theishkid 13 Posted April 3, 2011 I've been looking at getting a new plotter for the past month now since I miss it so much from my days at a sign shop. I cannot afford to get into it like we were at the shop... flexiExpert and a nice 30" graphtec, and so I stumbled upon uscutter. I'm just curious why there seems to be so much negative attitude out there for the value plotters this company sells? In trying to decide I've looked at a lot of forums and most people only have negative things to say about them, "they're junk, their garbage, i've been shipped 3 now and all are DOA, you get what you pay for, etc". So are they really that bad? Or is it just the one or two people that have had a negative experience dropping their blood in the water and so it spreads and looks a lot worse than it is? Or is it the snobs that have invested 5k into the craft who say "you can't do anything with only $600 dollars... you need at least 2 grand"? In all honesty, the negative comments do worry me... they are the reason I have not purchased a pcut yet. That and the fact that uscutters terms and conditions (in my opinion) sound like a company that doesn't believe in their own product. I mean if I have a plotter that is DOA I might just want a refund, but that would cost me 25% of the purchase cost. Sure they'd ship me another for free but maybe I would think all my fears are true and just not want to mess with it. Last night I finally came to the conclusion I will buy from uscutter... oddly enough with all the negative talk out there with the value line of plotters, and the poor return policy (in my opinion), uscutters actually has very high ratings on amazon and on ebay. That's what I don't get... why so negative on other forums if their rating is so high on two very popular sites? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AshComputers 197 Posted April 3, 2011 I've been looking at getting a new plotter for the past month now since I miss it so much from my days at a sign shop. I cannot afford to get into it like we were at the shop... flexiExpert and a nice 30" graphtec, and so I stumbled upon uscutter. I'm just curious why there seems to be so much negative attitude out there for the value plotters this company sells? In trying to decide I've looked at a lot of forums and most people only have negative things to say about them, "they're junk, their garbage, i've been shipped 3 now and all are DOA, you get what you pay for, etc". So are they really that bad? Or is it just the one or two people that have had a negative experience dropping their blood in the water and so it spreads and looks a lot worse than it is? Or is it the snobs that have invested 5k into the craft who say "you can't do anything with only $600 dollars... you need at least 2 grand"? In all honesty, the negative comments do worry me... they are the reason I have not purchased a pcut yet. That and the fact that uscutters terms and conditions (in my opinion) sound like a company that doesn't believe in their own product. I mean if I have a plotter that is DOA I might just want a refund, but that would cost me 25% of the purchase cost. Sure they'd ship me another for free but maybe I would think all my fears are true and just not want to mess with it. Last night I finally came to the conclusion I will buy from uscutter... oddly enough with all the negative talk out there with the value line of plotters, and the poor return policy (in my opinion), uscutters actually has very high ratings on amazon and on ebay. That's what I don't get... why so negative on other forums if their rating is so high on two very popular sites? As far as the neg. comments... most people buy a cutter ok, the ones that have trouble, guess what they do.... they come on the forum and complain. With that said there are tons of us that love our machines! I for one would recommend USCutter to anyone! Every product in the world has a complaint sometime or another. Like I stated though, anyone that has "problems" come on this forum and complain, you don't hear about the good ones because they are to busy cutting and weeding! heeheh Well, I for one do not work for USCutter in any way. Being said that, you get you an LP or the Pcut cutter and you will be having a blast with it! I do! "If" your using usb, get the keyspan and save yourself some heartache in the long or short run. Hope this helps 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theishkid 13 Posted April 3, 2011 Thanks for the reply... I will definitely be getting the keyspan as I'm on a mac. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AshComputers 197 Posted April 3, 2011 Thanks for the reply... I will definitely be getting the keyspan as I'm on a mac. Cool Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stetson5331 80 Posted April 3, 2011 Cool Kaaaaaching there goes another KEYSPAN!!lmao...Another one for you to say I told you about it.. Ash whats with the keyspan agin..Do you sleep next to one hooked to your computer??HMMMM come cleam MAN you can admit it..COOOOOOOME ONNNNNN NOOOOOOOOOW!