Shopsabre information please

[dhoek]

Posted this in another area and it was suggested to me to move it here, so here it is: I Been lurking around for awhile and figured its time to join, I do not have a cnc plasma yet hoping to have one in the next few months, been do a lot of reading, visiting web sites, looking for reviews. I been reading everything good and bad trying to make up my mind what I am looking for, I am figuring on a 4x4 to start, but cost is a priority at this time, it is more of a hobby than a business machine at this time. Anyway my question is about Shopsabre, I do not find much on it, reviews, opinions, good or bad I would like to hear them, I think all the other cnc plasma machines I looked at so far I can find info on them, all but this one. why?

[acourtjester]

There seems to be lots of info on Google under Shopsabre or Shopsabre reveiw.
Here is on from CNCzone
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/shopsabre/
and
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showth ... -a-shopbot

[Doc Hollywood]

I think you should ask them for a quote, and you'll have have part of your answer.
I'm not saying they're expensive, but they are not cheap. They make a pretty commercial table.

[_Ogre]

but cost is a priority at this time

if cost is your priority look at burntables...
but prepare to spend a whole lot more bringing a cheap plasma table to any level of cut quality
buying all harbor fright tools gets you only cheap tools

I do not find much on it, reviews, opinions, good or bad I would like to hear them, I think all the other cnc plasma machines I looked at so far I can find info on them, all but this one. why?

i know nothing of shopsabre nor can i say anything about the quality of their table
think of your support system when buying a machine no one has
when i started looking for a low priced plasma table i saw the support that any machine with sheetcam, bladerunner and mach has
while my table is a bulltear, i can ask on any forum about a problem do to my table has sheetcam, bladerunner and mach3

a quick look at their website shows they do use linear slides which in my opinion is the only way to go
any table that has bearings running on painted or powder coated steel is asking for trouble

but they use proprietary software that means your at their mercy when it come to tech support
how much does their tech support cost after your warranty has run out?
i do see they trash mach 3 " we DO NOT use cheap Hobby controllers such as Mach 3 " imo mach has the best tech support
shopsabre also uses a ball screw that can gather dust and crud without a full length cover like a real cnc mill

[tcaudle]

Unless they have changed, ShopSaber uses WINCNC hardware and software and I would assume the WINCNC THC. They have not been doing plasma nearly as long as router. They have integrated THC (meaning the THC is toolpath aware) but no detailed information on any features. A lot of the MACH3 THC solutions are integrated and toolpath aware and several allow THC control from the operator screen and when coupled with SheetCAM can change THC settings during a cut and do things like corner slowdown, auto THC off on small holes and other features.

Several vendors that have proprietary hardware or software justify a higher price by pointing to MACH as "hobby grade" (whatever that means) planting in the the potential buyers mind that that means fewer features, less reliable and that for some reason their PC based controller is "industrial grade " (whatever THAT means)

When you look for solutions to research and you find either no reviews or negative ones that should flip a red flag. Its kinda like when I go to buy something on line and the vendor has in the price column "Call for Quote" Rarely does it mean they are so cheap they don't want the competition to know the prices!

Linear slides and leadscrews on a plasma table are extra expense that will add little to accuracy or longevity and may limit you on speeds for cutting thin material. Now if you want a precision router/mill then you spend the extra money and go that way. Between running on square tube or angle iron rails and linear bearings there are other methods that are cheaper and a lot more tolerant of plasma dust.

[Gamelord]

Think of it this way. An extra 2000.00 for a good quality known brand table may sound like a lot of extra cash....but in reality, it is only about 7 or 8 custom jobs, which can be done in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS and maybe even on your FIRST JOB --- simple custom jobs like one of the beautiful fire pits on here running between 200 and 300 dollars each. So in two weeks time, you will make more than enough to pay that extra for a good quality brand name table that you will be using for YEARS AND YEARS! If you purchase the cheap table, feeling happy that you saved 2000 dollars and it ends up being a pain in the A@# and nothing but frustration, you will be irritated at it for YEARS AND YEARS! IMO, spend the extra now and get a table that is going to be fun and exciting to operate. The extra you spend now will come back to you a hundred times over and you will be thrilled with your purchase.

Or, go cheap and be miserable, always kicking yourself for not getting something that works right ..... the choice is yours.

[GPM870]

"if cost is your priority look at burntables..."
Just remember if you by cheap you get cheap
Burntables maybe inexpensive, but definitely cheap

[Gamelord]

Before purchasing Burntables, you may want to search out a bunch of other posts on this forum regarding their tables.

[sodfarmer]

I don't have any experience with their plasma tables, but I know a company that has one of their routers. They have had good luck with their router. They have ran thousands of sheets of plastic thru their machine and it has worked good for them. The one problem they had, Shop Sabre made it right. I know that their customer service was good to work with and they keep parts in stock.

[Metriccar]

Although I do not have any first hand experience with them, after reading what I have, Burntables is the only company I WOULD NOT suggest any person to buy.

ShopSabre's prices are provided on their website.

[shiner2001]

dhoek, very glad to see you're getting some more feedback here than in the other section. I believe I mentioned the other day that my brother in law just got a ShopSabre for his class (he's an Ag teacher) and has been fairly pleased with it. It arrived damaged, but was immediately and painlessly rectified by the vendor and ShopSabre (it was a shipping fault, how that was handled amongst them I have no idea, but my brother in law didn't have to jump through any hoops, it was just handled). As tcaudle said, they have been in the router game longer than the plasma game, and I think that might be apparent in their customer service, as I think their staffing may be skewed to the router side of things. This is just after a couple of calls that have been made about this table, and we could be wrong about that.

As far as the other table brand mentioned so far...I think that nail's been hit pretty squarely on the head.

Have you considered building your own table? If you have the capability and equipment to weld the frame together, don't be intimidated by the rest, it's readily available (CandCNC for the electronics and motors, Precision Plasma for the gantry) and will provide you with a very very high quality setup for a very very reasonable price. (And also very very good technical support). Going this route also allows you to escape the pricing structure of most manufacturers, where larger tables are disproportionately more expensive than their cost to build. (Meaning a 4x8 table actually costs you basically only the additional steel to build the frame than a 4x4 table).

[_Ogre]

if cost is your priority look at burntables...

some of you need your humor gene checked
that was a joke, i thought it was an obvious joke

[dhoek]

Thanks for the input, I think I will keep reading and study up for a bit before I make the purchase , I only want to buy a cnc plasma once.