Upgrading from MH 871 MK2

[BrothersConstruction 1]

Hi all. New to the forum here. 

I work for a construction company, and among many other things I deal with all of the decals for our machinery and trucks. Door stickers, logos, dump truck body stickers, etc. I've been using an MH871 MK2 for about 3 years, with minimal issues. 

Last week, the cutter decided it was no longer wanted to connect to either of my computers. I tried the com ports, the USB adapter I usually use, I modified the USB port (which is how I got it to work when I first bought it) and nothing worked. I've decided that now is a great excuse to upgrade. That said, the buyers guide on the uscutter website doesn't seem to make my decision terribly clear. 

I assume that a Titan cutter (28") would be the ticket, but have never used a cutter aside from the MH871. The main frustrations I had with that unit were, when swapping rolls, getting it to track squarely was a pure and utter pain. Does the Titan or the SC2 make that any better? I also would appreciate a quieter machine, which the Titan seems to be. Finally, is installing the titan (or the sc2) easier than the Mh series? 

Thanks all!

Ryan

[MZ SKEETER 4,709]

Only cutters quieter, would be a servo cutter.  Titan 2-3.   Graphtecs.  Many people seem to be pleased with them.  The SC is a stepper.  People seem pleased with it.   Setting up a cutter to track good takes experience.   Always prefeed your vinyl. Pinch rollers exact distance from vinyl edge.  Even higher end cutters, need a little. experience.  Buy the best that you can afford.  

Have you tried the serial connection on the MH cutter?  A Tripp-lite Keyspan Adapter would be required with the null modem cable that came with your cutter.  

[BrothersConstruction 1]

I did mess with the serial connection the first go around, but haven't tried this time. When I first got it, the key was just configuring at USB port for the cutter and everything worked fine. The other issue is a coworker took apart the cutter to "check the connections" and none of the screws will reseat, so the whole panel is flopping. I'm certainly in the camp of buying a new one at this point. 

Cost wise, Titan 2-3 are higher than I can get approval for. I guess that puts me into the SC2 or Titan 1 areas. 

[haumana 1,220]

Get the best machine that's in your budget. 

[slice&dice 2,450]

Just to quickly chime in, since I've used the MH, the SC, the SC2, the LP2. (and even owned the MH mini for a few weeks).

When you say "get approved" it leads me to understand that the idea is to present the best value to the finance officer over there, and get up and running again, with a more efficient loading/quieter unit, making important vehicle-marker decals that are now being delayed due to this particular malfunctioing MH that has apparently reached the end of it's useful life (and then some). No biggie, the MH does tend to just decide to crap out suddenly, it happens to many of 'em, randomly, in many more instances than the SC2 or LP3 seem to be reported as such on these Forums (static has a bigger influence with the MH, but that's another story).

Well, yeah, time is money, and especially in the construction business --  you lose a dump truck out of service, it costs big time.

In your circumstances, you can upgrade to the LP3, which is the best 'budget' unit, or go for the Titan $100 price jump.

$735 LPIII.

$830. Titan 1

Either model will provide many more years of comfortable and reliable service, with great VinylMaster software to run with (a quick ramp-up to learn it and easily produce signs and decals).

Ryan, let us know where you land.

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

The titan has proved to have a solid usb chipset unlike the other value plotters.  Just my 2 cents 

[BrothersConstruction 1]

Thanks all for the responses! I appreciate all the input. Slice&dice, I didn't actually have the LP3 on my radar for some reason. With the value we got out of the MH, I can get approval for most anything I want under a grand, as long as I have a solid pitch to throw to the owners. Thankfully, lack of stickering doesn't bench any of our machines, but we do need to get back up and rolling. 

I'm very facile with vinylmaster, so i'm happy to hear that all the options here will run that program without issue. 

My biggest question with the variety here, is what value is added with the price increases? A 28" SC2 is $492, the LP3 is $734, the Titan is $828. Aside from "better electronics", I can't tell what features are really varied between these machines that can let me justify an increase in cost. I know the bossman is leaning towards the SC2 just because he's stingy, but if I can find a good explanation to upgrade I'd be able to. Are you able to help with that?

Thank you much!

On 5/8/2021 at 7:27 AM, slice&dice said:

Just to quickly chime in, since I've used the MH, the SC, the SC2, the LP2. (and even owned the MH mini for a few weeks).

When you say "get approved" it leads me to understand that the idea is to present the best value to the finance officer over there, and get up and running again, with a more efficient loading/quieter unit, making important vehicle-marker decals that are now being delayed due to this particular malfunctioing MH that has apparently reached the end of it's useful life (and then some). No biggie, the MH does tend to just decide to crap out suddenly, it happens to many of 'em, randomly, in many more instances than the SC2 or LP3 seem to be reported as such on these Forums (static has a bigger influence with the MH, but that's another story).

Well, yeah, time is money, and especially in the construction business --  you lose a dump truck out of service, it costs big time.

In your circumstances, you can upgrade to the LP3, which is the best 'budget' unit, or go for the Titan $100 price jump.

$735 LPIII.

$830. Titan 1

Either model will provide many more years of comfortable and reliable service, with great VinylMaster software to run with (a quick ramp-up to learn it and easily produce signs and decals).

Ryan, let us know where you land.

 

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

as mentioned before the titan has a much improved usb chipset over the other plotters below it and the stepper motor on the titan1 is a finer steps per inch than those below it.  the titan also has a higher pressure for cutting thicker materials  - more robust.    while the sc2 would be a big improvement over the old MH the titan would be a leap to right below the quiet servo motor units.

[BrothersConstruction 1]

12 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said:

as mentioned before the titan has a much improved usb chipset over the other plotters below it and the stepper motor on the titan1 is a finer steps per inch than those below it.  the titan also has a higher pressure for cutting thicker materials  - more robust.    while the sc2 would be a big improvement over the old MH the titan would be a leap to right below the quiet servo motor units.

Am I correct in assuming that the Titan 1 is the lowest priced unit that has a legit USB chipset and not a COM/USB that needs a keyspan adapter?

[MZ SKEETER 4,709]

As well as electronics,  check the memory.  The MH cutter has very low memory, static, connection and tracking problems.   Compare the memory. 

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

1 hour ago, BrothersConstruction said:

Am I correct in assuming that the Titan 1 is the lowest priced unit that has a legit USB chipset and not a COM/USB that needs a keyspan adapter?

yes - reliable usb connection is one of the big things on the titan series