Hi!
So, for my experience so far with lapidary equipment: I had purchased a pixie and a high-tech trim saw after taking an opal cutting class, because that was what they used/recommended. To my disappointment, BOTH machines had pretty major issues within a month!! The saw leaked out of the motor housing, and on the Pixie, the pump stopped working. Luckily they were both within time to return them, so that's what happened. (I didn't want to bank on a machine that had issues so quickly)
I will make a post about those issues later, just so buyers can beware, but in the mean time, I was hoping for some helpful suggestions. I have already decided I'm not doing plastic machines anymore. If they were much cheaper it might be different...
I'd like to aim for a smaller, cheaper saw, under $500 if not less... something I can use with thin blades to trim opal rough. I had a hard time with using the one I had, Those blades seem to warp easily, which is understandable really. I suppose that is probably user error. I may grab a cheap ryobi overhead wet tile saw in addition to this, if not for slightly bigger rough, than for boulder opal alone. That mess is not fun cleaning off of a saw and really ought to be done outside! I want a durable saw that will last! And something good quality of course is preferred if I'm spending hundreds of dollars on it.
For cabbing, I'm leaning toward the Cabking or the Kingsley 6" with fresh water system. I like the
fresh water idea much better than the geyser, and both have the
steel housing. Cutting boulder opal on a geyser machine is a joke. I hear Cabking has great customer service, though I did hear of an issue with getting parts for some part of the water system. I don't think i want to rely on KN for customer service issues or repairs, just a hunch I have, but I'm not sure which would be better in the long run. I've come across other random brands with the same set up, but I'm just not sure where to go exactly from here. I sure do miss having a machine to play on though!
I'd also like any advice on wheels you guys have. I used those DP wheels for about a month, and wearing them in is a pain... on top of that, the two
galaxy wheels were already rusted... within a month. I thought about getting a DP set and swapping them on the Cabking and then selling the Cabking wheels or something, but now I'm thinking that DP just doesn't make the products they used to. Their customer service is great though, I do really like that about them. Its just hard to justify the price... so is there another option you would recommend? There are so many brands, there must be a good option somewhere.
So basically, any advice on good quality, sturdy, affordable equipment would be appreciated. Also, I'm mostly going to be cutting opal. I'm aware the pixie is what most people use with opal, I just can't justify spending $1300 on a machine that really needs modifications, on top of having a flimsy housing overall. I've considered used, and been looking around for a while, but I haven't seen any deals really. Sometimes the used stuff is almost the same price as new equipment!
Please and thank you!!
-Amy