Informal CMC Survey

[Rob Markoff]

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?

2. How long have you used it?

3. Have you used any other brands/models?

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?

7. How reliable has it been?

8. How has your tech support experience been?

 

[Dave]

I had a rental Wizard 8000 but sent it back a couple years ago. I now outsource most mats that are more than a single mat which I hand cut. I design the mat on my computer and email the file to a vendor who delivers twice a week and gives me the fallout and leftover board. I've negotiated a good price on the mat board and pay something like $ 3.00 per mat with no extra charge for fancy corners or ovals.

Mats are perfect every time. I have no machine cost or maintenance. No blades and no space taken up nor electrical or insurance...

Works well for me.

 

[Pat Murphey]

1. Wizard 8000 (jr. rental)
2. Don't remember, but right after 8000 came out.
3. Wizard 5000
4. No
5. fine
6. back - standard for Wizard
7. Mat cutter, excellent. Replaced one clamp. Computer failed, but I run it from a Win 7 machine that I had.
8. Excellent, including free power supply upgrade for Win7 beta software.

 

[Lance E]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?
Gunnar 601
2. How long have you used it?
approx 10 years
3. Have you used any other brands/models?
no
4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)
not yet
5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?
very well but not at full speed
6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?
depending on various other factors but mostly cut from back
7. How reliable has it been?
extraordinarily reliable
8. How has your tech support experience been?
Brilliant

 

[tedh]

1. Wizard 8000

2. 8 years, or since they came out. Mine is one of the earliest

3. No

4. No

5. Not well, but somehow I get it done.

6. always cut from the front, except with lettermats which are cut from the rear

7. replaced 2 popped air hoses and a head.

8. Tech support has been 90%. I can only remember one call when I was not satisfied. I rarely call tech support.

 

[wpfay]

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Wiz 8000 (edit)

2. How long have you used it? 8 years

3. Have you used any other brands/models? no

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) no

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? like a hot knife through butter

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? both

7. How reliable has it been? very

8. How has your tech support experience been? very good, but I have always kept the extended warranty current

I will still be paying close attention to the answers here as I may be looking soon myself.

 

[Rick Granick]

1. Wizard 8000

2. A little over 5 years.

3. No.

4. Debossing tools.

5. Pretty well, but I don't use that many of them.

6. Usually from the back.

7. Very. Only had to replace one air clamp tube. Any occasional operating glitches have mostly been solved by disconnecting/reconnecting the large black cable from the driver pack to the machine.

8. Very good phone help, however the wait time seems to be longer than in years past.

 

[ARTY]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Wizard 8000, I own it.

2. How long have you used it? First one in New Zealand. Had to import it from Australia.

3. Have you used any other brands/models? No but looked and tried all models before buying Wizard 8000 outright.

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) No pen but have embossing tools.

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? With ease.

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Both

7. How reliable has it been? No problems

8. How has your tech support experience been? Brilliant and I have to deal directly with Wizard support in USA, Wayne Stewart or the cmc doctor as no support here in NZ.

My upgrades come from Germany, USA or Australia.

 

[FrameMakers]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Valiani

2. How long have you used it? 7 months

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Yes, Wizard 5000, 8000 & 9000

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) Yes, Pen Tool & 90° head

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? I don't cut many, and have not been thrilled with the 8 ply I have cut. I feel that this is just not configured correctly

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Mostly from the face

7. How reliable has it been? No issues with reliability

8. How has your tech support experience been? Not great. This is due to the recent Fletcher AMP break up with Valiani. I believe that support from Crescent would be terrific.

I had wished that I had spent the extra grand to have someone come out and set the machine up and tweak all the settings.

 

[Abacusframing]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?
Wizard 8000

2. How long have you used it?
About 2 months

3. Have you used any other brands/models?
No, but used a valiani mat pro 120 pneumatic before buying the wizard

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)
No

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?
I don't use 8 ply, but it cuts 6 ply really well

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?
Usually from the back

7. How reliable has it been?
Replaced a clamp I think I damaged, cost about $12

8. How has your tech support experience been?
Great support from uk distributor

 

[Jim Miller]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?

Valiani MatPro150

2. How long have you used it?

Since 2007

3. Have you used any other brands/models?

Fletcher-Terry F6100, from 2000 to 2007.

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)

Two bevel cutting heads, two straight cutting heads, three debossing tools, and the MatStylus pen tool with three inserts. The only one I do not have is the head for making boxes (nor do I have the box-making software.

