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Thread: New edger recommendations

  1. #51
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    I've been running Mr. Blue for almost a year now, it's got about 11,000 jobs on it, and I find it to be a giant piece of crap. Lots of twisted lenses, completley flaky software (you cannot let your guard down for even a minute). The biggest problem is it's unreliability. It's been though a mother board on the blocker, two main bearing on the edger, the GMD unit is currently gone while we wait for some guy in Montreal to authorize "the release" of the part we need. Service through Essilor is slow. Milling bits and drill bits run more than $50 each and the milling function has thrown chunks of lenses at the drill bit, causing them to break.
    "Mr Blue is a little *****" is a phrase heard often in our lab. Our Kappa was a bit persnickity, but at least it was reliable.

  2. #52
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    Mr Blue is relatively new, and will like most new technology have teething problems. For every negative comment, there will be a positive one. Axis issues is certainly only an issue on a very small percentage of machines.

    All machines breakdown none have perfect software. I honestly believe when the problems have been ironed out, Mr Blue is a terrific machine.

  3. #53
    OptiBoard Professional shannon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harry888 View Post
    You really need to look at how close the local repairman is, and how good they are.

    It really varies by section of the country.

    My briot repairman is 30 minutes away. Very helpful.

    Another brand I had a few years back, the repairman was out of new York (5 hours). Poorer service.

    I was about to purchase another brand, then realized the repairman was also the salesman, and had been in optical a total of 8 weeks.

    Harry
    I second this, third this....you get the picture...definately check and see who is available to service your equipment prior to buying. We found this one out the hard way. AIT, not a terrible machine...Santinelli, obviously wonderful, but pricey to purchase and maintain.


    A man went to an eye specialist to get his eyes tested and asked, "Doctor, will I be able to read after wearing glasses?"
    "Yes, of course," said the doctor, "why not!"
    "Oh! How nice it would be," said the patient with joy, "I have been illiterate for so long."


  4. #54
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    HI Leo, we are building a lab for an edger. Can I ask what height the hood over the edger should be if our counter height is 37 inches. We would go with a santinelli down the road? Thanks for your help.

  5. #55
    Vision Equipment OptiBoard Corporate Sponsor Leo Hadley Jr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by artwongod View Post
    HI Leo, we are building a lab for an edger. Can I ask what height the hood over the edger should be if our counter height is 37 inches. We would go with a santinelli down the road? Thanks for your help.
    Hi Dr Wong,

    With the chamber door open, the edger is about 22 inches high, give or take an inch for adjustable feet. You can contact me directly at lhvsi@tampabay.rr.com or give us a call.

    Thank You,

    Leo
    Leo Hadley Jr
    Vision Equipment
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    www.visionequipmentinc.com

  6. #56
    Master OptiBoarder mike.elmes's Avatar
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    I hope your mr blue is not the norm as I just ordered one and sold my Kappa CTD. It does sound like you have a moderately busy wholesale lab at 50 jobs per day on that edger alone. I would bet that the mr blue is not the favorite among wholesale labs. I am a retail store owner doing all my own work and I like the idea of doing the higher base curve jobs for both sunglasses and safety stuff.

  7. #57
    Master OptiBoarder mdeimler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike.elmes View Post
    I am a retail store owner doing all my own work and I like the idea of doing the higher base curve jobs for both sunglasses and safety stuff.
    That's fine if you choose CR as your material. Mr.Blue can't handle Trivex or Poly. It burns the h#!! out of poly when it tries to do a shelf bevel.

  8. #58
    Master OptiBoarder LENNY's Avatar
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    Most of the shelf bevels be do on poly or trivex:(

  9. #59
    Master OptiBoarder mdeimler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LENNY View Post
    Most of the shelf bevels be do on poly or trivex:(
    That's why I like the Optronics for shelving. The handle the task with ease.

  10. #60
    Master OptiBoarder LENNY's Avatar
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    But you have to change the blade....

  11. #61
    Master OptiBoarder mdeimler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LENNY View Post
    But you have to change the blade....
    ...and ? Put all your shelf bevels in a pile and do them all at the same time. It takes about 20-40 seconds to change blades.

  12. #62
    Master OptiBoarder LENNY's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdeimler View Post
    ...and ? Put all your shelf bevels in a pile and do them all at the same time. It takes about 20-40 seconds to change blades.
    Dont you have to calibrate the machine after changing the blades?
    When am I going to have a pile of shelf bevels.......

  13. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by LENNY View Post
    Dont you have to calibrate the machine after changing the blades?
    When am I going to have a pile of shelf bevels.......
    The only way to do a shelf of a 7E is to have the multi-cutter assembly that has a primary blade for roughing the lens
    (also used for standard hide a bevel if needed) and 3 specialty cutters that are chosen by the lab and there are 11 different choices . One of them is usually a shelf cutter then usually a Hi-wrap cutter of some sort and one more of the labs choice. Each individual cutter is calibrated when the assembly is installed and the calibration settings stay stored under that particular cutter. Once the operator chooses the cutter to be used on the job screen, the correct calibration numbers are pulled down with the blade choice. The cutters, including the shelf cutter only gets taken out if it is replaced then a quick size/bevel check should be done. Mostly wholesale labs or larger volume labs use the multi-cutter and a lot of them will dedicate a 7E to hi-wraps and frames that need a specialty cutter when standard hide-a-bevel is not sufficient .
    Last edited by Smiley; 07-01-2012 at 10:29 AM.

