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Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Tue 01 Jan, 2019 8:38 pm
by Ukknightster
Evening I’m in the market for an underpinner and I have come across this on eBay?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CHARNWOOD-M3 ... Sw76lcEUHT

can you guys let me know if it’s any good and also is it a good price?

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Tue 01 Jan, 2019 11:01 pm
by silvercleave
Just looked and MHO too dear by far, looks as if it has had a hard life in the environment, If I remember correctly when new about £400

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 12:40 am
by Keith Hewitt
You can buy a brand new one for £650

https://www.charnwood.net/products/prod ... athway-131

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 10:58 am
by prospero
Agreed. Way overpriced. :roll:

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 2:17 pm
by Ukknightster
many thanks guys i will get in contact with my rep from simons.

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 3:24 pm
by poliopete
I agree with all the above comments.

Good idea to check with your local rep. My local branch of Wessex (Dereham) have two decent second-hand underpinners at the moment - both at a fair price :wink:

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 7:05 pm
by Not your average framer
It's not exactly one of the better quality underpinners either. Another thing to bear in mind when you are starting a business, is how long it will take to get a return of you investment and what is likely to be the resale value of the item you are planning to buy, if you later upgrade to something better and want to sell on the original equipment to recover some of you money.

Very nearly all the equipment for my business was bought secondhand and I done very well on both counts of return on investment and reselling items when I upgraded to superior equipment at a later date. On your original post, you copied the item under discussion from the original ebay posting, which also mentioned other underpinners available from ebay.

One of the underpinners mentioned was a Pistaurius for £375. Not everybody knows how to operate one of these because the top clamp needs screwing in, or out of the top arm so that the top clamp pad comes down onto the moulding being clamped with the clamp pad flat against the top of the moulding. The generally beans that must people will not be particularly keen to buy a Pistaurius, so they don't usually sell for a lot of money, but they are built like tanks and generally last forever.

You might consider getting one of those instead! Ask other forum members who have owned one of these, I think they will confirm what I am saying about them. Might be your best buy and pretty good value for money!

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 7:18 pm
by Ukknightster
Not your average framer wrote:It's not exactly one of the better quality underpinners either. Another thing to bear in mind when you are starting a business, is how long it will take to get a return of you investment and what is likely to be the resale value of the item you are planning to buy, if you later upgrade to something better and want to sell on the original equipment to recover some of you money.

Very nearly all the equipment for my business was bought secondhand and I done very well on both counts of return on investment and reselling items when I upgraded to superior equipment at a later date. On your original post, you copied the item under discussion from the original ebay posting, which also mentioned other underpinners available from ebay.

One of the underpinners mentioned was a Pistaurius for £375. Not everybody knows how to operate one of these because the top clamp needs screwing in, or out of the top arm so that the top clamp pad comes down onto the moulding being clamped with the clamp pad flat against the top of the moulding. The generally beans that must people will not be particularly keen to buy a Pistaurius, so they don't usually sell for a lot of money, but they are built like tanks and generally last forever.

You might consider getting one of those instead! Ask other forum members who have owned one of these, I think they will confirm what I am saying about them. Might be your best buy and pretty good value for money!
Many thanks for your reply Mark , I have to be honest I’m not really worried about return on investment as my main business is printing and embroidery so this is just a add on for my trade customers who we print for then watch them go to other framers. What would you consider a good make? Cassese?

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Wed 02 Jan, 2019 7:38 pm
by poliopete
Mark said " I think they will confirm what I am saying about them"

I only wish I could :( but my experience with a Pistorius was not as positive, I agree they are built like tanks but they have not been made for some considerable time so obtaining spares, should you require any, is very difficult.

I found changing the size of v nails a complete faff and although I had a huge amount of excellent advice from the forum members I decided to get rid of it.

I managed to find a Cassese 89 with a compressor (the 89 model is pneumatic). It's a far superior machine and although that model is no longer made parts are still available from Peter at Framers Equipment.

So yes, I would consider a Cassese a good make.

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Thu 03 Jan, 2019 6:51 pm
by Ukknightster
Many thanks for all the advise I have simons rep coming Monday.

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Thu 03 Jan, 2019 8:11 pm
by Not your average framer
Yes Cassesse is a good make, I've had three different Cassesse underpinners during my time as a framer and I was more than happy with them all. Not only that, but even the cheapest models in the Cassesse range have in my own experience been every bit as good as they should be.

Re: Is this underpinner any good?

Posted: Mon 07 Jan, 2019 11:46 am
by Ukknightster
OK thanks guys