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AshComputers 197 Posted April 3, 2011 Well, uh yes I do hahaahahah No, Keyspan was my big issue here on the forum.... it seemed like people were asking a thousand questions relating to usb issues lol The keyspan would fix it, so that's why I recommend it Hold on.... grabbing my golden keyspan in hand haahahahah Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stetson5331 80 Posted April 3, 2011 Well, uh yes I do hahaahahah No, Keyspan was my big issue here on the forum.... it seemed like people were asking a thousand questions relating to usb issues lol The keyspan would fix it, so that's why I recommend it Hold on.... grabbing my golden keyspan in hand haahahahah 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeremySI 18 Posted April 3, 2011 they def arent the best out there and have their issues but it made me the money i needed to upgrade to a geaphtec Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 3, 2011 I've been looking at getting a new plotter for the past month now since I miss it so much from my days at a sign shop. I cannot afford to get into it like we were at the shop... flexiExpert and a nice 30" graphtec, and so I stumbled upon uscutter. I'm just curious why there seems to be so much negative attitude out there for the value plotters this company sells? In trying to decide I've looked at a lot of forums and most people only have negative things to say about them, "they're junk, their garbage, i've been shipped 3 now and all are DOA, you get what you pay for, etc". So are they really that bad? Or is it just the one or two people that have had a negative experience dropping their blood in the water and so it spreads and looks a lot worse than it is? Or is it the snobs that have invested 5k into the craft who say "you can't do anything with only $600 dollars... you need at least 2 grand"? In all honesty, the negative comments do worry me... they are the reason I have not purchased a pcut yet. That and the fact that uscutters terms and conditions (in my opinion) sound like a company that doesn't believe in their own product. I mean if I have a plotter that is DOA I might just want a refund, but that would cost me 25% of the purchase cost. Sure they'd ship me another for free but maybe I would think all my fears are true and just not want to mess with it. Last night I finally came to the conclusion I will buy from uscutter... oddly enough with all the negative talk out there with the value line of plotters, and the poor return policy (in my opinion), uscutters actually has very high ratings on amazon and on ebay. That's what I don't get... why so negative on other forums if their rating is so high on two very popular sites? I bought a couple copams almost 4 years ago . I was within minutes of buying a $2,500 package from a larger supplier because my buddy just bought that deal & was happy . His came with clip art cds , some vinyl & a "name " . I took a look on e-bay & found USCutter . Me being as I am ( like most everybody else on this forum ) went for a lower investment after reading thru the forum then , even though it did not have many members or many regular posts . I would rather buy " wholesale " than pay several times more for "retail ' stuff . " Coffee , donuts " & promises of better stuff does not impress me . After I got my Copams , my buddy was pissed because his name brand cutter ( something 60 ) did not cut near as good as my " cheap " cutter . He had MAJOR buyer's remorse . Business strategy & abuse of that strategy IMO is why the shipping policy is like it is . USC could easily add #20 to each cutter & pay shipping on DOA cutters , returns etc . But as in anything , the abusers ruin for the rest . In the past , I have read on other's sites & e-bay auctions ... attacks on USC . 1 S-W-H e-bay auction linked to a place where they described USC to a ' T " without actually naming them . I took exception & posted questioning the " facts " & what they said ... I actually cut & pasted the exact wording in the USC auctions to prove what they said wrong . They did not bother to respond as they had posted lies & false info & twisted things like a mad teenager would . The 2 things you mention are big reasons for the crap slinging on other places , but I have seen some " BIG " companies get trivial & take shots at USCutter . those same companies have ate crow & started offering " budget " non-name cutters . That is why I sometimes take exception to advertising competitors on this forum ( especially those companies that went way out of bounds throwing crap @ USC ) ... They could learn a lesson in class from USC . who did not stoop to their level & even tolerates those specific companies being promoted on the forum they run & pay for ( ONLY because I don't have " NUKE " button . Well maybe my rant averages out the rants you have read elsewhere . A policy can always be adjusted , but not made less inclusive . I have seen cases where things were adjusted to the customers advantage . Any business decision is a gamble IMO . We decide what is going to be profitable & what is not . I would go for saving the money up front .. & if things went all wrong... wind up with the same or less money as the companies that include return shipping . I am sure if you got burned by people abusing the shipping policy , you would adjust that policy also . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted April 3, 2011 The number of complaints compared to the number sold is very low,actually. You seldom see people on forums singing the praises of anything..they only take the time to complain. The same thing can be said about any of the low-end Chinese cutters. The difference between them and US Cutter is the SUPPORT if you have a problem. I've dealt with some of the others..and believe me, a 'form email' is not what I consider support. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted April 3, 2011 Or is it the snobs that have invested 5k into the craft who say "you can't do anything with only $600 dollars... you need at least 2 grand"? that's a big part of it..esp on a certain Sign Forum that I will not mention. Most of those people have never SEEN a low end cutter, much less used one. One thing that REALLY annoys me is when people say "I don't have a lot of money to spend' and people tell them to buy a Graphtec....as if you can go out and pick money that you don't have off of a money tree. I see it all the time on here. If you have a budget,that's what you have. Buy what you can afford. My first cutter was a $300 bargain cutter..it made me over $10,000 the first year and 5 years later still works fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theishkid 13 Posted April 3, 2011 One question I have... how well does small script font cut on these value cutters? Is there going to be any difference with the more expensive cutters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 3, 2011 My Copam is the 1rst cutter in the " full time use " category ... It cuts much better & smaller than the Q 60 my buddy has . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AshComputers 197 Posted April 3, 2011 I'm cutting letter to any size i choose.... I just cut some 3m reflective today man!!!!! That thing cuts like a dream!!!!! That's some THICK, THICK stuff! Trust me, you'll enjoy it man! Yup, it might be a chinese cheapo, but you tell Mr. Wong Tong I said GREAT JOB THERE BUD! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 3, 2011 One question I have... how well does small script font cut on these value cutters? Is there going to be any difference with the more expensive cutters. On the previous server , you could go back & read any members posts . Ii don't know how or if that can be done in this server ( I can only find a few recent posts of members ) , but Mr300 & JenL93 posted some work they did & it was unbelievably small & intricate . Mr300 made the nomad car decals on a model car & Jenny made an intricate decal smaller than a dime ( the dime was pictured beside her decal ) I have done small stuff , but not like that . If you have the patience , the cutter has the ability . Jenny has a Copam, i don't remember what cutter MR300 has . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted April 3, 2011 mr300s was done on a Graphtec CE5000 24" 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 3, 2011 mr300s was done on a Graphtec CE5000 24" Hey Skeet , How did you find that post ? When I click posts in sombodies profile , it only shows up 5 or so posts . Thanks to the hardest working Gal in here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted April 3, 2011 I just go to the profile, click> FIND MY CONTENT> Mr300s has 16 pages. I knew it was a couple of years ago, so I started at the back.... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mabscotthandyman 1,410 Posted April 4, 2011 I've been looking at getting a new plotter for the past month now since I miss it so much from my days at a sign shop. I cannot afford to get into it like we were at the shop... flexiExpert and a nice 30" graphtec, and so I stumbled upon uscutter. I'm just curious why there seems to be so much negative attitude out there for the value plotters this company sells? In trying to decide I've looked at a lot of forums and most people only have negative things to say about them, "they're junk, their garbage, i've been shipped 3 now and all are DOA, you get what you pay for, etc". So are they really that bad? Or is it just the one or two people that have had a negative experience dropping their blood in the water and so it spreads and looks a lot worse than it is? Or is it the snobs that have invested 5k into the craft who say "you can't do anything with only $600 dollars... you need at least 2 grand"? In all honesty, the negative comments do worry me... they are the reason I have not purchased a pcut yet. That and the fact that uscutters terms and conditions (in my opinion) sound like a company that doesn't believe in their own product. I mean if I have a plotter that is DOA I might just want a refund, but that would cost me 25% of the purchase cost. Sure they'd ship me another for free but maybe I would think all my fears are true and just not want to mess with it. Last night I finally came to the conclusion I will buy from uscutter... oddly enough with all the negative talk out there with the value line of plotters, and the poor return policy (in my opinion), uscutters actually has very high ratings on amazon and on ebay. That's what I don't get... why so negative on other forums if their rating is so high on two very popular sites? I have a p-cut and have had very good luck with it. I do not cut every day but after 2 years it still cuts perfect AND EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. I use a older commerical computer bought of e bay for $35.00 that has serial port and xp professional it set up and cut with in 10 minutes (that way you dont need a keyspan adapter) never any problems with communication between computer and cutter. You may want a better blade than comes with it but i have cut down pretty small with the 45 degree blade. as you can see from the photo. Dan 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodger 527 Posted April 4, 2011 I just go to the profile, click> FIND MY CONTENT> Mr300s has 16 pages. I knew it was a couple of years ago, so I started at the back.... It seems so easy & logical AFTER someone tells me how to do things .. thanks Skeet . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearlyRich 167 Posted April 4, 2011 I just went through the similar decision recently and posted a short version of it in the intro section. I found a few interesting things while reading the negative posts elsewhere: First, most of the came from Graphtec and Roland users who had never owned a USCutter machine! Second, much of the rest came from people who had never used a cutter and "bought cheap". People who mostly should not own a cutter... They would have had the same complaints about any cutter they bought... I read back through this forum for at two year's worth of posts before I made my final decision and finally went with a 36" PCUT with the stand. I went with the stand because just about everyone stated they either regretted not buying one or would have. Now I'm quite fond of making my own work benches and such, but I'll state right now that yes, I would have regretted not buying the stand . Thanks to all who posted that opinion! I've made big mistakes in the past, like investing $2,500 in a wood carving machine that turned out to be even worthless as a paper weight... I do not consider my PCUT as a mistake and it works better than expected. I have not tried to cut tiny text yet, but I have cut some very small graphics with whole lots of tiny pieces. After finally following what folks here suggested for setting it up (speed, pressure and offset), the only "problem" I had was the blade pulling up a few dots in a graphic that were about 1/32" in size. That's pretty small and I doubt any other cutter would do better. So I did all this research, saw all the "negatives", read through this forum and bought the PCUT. I am happy so far. I will admit that I have no experience with trying any form of return or tech support from USCutter. Haven't needed it... My only possible regret may be that I didn't buy the Laserpoint instead. And that only because I like to "play" and playing with contour cutting sounds like fun... Just my 2 cents... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NukleoN 34 Posted April 4, 2011 Honestly, if you're finding the negative and not the positive with the value stuff I don't think you're reading enough. However, what others have said is true, those who complain tend to be louder, while those of us happy with our cutters find other silly stuff to argue about LOL! But seriously, I've written a lot about my Laserpoint 24 (in the course of recommending cutters too) and I am very happy not only with the cutter, but with U.S. Cutter and this forum. The value cutters are great! Just make sure you get one that suits your needs, like if you need to do contour cutting or not (I got the Laserpoint 24 because of the contour-cutting I do). It does great for normal cutting too. Also, be sure to get quality vinyl, such as Oracal 651, and consider a better blade such as those from Clean Cut. The value cutter with upgraded blade and quality vinyl will give you the best experience and results with least cost! I've been looking at getting a new plotter for the past month now since I miss it so much from my days at a sign shop. I cannot afford to get into it like we were at the shop... flexiExpert and a nice 30" graphtec, and so I stumbled upon uscutter. I'm just curious why there seems to be so much negative attitude out there for the value plotters this company sells? In trying to decide I've looked at a lot of forums and most people only have negative things to say about them, "they're junk, their garbage, i've been shipped 3 now and all are DOA, you get what you pay for, etc". So are they really that bad? Or is it just the one or two people that have had a negative experience dropping their blood in the water and so it spreads and looks a lot worse than it is? Or is it the snobs that have invested 5k into the craft who say "you can't do anything with only $600 dollars... you need at least 2 grand"? In all honesty, the negative comments do worry me... they are the reason I have not purchased a pcut yet. That and the fact that uscutters terms and conditions (in my opinion) sound like a company that doesn't believe in their own product. I mean if I have a plotter that is DOA I might just want a refund, but that would cost me 25% of the purchase cost. Sure they'd ship me another for free but maybe I would think all my fears are true and just not want to mess with it. Last night I finally came to the conclusion I will buy from uscutter... oddly enough with all the negative talk out there with the value line of plotters, and the poor return policy (in my opinion), uscutters actually has very high ratings on amazon and on ebay. That's what I don't get... why so negative on other forums if their rating is so high on two very popular sites? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigmax 166 Posted April 4, 2011 As far as the neg. comments... most people buy a cutter ok, the ones that have trouble, guess what they do.... they come on the forum and complain. With that said there are tons of us that love our machines! I for one would recommend USCutter to anyone! Every product in the world has a complaint sometime or another. Like I stated though, anyone that has "problems" come on this forum and complain, you don't hear about the good ones because they are to busy cutting and weeding! heeheh Well, I for one do not work for USCutter in any way. Being said that, you get you an LP or the Pcut cutter and you will be having a blast with it! I do! "If" your using usb, get the keyspan and save yourself some heartache in the long or short run. Hope this helps Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AshComputers 197 Posted April 4, 2011 heheheh I love your post Max Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theishkid 13 Posted April 5, 2011 Well I just want to thank everyone for their help and replies the last few days. I just placed an order for a 24" PCut, Keyspan adapter, flexistarter 8.5 (although my shipping confirmation has a thing that says 8.6 on it??), an oracal squeegee, a little roll of oracal 651 white, and a roll of rtape w/conform to start this thing going. I'm sure I'll be on a lot with questions. Thanks again everybody! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
