Daige Solo Laminator

[Morph1]

Looking to buy Daige Solo with stand... thinking of the 38" but got room for the 55"...
any reviews regarding this laminator ... I heard in the past a lot of complaining about the quick mount version,
this new version is called solo and looks very promising...

anyone ?

thanks

 

[CS-SignSupply]

Laminating takes practice so be sure to budget a 1/2 to a full roll of lam to learn to use it properly.

If you need to start laminating 30'-150' runs, I would recommend a beefier unit like a Drytac Fuzion.

If budget is the primary factor, the Daige or even the units from USTEch are decent for entry to mid level use.

 

[Rob_maxgrafix]

its not a bad machine for the price, there are definitely a few design flaws tho.

If you laminate without a sled, and your laminate is wider than your media, the laminate will stick to the rear deck of the machine as it feeds out. That gets to be a headache, I ended up taking the rear deck off, lot fewer problems, and easier to cut off the graphic without wasting a foot of lam every time. (my longest print runs are 5' so it adds up fast )

Also, silvering is almost inevitable. there is no speed control on this machine, just stop and go. the silvering eventually will go away after a day laying out, but its an annoyance.

As CS said, budget at least a half roll of lam to learn how the machine sets up and tracks. It may seem cut and dry but you'll learn quite quick that if its not tracking straight, you'll have wrinkles in no time flat.

 

[Morph1]

As CS said, budget at least a half roll of lam to learn how the machine sets up and tracks. It may seem cut and dry but you'll learn quite quick that if its not tracking straight, you'll have wrinkles in no time flat.

SCARY !!!, do they supply the learning test roll lol , I mean lots of laminators have similar problems when you first load them
especially new ones , there is always the required setup time that needs to be taken into consideration, but once it's set up are there still some issues ? , I don't want to spend money trying to save where I will spend more money on supplies that will be rendered useless by the laminator.
On the scale 1 -10 how would you rate it in means of performance and reliability , I will be only using this unit to laminate my digital prints, not mounting vinyl onto substrates...

thanks !

 

[Mosh]

On a budget then try a big squeegie. I use it more than my laminator, most of my prints are 8' or less by 30" and 54"

 

[Morph1]

lol I have been squeeging my laminate with good success for a while, but I want to get a laminator I don't want to worry about messing up a nicely printed images all the time, I mean there were times I did squeegee perfectly but other times where I messed up the whole print... do you premask your laminate when you squeegee or just go straight at it ?
Still it's time for a laminator...

 

[Morph1]

Could someone recommend a cheaper good quality laminator, I am not looking for the best and I do not want an industrial tank,
as I run my part time bus from a basement of my house... I was looking for a 30" - 40" although I could accommodate space for a 54"...

Any help would be appreciated.

thanks !

 

[Davidford7]

On a budget then try a big squeegie. I use it more than my laminator, most of my prints are 8' or less by 30" and 54"

Mosh
I sent you a PM
David

 

[geb]

We just bought one for short runs using a sled, happy with outcome, there is a little bit of practice needed but all in all a good purchase for us.

George

 

[AF]

SCARY !!!, do they supply the learning test roll lol , I mean lots of laminators have similar problems when you first load them
especially new ones , there is always the required setup time that needs to be taken into consideration, but once it's set up are there still some issues ? , I don't want to spend money trying to save where I will spend more money on supplies that will be rendered useless by the laminator.
On the scale 1 -10 how would you rate it in means of performance and reliability , I will be only using this unit to laminate my digital prints, not mounting vinyl onto substrates...

thanks !

No such thing as a cheap and good laminator. You will also find more uses for it than you mention. Webbing the machine is where you will find the better designed units save incredible amounts of time and material. Some units are grounded properly to dissipate static, can't imagine why you would forgo that feature. Pneumatic laminators are much safer than crank units. Safety is always a consideration. You didn't mention needing thermal encapsulation capability, but top heat assist is important for eliminating silvering with psa films.

as for using material for learning the machine, use a cheap laminate and not expensive cast. It is worth the effort to get your process perfected before destroying jobs.

 

[TDFcustomSL]

For the money I don't think you can beat ustech. Great price great service and if I needed another one I would go right back to them. There are many threads on here about the us tech machines. Very well built and solid units. Call and talk to Dave

 

[Z SIGNS]

I had a Diage.

I pitched it in the garbage.Yes pitched it in the garbage.
It was taking up space and not making me money.

Did not use it that much because could not figure out how to make it work and
did not want go through the hassle of concocting cockamamie ways to make it work like others have done.

Went to Dales big squeegee because it was easier than dealing with the diage.

Now we use a flatbed laminator.
I think the flatbed will dominate the laminating machine market very soon for obvious reasons.
Much easier than doinkin around with wasted time and material using any kind of roll to roll.

If I was on a low budget and had to decide between a Diage and a big squeegee.I would go with the latter.

Hope this helps

 

[Z SIGNS]

On a budget then try a big squeegie. I use it more than my laminator, most of my prints are 8' or less by 30" and 54"

Yup
What he said

 

[Dennis422]

I thought about Daige and switched to US Tech laminator before it was too late.
I got US Tech MVP500, 55" with motorized upper roller.
I believe it ended up being $500-600 more that a Daige but worth every cent over a Daige.

Good luck

 

[Jackpine]

Yup
What he said

I agree with both. If you ruin a print with the big squeegee it's "operator error".

 

[Morph1]

thanks for all the input..., I was doing a bit of research and came across this unit... has anyone had any experience with this make,

http://shop.remingtonlaminations.co...FP-230C-800GFP230C.htm#.Unf6P-wCkYY.wordpress if the link doesn't work look up
[h=1]30" COLD LAMINATOR (GFP 230C)[/h]
I watched some videos and this unit looks quite solid and the price is right..

any thoughts ?

thanks
.

 

[Dennis422]

GFP is very good laminator.
But....... if you have room, get this http://www.bestdgi.com/html/mvt500.html $2299 plus shipping. I believe best laminator for the money

 

[jmcnicoll]

I owned a Daige once for about an hour before I called for a return. You get what you pay for. If laminating most of what you print, spend some money to
get a good one.

 

[Morph1]

I owned a Daige once for about an hour before I called for a return. You get what you pay for. If laminating most of what you print, spend some money to
get a good one.

You're right ... not gonna invest into a piece of junk, I think I'm gonna go with GFP

 

[Morph1]

does anyone know where could I buy big squeegee in Canada ?