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screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: sweetts on September 22, 2013, 02:56:20 PM
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Anyone have any real life info on the Titan?
RT Screen Designs
www.rtscreendesigns.com
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I had one that I sold about 1 year ago. PM me your questions or concerns and I will give you my thoughts.
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I rarely have a nice thing to say about anatol, but I will hold back. I do have to say anatol seems to always re invent the entry level press and make it more "entry". Are you talking directly to anatol or buying through a dealer? My opinion is if you buy through a dealer and something goes wrong they may have more leverage than if you deal direct if something goes wrong. Plus you can have one call to a dealer and make them get a hold of anatol. anatol is known for selling direct and while it saves you some coin, it may come back to bite you. There are people out there that love their anatols and they have had good luck with the company so maybe they will chime in and give you a better view. I have a small all air anatol from like 7 years or so ago. I wanted to replace it, but for what I would get for it I decided to keep it and have it to use for 1 or 2 color easy jobs. I have learned how to fix damn near everything on the press so the downside of keeping it is minimal.
In the class the Titan is in it may be the only way to go. I don't remember if M&R has a press that is comparable or not. For some reason I thought they started at a comparable Horizon Mini.
What color/pallet set up are you thinking of?
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M&R has come out with the diamondback C which is in direct competition with the Titan. I would look there first. Anatol changes sales reps like underwear. I get a call every few months from a new rep, makes me nervous.
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I would like to think I had something to do with the Titan being make as I had talked with them years back about getting a smaller press like my Mini to revolve both ways. I've had my Horizon Mini now for almost 6 years and it has never been down no more than a few hours during production. Since I've owned my press I've had nothing but good dealings with Anatol, yeah the reps may have changed over the years or months, but that has nothing to do with my press. I really don't know what answers you want since the Titan is still kinda of new, but I know it is somewhat a replacement for the Horizon Mini which I can tell you all about. What sold me on my press was I did't have to do alot of changing once I got it in the shop I could still use my same 20 x 24 screens same exposure unit, where if your coming from a manual shop to a larger auto your screens are bigger 23 x 31, bigger exposure unit, larger dryer. To compare Anatol and M&R is like this M&R is 100% service there to hold your hand tons of techs to help you and that comes at a cost, which might not be bad and worth every penny, Anatol is there to guide you more or less in fixing your press which saves you money ( you kinda need to be handy with tools or have a little mister fixit in your blood), which is good to, you can always fix your own press in most cases and keep working. My first choice in press's was an M&R but they didn't have anything back then to fit the space I had and Anatol did, which I'm very happy with. I do think Anatol gives you more bang for your bucks on there entry level press's than anybody else right now, I hear M&R is building a smaller press now so what does that tell yeah, the market is there and Anatol knew it long time ago. If you don't have any mister fixit in your blood, then M&R will be a better choice for you than Anatol, not saying your going to be always repairing your press, just M&R is service driving and have tons of techs vs Anatol is more phone service help.
Now about this TCT cat!!! can't you tell that joker is a hater!!!! always quick to diss the big Red LOL ( really I'm just pulling his chain, he's a good guy and takes the high road instead of bashing) the bottom line is to really look at all aspects of what you need and everything in between, don't be scare to compare and ask question's it's your money your spending.
Darryl
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I had one of the early ones and never had any problems with it. We decided to go in a different direction so I sold it a few months back but for a machine with a small footprint I could find no others that would fit in my shop.
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We had one. Nice little machine.
Bad set of prox switches. Sent us new set issue solved. They changed vendors for switch.
Did what was asked printing wise.
Did just trade it for late model 8 color sportsman, (Titan has not been picked up yet)but needed more heads immediately, and no room for keeping Titan. Used anything unfortunately is required when need heads today
Also have 10 color horizon. New this year. Air valve issue. Sent us new ones. Prints every day.
Yes, they do seem to change staff, we deal with mike j and he has been stellar. Insist on him.
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Darryl is right, I am a hater . I have had a lot of bad issues with the company. Their equipment is fine, when it works and it usually does. They seem to usually come in right under M&R on price which gives them the bang for the buck stance. But try comparing the companies, not the equipment. Things change there, and I am not a hardcore blue backer like a lot of these guys. My issue is more with anatol as a company. They are VERY well aware of their issues and don't care to work harder to change. Anatol himself said he is fine with being #2 no real desire to push for #1. That to me says a lot.
