Autokarv...

[signman315]

Hi all, wondering if anyone has any experience with Autokarv CNC routers. I just had a salesman in my shop recommending them and my own research shows they are pretty new and not finding much info about them. Anybody have any tales of horror or success to share about them? Thanks for your time!

 

[bannertime]

Googling the name pulls up this post. Lol. Hello Googlers and everyone looking for Autokarv!

As of writing this post - Autokarv's website is incomplete and "copy-written" in 2017. They also don't really look setup for the sign industry and maybe more towards parts manufacturing. Did they give you any pricing and specs?

 

[signman315]

Googling the name pulls up this post. Lol. Hello Googlers and everyone looking for Autokarv!

As of writing this post - Autokarv's website is incomplete and "copy-written" in 2017. They also don't really look setup for the sign industry and maybe more towards parts manufacturing. Did they give you any pricing and specs?

Yep that's what I found, the website has dead links and the company as a whole doesn't seem reputable. The salesman that referred me to them is someone who works for a large and very trustworthy vendor that has been around for many years, and the salesman himself I've known through various avenues in my 10 year sign making career. So I do trust him (as much as I trust any salesman). CNC Experts out of Georgia is selling them, and I've heard good things about CNCExperts but neither good/bad about Autokarv specifically.

They did provide pricing and specs on two builds of 5' x 10' models...one with many options the other with fewer. The one with many options is $43,000 and the bare bones one is $27,000. They also offer a 3 year warranty...if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Just wondering if anyone has one or know someone that does. Of course with any large purchases I'll go see one in demonstration before writing the check. Just curious if anyone has any experience with them....

 

[player]

They look like rebranded China CNC units that sell for $10K.

 

[signman315]

They look like rebranded China CNC units that sell for $10K.

Are they any good? I could buy a new one every 3 years for that price and always be under warranty and it would take at least 12 years to equal the cost of a bare bones name brand machine such as Zund, Esko, Kongsberg, etc. I would be as profitable or more by doing that as compared to paying $120,000 plus for a better machine that loses warranty in a year. Anybody have any real world experience using the cheapies?

 

[EffectiveCause]

Yep that's what I found, the website has dead links and the company as a whole doesn't seem reputable. The salesman that referred me to them is someone who works for a large and very trustworthy vendor that has been around for many years, and the salesman himself I've known through various avenues in my 10 year sign making career. So I do trust him (as much as I trust any salesman). CNC Experts out of Georgia is selling them, and I've heard good things about CNCExperts but neither good/bad about Autokarv specifically.

They did provide pricing and specs on two builds of 5' x 10' models...one with many options the other with fewer. The one with many options is $43,000 and the bare bones one is $27,000. They also offer a 3 year warranty...if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Just wondering if anyone has one or know someone that does. Of course with any large purchases I'll go see one in demonstration before writing the check. Just curious if anyone has any experience with them....

So if you look up the address on there website google says its also the same address as CNC Experts and the satellite image shows its a house. Seems kinda scammy...

 

[player]

Are they any good? I could buy a new one every 3 years for that price and always be under warranty and it would take at least 12 years to equal the cost of a bare bones name brand machine such as Zund, Esko, Kongsberg, etc. I would be as profitable or more by doing that as compared to paying $120,000 plus for a better machine that loses warranty in a year. Anybody have any real world experience using the cheapies?

Results vary, like the

Are they any good? I could buy a new one every 3 years for that price and always be under warranty and it would take at least 12 years to equal the cost of a bare bones name brand machine such as Zund, Esko, Kongsberg, etc. I would be as profitable or more by doing that as compared to paying $120,000 plus for a better machine that loses warranty in a year. Anybody have any real world experience using the cheapies?

There are some CNC machines from China that MAY be workable. There are plenty of folks who ordered one and it is junk. It is a crap shoot.

 

[Robert Gruner]

Signman,
Check out the Summa F1612. You can get a nice demo at either Diversified Display Products or Lindenmyer Munroe, both companies in your backyard. It is a very powerful product, extremely competitive in performance with Zund and Esko at near 1/2 the price, with comprehensive 2 year warranty.

 

[signman315]

Signman,
Check out the Summa F1612. You can get a nice demo at either Diversified Display Products or Lindenmyer Munroe, both companies in your backyard. It is a very powerful product, extremely competitive in performance with Zund and Esko at near 1/2 the price, with comprehensive 2 year warranty.

Thanks Robert I’m a big fan of Summa, and have a good contact that just started working for Lindenmyer...Summas are great I have one of the plotters...between the bar code reader and a take up reel I can run 150’ rolls of mixed printed graphics fully unattended roll to roll...it never stops awing me haha but the down side is my forearms have shrank significantly now that I’m not rerolling manually!!

I’ve really looked at their flatbed series of cutters and do think they are a powerful unit, very versatile. I saw one at ISA Orlando earlier this year and again loved it....BUT...my conclusion is that Summas are more like plotters with routing capabilities as opposed to a router with plotting capabilities. My workload calls for the latter, and have done my homework on more “legit” systems like ShopSabre, Camaster, Gerber, Multicam, Axyz, Colex and the list goes on...I used a Sabre 408 for about 10 years at a previous position, also a rock solid machine...but got a little curious about these AutoKarv units simply based on the price and a somewhat trustworthy salesman...they are so cheap they’re almost disposable after the 3 year warranty ends lol

 

[axelmk]

Signman,
Take a good look at Colex. We installed a 5x10 table a month ago. I am not sure how we had lived without one before.
The Total cost of the machine is half the price of Zund or Esko but is performing amazingly well. The efficiency we have achieved in just a month is beyond our expectations. Think of it this way, the $1500 a month to pay for the lease is way less than a new hire and yet it does the work of two or three employees. The install was done on the exact date as promised, training was a excellent and support so far has been very good. No Fluff or arrogance like other brands, just a good solid product.
Machines are manufactured in NJ, The owner is a German Gentleman that is very well respected by his employees which in my book says a lot. They have been in business for over 30 years. My perception is that they will be here for a while.

