Prices

[kubotaman]

I have been looking at the ShopBot for some time trying to make up my mind. Well guess what? Prices are now being advertised on this site that they are going up by approximately 10% plus by the first of january!!!!!!! That is enough to make me throw in the towel! I would only have two days to make up my mind since the office is closed till the 29th of this month. I can't even see one of their units since I live on an island. It is a major trip, 8 hours, to just go and see one in the field. Anyone have any suggestions as to whatI can do? I feel like calling ShopBot and tell them of the position I am in to see if "maybe" I could get a little leeway as to the date of increase of price. What is your opinion?

[myxpykalix]

Even if you bought it today, delivery would be several weeks away. With the way the economy is right now I can't imagine they wouldn't be flexible. Maybe if you put down a deposit?

If that won't work you might consider a used bot from someone close to you.

[angus_hines]

Give Dianne a call she has some flexibility if your serious. I'm sure a deposit would lock you in for the current prices.

[burchbot]

Hi
I ordered a ShopBot and never saw one in person until I put mine together The best machine purchase I ever made. The best software I ever bought was from Vectric and now that comes with your new ShopBot.
Dan

[dubliner]

Daryl. I will say this. The forum is huge & 99.9% of the posts come from us users & not shopbot staff. There is not another forum for any other CNC like "ours" in the world. I say "ours, because its your too. I have yet to see Shopbot staff come in here to defend any poor practice or issue with a Shopbot, they only seem to show up when clarification is necessary or they do indeed have the answer if no one else does. The reason I say all this is to illustrate how much confidence we have both in them & their company. Dont hesitate to get the one you want, & if the price increase happens, it is still worth it. You may find a lesser priced machine, but you will not get this network. I am a cautious shopper & goofed around for a year before buying, mostly as I didnt have a workshop yet. But I honestly tell you, when you buy a Shopbot you get into one of the most awesome clubs of artists/craftsmen/designers that you can imagine. If 10% will go over budget, Just get the machine you want, put your deposit on it.You will not look back. If you need to wait, then 10% will not mean anything to you when you get your machine & start cutting.Whichever one it is, you will not regret your decision.

[pezsez]

Im with Neville--One of the big reasons I bought a Shopbot was knowing other users, and the company itself were always here to help!--PEZ

[kubotaman]

Thanks for your opinions. I hope no one thought I was down grading ShopBot because I wasn't. I have read a lot of posts and have come to the conclusion that it must be a quality product but I still would like to see one in person, I am very particular when it comes to quality!! I am willing to travel to see one. The increase surprises me, let's face it times are hard right now. I will call the 29th and see what happens.

[scottbot]

Daryl,
I bought my Bot last year just before a price increase. I wasn't ready for it but it was going to be worth my while to buy it before the prices went up. I phone Dianne at ShopBot and was able to put a deposit on the machine and get it into the production queue. It all worked out very nicely.

Before I received my Bot I had never seen one in action. Mine is still the only ShopBot I have ever seen. I did a lot of lurking on this forum and watched as many YouTube videos as I could find. I don't have any regrets with the decision to go with ShopBot.
The ShopBot is a very good machine and this Forum is absolutely priceless.

Good Luck

Scott

[rcnewcomb]

quote:...I bought a Shopbot was knowing other users, and the company itself were always here to help
I bought my 'bot in 2005 for the same reasons. Both the company and the people on the forum have been top notch.

[dauntless]

Daryl, let me add my voice to those who bought (nearly) sight unseen. I had been thinking of buying a CNC router for at least a year when I happened to see a Shopbot near San Jose this past August. Within 2 weeks I had located a new-in-the-box PRS a day's drive from me, hooked up my trailer, went and loaded it up (after paying for it... ;)), and had it back in my shop. A week later I was cutting wood.

[dana_swift]

Daryl- I bought mine after about a year of research. I had never seen one, much less a buddy as none had been delivered at the time.

I just found the support appeared to justify the trust. (I was right on that one!) And took the chance, I have never had a regret.

You want to see one in person, and I understand that completely as its hard to put down that much money when you are not sure what it is you are getting. Then on the other hand if you see one running what you are really seeing is the experience of the person giving the demo, that isn't as obvious when it is all new.

Get a machine based on the working envelope you need and the speed/power requirements you have. When there is one in your shop you will get to see it more than you ever imagine, kind of like a new mother gets to see a baby.

There is more to a shopbot than steel, steppers, and spindle. Its a way of thinking about making things. When I bought mine, everything changed in the way I use tools in the shop. You wont see this in a demo, but you will experience it when yours arrives.

"Pre shopbot" I had tools I used to accomplish things. For instance- I used to use a thickness planer, but not now. I use the bot. I used to use a table saw, now I use the bot. (See my shopbot sawyer program I posted to the forum elsewhere.) I had a scroll saw, its looking for a new home at the moment, the bot replaced it. The drill press gets little work as that is almost all done on the bot.

Thats a hint of what you wont see in the demo, but you will probably experience when you get one. There is nothing saying I cant use those other tools just as before, but now I can put raw stock into this amazing programmable fabrication device and push the "start" button. After that its just a matter of time and sawdust till I get usable parts out of it.

So to anybody stuck in paralysis through analysis, my own experience is that I had no regrets making the plunge and expect you are not likely to have a different experience. Anything is possible, but if you decide you made the wrong choice, bots sell in a matter of hours on this forum. You have an exit option. Few use it, most likely you wont either.

Best wishes in your new year (will you be an owner too?)!

D

[dray]

DO IT! You wont be sorry.

[myxpykalix]

yeah, drink the kool-aid...you won't be sorry

[burchbot]

Hey Jack you sound like The O'Reilly Factor now.
Dan

[sleepy]

Beware
I was considering the new part works software. Went to a meet in Missouri in June or July. Got my $300 ready for an upgrade from wizard for Christmas, Now they want $745 for an up grade.
I cannot see paying this .

[gerald_martin]

Hi David: do you really need the Partworks3d part of that? If all you need is the functionallity of VCarvePro, won't shopbot allow you to upgrade to that separately from Partworks3d?

If not, you can always buy VcarvePro from

www.vectric.com (http://www.vectric.com)

Version 5 is coming soon, if the past is the key to the future it will continue to improve an already powerful software.

That is coming from an ArtCam Insignia owner who now uses Vectric products almost exclusively.

Gerald Martin

[angus_hines]

Like a lot of others have mentioned. When I started looking I had no idea what I was looking at but. The forum here and the people in Durham convinced me that this was the way to go.
Not because they sold it to me but because I found this forum and the staff support to be very real, not just imagined.

Take the BLUE pill it's good......

[carlosgmarroquin]

Hi. My story is similar to all here, but my shopbot was delivered in Guatemala, Central America. The risk was higher because of the support. But anyway I decided that the shopbot was the machine I wanted. After a year having it, not regrets.

Go for it.

Carlos