Dryer likes and dislikes

[TCT]

I have been "finalizing" my dryer purchase/upgrade for like 2 months now,  something always seems to come up and derail me.  My goal for August is to FOCUS on this!  Though I would ask people their opinions or likes/dislikes and "wish I had's" were. We will be getting another gas dryer,  so please only things that relate to gas dryers.  I have been told I need to make sure I talk to Winston before I go too far,  but have also been told I should set aside some time for that conversation. I haven't had that luxury just yet. 
I imaging there will be a flooding of "M&R, period" but while that is nice I am more intrested in what people have to say about other brands features and satisfaction.
There are many things I could take issue with on our current dryer,  but one of the most annoying ones is how LOUD it is. So if you think your dryer is quite as a mouse I would like to know that.

[tonypep]

Interchange would be an excellent consideration.

[GKitson]

Read this:

http://forums.mrprint.com/showthread.php?4172-M-amp-R-service-team-WOW!!

~Kitson

[mk162]

the only dryers that will be whisper quiet are electric.  I am very pleased with our interchange.  Winston even was impressed with some aspects of it as well.

It's a great dryer.   I will say that 12' of heat isn't enough and I should have gone 16' to start, or put in some IR bump panels at the front.  It's not bad, it's just limiting a little.

What I did was ask my local tech what dryer I can buy that will need the least amount of his services...and he said Interchange.  It's a great dryer, I've had very few issues with it.  Most of the issues have been related to me not following the maintenance sched.

[alan802]

We bought a sprint international but I have been able to see a few local interchange dryers that were recently purchased/installed.  We got a 60" belt, 8'infeed, 12' heat, 8' outfeed and it will handle 2 autos running 1000/hr without any issues.  I don't want to ruffle any feathers so email me if you want my honest opinion.  I've seen the two best dryers on the market up close and I've also had the pleasure of speaking with Winston on a few occasions.

[mk162]

go ahead an ruffle feathers, it's what this place is for.

[blue moon]

go ahead an ruffle feathers, it's what this place is for.

ditto!

pierre

[blue moon]

I will also say that we recently bought a used Interchange MD-8 and are very happy with it.

PROS:
-The price was great!
-the reliability is excellent. Have not had any issues with it (it does shut off if the lint filters are not cleaned, but you will only do that once)
-the gas bill!!!! (under $200/month)
-60" belt, you can run three lines of shirts on it (with a little creativity).
-Great tech support. Even when buying used, they spent time with me on the phone making suggestions on what to check, how to do it and offered sources for cheaper parts when possible.

CONS:
-early model was not as insulated as the ones sold now (not a problem, we just wrapped it up and got it under control. Gas bill went down $100/month for $100 worth of insulation).
-it is louder than the electric dryer. There is a 5HP motor running a big fan. There is no hiding it. You can still stand next to it and have a conversation without raising your voice, but it is not whisper quiet. This could be better with newer models, but I really don't know.
-expensive install if you don't have everything in place already (air in and out, gas in). Count on needing a booster fan as it is unlikely you'll be able to vent it properly without it.

For the money, knowing what I know now, I would buy used again. It saved us $10k if not more for essentially the same piece of equipment.

pierre

[TCT]

go ahead an ruffle feathers, it's what this place is for.

ditto!

pierre

Agreed! The intention is not to ruffle any feathers, but more for a informative all sides conversation. I have been weary to even post this topic for a while because I know there are so many die hard M&R guys out there, and that is great. I understand their passion as well, when you feel you have something that is the best you want everyone to know. Sometimes it is hard to understand why everyone doesn't see it your way- afterall you are only trying to help them get the same bad ass product that has made you oh so happy.

I say bring on the uncensored opinion!

-I will never buy another anatol gas dryer. I don't feel they are easily serviceable and the product support is not there when and if needed. There are too many anatol made parts that can not be easily bought other places. There are to many "oddities" with their dryer that once they get fixed, you say "how the hell did that fix things!?"     There is my opinion on anatol.

Interchange was one that I have on my "list", I have heard a lot of good things there. I was also looking at AWT based on the recommendations of 2 different independent techs, but have heard very little about them besides that.
A local rep is also pushing a Adelco..... Anyone on those?

[mk162]

I wouldn't do adelco, ask winston.  My choice was between the 2, and I went interchange.

Pierre, how did you insulate the oven?  was it on the bottom?  Did you insulate the inside or outside?

[tonypep]

Had an Adelco dual belt reciprocating dryer........I believe it is made in the UK. Terrible support. Ditto on the Anatol dryer. It is way overengineered.

[ScreenPrinter123]

We have an MD8, 60" belt, and 12 ft heat.  My suggestion is Interchange MD8 (or if you have HIGH HIGH HIGH output, the Airjet), M&R Sprint or mini-sprint, or something from Winston.  I think those are three best gas options on the market (not in any particular order).

[alan802]

I'll let those two shops I know speak on the issues they had if they choose to but if we would have had those things happen on our dryer purchase I would have been livid.  Now on to my opinions of the dryers themselves and not the company:  I guess the easiest way to describe it would be when I left my first visit to a shop with a new Interchange I was feeling even better at our purchase of the Sprint.  I was lucky in that I got to spend a day with Rich and we went over every inch of the dryer so when I got to see the competition up close I noticed a lot more that I wouldn't have had I not gotten that experience with Rich.  That might not be fair to Interchange since I didn't have a walk through with one of their guys to explain why or how they did something with their dryer, but it is what it is.  The fact that you have to have an air line to the dryer for belt tracking isn't ideal, but since we all have air compressors anyway, it's not a deal breaker by any means.  The md8 I saw put out more ambient heat than our dryer, good for cold climate shops, bad for our area in the brutal summers.  I've kept up with our PM for our dryer and as long as we keep the filter clean, it turns on when we want it to and off just the same.  It's been here for 18 months now and has yet to be down.  I don't think reliability is an issue for most dryer manufacturers (well, one red company has had big issues with their dryers) because essentially they are fairly simple machines.

Hearing Brad say that 12' isn't quite enough is a little concerning to me since we also have 12' and I don't feel like we need any additional bumps or chamber length.  Perhaps comparing a sprint international and an md8 is not a fair shake for interchange even though they are similar in size, obviously they are not similar in performance, and the price difference reflects that I'm sure.

Now would I buy an Interchange?  I'm sure if the price was right I would.  I think they build a good dryer, not a great dryer.  I have very little doubt that our sprint international is overall a better dryer than a comparable interchange (airjet) but it's not overwhelmingly better.  I just think the M&R has put more thought into their dryer and there were at least a dozen things that Rich pointed out to me during his visit that they do to their dryers that the competition does not.  That visit was 18 months ago and I couldn't sit here and go down that list so at this point it's little more than heresay.  I doubt M&R has built the perfect dryer without any flaws, ours has been relatively flawless except for one temp sensor at the dryer outfeed going bad and that was replaced by a new one being sent overnight.  That sensor is not even needed but to check the shirt temps as they exit the dryer, just like having a temp gun integrated into your dryer.  Since we have the donut probe and I don't believe in using that technology to check for ink cure, I don't use that feature very often so I still say the dryer is flawless from an operation standpoint.

I hope I don't sound too critical of the Interchange, the dryer itself is a good dryer that will serve a print shop very well for many years.  I think their flaws are more internal and the two instances that I know about should have NEVER been an issue so that's why I take them to task.  We all understand customer satisfaction, we deal with it every single day as do they, and maybe I'm being too harsh but those two issues really should have never been and I don't think there is any excuse for it.  I'll leave it up to those shops as to whether or not they want to elaborate or even discuss the issues in public and it's not my place to go into detail on those problems, although I can't completely ignore them when discussing who makes the best dryer.  No doubt they are a huge reason why my opinion is what it is but others may not think it's that big of a deal.  My deal breakers are not the same as others, hence all the different equipment in all of our shops . 

I don't have any doubt that Winston could build a fantastic dryer that might out perform and be more reliable than any of the big boys.  There are advantages and disadvantages in working with companies or entities that are smaller, one-man operations and I won't go into all that here, but I'm very aware of the good and bad since we have a big piece of equipment that comes from a small operation. 

I have always tried to stay objective and not come off as a "fan boy" of any one particular manufacturer.  When it comes to dryers, I have a strong opinion on who makes the best dryer.  I also have a strong opinion on who makes the best auto in a specific price range and I will always try my best to be open and honest and give as fair of an opinion of the equipment as possible.  And I will also try to keep the company/service as a separate entity so that they can be judged appropriately.  I think you need to look at both the company and the equipment they make just like one would judge SRI by our quality and also the service we provide.

[Printficient]

There is a nice Svecia gas dryer on Digit Smith.  Back in the day there were three dryer names to have.  Svecia.  Cincinatti. Ray Paul.  Still great dryers today.

[blue moon]

I wouldn't do adelco, ask winston.  My choice was between the 2, and I went interchange.

Pierre, how did you insulate the oven?  was it on the bottom?  Did you insulate the inside or outside?

outside all the way around. Will add another layer on the top and should be good to go.