On the other hand, when we did a Demo at the ISA show in Orlando of another Chinese machine, iEcho, results were horrendous. Remember the Sales persons and Dealerships come and go, It is the manufacturer the one you need to trust...
I hope this helps.

 

[Sandman]

The units you listed in the above post are solid units for sign making. You don't say what you are going to be cutting so unless you are going to be milling a lot of solid aluminum, any of the above brands will do you just fine. I'm on a CNC forum and it is probably 85% hobbyists and many of them have bought Chinese models. Some are great, some stink. Most of them go with undersized water cooled spindles which normally run a couple hundred dollars instead of the $4,000 for a good Italian or German spindle so that is part of the cost savings. Some claim to have good luck with tech support, others are pulling their hair out, so like mentioned above, buying a Chinese router is a crap shoot. I have an EZ Router that has served me well for 8 years now. I cut wood, plastic HDU, and ACM and it has worked very well. The few problems I've had were corrected by the company which manufactures them in Texas. When I first got it there was a problem. The owner of the company flew from Texas to Upper Michigan to get it running right. Turned out to be the Dell computer that they supplied with the unit so they replaced it immediately and I was up and running two days later. The models you mentioned above are definitely a step up from a EZ Router, but also a big step up in price.

 

[Hot Rodder]

Hi all, wondering if anyone has any experience with Autokarv CNC routers. I just had a salesman in my shop recommending them and my own research shows they are pretty new and not finding much info about them. Anybody have any tales of horror or success to share about them? Thanks for your time!

Did Bill talk you into machine. Infor

 

[signman315]

Did Bill talk you into machine. Infor

No I ended up avoiding AutoKarv, just out of lack of information. We actually haven't bought anything yet, as we are comfortable without it and my employer changed their mind about it due to some transitions we are undertaking at our shop (generally positive transitions). So someday I'll end up with a CNC but it's gonna be a few years before it's the right move for us. With that said I've decided on Summa, Colex or Camaster for my needs when the time comes, just gotta convince the boss to drop the dough haha. I'll keep you posted if we do get something

 

[Hot Rodder]

No I ended up avoiding AutoKarv, just out of lack of information. We actually haven't bought anything yet, as we are comfortable without it and my employer changed their mind about it due to some transitions we are undertaking at our shop (generally positive transitions). So someday I'll end up with a CNC but it's gonna be a few years before it's the right move for us. With that said I've decided on Summa, Colex or Camaster for my needs when the time comes, just gotta convince the boss to drop the dough haha. I'll keep you posted if we do get something

No I ended up avoiding AutoKarv, just out of lack of information. We actually haven't bought anything yet, as we are comfortable without it and my employer changed their mind about it due to some transitions we are undertaking at our shop (generally positive transitions). So someday I'll end up with a CNC but it's gonna be a few years before it's the right move for us. With that said I've decided on Summa, Colex or Camaster for my needs when the time comes, just gotta convince the boss to drop the dough haha. I'll keep you posted if we do get something

i WAS WONDERING HOW IT WENT. i LET BILL TALK ME IN BECAUSE WE HAD WORKED WITH EACH OTHER FOR A WHILE . tOOK HIM AS AND HONEST MAN AND JOSH HIS SON. I WAS THE FOOL. WHEN IT WENT DOWN THE WAY WE WERE FINACING ALL PCS OF EQUIP HAD TO BE PAID AT SAME TIME. AND WE PAID HIM FOR THE MACHINE WAS IN HIS SHOP. NOT FAR FROM ME.BUT THEN IT TOOK SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS TO DELIVER , HE CAME IN 5;30 PM AND NOT REALLY PREPARED TO INSTALL. IT WAS A DIFF MACHINE, DIGITOOL , I KNOW A CHEAPER BRAND. NO SERIAL NUM OR MANUALS. WE ARE STILL GOING ROUNDS ON THIS. aND YOU CAN NOT FIND INFOR ON EITHER MACHINE CEPT CNC EXPERTS. HOPE NO ONE ELSE HAS TO GO THRU THIS.

 

[signman315]

i WAS WONDERING HOW IT WENT. i LET BILL TALK ME IN BECAUSE WE HAD WORKED WITH EACH OTHER FOR A WHILE . tOOK HIM AS AND HONEST MAN AND JOSH HIS SON. I WAS THE FOOL. WHEN IT WENT DOWN THE WAY WE WERE FINACING ALL PCS OF EQUIP HAD TO BE PAID AT SAME TIME. AND WE PAID HIM FOR THE MACHINE WAS IN HIS SHOP. NOT FAR FROM ME.BUT THEN IT TOOK SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS TO DELIVER , HE CAME IN 5;30 PM AND NOT REALLY PREPARED TO INSTALL. IT WAS A DIFF MACHINE, DIGITOOL , I KNOW A CHEAPER BRAND. NO SERIAL NUM OR MANUALS. WE ARE STILL GOING ROUNDS ON THIS. aND YOU CAN NOT FIND INFOR ON EITHER MACHINE CEPT CNC EXPERTS. HOPE NO ONE ELSE HAS TO GO THRU THIS.

Yikes! Sorry to hear that, sometimes proper support and communication are more important than the hardware itself! Best of luck moving forward!