AIT vs. Essilor

[LSUpaul20]

LSU Paul, is this a new shop? Although it feels great having a new edger it won't pay for itself until you are doing about 8-10 jobs a day.

Your initial money is much better spent on a few extra frame lines.

Yes, it's going to be a new shop. It has been suggested to us to buy a used edger. However, my partner and I kept coming back to the idea of buying a new one because of the newer technology and capabilities (We might be wrong.). We have lab skills but aren't experts by any means, so we thought a newer model edger will be easier to use and produces much better produce for our customers. In addition, Baton Rouge lacks customer services and quick turnaround time. Thus, we thought if we can do most jobs in-house quickly, it will help our business. We are still up in the air with this decision, which is why we hope to get some expert advice. Another thing is that AIT offers the 5 years parts and labor warranty for their new edger, which is very appealing to us as well.

[MikeAurelius]

IMO, buy a used, refurbished edger. There are plenty of opportunities to get one from a rebuilder or refurbisher. You will get many years out of a machine like this, and while it may not have all of the bells and whistles of a brand new unit, do you really need all of them in a new shop with an unknown job flow?

[Lee Prewitt]

I will just chime in on the 5 year warranty...it not only covers that but it is also a maintenance plan. In years 2-5, an annual visit will be done and the edger broken down to the most basic levels, cleaned, replace worn parts (yes you pay for the parts but not the labor) and then recalibrated. When the tech leaves you have a virtually new edger again. It is a great way to protect your investment. The warranty side is if you need a tech to visit, and it is not your annual visit, you will only pay a $250 deductable. Way better than the thousands that you have to lay out otherwise to get a tech out. AIT is committed to the long term care of WECO but I think most importantly, you will be part of the AIT family and will always be taken care of regardless of future events.

Yes I am vested in this opinion but I feel that I only represent products and companies that I have complete faith and would use if I was on the other side of the table again.