I really want to go on rants(yes longer than this one) about them when I see posts about people wondering about them. But I started to feel bad because people like Darryl are good people and like their press and I don't want to put them out. I am happy the press work for some people, it sucks when something you rely on doesn't work the way you thought it would.
Are the presses good? Ya, they will get the job done and sometimes very well. Darryl is no amateur, he has posted some nice stuff. Who is the guy it in CA that does the all over prints and jumbo prints? I forget his name but he kills it also. But there is a reason they are cheaper.
I myself have become a huge believer of some new guys in the states, that fly a green flag. But that is a whole different post with finger pointing, skepticism, and name calling! ;)
Rant over.
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Had a Stratus for 8 years. Had very few issues.... except for an amp that went out. I must say that their support has not been as good in the past few years. I no longer deal with Anatol with support issues. I use Randy at OTS in California. He knows more about Anatol than Anatol. The jumbo guy is Dave Garrison at Spreading Ink.
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TCT is right I like Anatol and he is right compare companies is a great idea as all the equipment when working works about the same, if you know what your doing...I know I couldn't tell if a shirt had been printed on what press. Yes Anatol like s to take the laid back approach to things, I brow beat them to get on the boards here and chat, which they did for a little bit. Whatever you get just make sure it will help you grow your biz...
Darryl
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To be fair Alex, what would it take/cost to TRY and be no. 1 at this point?
I don't think it would be worth it... Certainly not for anatol coming from their bad reputation/history. Harder to work uphill already not to mention against someone like M&R. Now if big green decides to make a run at it, sure it would be expensive and hard, but at least it wouldn't be rowing up stream for them.
Problem for guys like anatol is that soon they will find themselves fighting for no. 2 if they don't step up their game!
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Problem for guys like anatol is that soon they will find themselves fighting for no. 2 if they don't step up their game!
Are we even sure they are number 2?
For the record I think Anatol makes a good machine.
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When I think Anatol, I think craigslist spam ads since they are all over every city. I actually have "-anatol" in my craigslist search queries...
just my 2 cents.
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Problem for guys like anatol is that soon they will find themselves fighting for no. 2 if they don't step up their game!
Are we even sure they are number 2?
For the record I think Anatol makes a good machine.
Who would you say is number 2 (no pun intended) in market penetration (in the US).
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Workhorse maybe close to Anatol. But Anatol has a bigger presence in South America than the US I believe.
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The big four things I want. A small footprint 10 feet, single phase power, 220 / 110,easily maintained for around 20 grand. So what else fits that bill? Diamondback? Javelin? I am in the discovery phase so any suggestions I would love to hear them and thank you guys for the input its extremely helpful.
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For 20 grand brand new you are limited to the Anatol Titan, maybe Anatol Horizon or a Lawson. Step up to 25k or so and then you have the Diamondback and Workhorse Freedom.
Also you have to remember that the base pricing does not include crating, shipping and install which could run around 3-5k roughly plus your air compressor, chiller and plumbing, install of those and electrical work as well.
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We spent 10k installing our press and dryer. You will be shocked how quick it adds up.
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Your small footprint is going to be what kills you. It is really hard to find something to fit in a space like that, I think our first shop was like 16' wide and we were pushing it getting a 8/6. This was pre-Diamondback days, so the Horizon Mini was our only option. The Titan and the smaller Diamondback should fit but I don't know if Javelin goes that small. You may have to look for a custom configuration like a 6/4. Guess your other option would be to look at a Oval or Alpha-8, but you may have to raise your budget 6 times or so :o Keep in mind, you are going to need some extra room to walk around and load screens ect. Did you take into account that stuff and 10 feet is what you have left or is 10 feet your total room available?
Problem for guys like anatol is that soon they will find themselves fighting for no. 2 if they don't step up their game!
Are we even sure they are number 2?
For the record I think Anatol makes a good machine.
Who would you say is number 2 (no pun intended) in market penetration (in the US).
Mu guess would be anatol is #2, and I would follow that guess with the reason for that position is because they seem to pioneer the smaller presses. Those smaller presses have to sell like 10-1 over a larger production press.
If you ask me(not that anyone would :P ) but anatol would be smart to ditch their presses over $50K and focus on their presses under $25K. Bet their sales would stay the same.
To be fair Alex, what would it take/cost to TRY and be no. 1 at this point?
I don't think it would be worth it... Certainly not for anatol coming from their bad reputation/history. Harder to work uphill already not to mention against someone like M&R. Now if big green decides to make a run at it, sure it would be expensive and hard, but at least it wouldn't be rowing up stream for them.
