Which CMC

castleman

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Jan 3, 2005
Posts
1
Loc
California
Hi,
Can anyone reccommend either the Speedmat Smart CMC or the Eclipse LT, or offer their insight on any downside to either one....Looking to purchase one very soon.

Thanks much!
Mike (mcastle70@aol.com)
 
Hi Mike

First of all.... Welcome to the Grumble! We're glad to have you.

Hopefully someone will chime in with some advice about those particular products. We have a Wizard 8000 so I don't have any first hand experience with either of the units you asked about. I know there are several happy Eclipse users on the Grumble, and we were always happy with our (manual 4060 wall mounted) Speed-Mat, which has since been sold.

If you search for "CMC" in the main forum and in the Techie & CMC forum, you'll find over a dozen different discussions that compare various CMC options. It might be a good idea to check out some of the old threads, which contain some "gems".

Hopefully you'll keep us posted with the results of your search.

Best regards
Mike
co-forum guide and resident geek
 
Welcome to the club, Mike. Well, it all depends on where your shop is located in California. If you are outside San Diego, I would say go with the Eclipse. If you are a San Diego framer, it's hands down, Speed Mat.

OK, joking aside, what company has the most experience with CMCs? What company has been dealing with them the longest? What company is going to still be around in ten years?

Based on the above, Eclipse wins in all category's except the last one, and that is a who the heck knows situation.

I had a Wizard for several years, it is a darn good machine, but the old model I had, experienced quite a few breakdowns. Wizard took care of all of these at no cost, but I still had down time.

I opted to go with the Fletcher 6100. The machine is a solid, well built performer. In fact, I think I would call it one of the best CMCs ever built.

I decided on Fletcher because the company has been around for years. It never occurred to me that they would discontinue CMCs all together. They continue to provide support for the machine, but that will stop in a few more years.

The Fletcher 6100 has never broken down, even once. It is truly a great reliable workhorse that cuts an absolutely perfect mat, every time. You can not buy one, so forget it.

Wizard is a great company, that stands behind it's products. Eclipse, from what I understand, makes a darn good cutter, and that is all they make, CMCs. Speed mat is a well established company that has been into CMCs, only a short while. They have, however, been making mat cutters for many years.

My question is, if Speedmat does not do well financially with the CMC, will they pull a Fletcher, and discontinue it? They have other products to fall back on, just like Fletcher.

Eclipse has no other eggs in it's basket, it has to stay with CMCs, or close shop. I am not positive about that, but I think I may be right, based on their advertising.

If it was my dime, and the only choice was Eclipse or Speedmat, I would go with Eclipse.

If my Fletcher 6100 ever dies on me, I will go back to a Wizard. The reason is that I know, for a fact, that they will stand behind their product and bend over backwards to make sure I am happy.

John
 
Castleman. congratulations on making a quick decision. The Speed-Mat Smart has not been around for any length of time. I think The Grumblers would appreciate your opinions and updates on the machine and the company. Does it cut well, hold up well, good customer support, etc. If it is a good reliable machine, you will be doing SpeedMat and Grumblers a service by letting us know how it goes.

John
 
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