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?

No problem, if the machine is properly adjusted. I recently had to readjust mine, after upgrading the software. This machine also cuts foam board and fluted polypropylene, either beveled or straight, up to 3/16 thick, and cuts PVC sheeting (such as Sintra) up to 1/8" thick.

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?

Mostly from the face, but from the back for reverse bevels.

7. How reliable has it been?

Excellent. In 6 years, I have twice replaced the guide-rollers on the two cutting heads I use most, which is recommended annual maintenance.

8. How has your tech support experience been?

Excellent all along from Valiani directly. Note that for USA distribution, the Valiani/Fletcher-Terry partnership has been dissolved, and the new Valiani/Crescent partnership is not yet fully developed. By contract agreement, most of those who purchased from Fletcher-Terry are still dependent on Fletcher-Terry for support & service. Last I heard, the companies were still negotiating; all will be served equally in a short time, I believe.

Additional comment: The new V-Studio software is much more comprehensive and user-friendly than the original software. There are still some bugs, but they are gradually being worked out. I am an occasional beta tester for Valiani. For creating complex mat designs, I still prefer to use Corel Draw, which is a more powerful program than the software available with any CMC.

 

[EMcBride]

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?

2. How long have you used it?

3. Have you used any other brands/models?

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?

7. How reliable has it been?

8. How has your tech support experience been?

1.Wizard 8000
2. Over 8 years
3. No
4. No
5. Just fine
6. Back
7. Outside of needing parts here and there, very reliable.
8. I dread calling tech support. I've always been spoken to like I'm an idotic child. But basic customer service has always been pleasant.

 

[Shayla]

1. Wizard 8000

2. Not sure how long the 8000 has been out, but I've been using a Wizard for about 15 years

3. No

4. No

5. Not well. But my guess is, that's operator error. (Meaning this operator)

6. Back

7. Very. Although we cut far fewer mats than some folks

8. Good phone service, but as a non-mechanically-inclined person, I've
always wished that they would send around a rep to tinker with it when
I'm having brain lock. (If only it were so easy to tinker with my brain.)

As a side note, we still have our 60 inch Fletcher mat cutter, inset into a table.

 

[CAframer]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?
WIZARD 8000

2. How long have you used it?
CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, BUT PRETTY MUCH WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT, MAYBE 9 YEARS

3. Have you used any other brands/models?
WIZARD 5000

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)
NOPE

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?
I RARELY USE 8-PLY. A LITTLE BIT FINICKY, BUT WILL DO WHEN NEEDED. CUTS 6-PLY JUST FINE. WIZ TECH SUPPORT TOLD ME THAT THEY IMPROVED THE HEAD SINCE MY VINTAGE WHICH RESULTS IN A BETTER JOB ON 8-PLY

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?
FROM THE BACK

7. How reliable has it been?
OVERALL VERY GOOD. REPLACED GANTRY ASSEMBLY ONCE UNDER WARRANTY. REPLACED CLAMP TUBES ONCE. REQUIRED SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

8. How has your tech support experience been?
JUST FINE - THEY HAVE BEEN HELPFUL AND COMPETENT ON THE FEW OCCASIONS I HAVE CONTACTED THEM

FOOTNOTE: PATHTRACE HAS BEEN VERY USEFUL, AND DESPITE THE SOMEWHAT ARCANE MANUAL IT WAS EASY ENOUGH TO USE AND MASTER

 

[JWB9999999]

1. Wizard 8000
2. 6.5 years (that's when I bought the shop; it was already in use there for some years prior)
3. No
4. No
5. Fine
6. Back
7. Very. Requires replacement of surgical tubing about once a year. Call in for tech support to fine-tune adjustments about twice a year. Have replaced cutting head twice and gantry once.
8. Mostly positive. Occasionally get treated like an idiot by one particular tech support person whom I try to avoid now.

 

[Steve Collins]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?

Eclipse Pro; bought used about 2 years ago

2. How long have you used it?

2 years

3. Have you used any other brands/models?

No

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)

No

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?

All I have ever cut on it so far is 4-ply

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?

From the back

7. How reliable has it been?

One of the clamps has been sticky but I've been living with it. I don't have support because it costs WAY too much, so been lucky so far

8. How has your tech support experience been?

I have spoken to support twice in 2 years; they were very helpful but I understood that unless I paid for support it would be limited.

