Manual Edgebander feedback requested.

[Mark Owen]

Does anyone have any experience or ancedotal information on the suite of manual hot pot Edgebanders currently in the marketplace?

They all appear to be the same Chinese clone with different branding. Felder ECO, Adamik Rambo, Virtutech, etc. Retailing for around 3K each.

I have done the pre-glued iron route before and it is okay. However, I am currently doing a kitchen for an extremly fussy customer (my wife) and would hate to have it peel off two years from now and have to redo it. Or worse have her look at it and say it is s**t.

If I saw myself becoming a ft cabinet maker, I would spend $20K or 10K for decent used one. However, besides our kitchen and the odd closet or two, I do not see myself becoming a cabinet shop.
Not to mention the space restraints. I am in a two car garage with a PRS 4896 already taking up one bay.

Also, can someone explain to me in simple terms which type and thickness of edge banding is used where? Current experience is only with HD 1 MM pre-glued which I find very thin and brittle.

Regards
Mark

[cip]

I have a Virutex glue pot unit, $3k. I use it a lot and find it works great.

I purchase my tape from Edgeco. The tape is almost invisible after install because it's very thin.

Once you get the glue temp set properly it is almost impossible to get the tape off without a heat gun.

[jTr]

Mike,
How does the Virutex do with 2-3mm thick solid wood edge strips, or have you tried?

jeff

[jTr]

Anyone hear the word on when/if the Festool KA-65 portable edgbander will be available in North America?

F.O.G. forum had a thread in which an employee of Festool noted new products are typically introduced in NA 3-6 months after the UK release. Looks like that means any day now?

Appears it's more than just a different shaped apparatus, as it uses glue cartridges rather than pellets. A sales rep recently told me their new machines were using a system like this and the advantages were:
- More exacting focus of heat in a more precise, concentrated area, leading to...
- Easier clean up and more accurate bonding temps
- Ability to utilize "pur" glue cartridges. (polyurethane reactive glue)

UK rates are around 1,900 Euros - don't know the conversion rate, so not sure if it will be in line with the Virutex, et. al.

jeff

[Mark Owen]

Mike,
Thanks for sharing your experience!

Mark

[Plyoboxwarehouse]

Mark, I own and operate a custom cabinet shop in Virginia Beach. 12 years ago I bought a Virutex Edgebander. EB25. It has been a great machine and I have run a lot of edgeband through it with very few problems. Probably the best machine I have purchased to date. That particular model is limited to preglued edgeband which is readily available in .018" (0.5mm). This spring, I upgraded to a Brandt fully automatic production Edgebander so I could run 3mm PVC And solid wood edgeband. It will run any type of edgeband you can imagine - .5mm to 12mm thick and up to 2" wide bands - wood, PVC, laminate, you name it... It will radius corners, edges, scrape, buff, and on and on... You don't need anything like this, you need a Virutex EB25. If you want that other stuff, take your material to a cabinet shop like mine and ask them to run what ever edgeband you/your customer wife (I got one too!) wants. It will be far less expensive than dropping several thousand into a machine you don't require to own and make a living with. Keep it simple. My new (used) Edgebander, although very high quality takes up a lot of space, three phase power, requires a lot of maintenance, German parts that are hard to get, metric fittings and tubes that are impossible to find, and it takes 20 minutes just to heat up. Once warmed up, it will run parts 45 ft (15m) per minute. Oh, and you need a second person to catch the finished parts 20 feet at the other end, or run back and forth ever third part! If you must buy a machine, get one that is a hot air bander like the EB25. You will have fewer headaches than with a more complicated, finicky, temperamental, automatic Edgebander.

[pappybaynes]

Mark, I have one of the edgebanders pictured below...love it, but only use it once in a while...matter of fact, I'd be happy to sell it to you if you are interested - don't do much casework anymore. Dick Baynes

[Mark Owen]

Robert, thank you for the honest real world feedback!

When I first bought the SB, I did a lot of research on Edgebander's and the consensus from the masses was it is the most tempermental piece of equipment in any shop. Almost everyone recommended buying new or having a used one vetted by an experiernced technician prior to purchase.

I think I will stick with the iron for now. I bought some pre-glued from a commercial supplier instead of HD. It is thicker and the glue holds much better. In the past I did look for a used EB25 but even then they are in the 5K range.

The biggest problem I have is myself. I bought the SB without having a valid business case or idea how I would generate revenue with it. So, I am currently sampling everything. Through this exercise and listening to my wife change her mind a million times on cabinet layout. I know I don't have the patience required to sell custom kitchens. I am still employed ft so at least i don't have the pressure to make money immediately.

Regards
Mark