Problem for guys like anatol is that soon they will find themselves fighting for no. 2 if they don't step up their game!
I don't think even anatol thinks he could tie or make a run for #1, but why the hell wouldn't you want to set a goal?
I also don't think it is realistic for "green" to set their sights on #2 either unless M&R, anatol, or Workhorse was bought, went bankrupt, or went out of business. S.Roque doesn't make a entry level press to compete with any of the big players here in the states. I don't think they will ever be able to either, their presses(like MHM) are to advanced to drop that low in price. You can't pick up a S.Roque for under $30K. I don't think they could even make a press that would air index because their pallets do not raise. Their best bet would to be to target the upper end market, like MHM is doing by dropping the E-Type.
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For 20 grand brand new you are limited to the Anatol Titan, maybe Anatol Horizon or a Lawson. Step up to 25k or so and then you have the Diamondback and Workhorse Freedom.
Also you have to remember that the base pricing does not include crating, shipping and install which could run around 3-5k roughly plus your air compressor, chiller and plumbing, install of those and electrical work as well.
I didn't even think of Lawson, that may be a option, I don't know squat about them though. There was 2 used ones for sale up here around me about a month ago. I will see if I still have the email for you if you want me to.
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The big four things I want. A small footprint 10 feet, single phase power, 220 / 110,easily maintained for around 20 grand. So what else fits that bill? Diamondback? Javelin? I am in the discovery phase so any suggestions I would love to hear them and thank you guys for the input its extremely helpful.
90's Gauntlet 6/8 + comp/chiller. Nothing special but gets it done and you already have the manual for what it can't do. You'll outgrow the Gauntlet but get you a comp/chiller that will grow with. Might want to compare the negatives of the old G's to those of a diamondback though. Any entry level press will be a little salty and a little sweet to you, just need to find one that suits your tastes.
The Titan has a lot going for it for space concerned shops but Anatol has some problems and I can't recommend overall. Nice ideas but not enough behind them unfortunately. They have design elements in their presses that are superior, execution appears to be the issue. I think the problems must be more recent as those with older models seem to have had a fine time. Ask anyone with a newer machine from them and you'll get an earful.
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Or I would look at a semi older Javelin with a couple of flashbacks. Those can be found just like the Gauntlets for well under 20k and then you have the money to install, ship, get a compressor and chiller and repair a few things if you need to. Javelins are right around 11' in diameter but the flashbacks will add to that im sure.
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I've got a 6/5 Titan. Love the servo index.
My business model is three colors -or- less.... it works fine for that.
It pairs up well with an 8' electric dryer (about 300 pieces/hr)
I really wish I could use a 23" wide screen... I can't go bigger than 21" wide
I avoid any print larger than 13"wide x 15"long
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I had a Horizon mini. It's a great press. There are some nice features on it for an entry level auto. The service dept isn't that bad, but sometimes takes a couple of reminder calls to get info. But there are some really good top notch independent techs out there. Brian (binkspot) is a great one. I've also heard Randy at OTS is top notch as well. But they don't really break down. If you have the space get a full size.
I wouldn't personally do a TUF press unless it had the new chopper squeegees as opposed to the conventional v squeegees.
I wouldn't consider the Lawson Troopers. I was very unimpressed when I saw them. They feel very "entry level". Where as the Horizon or Diamondback feel real deal.
M&R you'd be looking at a diamondback. But they don't seem to pop up used very often, and when they do they still catch a good dollar.
I'm not sure if you are looking used or new, but those are the two I'd be looking at in that price range. If you don't have the space for a full size Horizon, you probably won't have the space for a Diamondback. If that is the case you'd be looking at either a mini Horizon or Titan. Keep in mind only the servo indexer's can "step back". I'd really try to make a full size fit. I did a lot with my mini, but wish I had the full size often.
Just my 2 cents.
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Yeah the only reason I put the Jav and Lawson in that mix is if you need to print all six colors with multiple flashing the Jav/Lawson is the only option
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The big four things I want. A small footprint 10 feet, single phase power, 220 / 110,easily maintained for around 20 grand. So what else fits that bill? Diamondback? Javelin? I am in the discovery phase so any suggestions I would love to hear them and thank you guys for the input its extremely helpful.
You are more than welcome to stop by and take my Brown ElectraPrint for a test drive. No air needed, just plug it in and you're ready to go. Maintenance is minimal and support will be there 100% if needed.