I would like to upgrade at some point, either to newer software, lease/rent of newer equipment, or at least upgrade of PC to something a bit healthier, but I can't justify the cost in $ and time; I only cut from 10 to 20 mats per month with it, so hard to get the math to work in my favor doing anything other than living with it.

I still use a manual mat cutter for mats larger than 32x40 and for special cuts I can't figure out how to get the Eclipse to do. I am aware that the Eclipse can probably do more than I am aware of, but I haven't had time to look into it (as in reading the manual or asking questions).

 

[osgood]

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Gunnar F1

2. How long have you used it? 1 year

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Gunnar Rapido -11 Years

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) Pen Tool - love it!

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Perfectly

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Back

7. How reliable has it been? Rapido was extremely reliable. Only had one problem and I caused it. F1- no problems so far.

8. How has your tech support experience been? Superb. Fast. Reliable!

 

[Mike Labbe]

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

The G has been doing a CMC member survey for 10 years. You can see the results HERE

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?
Wizard 8000, bought outright

2. How long have you used it?
Since the year they came out. 10 years maybe?

3. Have you used any other brands/models?
Not in the shop, only at trade shows. Valiani, Gunnar, newer Wizards

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)
Debossing Set

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats?
Very well

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)?
Usually from the back

7. How reliable has it been?
It has been great for the past five years, and quite reliable. In its first few years we replaced the gantry twice. I have replaced the air bladder/hold down tube 2 or 3 times - and bought spares to keep on hand. (as an expected wear item) I have also replaced the PC twice (on my own), with more up to date systems(although still limited to Windows XP because of our old controller pack)

8. How has your tech support experience been?
Most of the time, absolutely fantastic. There were only troubles with one person, consistently, but he/she may no longer be there. One guy there is a true Wizard, too! We now call less than once every couple years, just to re order wear items. (since we let the maintenance lapse, at 2k per year - a real gamble. However, we've probably saved almost the value of replacing it with a new one - when that day comes.)

 

[Pat Murphey]

...I have also replaced the PC twice (on my own), with more up to date systems(although still limited to Windows XP because of our old controller pack...

That was the one time that I was really happy to be on the Jr. Rental. The free upgrade to the controller that worked with Win7 was invoiced at a scary $3500.

 

[Mike Labbe]

ya thats why i'll keep using winXP until we sell the system It has a fairly new (2 year old) Dell on it now, which should be great for many years.

The rest of the shop is using Windows 7

 

[GUMBY GCF]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use?
Wizard 9000

2. How long have you used it?
Wizard 5000 was about 9 years Wizard 8500 1.5 years then upgraded to the Wizard9000 when they came out

3. Have you used any other brands/models?
Wizard 5000 and the Wizard8500

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)
I have the pen tool, three debossing tools Thin, Medium, Wide, 90Degree cutter, 52Degree cutter, 45Degree cutter , and 45+Degree cutter


5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? As easy as 6ply

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves or pen lines)? Back 99% of the time

7. How reliable has it been? Very good. Did have computer fail they sent one out next day delivery. On the 5000 I had clamp hose break after three years they sent that out next day also. It has shown up ready to work more days than I have.

8. How has your tech support experience been? Very very good overall. There are several techs that have been there a long time and could be called Master Wizards and they have some relatively new techs which they add from time to time That I would call Wizards in training. It does Take time to know all the complexities of any sytem...

 

[Puppyraiser]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Wizard 9000

2. How long have you used it? 3ish years... the year it came out.

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Yup. Wizard 5000, since 1995ish, then Wizard 8000, since it came out

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) Yes, but somehow never yet taken the time to use it. And me with a store full of pens!

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Sweet as pie

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Back of the mat. Old habits die hard

7. How reliable has it been? Extremely reliable.

8. How has your tech support experience been? Amazing.

 

[Joe B]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Mat Pro cmc - ix

2. How long have you used it? 2010

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Eclipse Pro

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)MatStylus Pen head, 45 degree rear bevel cut head, 40 degree front bevel cut head, 90 degree multimaterial & foam board head, Embossing Tool with 3 sizes

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? great, I cut a lot of 8 ply

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? generally from the front unless I'm cutting a reverse bevel

7. How reliable has it been?absolutely no problems - it has had a lot of use and has never given me a hint of a problem

8. How has your tech support experience been?Fantastic - I always get an answer for any question I may have. I just don't have a lot of questions and I never have any problems with it so I don't get to speak to Chuck much.

