Anatol LED Exposure unit

[sweetts]

So anyone want stab at why more LEDs are better? I would think in this situation less is best but would like to fully understand why more points of light would be better in this application. I feel like I might be missing something that I should know. M&R, Anatol? Anyone?

[Anatolhelp]

The most important question to me is who of those two will give me the best price to have the first LED exposure unit in Japan?

We would love to have the chance to earn your business!

[Anatolhelp]

Yes, I'd like to know this as well.

Will either of you replace bulbs, parts and labor, for the life of the unit?

If not is it a user serviceable part that you sell to the end user?

We will replace Bulbs!

[IntegrityShirts]

IMO which really doesn't matter Rich simply saw an opportunity to promote his product, he did not bash anyone just simply stated why he thought his was better, nothing wrong with that. It took Anatol 6 pages and a bunch of ribbing to say why they feel theirs is a better value. Anatol should have stepped up and simply stated the facts and answered questions at least on page two. Nothing wrong with a little conversation.

I'm going to respectfully disagree. The thread started out with the introduction of the Aurora which looks strikingly similar to the Starlight. It's only natural that we, as consumers, compare and contrast the details, features, and cost of each.

I assure you this unit does not compare to the Starlight and our exclusive LED's. Make sure you get a money back guarantee if you buy it as well as a lifetime replacement on all the LED's even if one fails! Price isn't everything as a lot of people have found out.

That's the reply he makes. Absolutely no mention of why the Starlight is better. Only what I, and obviously some others, interpret as a huffy-puffy, "Don't mention the Starlight in the same sentence as this garbage", type reply. IN MY OPINION, that's not the way he should have replied, if he even needed to reply at all?? No one was bashing the Starlight. ALL I stated was my opinion of the functionality and my assumed take on pricing...more about that below.

It's like a push and pull with both/all manufacturers. You show me yours first THEN I'll show you mine type attitude. MSRP was first posted for the Aurora on page 6, then Rich posts the MSRP of the Starlight on page 7. If Rich and Anatol want to keep the internet discussions ACCURATE, then post the damn MSRP's so we can at least not throw around arbitrary numbers or, "I heard from billy joe whatshisnuts that it's 12k cheaper with X". It's 2014 here folks, put your MSRP on your websites! Ford and Chevy post their MSRP's, and their dealer networks are cheaper than those prices, but it's a starting point of reference for comparison.

Lord help Joe Printer when he googles around and finds this thread then tries to filter through all this nonsense for opinions/features/cost on the Aurora or Starlight exposure units. Let me help out Joe Printer with the most common exposure unit for 23x31 frames:

Anatol Aurora:
Cost:
23x31 $3776 + crate and freight (comes with a stand)

Feaures:
4 programmable presets
Vacuum draw down sensor which activates exposure timer when correct vacuum level is reached. Proprietary membrane panel control.
120V 7amp rated.

Warranty:
Anatol support line hours?
Two years parts and labor
(implied LED warranty beyond 2 years by Anatolhelp)

Performance:
Initial video review suggests exposure timing ranges 12-30 seconds with pure photopolymer emulsion.


M&R Starlight:
Cost: (23X31) is $4195 + crate and freight (stand available but not included)

Features:
Exposure timer up/down function, no presets. Vacuum switch is manual, when vacuum is visually reached, hit the start button to start exposure timer. Non-proprietary hardware.
110V 9.5amp rated

Warranty:
24 hour support
One year limited warranty
Lifetime warranty on the LED's

Performance:
Multiple  reviews concur exposure timing ranges from 1.5-30 seconds with pure photopolymer emulsion.

Conclusion???(My opinion!)
The Starlight uses superior faster LED's (proven by users and exposure times posted). LED's are the meat and potatoes of these things, bottom line. Anatol definitely has a leg up on functionality. Who wants to stand there and wait for vacuum to draw down before manually hitting the exposure button. Yes, I know the next model up Starlight has better features, but why should the lower model uses suffer speed/ease of use with the same fast LED's? Cost difference in my opinion is insignificant at this exposure unit size.

Until someone shows that the Aurura's LED's are capable of the same exposure times as the Starlight, I give the Starlight the win.

[Gilligan]

It's like a push and pull with both/all manufacturers. You show me yours first THEN I'll show you mine type attitude. MSRP was first posted for the Aurora on page 6, then Rich posts the MSRP of the Starlight on page 7. If Rich and Anatol want to keep the internet discussions ACCURATE, then post the damn MSRP's so we can at least not throw around arbitrary numbers or, "I heard from billy joe whatshisnuts that it's 12k cheaper with X". It's 2014 here folks, put your MSRP on your websites! Ford and Chevy post their MSRP's, and their dealer networks are cheaper than those prices, but it's a starting point of reference for comparison.

Lord help Joe Printer when he googles around and finds this thread then tries to filter through all this nonsense for opinions/features/cost on the Aurora or Starlight exposure units.

Amen!!!!!

Everyone compares car models and says one brand is the BMW or whatever of the screen printing world... well, guess what those people put their numbers out there.  They aren't scared that someone will flinch at their price and look away.  They know they have a car that people desire to have regardless if they are more expensive than the other "average" car.

Man  up, put the numbers out there... this industry kills me with this type of hush hush stuff!

[starchild]

Anatol Aurora:
Cost:
23x31 $3776 + crate and freight (comes with a stand)

Feaures:
4 programmable presets
Vacuum draw down sensor which activates exposure timer when correct vacuum level is reached. Proprietary membrane panel control.
120V 7amp rated.

Warranty:
Anatol support line hours?
Two years parts and labor
(implied LED warranty beyond 2 years by Anatolhelp)

Performance:
Initial video review suggests exposure timing ranges 12-30 seconds with pure photopolymer emulsion.


M&R Starlight:
Cost: (23X31) is $4195 + crate and freight (stand available but not included)

Features:
Exposure timer up/down function, no presets. Vacuum switch is manual, when vacuum is visually reached, hit the start button to start exposure timer. Non-proprietary hardware.
110V 9.5amp rated

Warranty:
24 hour support
One year limited warranty
Lifetime warranty on the LED's

Performance:
Multiple  reviews concur exposure timing ranges from 1.5-30 seconds with pure photopolymer emulsion.

Conclusion???(My opinion!)
The Starlight uses superior faster LED's (proven by users and exposure times posted). LED's are the meat and potatoes of these things, bottom line. Anatol definitely has a leg up on functionality. Who wants to stand there and wait for vacuum to draw down before manually hitting the exposure button. Yes, I know the next model up Starlight has better features, but why should the lower model uses suffer speed/ease of use with the same fast LED's? Cost difference in my opinion is insignificant at this exposure unit size.

Until someone shows that the Aurura's LED's are capable of the same exposure times as the Starlight, I give the Starlight the win.

We've come a long way from minutes of exposure time to led exposure units capable of 10-15 seconds exposures.. (My opinion) The ability to have the vacuum delay feature appeals to me and the procedure feels more streamlined when exposing. Not because we can expose in seconds  mean we want to stand there all hands on deck all the time, we may want to walk away for some reason. So Aurora has the leg up for that ability.. Rich claimed this lack of ability as the traditional mindset.. Walking away is not traditional..

[IntegrityShirts]

great info surprising that the  starlight won it for you based on their LEDs when you note they are proprietary they have no long term track record. Great side by side. Do you feel more LEDs in a unit is a plus or minus to its engineering?

I'm not an engineer but here's my take on it. With this specific design MORE LED's won't help expose faster. The distance between each LED and their respective beam angle creates a maximum saturation point given X-distance from the substrate while not overlapping much.  The only way you can make this design work better, without re-engineering the strip and led spacing, is by finding better quality LED's that have a stronger light output.

I'd bet M&R did a lot of sample testing from LED suppliers to find the strongest quality LED to use in their unit. When everything is made in China without part numbers or concrete specifications, you have to pay to get the quality reliable strips.  Add on top of that UL listing and you're talking a 3rd party LED supplier that has another middle-man mark-up.

If Traxler wants to post some close-up pics of his LED strips, maybe we can figure out some specifications on them 

[screenprintguy]

I gotta tell ya, I almost fell out of my chair when DirkDiggler called me and said he is exposing ppp emulsions in 1.5 seconds. I mean, WOW. That's pretty awesome indeed!~!!!!!

[TCT]

I have actually heard of some companies paying or giving customers free accessories for actively posting in forums and on social media... *cough* M&R *cough*. I'm just a guy who likes to make high quality shirts and print money.

That's a pretty bold thing to say, do you have any proof of this?

FYI, there is a Anatol customer on this forum who openly admits Anatol fixed his machine issues to remain "neutral" on them when posting and in public.  What's your thoughts on that?

If we are gonna chuck around things like that let's make sure you know Anatol has played that basic game. It played out right on this forum recently.

Anatol Customer who says we bought his silence, it's not TRUE....Do you  proof of that statement?  Enough is Enough 

You sir are a douche bag.

Have you asked Christine at anatol about this? Please do. Better question, it's been 2 months, does she still work there?

 I am out of town, but you better believe when I get home I will email her with a link to this thread and ask for a reply. I will also post the bill that anatol sent me, if you are able to please publicly let me know which way I paid for it that would be great, I have seem to have forgot....

I was going to stay out of this, I have said and done my complaining. But it reads to me like you are saying I'm lying. Outspoken, smart-ass, and extreme, ya I'll cop to those but a liar, I am not.

[Rockers]

Would be great though if the guys at Anatol would post some exposure times for all sorts of emulsions on this forum so that we all get a better understanding on how fast the unit really is. I`m not so much interested in SBQ emulsions but rather dual cure coated 2/2 for example. That`s the least I can expect from a vendor, right?

[sweetts]

Yes they should, I think a free unit give away would be cool too

[TCT]

In efforts to not draw this drama out any further I am simply going to attach the invoice in question. I apologize Darryl for taking this a direction you did not intend, but I felt quite insulted when it was implied I was not being truthful.

I would of posted sooner, but as I returned from out of town I was informed we lost nearly a full day of production due to a dryer that suddenly stopped working. I'll go ahead and not mention any brand names here   I have been getting it back up and running and trying to make up for lost production time....

[Anatolhelp]

Where is the document that states that this is for your silence. As you claim?   
Just so you know Christine has been employed here for 18 continuous year.
We will not discuss individual customer concerns on this or any public forum.
If you have any issues or concerns with your equipment please direct them to my attention.



   

[Anatolhelp]

Where is the document that states that this is for your silence. As you claim?   
Just so you know Christine has been employed here for 18 continuous year.
We will not discuss individual customer concerns on this or any public forum.
If you have any issues or concerns with your equipment please direct them to my attention.
I can solve your problems.


 

[Inkworks]

I think is his point is that he never had to actually pay that invoice....