Not bad mouthing Summa. "Bad mouthing" people involves a measure of gossip, envy, jealousy, or some other evil intent for the sole purpose of hurting someone's reputation. It can also be a motive of revenge for being wronged, but in any event...it consists of spreading untruths to a degree.
Jim Doggett is an honest man, and has stated above that the D60's error on X axis has given Summa a "black eye".
Please CAREFULLY re-read all my posts which deal with my Summa experiences....you will find that I not only had 1....but 2 consecutive problem D60's.
You will also note that I praise Summa's tech support staff and laude Jim Doggett for taking care of the problem.
You will also note that while I don't care for the LCD user interface design of the replacement D750....I do state that this unit has been VERY reliable and a good cutter.
I'm not painting all Summa product in an ill light...just the my experiences with the D60. And, honestly, if I did it over again...I'd probably get a Roland or a Graphtec...probably Graphtec.
When people ask for recommendations on a cutter, they want to know the good, the bad, and the otherwise of people's experiences with the products they own. Would it be beneficial to give people false-positive reviews on products they have encountered problems with? I think not.
I'm glad your research brought you to buy a Summa D60. And I'm glad it's been working for you. The 2 I had, didn't.
I'm sorry if you feel belittled because of my review. It must be like the age old Chevy VS Ford sensitivities syndrome.
Edit: PS.....why is "word of mouth" a good thing when it brings business to your door....but treasonous in the reverse? Newbies want honest opinions, not patronizing fluff.
posted
The Allen Datagraph looks like a little-known wonder. I havent gotten a price on one yet, and I'm betting its out of my range right now. If I had the money, I'd probably get the Summa T series or the Graphtec Pro whatchamacallit. Those sound like the best. However, on my limited funds, I'll have to stay with the lower priced plotters.
The Summa D60 still looks attractive, but I have found Todd's comments most helpful. John's positive experiences and Todd's negative experiences are both valuable input for me.
I am leaning most heavily towards the Roland CX-24 or CX-300 (Rolandheads Joe, Kissy, and Dave are very convincing) after hearing all the posts.
All posts have been valuable, and I thank everyone that replied.
I see this is a very passionate topic. I found oodles of old threads, but none addressed my particular concerns. You guys have done that in this thread.
I also see why Bruce wouldn't open up the software can of worms.
Thank you very much to all who have responded.
Frisby's advice to go to Jeweler's School and Joe's warnings about the Sign Climate in Pensacola are probably the posts I should pay attention to. Stubborn as I am, I probably won't, tho. Yes, I appreciated those comments, too.
I think all you letterville guys are really cool.
[ September 03, 2004, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: William Bass ]
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
there is another guy here in pcola i ran across when i 1st got here. i was in painters supply buying one shot. this guy starts talik to me about signs. after a few minutes he tells me he is a SIGN BROKER...well i aint never heard of one of these....so i axed him what that was. he tells me he goes out and gets jobs then comes to a sign shop and sees who can give him the best price on doin the sign, and that him and i should do some work together. i asked him if he painted, he said oh heck no i cant do anything like that. i axed if he had a plotter, he said heck no...i get the jobs, and you guys can bid on doin my vinyl for the sign and puttin it on then i take the sign and get paid....hummmmmm so he said we can do some jobs???? i told him HE CANT AFFORD ME!!!! he was tryin to make all the money on the sign and pay me 15% percent for doin all the work. told him he got it a little backwards....i pay "bird-dogers" 10% of the price of what i MAKE THE SIGNS FOR.... he hasnt ever called me.......hehehehe
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
OP, a minute ago you said "i get calls from people lookin for work, i sometimes dont have enough to keep myself busy." & now you talk about runnin' off this "bird-dogger" I'm just wondering how you know he can't afford you. A lot of people are paying a lot higher prices then what you mention happening down there... maybe this guy travels a litle further out then you, or maybe specializing as a sign broker, he just might be a professional who is as good at what he does as you are at what you do. I've had people want to do that type of sales work for me, & the hardest part is that we don't just sell widgets... small medium & large widgets, priced right off a price sheet, so it requires the broker to gather the specs on a job & then ask me for a quote. Then he takes my numbers back & I could care less how much he makes if I get my price. You say he only wanted to pay you 15% for doing all the work... how often do we all rant about the loser clients & the crazy negotiations we all waste too much time on... A guy finding work for you would be a service worth paying for if you can move directly into production without hours or days of selling, drawing, approving yada yada yada
posted
You make a good point(s) Doug....people often don't put a value on their sales time...which, although necessary, takes time away from production hours in a one man shop.
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
doug, this guy was not a so called professional. you need to reread, he also would go from one sign shop to another and get one price and then go to another one and tell him so and so can do it for this little....you wana deal with that ok by me.. i dont.
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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I think I did work for this guy ONCE, Joe. Cant remember his name, but I was hurting for cash.
There is one guy in town that makes every sign shop owner's eyes roll, but I cant remember his name. He's got biz card stuck on the board at the PAINT MART. He's a slick guy. If I can, I will NEVER work for the guy again.
Yeah. He's not a professional. However, Doug is correct in saying that as long as I get MY price...that's fine.
-------------------- William Bass wjb71@bellsouth.net Northwest Florida Posts: 636 | From: Pensacola, FL | Registered: Aug 2004
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Didnt really mean anything by that Todd. Just thought you were coming down a little hard on them. Sorry if I seemed harsh.
-------------------- Maker of fine signs and other creative stuff. Located at 109 N. Cumberland ave. Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-837-0242 Posts: 4172 | From: Ages-Brookside, Ky. Up the Holler... | Registered: Jul 1999
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I may have come down a bit hard on Summa...I'm probably the first to raise cane if I feel a product gives me problems, but I'm also the type to take the time to write a complimentary letter to people's supervisors when I have gotten good service somewhere, and I brag up a product that delivers on it's promise to everyone that will listen.
I should state again for the record, that my Summa D750 is a very good, high quality machine...and although I don't like the lcd interface....it works like a charm and I would recommend that unit as one to seriously research if you're going to buy a new one.
Summa techies and support are among the best I've ever dealt with...they really work with you and don't leave you hanging. This in itself is a real plus. I purchased my unit directly from Summa...and I'd recommend that route to anyone. You may pay a bit more, but you deal directly with the company.
I'm glad to hear that they have worked out some of the error on x axis bugs...per Jim's post.
And you're right to point out John that everybody has a percentage of units that have a problem or two...nobody is perfect.
Rock on with that Summa!
-------------------- Todd Gill Outside The Lines Potterville, MI Posts: 7792 | From: Potterville, MI | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
well iam 3 for 3...ive had 3 rolands since 1993, still have 2 and only thing ive ever done is replace blades, and couple of the cut strips...and the pnc-1000 i sold it for $550 last summer. as far as i know its still goin...goin goin.....if i had money for NEW outa the box, id do roland cm-300, or 400. graphtecs are nice.....and i would look ata suma...
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
3 Rolands in 11 years for a guy who does $20. coroplast signage, my God Joe how many brushes have ya replaced? Now if ya would have kept that old Mopar ya had when you were young, ya probably could have bought a Gerber back then and it would have done ya for next next 11 years
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
posted
well i had a chance to buy a GOOBER when i bought the 1st roland....but i was smarter then to get caught up in that ...........and the reason i got 3 is UPGRADE...i now have 2 24" cutters....and a hell of a lot quicker then a goober...
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7026 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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