam on YouTube
----- PlasmaCam 5x10 Table -----
FourNinety Creations & Learn PC, LLC
Plasmacam Goodies! Snap'NCut Mount, AXXON Cards/Cables, Maintenance Items
Learn Plasmacam Workshops
Learn Plasmacam on Facebook
Learn Plasmacam on YouTube