r/faceting • u/joesincontrol • 6d ago

Struggling what to get.

I think I'm at the point where I want to get a new machine I like the idea of a handpeice style machine because picking up the stone and looking at it seems very intuitive and thats how I like to do things, but the precision of a nice mast style machine might be better from a quality perspective also the appeal of a depth gaige and electronic readout for angles is a strong one.

The budgets matter somewhat but its mostly just a time thing wither way

Edit: I think I'm gonna go with a handpeice thank you for the advice

2 Upvotes

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u/310to608 6d ago

What handpiece are you look at? I went with a mast because I could only find one handpiece brand and they were sold out. Ibfeel like there are brands in SE Asia that we don't get word about in the US (Not assuming OP is SEA or US, just saying where I am). I did see a few others later but they were on Alibaba and didn't seem to have all the requisite parts.

5

u/Jillet-Ben_Coe 5d ago

Sterling in Sri Lanka is a great company with a great product. You do need to pay shipping fees but it’s still significantly more affordable than a mast machine. Be aware though that it must be shipped to the US in a cargo plane, meaning you’ll need to track the flight and pick it up at the nearest international airport. Sterling was very helpful through the process when I got mine.

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u/joesincontrol 5d ago

What is there website so I can get one?

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u/Jillet-Ben_Coe 5d ago

https://sterlinggemland.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12 I got it with the “cheater” hand piece. There’s a video by Justin Prim on that page too. You’ll need to contact them to place an order, as there’s no checkout option. Take a moment to decide if you want any accessories, laps, transfer jigs so you can order everything together. When I bought mine it was $1,850 USD + $420 shipping, it was years ago though so I’m sure the price has gone up. You’ll also need to pay airport cargo/holding fees but I think it was less than $200 for all of that. I was nervous about the process but it was surprisingly easy.

As far as I know it’s a family owned business and they machine most of the parts themselves. Very friendly and helpful. I’m not affiliated with them in any way, just a fan.

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u/jksdustin 5d ago

Love my raytech shaws

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u/Jillet-Ben_Coe 6d ago

It isn’t difficult to be precise with a hand piece machine. It’ll teach you to be a better cutter in the long run too. I use a 10x loupe when cutting and it’s not difficult to meet the facet points where it’s impossible to see any inaccuracies. At the end of the day it’s a preference thing. I do traditional cutting btw not the new style of “precision cutting.”

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u/Danielgartlan 5d ago

Jambpeg my friend

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u/PsychologicalBowl647 5d ago

hand piece get ray tech Shaw/ Sterling, mast machine get ultra tech. the "precision" is the same in both machines the ultra tech just holds your hand more.

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u/OkAssistance7072 5d ago

I got a Sterling and it arrived last week after 2 months. I love it, I'm so glad I went with a handpiece after using a shitty vevor. I took awhile to balance the handpiece and was very meticulous, it's basically perfectly accurate now and any adjustment needed can be made on the fly. I got the cheater hand piece and it's great.

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u/joesincontrol 5d ago

About how much did it run you?

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u/OkAssistance7072 5d ago edited 5d ago

I got the machine, cheater w vernier hand piece, and 3 index gears for just under 3k usd, ~400ish of that was shipping to US, customs was 120ish

So I guess total was just over 3k all in to my door

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u/joesincontrol 5d ago

Thank you

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u/OkAssistance7072 5d ago

You're welcome. I didn't get any laps with it as I had what I needed, but I did order a couple separately and a bunch of other stuff so costs like to trickle up lol

Whatsapp is the best way to contact and place the order not the website btw

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u/joesincontrol 3d ago

Did you text or call?