Australian Facetors' Guild Limited

Been contemplating which faceting machine to purchase next. Having read about the pros and cons on various machines, which is based on others experiences and opinion, making a future choice seems quite difficult. My initial thought was a Halls extra. However, there appears to be some supply issues. Having spoken to a fellow faceter, a 6 month wait is in order. Also, it appears future servicing and parts could also pose to be a issue.

The VJ is currently out of my price range ( maybe when my son finishes Uni), it looks like a excellent machine. The major drawback is- I  read that VJ will not be making new machines but will be supporting older machines (mid 2016). So looks as VJ may not be worth worrying about in regard to a future purchase.

So maybe a Gemaster is worth considering? It also appears to be in a waiting queue? So this also makes me wonder about future servicing and parts, as current supply appears slow also. This makes me ponder about the Aussie faceting industry in general. Although these manufacturers seem to produce some fine machines and demand is out there - why is output slow?  Meanwhile, some dealers do not support these manufacturers because of these issues. Yet, Facetron a USA based manufacturer get all the ticks of approval with supply and service by them. 

I find this quite odd in a time when many Aussie manufacturers are closing doors, meanwhile Aussie Faceting Machine manufacturers seems to be struggling to keep up with demand. Either, they are backyard hobby industries and they are happy to make machines at their pace and make a living, or they are suffering from a very bad business model. As a Australian, I would prefer to buy a Aussie machine, else it may have to be a Facetron (which is not my first choice). So I'm wondering if other gem cutters have thoughts on their future purchase or their grail Faceting Machine? 

As a side note - Has anyone owned a "Alpha taurus faceting machine"? If so, I would like to hear your thoughts about this machine.

Regards Cliff

Hi Gordon

Your information about the VJ Faceting machine appears to be out of date. For a while it did look as though the company would be no longer producing the VJ, however since the daughter & son in-law have taken over the business it's back to production. Check out their website for more details.

VJ Faceting Machine do produce new machines as we speak. Waiting time is a couple of months, depending on order book.

I, for myself , do certainly value an Australian machine over any import. Considering future spares supplies as well as supporting local manufacturing is a priority for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Question have you tried lately to import any machine from the USA then you are in for a shock Freight, and custom duties well kill you

Eg a $4000.00 US machine import duties is above $800.00Au that does not include Freight

Ed

Not to mention our Aussie Dollar against the greenback. I would a imagine a Facetron would be a expensive machine in this current economic climate. 

Anonymous wrote:

Last time I looked Aussie Sapphire were selling them for about $5k.  Which puts them in the vacinity of a VJ.

I think the Graves is a little cheaper.

Regards 

VJ is around $4300 so which is the best machine to buy? ME I buy a VJ any day of the week before any import, also I have over the years owned many types of faceting matchings in my humble opinion the VJ is the best to buy, last point, how many of our top cutters own a VJ?answer: MOST, I rest my case.

Hi Cliff

The VJ has come down in price since my wife bought my Facetron for $3.6k including starter kit as a birthday present when the AUD/USD rates were about equal.  VJs were about $5k at the time.  

I like the short quill on the VJ, but the assembly to raise and lower the lap worries me, its not really ergonomic as there is nowhere to support your arms.  

I know at least one member who can't sit and use a VJ, she has to stand.

I also think any machine that you calibrate once and dial up the angle is streets ahead of the other brands, even Ultratec.  Even thought Hall has a dial indicator calibrated to 0.01 degrees, the zero point is calibrated by sight from the protractor.  The manufacturer claims testing shows it can be calibrated this way to within 0.03 degrees acuracy if you use a to x loupe to do so.

I'd be interested in actual numbers on how many IFC entrants use which brand of machine.  That should be a representative sample world wide.

Regards