Need Some help comparing US Cutters

[Vermonster 111]

I gently searched and didn't see anything that highlighted the difference in cutters, so I figured I'd just come out and ask and maybe I would get some end user insight.

What are the differences in the MH series vs Pcut?

Anyone have both that could offer an objective perspective?

I did not like my seiki tech so if one compares to that brand, definitely worth noting.

Thanks in advance for the help.  I'm going to purchase one this week    Will be nice to get back on the horse again!!

[BannerJohn 1,324]

I have a seiki ...been running flawlessly for 2 years. Probably paid for itself 50 or 60 times by now. That being said....I like my refine better. It is louder but tracks better. The pinch roller pressure on the refine is adjustable,the seiki is not. On the minus side...the seiki will advance after cut,and make the next cut without doing a thing. With the refine,you have to reset after each cut or it goes back to the beginning of the previous cut.

Now.. Refine Vs Pcut.... both good cutters. The refine has more pinch rollers but the pcut pinch rollers are cheap enough to add more. The refine pinch rollers have adjustable pressure,the pcut do not. Refine is louder than the pcut.

I have a refine,my brother has a pcut. He likes his, I like mine. But I"ve had to troubleshoot his Pcut more than once. I've never had a bit of trouble with my refine.

Apples and oranges really...but if I had it to do again...I would still buy the Refine.

[Vermonster 111]

Thanks for a quick reply.  I'm assuming when we say "Refine" we're talking about the MH?  Didn't see the correlation on the web on the two names

[BannerJohn 1,324]

yes,the MH.

[Vermonster 111]

I didn't like how much the Seiki Marred the vinyl.  One of my biggest complaints.

The advance after cut... can't that be controlled by the software?  I've not cut vinyl in about 4 months so I don't remember all of the SignCut settings, but I pretty much always used SignCut with CorelX3 Plugin.

I definitely want the adjustable rollers.  My Seiki was always about 1" off in a 3' run, and they never could get it to track right

So Refine it is at this point unless others weigh in with anything largely different.  I'm not overly concerned with the noise.  The Seiki was loud compared to my PC-60.

Does the refine seem to be made better and less uh... light weight than the Seiki?  I went from a Roland PC-60 to a Seiki and it was like culture shock

[firemalt 10]

To add to John's comment regarding te pcut... it will advance the vinyl after the previous cut is finished, and you can adjust the length of vinyl between cuts. pcut also has serial and usb connections, I'm not sure about the refine.

[Vermonster 111]

Out of curiosity, which app do you guys use to cut the job, SB?

If memory serves me correctly, SignCut has options to do those things...it's been a few months since I've used it though.  Reminds me... I have to check for updates

[BannerJohn 1,324]

Signblazer has advance after cut but the refine doesn't recognize the command. Refine has serial,usb and lpt ports.

[DTFuqua 0]

"I have a seiki ...been running flawlessly for 2 years. Probably paid for itself 50 or 60 times by now. That being said....I like my refine better. It is louder but tracks better. The pinch roller pressure on the refine is adjustable,the seiki is not. On the minus side...the seiki will advance after cut,and make the next cut without doing a thing. With the refine,you have to reset after each cut or it goes back to the beginning of the previous cut."

In regards to the last sentence, are you saying that you have to make it feed vinyl after each letter or graphic or after each job ?

[kenimes 42]

When running SignCut for the Refine, it will stop at the end of the job instead of returning to origin like with SignBlazer.

[DTFuqua 0]

how did someone besides myself post as me ? I haven't gotten my cutter yet and am not one to say I have something or knowledge that I don't posses. That being said, I'm wondering about the computer ( motherboard and memory) or the cutters, both refine and pcut. Specificaly the ability to use USB natively and the amount of memory available when purchased and the cpu as another concern

[DTFuqua 0]

wups That was me just didn't realize the first part was a "quote"

[Knobhill 0]

I have both and prefer the Pcut. Neither have any tracking issues when setup properly. I cut up to 25' runs with little or no run out. (surprising for low end machines) It's comes down to the same as any friction feed cutter, practice.

Edit: I'm answering to the original question.

[BannerJohn 1,324]

I have the refine MH and a Seiki...and there is no similarity that I can see,inside or out,between the two. It could be that the NEWER models of Seiki are the same. Mine is about 3 years old,give or take.

[DirtyD0g 0]

I have a MH and a seiki. Both are within the last 6 months. The seiki marred the vinyl much more than the MH. My MH has serial,usb and printer port connections. The Seiki (sk870T) has serial and usb connections. When possible I prefer to use the serial connection, but good motherboards with the option are rare. I burned up a motherboard on my seiki and now I fear using it very often. I fixed it and it is now a backup in case something happens when  big job is sold. Unless you buy an expensive machine I suggest keeping a spare. Noise volume I would say is about the same between the machines. The MH is easier to get the material lined up on. THe MH also will tease when setting origin, the Seiki moves a little too fast.

Alan