US Cutter MH-871

[stokedgraphics 1]

A little over one year ago I found the MH-871 on ebay and couldn't believe the price. After spending about 3 weeks researching and asking questions about this machine, I bought one hoping the slams against it were wrong. Less than a year after buying this cutter (and dealing with the myriad little issues) this machine has paid for itself at least 8 times over. Since starting with heat press and adhesive vinyl, we've had countless shirt/clothing orders and expanded to include vehicle graphics and storefront signage and lettering. We've almost begun to outgrow this simple machine, so I wanted to document some of the issues and solutions I've come across with my cutter.

1. Static is a big problem and even knocked out the "z" chip (the control chip that raises the blade in between cuts) early on. Solution: Keep a dryer sheet (bounce sheet) near the machine and wipe down (lightly) the surface of the vinyl and all of the contact surfaces of the cutter. Don't know who posted that one here, but it's a life saver!

2. Different materials give different results. Solution: As for heat press vinyl, I've tried many mfr's. and found that ThermoFlex Plus is the easiest to weed and apply and has the best performance for multi-layered vinyl. On adhesives, I've had excellent results with Oracal, 3M, and even the Greenstar that US Cutter sells. Overall in this case, it's true that you get what you pay for.

3. Read, read, READ! The folks on the forums are an excellent source of information, but like many forums, too many people forget to search THOROUGHLY through the forum to find answers. Even the most patient of forum members show their frustration at answering the same questions so many times. Watch the videos that are available and take time to find the info you need before posting a new thread with an old question.

4. It's probably operator headspace and timing... Learning the ins and outs of your equipment will make you a good shop owner. Finding the little known options in your software will keep you from getting headaches and wasting a ton of material and money. For example, in SignCut there is a step-by-step option that has saved my sanity (once I learned about it). This cutter had a tendency to screw up on really large cuts, but once I activated that one little feature, Voila! No more screwed up cuts no matter how long! Though it's not a contour cutting machine, I'm now working on getting it to do just that, though everyone has told me that it simply can't do it. Well, they're right. It can't do it the way a contour cutting machine can, but once I've got the math down perfectly, I'll post a video of this "non-contour cutting" machine doing just that.

5. Measuring tools are your friends! When we got our first 4'x8' aluminum sign job, it seemed like a really daunting task and my partner thought we wouldn't be able to pull it off. SOOOO, I got out my drywall T-square, tape measure and speed square (framing square that looks like a triangle) and began laying out the sign. One thing I've been very good about, is creating my graphics full scale and making notes for the placement in the drawing notes. When it came time to place the vinyl, I printed the notes along with the graphic from Illustrator and had everything I needed to complete the job and gain another happy customer that has spread the word for me and gotten me several jobs! Now, our motto is, "Business cards to billboards... We can do it."

6. Dry vs. wet application. I've used both methods, but wet is definitely the easiest and leaves the least bubbles. Dry application generally gives you one shot at getting it right, so be sure you've got clear transfer tape for those so you can see your measurement/registration marks. Wet is much more forgiving and as for application fluid, you really don't need RapidTac or any other name brand solution. The recipes on this forum are excellent. Mine is 3 cups of water, 1 cup of alcohol, and about 5 drops of liquid dish washing detergent. None of that makes any difference if you don't get your substrate clean, though.

7. Vinyl cutters are only good for a few things, I'm told... WRONG!!! I've made stencils for airbrushing and stippling, paint masking for vehicles, short run films for screen printing (using adhesive vinyl!), sandblasting stencils, and made serious money with heat-pressed/screen printed t-shirts and custom clothing! All that and more with one simple to use machine that cost almost nothing compared to the big name brands out there.

8. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. I built my own equipment, including an exposing unit and screen press years ago and learned so many things along the way. The most important of which was that the easiest way to get me to do anything at all, is to tell me I can't do it. It can't be done. It wasn't meant to work that way. I can, I will, and it does! Experiment! Be willing to fail and you'll learn how to succeed! In this day and age and with the economy in the sad shape it's been in lately, my business is GROWING! I won't turn down any job, even if I don't have the means with which to accomplish the job! I'll research and build what I need, or find someone that will give me a good price and contract the work out. I don't have competitors, I have a network of shops that do my work for me! I still make money and my customers keep coming back!

9. Quit trying to sell a product and start trying to provide a service. Customers can't stand a salesman, but they'll listen to a complete stranger's opinion and trust in what they say. I don't cold call, I visit and shop. When I approach a potential customer, whether in a business or in the grocery store, I don't try to sell them anything. I do my best to find out what they want and give them options to get what they need. I was told once that, "You can have anything you want, as long as you help enough others get what they need." It's completely true.

10. Customer service sux! Nah. US Cutter's customer service has been outstanding! They must be putting something in the water over there. Every single time I've had to call and spend more than an hour with them, they've been patient and knowledgeable about their products. Once again, it's usually operator headspace and timing... or an ID10-T issue. Everyone get that?

So, I guess you can see that I've been extremely happy with my purchase and the performance of my cutter! I'll be sure to post again when it finally goes belly up, but I don't think that will be any time soon... unless it's from over-working it!

WE'RE STOKED! On Graphics

[BannerJohn 1,324]

It's really nice to hear from someone who took the time and had the patience to do it right. I can't count the people I've heard from that say the same things...how many times over the refine has paid for itself,etc. They seldom post here..it's the complainers who normally post...usually when the machine doesn't work right out of the box...because they didn't do any research.

Thanks for posting.

[pitkin2020 1]

Nice post.

Have to say my refine too has paid for itself and I haven't really been using it in the business sense just doing stuff for friends and family. Yes it has had problems and as a new user of this type of machine I haven't really had a clue on what to do with it when it has gone wrong, but now I am happy to get the screw driver out and try solve the problem. The machine really is budget entry machine and I think some peoples expectations of the machine far exceed the price it is offered at. You wouldn't buy a small engine car used off ebay and expect it to perform like a bugatti veyron lol.

[Rodger 527]

It's really nice to hear from someone who took the time and had the patience to do it right. I can't count the people I've heard from that say the same things...how many times over the refine has paid for itself,etc. They seldom post here..it's the complainers who normally post...usually when the machine doesn't work right out of the box...because they didn't do any research.

Thanks for posting.

+1