DSF

I have mised out on Roland Sp300i it went for £3500 I put a bid for £3300 ..one year old and no problems...my question is it okey to buy a used Roland but a new model ..like SP300i ,SP540i they go for less than half price of a brand new...is it safe to buy a used one like this??

Ouch, never mind, maybe it wasn't that good after all

My personal feeling on these machines is that I'd always buy new to get the warranty/support unless I knew the history of a machine.

I've thought about similar myself before but decided against used. Some of the Mimaki are very well priced in comparison.

It also depends on the Roland you purchase. Normally, the only thing that might need replacing is the print head. On a SP300 I think they are a couple of hundred pounds, on a VS machine they are a couple of grand.

I would gladly purchase a secondhand machine as long as I could see it running for an hour first. Nozzle checks are fine, but you just want to make sure the ink runs well.

If you buy a second hand machine make sure you use it before buying it, not just a standard test print as that wont show any faults on the heads ask them to go into the settings and do a full test print etc... I bought a VP300 last year, was over 300 mile away so spoke to the lad over the phone in detail and got the company I work for to collect it for me. Within 2 months I had replaced 2 of the 4 heads at £500 each :rolleyes: .Also make sure you have the room, the 300's are massive for the size of the media they take, close to 6 foot long and you'll need about 4-5 foot for the depth! If you can get into the service menu that will tell you how many head shots the heads have done, which will give you a good idea how old they are and how much life is left in them (a quick google will give you all the answers before you go to view )

Thanks for your valuable advices ..I like the huge price difference when getting a used one but in away its a gamble as you mention ...Its like buying a second hand car right ? lol..