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Grashopr

New Owner Initial Thoughts

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Just got the cutter today, and I figured I'd post up my thoughts on the cutter before I forget my initial feelings as a new owner.

  • Box made it to Kansas on FedEx without being destroyed.  Always a plus!  It even came 2 days early! 
  • Opening the box was a PITA.  From what appears to be the 'top' of the box, it's not obvious that the easiest way to get the cutter out of its enclosure is to stand it up on its side and open  the 'bottom flaps' and slide the box off of the unit. 
  • The Directions for isntalling the drivers was a bit off for Windows XP (specifically the first 'click no' reference before selecting where the drivers would be found), but it all worked out.  Anyone with any experience installing drivers will have no problem with it.
  • Cable and cord are good length, but I'd have prefered a 'less bling-y' USB cable for my office.  Again, not a major problem, but if 'bland' cables are cheaper than 'sparkle' cables, it may save USCutter some money.
  • Installing the SignBlazer software was very straightforward.  However, syncronizing my ports required changing my flow control to Hardware on my Hardware Manager.  Other than that, using USB was simple and quick.
  • While installing my cutting blade, I found that once I put the cutting blade into the blade holder, and then put the blade holder into the cutter, the 'thumb screw' that pinches down on the blade holder to hold it in place isn't long enough to reach the nut that sinches it down.  Maybe the blade holder is too large of a diameter for the cutter, or maybe the two washers that came on the thumb screw are overkill, but I had to 'bend' the plastic bracket on the cutter to get the thumb screw to bite back into the nut.
  • Adjusting the blade in the blade holder isn't properly described on the setup manual.  The page says something about chrome/brass set screws?  The blade holder is a typical screw-up/screw-down housing.
  • The cutter and the stand showed up seperately (lucky for me, the cutter showed up first  :huh:, I'd have been an unhappy Thanksgiving Guy if the stand had shown up first...and the cutter didn't show)
  • From getting the box in the door to having my first mask cut in hand was under 40 minutes.  Definitely better time than my Master Cutter, which I'm STILL fighting with after nearly 8 months of ownership.
  • When I went to cut my first item, I set my vinyl width and thought that I 'saved' the setting using the 'save' button.. but when I closed the program and re-opened it, then went to cut another mask, the width was wrong, and had to be reset again.  I'm definitely not interested in resetting my vinyl width before each job.

So far my overall impression with the cutter and USCutter's service has been outstanding.  I'm definitely pleased with the service and quality-per-dollar so far. 

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""When I went to cut my first item, I set my vinyl width and thought that I 'saved' the setting using the 'save' button.. but when I closed the program and re-opened it, then went to cut another mask, the width was wrong, and had to be reset again.  I'm definitely not interested in resetting my vinyl width before each job.""

I wouldn't have it any other way since I use vinyl in width from 3 inches to 30 inches and everything in between. Very seldom the same width two jobs in a row. I suppose that this is the reason it's this way...to force you to make sure you have the right width set for each job.

Otherwise,happy to see someone who was able to figure everything out and start cutting so fast. It took me about an hour with my first cutter. A lot of people buy a cutter expecting it to be as easy to set up and operate as that $39 HP printer from target. Which it is not.

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Just got the cutter today, and I figured I'd post up my thoughts on the cutter before I forget my initial feelings as a new owner.

  • Box made it to Kansas on FedEx without being destroyed.  Always a plus!  It even came 2 days early! 
  • Opening the box was a PITA.  From what appears to be the 'top' of the box, it's not obvious that the easiest way to get the cutter out of its enclosure is to stand it up on its side and open  the 'bottom flaps' and slide the box off of the unit. 
  • The Directions for isntalling the drivers was a bit off for Windows XP (specifically the first 'click no' reference before selecting where the drivers would be found), but it all worked out.  Anyone with any experience installing drivers will have no problem with it.
  • Cable and cord are good length, but I'd have prefered a 'less bling-y' USB cable for my office.  Again, not a major problem, but if 'bland' cables are cheaper than 'sparkle' cables, it may save USCutter some money.
  • Installing the SignBlazer software was very straightforward.  However, syncronizing my ports required changing my flow control to Hardware on my Hardware Manager.  Other than that, using USB was simple and quick.
  • While installing my cutting blade, I found that once I put the cutting blade into the blade holder, and then put the blade holder into the cutter, the 'thumb screw' that pinches down on the blade holder to hold it in place isn't long enough to reach the nut that sinches it down.  Maybe the blade holder is too large of a diameter for the cutter, or maybe the two washers that came on the thumb screw are overkill, but I had to 'bend' the plastic bracket on the cutter to get the thumb screw to bite back into the nut.
  • Adjusting the blade in the blade holder isn't properly described on the setup manual.  The page says something about chrome/brass set screws?  The blade holder is a typical screw-up/screw-down housing.
  • The cutter and the stand showed up seperately (lucky for me, the cutter showed up first  :o, I'd have been an unhappy Thanksgiving Guy if the stand had shown up first...and the cutter didn't show)
  • From getting the box in the door to having my first mask cut in hand was under 40 minutes.  Definitely better time than my Master Cutter, which I'm STILL fighting with after nearly 8 months of ownership.
  • When I went to cut my first item, I set my vinyl width and thought that I 'saved' the setting using the 'save' button.. but when I closed the program and re-opened it, then went to cut another mask, the width was wrong, and had to be reset again.  I'm definitely not interested in resetting my vinyl width before each job.

So far my overall impression with the cutter and USCutter's service has been outstanding.  I'm definitely pleased with the service and quality-per-dollar so far. 

*******************************************************

I got my Laserpoint 48" cutter last Thursday. I haven't been able to get the cutter and any computer to communicate. The cutter works fine when I check it out in manual mode.

I have tried hooking up the USB and serial cables to no avail.

I have emailed and called for help and I'm waiting. So in the mean time, anyone have any suggestions?

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Spoke to you on the phone earlier today and we were able to get you going with the USB.

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Very disappointed  in my Pcut 36. My directions were omitted from box for stand. My USB cable only communicates at 25% the other 75% stops midcut and wastes paper vinyl. USCutter won't return calls, and when they do answer phone they will not help me correct problems. My new PC does not have a serial cable card so now I am told I have to order one for my PC to eliminate the USB problem.

As a newby I am very upset with the Pcut and US Cutter.

Really need to work on the USB connection problem.

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jaembroidery... keep in mind that it is a holiday weekend. I would suggest contacting Ken via PM through the message board for a better response.

I recommend installing the serial card and not using a converter.

Said in his post that his new PC doesn't have a serial card...

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I suggested the Serial card as a cheap easy resolution. USB and Windows in quirky to begin with, and we do not support cleaning up computer systems to resolve communication issues with USB. Most users on USB do not have problems, but a few do. To resolve USB issues, you almost have to reformat to clean up anything that might conflict with a USB connection. Rather than suggesting a full system format, I suggested a Serial card to give you the option of using the Serail connection.

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