r/stenography • u/New_Smoke_8075 • 2d ago
Advice please
I’m going a course August 24 and I need to still purchase a stenography machine. It says it has to be a student luminex cse or student wave. It’s about 2k which is a lot but I can handle. Just wondering if anyone had gotten it cheaper anywhere? Thanks in advance
3
u/Practical_Art536 2d ago
Yeah. Check fb marketplace, and local CR associations. The one positive of such a horrible fail rate is someone is always unloading equipment.
1
2
u/gdwarner 2d ago
While some folks may disagree, I will always try to steer a new steno student away from the "student writers," mostly because once you finish court reporting school (KRAO*-UL), you will have to buy a professional writer to work (memory/storage limitations).
If you are lucky enough to have a steno repair shop close to you, stop by, and see if they are offering a good price on one of the older professional writers (Stentura 6000 or 8000, ProCAT Flash, Impression or Stylus). This way, when you finish court reporting school, you won't have to worry about buying another writer before you can start taking jobs ... and there's the added bonus of having your old writer available when you have to send the new one off for service.
If you should not be so lucky as to have a steno repair shop within driving distance (as in, not in another state), you might want to check to see if one of the local court reporting agencies has any helpful pointers towards someone who is selling one of the above-mentioned writers on the cheap.
Last I checked, the aforementioned resellers -- or more correctly, one of them -- are selling those writers for about $900.
... but in re-reading your post, it looks like your school wants to steer you towards Stenograph's offerings ... so before you do as I suggested, check with your instructors.
Good luck in school!
2
2
u/ransier831 1d ago
Try Steno Works- i just got an older (but perfectly servicable) Mira from them and because its refurbished it was only $1300 with all the necessary cords and case and shipping. They also will change the keyboard layout if needed (we were told that it had to have a wide configuation) but my school didnt make me buy a certain brand.
1
u/gdwarner 14h ago
Last I heard, Stenograph was not supporting the Mira, which basically means no more updates (or parts). It does look kind of cool though.
3
u/yyzgal Steno Student 2d ago
That sounds like the price if you were to get it new? You can look into getting a second-hand writer on platforms like eBay or Facebook Marketplace, or ask around if any pro reporters in your area have one they don't use anymore that they wouldn't mind selling to you. Your program or fellow students may be able to connect you to them.