  14. #64
    Master OptiBoarder mike.elmes's Avatar
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    I use 1.6 mr8 material any day over poly or trivex, because it cuts wet and doesnt require edge polish.
    Quote Originally Posted by mdeimler View Post
    That's fine if you choose CR as your material. Mr.Blue can't handle Trivex or Poly. It burns the h#!! out of poly when it tries to do a shelf bevel.

  15. #65
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    hello,
    I'm french so excuse my poor language,
    In France, Essilor make discount on Kappa CTD because of they remplace this model. Mr Blue looks a good edger but very expensive here. Mr Orange is a new model just released and less expansive...
    Briot is a low price edger but I had a briot few years ago and i think u ll need more after sale service than Nidek (santinelli). I've got a lex1000/lex drill/ Ice 900 since 1.5 year and it's a very good edger and i've no problem...trivex polycarbonate, mineral & organic.... everything ok

  16. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdeimler View Post
    That's fine if you choose CR as your material. Mr.Blue can't handle Trivex or Poly. It burns the h#!! out of poly when it tries to do a shelf bevel.
    Poly not a problem on high base wheel on my Mr Blue.

  17. #67
    Master OptiBoarder mike.elmes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by newboy View Post
    Poly not a problem on high base wheel on my Mr Blue.
    I just got my mr blue and like it so far......I would like to learn the wrap cycle better to be able to do mid to high minus lenses in a plastic frame. I have done a few but too much shelf. I will practice on some junk lenses to get a nice look that doesn't splay the temples. Any pointers??

  18. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike.elmes View Post
    I just got my mr blue and like it so far......I would like to learn the wrap cycle better to be able to do mid to high minus lenses in a plastic frame. I have done a few but too much shelf. I will practice on some junk lenses to get a nice look that doesn't splay the temples. Any pointers??
    This is obvious really, but take the most material off at the thickest parts of the lens. Best results are achieved when the base of the frame matches the base of the lens. The machine shows both values, they appear red when more than three quarters of a base apart.

    Remember , you can retouch and e more material off if necessary. But try to avoid too many re touches as the cycle starts from the very beginning. This has to be the case to ensure a smooth finish on poly lenses. If the lens looks like it is hovering above the high curve wheel, don't worry, this is normal.


    Good luck

  19. #69
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    Any other experience with AIT edgers. I'm looking into a WECO E3 for a new office. Would i rather consider a Santinelli over the AIT brand?

  20. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by eagera View Post
    Any other experience with AIT edgers. I'm looking into a WECO E3 for a new office. Would i rather consider a Santinelli over the AIT brand?
    I would take Santinelli ME1200 over anything right now except MEI :)

  21. #71
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    We are just starting on our 4th year with a santinelli LE 1000 and over all is a good edger but after about six months we had a twisting problem (not on AR) and i had to ramp up the chuck pressure beyond there recommendation... Tech. department acted kinda of lost, but I having operated and worked on edgers for almost twenty years figured out when the roughing wheel is worn a little that is almost always the problem. I love the briot accura cx it is very fast, but if you have no tech skills the santinella will be your best bet. The LE 1000 is a low volume edger due to it's speed.

  22. #72
    Master OptiBoarder Lee Prewitt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by eagera View Post
    Any other experience with AIT edgers. I'm looking into a WECO E3 for a new office. Would i rather consider a Santinelli over the AIT brand?
    The E3 is an awesome system! I will say up front that I am the rep for AIT here in the NW. I have used this system and I have used Santenelli too. The E3 is a smooth, intuitive system that does drill, groove, all materials, trace and camera assisted block and takes up very little space. If you are going to be at VEW I will show this to you and you can see for yourself. PM me for more details.
    Lee Prewitt, ABOM
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    224 W. James St.
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    Cell : (425) 241-1689
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    Direct: (630) 274-6136
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    leep@aitindustries.com

    More Than A Patternless Edger Company

  23. #73
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    AIT Edger recommendation

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Prewitt View Post
    The E3 is an awesome system! I will say up front that I am the rep for AIT here in the NW. I have used this system and I have used Santenelli too. The E3 is a smooth, intuitive system that does drill, groove, all materials, trace and camera assisted block and takes up very little space. If you are going to be at VEW I will show this to you and you can see for yourself. PM me for more details.
    What model would you recommend for a starting optometric practice?

  24. #74
    Master OptiBoarder Lee Prewitt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by eagera View Post
    What model would you recommend for a starting optometric practice?
    I really like the E3 actually. It gives you all the options including drill to process any job. I like the intuitive interface that allows any one to learn to operate in very short order.
    Lee Prewitt, ABOM
    Independent Sales Representative
    AIT Industries
    224 W. James St.
    Bensenville, IL 60106
    Cell : (425) 241-1689
    Phone: (800) 729-1959, Ext 137
    Direct: (630) 274-6136
    Fax: (630) 595-1006
    www.aitindustries.com
    leep@aitindustries.com

    More Than A Patternless Edger Company

  25. #75
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    Considering my location (Japan) logical choices are Nidek or Topcon. Any Topcon users of the ALE-5100 series? I'm opening up a small shop soon with low volume, as mentioned before these two units maybe over kill Ferrari's. I'll contact VSI for considerations, one of my concerns is warranty & service with used equipment. Lifestyle eyewear in my market are golf, wrap sunglasses and possibly HD PAL.

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