DHCJami 5 Posted December 19, 2017 Hello! I have been using a Vinyl Express R Series II 24" vinyl plotter for about a year now. Needless to say, I have certainly outgrown it, and need something bigger and better. I found a listing in my area for a used Mutoh Kona 1400 55" cutter. I've worked with a Mutoh LFP in the past, but not one of their cutters. The price is reasonable, and I could easily pay for it in one job or two. My questions are: Does anyone else use the same cutter? Is it worth purchasing used? Could I use LXi Expert with it? I'm still doing research on my own, but I wanted to check here and see if anyone else would recommend buying this cutter. Thank you in advance! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted December 19, 2017 It sounds like a great deal and it is a servo, which is a plus. although I have never heard of it.. Do you have that kind of room to set up a cutter that large? It's pretty big. It's worth the asking price. I saw the ad.. Just make sure if you go see it that they cut a detailed design for you so you can see how it cuts. You would have to look at your LXI software and see if it is on it for a cutter set up. You can check that yourself. As far as just everyday cutting,the size 55" wide,is overkill. I have a 30" cutter and have never needed anything wider. Trying to handle vinyl that wide is pretty hard... Those size rolls need 2 people to lift at 50 yd lengths. Plus trying to tape vinyl that wide,, It would take a huge table. They don't state how old that vinyl and tape is..it may not even be good.. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHCJami 5 Posted December 19, 2017 6 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said: It sounds like a great deal and it is a servo, which is a plus. although I have never heard of it.. Do you have that kind of room to set up a cutter that large? It's pretty big. It's worth the asking price. I saw the ad.. Just make sure if you go see it that they cut a detailed design for you so you can see how it cuts. You would have to look at your LXI software and see if it is on it for a cutter set up. You can check that yourself. I hadn't seen it on here, I just went back through to see if it was listed in these forums to see if any further details might be mentioned. It was on a local Craigslist ad. I do certainly have the room, and I have certainly been in need of something wider. Going to see them cut a detailed design is a great idea, I'll have to arrange that. Is there a way I can look for compatibility in the software? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted December 19, 2017 It wasn't on here.. but very easy to find Craiglslist ads all over the US 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikemike 711 Posted December 19, 2017 Should be as easy as add new cutter and see if it is in the list. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted December 19, 2017 With it being a Redsail and Lxi software, that you have sounds like it came from Signwarehouse. Not sure if their LXI is full cutter version or just their cutter drivers. Here are the specs on the cutter https://www.thegrs.com/Web page files/Mutoh Kona/mutohkona.pdf 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHCJami 5 Posted December 20, 2017 Boom! Looks like it's in there. I'm pretty certain it's the full cutter version. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHCJami 5 Posted December 20, 2017 I emailed Mutoh, and they said that the Kona line is no longer supported, and the parts are no longer manufactured. They have limited parts in stock, and what they don't have I'd have try to find through Ebay. The search continues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted December 20, 2017 Your going to find even that the Graphtecs that are 7- 9 years old don't have parts either.. I bought my machine new in 2008 and have never had a problem. If you have that kind of money that the Kona was, just buy a new cutter that has a warranty, support and parts. Like I said 55" is overkill A servo cutter is always a plus. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHCJami 5 Posted December 20, 2017 Guess that's how these companies stay in business, right? I think I'll probably have to do that. I definitely need something better than this R Series, I wasted almost 3 yards of vinyl trying to cut 10" decals. It's been a nightmare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted December 20, 2017 The Redsails are a bottom of the barrel cutter, just like the Refine MH cutters. So are you running it on USB? If so you will have better luck on a serial cable or a Tripp lite Keyspan Adapter. That is the brand name. The value cutters have a cheap Chinese chip set. Not TRUE USB like higher end cutters. That info has been posted on here hundreds plus times. They also have known static and memory problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHCJami 5 Posted December 20, 2017 I'm running it serial. Have been since day one, I think I would have been better off buying a Silhouette Cameo at this point. I have had numerous issues in the past connecting via USB, so I used a serial cable I had on hand to avoid that issue before it started. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted December 20, 2017 I had a 50" as my second cutter - then I figured out how hard it is to mask and apply that big of graphic - that and almost all of the stuff I do can be done in segments that a 24" cutter will do - doing a 4' x 8" in 2 segments is much much easier for me. for your price point of $1K you can get a new titan servo - or if you want one and done buy a graphtec for a bit more 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DHCJami 5 Posted December 20, 2017 Honestly, I have so many rolls of 24" vinyl, I probably wouldn't end up cutting things that large anyway. I'll have to look into a Titan maybe. I did used to use a huge Graphtec. From what I remember it was a 64", which obviously at this point would be overkill, but at least I know the brand. I'll keep an eye out. Thanks for the advice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites