Any power carvers use a POWERCRAFTER??

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Don't worry about it Gumby....apparently no one rearranged their lives fast enough to respond to that poster and they had a spontaneous tantrum! Very seldom do we get that here, but once in a blue moon....no one offended that I saw.....imho (too bad too, because the poster made a good report on it!)

[dchilders]

I'm certainly "brand" new in carving as well as this forum, and I'm quite puzzled by the string of events tied to this question. I purchased a Powercrafter last month, and have not even gotten it out of the box yet. I read numberous reviews from users of the tool prior to my purchase, and most were very positive. The reviews were all backed-up with photos of their personal work projects.
I guess I'll find out this month, just how effective the Powercrafter really is.

David

[fishcarver2004]

i use mine just about every day, it is one off my favorite tools!!!!
you can see my carvings in the gallerys here, and what it can do
stacey

[dchilders]

Stacey,

Just viewed your website. WOW !!!! You are very talented. I'm extremely pleased to know you use a Powercrafter to do that quality of work.

I may lean on you for expertise in the future, since I'm basically a beginner in wood carving.

Again, your work is very, very good.

David

[GabrielT]

I purchased my PowerCrafter 10 months ago. The turbine lasted 9 months. I paid $50.00 for a new turbine and when it arrived none of my bits would fit in the collet.

When I called the fine people at PowerCrafter, I spoke to someone named Jerry. His main objective during my two calls to him was to get me off the telephone. Neither of our conversations last more than a minute each. He was just too busy to talk to me.

So I tried to E mail him, but the link on the PowerCrafter site that says JerryMurry brings up an e mail form to someone named Susan. I have no idea if my e mails even got through because they never replied.

So right now I have a $300.00 paperweight and about $150.00 worth of perfectly good 1/16" bits that are just collecting dust because of the people at PowerCrafter.

If you are thinking about buyiung a PowerCrafter, save yourself some heartache and buy an SCM engraver. They may be a little more money, but in all the dealings I have had with SCM, PowerCrafter, and even the ProfitableHobbies people, only SCM has acted in a professional and courtious manner when I called them.

I love what I can do with the high speed engraver, and it is sad that on a Sunday when I would love to be carving I am typing this post, but I am througly disgusted with the people at PowerCrafter and I wont hessitate to tell anyone who asks how they treat their customers or of the extremely poor quality of their units.

Gabe

[GabrielT]

I finally recieved a response to my e mails from the people at PowerCrafter about the turbine being defective.

This is the ENTIRE text of their message to me.

"yes send back will replace"

That is EXACTLY how I recieved it. No signature, nothing else, just 5 words. I am soooo sorry I bothered them.

This is what you will be dealing with if you give your money to the people at PowerCrafter.

I will be more than happy to forward the e mail I recieved from them to anyone who asks. E mail me at CallMeGabriel@AOL.com

I am sending the entire hand piece back today, with both turbines, and instructions for them to install the new turbine and ensure that it will accept bits prior to sending it back to me.

If they do repair it, it will sit here collecting dust. I won't even put it on E bay because I would hate to have someone else go through this.

I have learned my lesson in dealing with PowerCrafter. I only hope it saves someone else some heartache.

Gabe
In the Green Mountains of Vermont

[gumbyteeth04]

Thank you, Thank You to ALL who posted a response to this post. WOW!! ...Makes me REALLY glad I went with the Dremel!! I have a Dremel with a flex shaft & it works great for me. Eventually, I'll step my way up to a more professional model...maybe a Foredom, but, $$$ says not yet. Until then, I'll be hacking away @ some designer firewood...maybe I'll even get up the courage to post a picture on here one day.Sarcastic Have a great day, everybody...Keep on carving!!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Before I would let it sit on the shelf, I would take a quart of slick 50, shake it up really well....and put a few drops in.....if you can remove the turbine, I would take it out and soak it in slick 50. Slick 50 stops the friction of metal to metal........I did this to a new brad nailer that wouldn't keep working, has been working now for over 7 years! same circumstances, was ready to throw it out! what the heck, what do you have to lose if you are going to toss it anyway?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Actually Gabe, when you get down to it....."yes send it back we will replace it" is all you wanted to hear anyway! lol

[GabrielT]

Perhaps I did not make the problem clear. Allow me to restate it.

The replacement turbine will not accept burrs. The collet is too small. Soaking it in anything will not fix this problem. It turns freely in the hand piece. However, the burrs will physically not fit in the collet. Yes, they are a friction fit, and do require some force to be seated properly, however, I bent the shafts of two burs trying to seat them. Further forcing them will most likely result in damaging the turbine and another $50.00 expense on my end. I could soak it all day long, all week long, for a year, but the collet is never going to expand to the point where it will accept burrs. Unless there is something about metal that I don't understand and if so, perhaps you could enlighten me?

I have been using this tool almost daily for the past 9 months, so I have some idea of how it works, how the burs go in, and what to expect when I try and seat them. However, with the replacement turbine I was sent, I doubt I could get them in with a hammer.

Actually Gabe, when you get down to it....."yes send it back we will replace it" is all you wanted to hear anyway! lol

Your quote is neither accurate nor was their reply funny. If what you wrote is what they had said, it would have been a little bit easier to swallow.

However, that is not what they said. Their reply is indicative of how this company conducts business, and how they view customers. The only thing they seem to have time for is to take your money up front. It is not just the reply to my e mail, but also the way they treated me on the telephone. I felt like calling them back and apologizing for bothering them. Please try and take the entire situation into account before passing judgement or making assumptions.

When I send an E mail or letter to a company, I expect a professional response, and if not professional, at least polite. The same when I call them.

Their reply was neither, and their telephone etiquite was beyond poor, to the point of being rude.

When I click on an E mail link that clearly says JerryMurry, I expect an e mail box to pop up that either says JerryMurry@PowerCrafter.com or CustomerService@PowerCrafter.com, or something similar. I do not expect to see an e mail box that says susan@burgoine.com.

It does not give one a "warm and fuzzy" feeling about dealing with the company when this happens.

When one deals with a company, it is the little things that really tell the big story, and this one could have been written by Stephen King. These people either don't get it, or they don't care, but either way, not only have they lost a customer and a referral source, they have created a great deal of animosity for themselves through their grossly unprofessional actions and deeds.

Your reply gives me the impression that you have resigned yourself to accept shoddy and rude customer service. I was raised to be polite and respectful. To say please and thank you. I expect that of the companies I deal with. I do not expect them to fix every little problem, but I do expect them to be polite and courtious. PowerCrafter has been neither.

Buy from them if you want. It's your money. I will spend mine elsewhere from now on, and suggest that others do the same.

Thank you for your reply

Gabe
Wandering around the Green Mountains of Vermont