I'm looking at buying some basic sheet metal equipment, namely a shear, a finger brake, and a corner notcher. There is a huge price difference between the two brands. For instance a Di-Acro number 2 tab notcher sells for $1540 while it's Enco equivalent sells for $300. So the question is: is a Di-Acro really five times better that an Enco? If so, in what way?
Regards, David Nugent
Di-Acro machines are built with production in mind. If you are tooling up for home-shop use, the Enco units will probably do the job. If you are equipping for production, think long-term, and go with Di-Acro.
I have a #4 Di-Acro hand bender that I picked up for $500.00 with quite a bit of tooling. The bender is in excellent condition and buying used cut the price substantially. Have you considered used machines?
Rex the Wrench
David Nugent wrote:
Id be happy to sell you a Pexto 52" hydraulic shear for $2k. OBO. Also two Roper Whitney punches, a 281 and a #31. $450 each OBO. Excellent! condition on stands
Gunner, California "There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism - by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide." - Ayn Rand, from "Foreign Policy Drains U.S. of Main Weapons"
I've been watching the used market in this part of the country (New England) for a while. Sheet metal tools seem to get harder use than other tools (lathes and mills for example). I'm leary of a finger brake that has been welded for instance, even if it is billed as "good as new". Also, used sheet metal tooling is sufficiently pricey here that it doesn't offer a large advantage over buying new. What differentiates a production finger brake from a home-shop finger brake? Is it a matter of design or does the production machine simply use better materials?
Erratum. Thats a Roper Whitney 218, not 281
Gunner
"There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism - by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide." - Ayn Rand, from "Foreign Policy Drains U.S. of Main Weapons"
I have had a Enco 48" x 18ga Finger brake for about 8 years now. It does work, but you have to be realistic about it's limitations. For instance it can NOT bend 18 gas steel 48" wide unless you cranck the top jaw all the way back and can live with a wide radiused edge..
What helped mine immensely was adding a 48" piece of 2" x 2" x 1/4" angle iron to the swing plate edge. That alone made it useful. For bending copper, aluminum and light steel it has been useful, but it isn't even close to the chicago finger brake we have at school.
BTW Enco owner's manuals are some of the funniest reading around.
"...please to be happily turning left knob wing nut screw..."
gotta love that stuff.
See:
If you want a package I can add a vey nice Chicago 2'x 16 GA finger brake at $750 and a Rotex turret punch if you really want nice equipment. This can be skidded with any of Gunner's equipment and shipped at a really modest cost. Leigh@MarMachine
If you want a package I can add a vey nice Chicago 2'x 16 GA finger brake at $750 and a Rotex turret punch if you really want nice equipment. This can be skidded with any of Gunner's equipment and shipped at a really modest cost. Leigh@MarMachine
If you want a package I can add a vey nice Chicago 2'x 16 GA finger brake at $750 and a Rotex turret punch if you really want nice equipment. This can be skidded with any of Gunner's equipment and shipped at a really modest cost. Leigh@MarMachine
I know that I have! So where do I send the $500.00 to you, for my new di-acro 4 with the tooling?? :-)
William....
Leigh has Very good stuff.
Gunner
"There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism - by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide." - Ayn Rand, from "Foreign Policy Drains U.S. of Main Weapons"
On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 02:16:52 GMT, Ernie Leimkuhler calmly ranted:
That sounds like a lovely Japanese translation of the Indian interpretation of the Chinese translation from the English text.
It just rolls off the tongue, oui?
Sorry, Will, but the #4Di-Acro is busy making "Accubend Bopper"(TM) bumpers and nerf bars for racing go karts. It ain't letting me quit my night job, but it's helping to defray the cost of racing!
Nice try, though!
Rex the Wrench RLP Racing
William wrote:
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