Overall the Valiani is a great machine. If I ever have to purchase a new machine I will get another Valiani.

 

[Z David]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Gunnar F1 Hybrid

2. How long have you used it? 9 months

3. Have you used any other brands/models? No

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) No

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Very well

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Back

7. How reliable has it been? Very reliable

8. How has your tech support experience been? Good



Z

 

[stcstc]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Gunnar F1 Hybrid

2. How long have you used it?3 or 4 years ish

3. Have you used any other brands/models? No

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) pen, deboss (comes as standard), dont need other heads as hybrid does both bevel and straight

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Very well

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Back

7. How reliable has it been? Very reliable, had to changed the belts in past couple of weeks, but thats it, well apart from stuff i broke )

8. How has your tech support experience been? exceptional, can ring sarah in uk on her mobile almost anytime )

 

[John Ranes II CPF GCF]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Valiani Future

2. How long have you used it? Since 2007

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Fletcher-Terry F-6100 (1999-2007)

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?)MatStylus Pen head, 45 degree rear bevel cut head, 40 degree front bevel cut head, 90 degree multimaterial & foam board head, Embossing Tool

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Excellent - This is the main reason we purchased this machine - We cut 8ply all the time!

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? generally from the front unless I'm cutting a reverse bevel

7. How reliable has it been?Absolutely no problems - it has had a lot of use and has never given us a hint of a problem* Note that we are using the old Mat Designer Software and not the latest version*

8. How has your tech support experience been? Truthfully - Have not had to contact support!


John

 

[rocknrollron]

Old thread but I'm game....don't laugh now folks....

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? F-6100 (from the last year built)

2. How long have you used it? Since I bought for peanuts ~2 years ago

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Manual F-2200, F-1100

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) Whatever bells and whistles they had I believe

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Haven't done enough to knock it - seems fine if set-up right

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Back 'o the mat

7. How reliable has it been? Not a single issue!

8. How has your tech support experience been? Haven't needed any but have access to some great technicians

 

[Tudor Rose]

1. Valiani Mat Pro cmc-ix
2. 4 years, bought second hand from one of the UK Valiani Support Group
3. Previously had Smart Mat pneumatic which was then replaced with a Valiani version (both non-CMCs), we've kept the Valiani pneumatic as our CMC is not jumbo board size and the pneumatic is
4. We have green 40 head, blue 45 head, yellow multi 90 head and the pen head
5. Cuts 8 ply mats no problem with the 45 or 90 heads
6. Cut everything face up except when using the 45 head which defaults to a face down cut or when cutting delicate board finishes where the roller may mark it
7. Very reliable and great support from the UK VSG group
8. See answer 7

 

[pwalters]

First of all let me state that I don't know that this is a scientific enough method to be able to truly glean any information due to the various environments in which these machines can exist.

Curious as to the CMC population on the G.

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Wizard 9000

2. How long have you used it? 2 years

3. Have you used any other brands/models? owned 5k and 8k plus some mileage on a Gunnar (don't recall the model number)

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) Pen tool, embossing kit, various angled heads

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Fairly well but not without occasional issues due to the "super" blades not always being as sharp as I'd prefer.

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? From the back normally

7. How reliable has it been? Very. Back to the older models the 5k was bulletproof and the 8k went through a cartridge and a hose per year but over 7 years we only had one major issue (replaced the head)

8. How has your tech support experience been? It was better than it is now.

 

[Hannu Nystrom]

1. Which make/model CMC do you use? Wizard 9000

2. How long have you used it? 3,5 years

3. Have you used any other brands/models? Wizard 8500, 4 years

4. Do you have any accessories? (Pen Tool, etc?) Pen tool, debossing tool

5. How well does it cut 8-ply mats? Good, except one Finnish brand. 90 degree head can't do it - even in 4 ply!

6. Do you cut from the face or back of your mats (not counting v-grooves)? Mostly back

7. How reliable has it been? In scale 1-5 I'd say 3. Gantry changed once, 90 degree head does not work properly (see 5.), cutting not always accurate (measures +-1-2mm here and there), outside cutting not always through...many small awkward things. However, reliability is better than with 8500. I had to change driver pack three times with 8500!

8. How has your tech support experience been? German office is very good

9. What will be your next CMC?: VALIANI