Hey Matt, I had the same thing happen last week with my Epilog Helix. my 60W tube was only producing 36watts power at 100%, I thought it was the wood as well. 2 years warranty, started reducing after 2,5 yrs.. 😢 Costs me 5400 euros (5600 dollars), when i send the old tube back i get a €2400 refund. Sucks cause i have to wait 5-6 days since they have to ship it to europe. On a positive note though, the speed & engraving quality of an Epilog machine is fenomenal. You can get so much work done in a day, I wouldn't be able to get the same revenue/profit with a 'cheaper' machine. New sub here, good luck with everything you do. Greetings from Belgium 🙂
Welp... I paid my Helix 50W 24x18 laser off completely last week - Its all mine, free and clear. Hooray! But not to fast... This week, I'm told I need to replace my tube. $2500. Looks like their pricing has gone up a bit. That's a big hit for my shop, but when I do the math its only about $625/year for the cost of ownership if I only get another 4 years out of the tube - not including consumables and electricity. That's not too bad, I guess. Thanks for sharing your content and experience with us. I appreciate it.
Although this is a bummer, at least it didn't happen during the Q4 holiday rush season. I hope you get the tube quickly and installation goes smoothly!
Thanks. I never subscribe to anything. But, I did with you. I used to have an engraving business. I am thinking of getting back into engraving for fun.
I have an epilog 36 ext, 3 times I have changed the tube. The cost is 2400 dollars to the distributor located in Colombia, after paying transportation from the US to Ecuador, customs and returning to the US transportation payment. It costs me 3,500 to 4,000 dollars to fill the laser tube. Now because I buy from a distributor in Colombia, I cannot communicate with the factory (because I give the number of the machine and they know that my machine is in Ecuador and they tell me to contact Colombia), all the spare parts to the distributor (he puts the prices he wants). Epilog are very good machines, but the cost is very high at least for me. I bought a Chinese machine that I use more for cutting, both hard and soft materials, the spare parts are cheap and easy to get. Now I only turn on the epilig when I need to engrave or cut very small things that are not hard.
yes there are 2 internal mirrors... both facing in opposite directions.. this is used to make the beam... so the light keep bouncing back and forth thousands of times until it goes through the hole in one of the mirrors... the mirrors are in a co2 gas and helium gas this has to be leaked to get the mirrors out.. and re calibrated or the laser will not fire at all... and you have to vacuum the chamber and fill up the chamber again with new gas... this is the hard part... and the part you cant do yourself... that's why they said you couldn't do it.. because literately you don't have the equipment to a vacuum the tube and seal the glass and calibrate it and refill the gas..
Ouch! The cost is a lot, you alway have to remember how many tens of thousands of dollars that tube has made you over it's life. Also showing the lows is just as important as showing the highs, sometimes more.
That's a bummer. I don't think the number of years is very relevant compared to how many runtime hours you have on the tube. Hope you're back up and running quickly.
Man sorry about the tube. Maybe you should think about putting 10.00 of every job into a tube fund for the next time. Now that I’ve seen your video that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. Thanks for the heads up.
Hi Matt, new to your channel. Can you do a deep dive into how to prep a photo to engrave on wood or metal. I don't see a video from you channel on this. I have a used Epilog Helix/Mini 24-12 that is working great right now. Looking to launch my business soon.
Hey Matt I have an Epilog Helix laser 75 watt. The control panel went dark. The fans still work. Any idea on how to fix this? Still waiting on the Epilog guy to get back to me.
Sounds like the screen went out. I would first check your fuses in the back of your machine and if none of them are tripped, I would unplug the machine for five minutes and then plug it back in to see if it’ll work
I'm not a believer in the long hours being the only reason. I just ordered my Laser Tube for a 75W co2. It cost me 2,524$ and 2,400$ core. Mine was around 6 years old. The tube I am replacing has less than 400 hrs on it. I've read that the laser not being run can diminish its life too. Either way, it sounds like we are replacing them anywhere from 2-4 years regardless, so we need to make money instead of them sitting. A $4,900 bill for a repair is what many customers and clients aren't aware of. I recommend anyone running a laser take this into account on quotes and pricing for getting a replacement.
hello. I need advice and help. I have an epilog mini 60w c02 and my tube no longer works at all. just the red pointer. on the side there are diodes... they are always off. is it normal? Is it a card problem or a CO2 problem to recharge? how to test all this? both 48v power supplies work. Thanks very much
Try putting a piece of tape on mirror one and doing a pulse if there is a dot on the tape from the pulse then it is not your tube it is your mirror alignment
I came across your video because I am looking to start a laser business. I’m trying to figure out what machine to get. Would you consider a used laser?
That seems crazy to me, a laser that cost that much only has a life of 2 years under warranty and an item only last 4 years. Run it now like it was stolen.
Epilog tube life appears to be life and not actual use. An epilog tube sitting idle unused will still lose power. It appears to be due to slow outgassing. So use it often and use it hard. Universal laser tubes seem to last forever.
matt Bit Confused You say the tube has gone but then you said it doesnt have to be water cooled. You have the fusion yes? so its a 60 watt co2 tube that is water cooled and a 30watt fibre which does not need water cooling correct? which tube has gone the co2 or the fibre $2200 for a 60w co2 is very expensibe a reci tube here in the UK goes for 350 dollars
Epilog is straight trash. Ive never had so many issues with a laser. They gave me two lasers and both broke in days and multiple times. Stay away from this garbage company.
I have used several Epilogs over the last ten years, from 30 watt minis to 75 watt Helix. yeah once in a while you have to fix something or rehab a tube. The last tube I replaced went nearly 8 years. That cost me $2700.00, really not bad, $337.50 per year, about 3 hours work in my shop! I'll keep my Epilogs, I have never had an issue with their service dept.