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For Anatol to be number 2, we must assume that Workhorse doesn't have 10 - 1 or more Javelins out there to Titans or Horizons. At least in my searching before I knew much about the boards and the industry, it was very easy to assume M&R and Workhorse where the two main brands. The others just don't show up the same in Google and so on. (At least not back when I had started my research). Market is/has changed for sure and I do think Anatol makes a good press and they have to be selling a good bit of those Titans and Horizons. But is it out selling Workhorse yet?
What are we suggesting makes a company 2 now? Total presses sold? Total presses sold this year? Total Sales?
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What are we suggesting makes a company 2 now? Total presses sold? Total presses sold this year? Total Sales?
Good point Brandt, I was basing my ASSumption on total presses sold in the US in the last year.
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The big four things I want. A small footprint 10 feet, single phase power, 220 / 110,easily maintained for around 20 grand. So what else fits that bill? Diamondback? Javelin? I am in the discovery phase so any suggestions I would love to hear them and thank you guys for the input its extremely helpful.
Just looked at the M&R line up catalog I have and the Diamondback L is listed at 8'6" so that would work. Don't let single phase power stand in your way either there are plenty of solutions for that. The easiest one being if you get a new press specify that you need it to be made for single phase. The manufacturers can do that, you just need to tell them. There is also the option of a phase converter. Motors are happier running on 3 phase, both for servo heads and servo indexing but also for a compressor. They also work just dandy on single phase, so don't let that stand I'm your way.
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For Anatol to be number 2, we must assume that Workhorse doesn't have 10 - 1 or more Javelins out there to Titans or Horizons. At least in my searching before I knew much about the boards and the industry, it was very easy to assume M&R and Workhorse where the two main brands. The others just don't show up the same in Google and so on. (At least not back when I had started my research). Market is/has changed for sure and I do think Anatol makes a good press and they have to be selling a good bit of those Titans and Horizons. But is it out selling Workhorse yet?
What are we suggesting makes a company 2 now? Total presses sold? Total presses sold this year? Total Sales?
Good point Brandt, I guess I just stopped looking at the Javs as a competent press with the V squeegee, but that doesn't mean they should be counted out.
Still not sure, just because they come up for sale used more often doesn't mean their are more of them... could just mean more people realize they want something else.
Bauraden's never show up for sale used, doesn't mean they aren't the best... just means people don't let them go!
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For Anatol to be number 2, we must assume that Workhorse doesn't have 10 - 1 or more Javelins out there to Titans or Horizons. At least in my searching before I knew much about the boards and the industry, it was very easy to assume M&R and Workhorse where the two main brands. The others just don't show up the same in Google and so on. (At least not back when I had started my research). Market is/has changed for sure and I do think Anatol makes a good press and they have to be selling a good bit of those Titans and Horizons. But is it out selling Workhorse yet?
What are we suggesting makes a company 2 now? Total presses sold? Total presses sold this year? Total Sales?
Good point Brandt, I guess I just stopped looking at the Javs as a competent press with the V squeegee, but that doesn't mean they should be counted out.
Still not sure, just because they come up for sale used more often doesn't mean their are more of them... could just mean more people realize they want something else.
Bauraden's never show up for sale used, doesn't mean they aren't the best... just means people don't let them go!
For sure, I just seen a lot of them in shops. Can't say ive seen any Anatols in shops, but I know people with them. So just expanding that out some.
Even when something is better it doesn't mean it sells better and vice versa.
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For sure.
In my area, of the autos that I know (which is limited), I know of 1 Brown, 1 Jav, 1 Anatol, 1 M&R... the other shops that I KNOW of are all manual. So, in my SMALL sampling it's a straight tie. LOL
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Guess I had thought Javelins came up used for sale more because I thought they had been around longer. Which I could be totally wrong about I am still a "young buck" in many peoples eyes....
I heard they used to have machines that would copy a piece of paper and send it to another machine over these things called land phone lines.... Wow, why not just use the Pony Express! :P
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Sweetts - Looks like your searching is over!!-
http://www.digitsmith.com/used-2011-m-r-diamondback-l-sale-38690.html (http://www.digitsmith.com/used-2011-m-r-diamondback-l-sale-38690.html)
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I look at M&R like Nike, brand name big market share M&R has done a great job over the years getting there products in high profile shops ( Rich has done his homework ) being #1 is great for them, I don't think anybody else is shooting for it at least there is no noise about it. Rich told me a few years back about the new smaller press's they where planing on building..I see they have a whole line of them, Anatol better ramp it up.
Darryl
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Mike from Anatol called today to address any concerns I might have about their equipment. Turns out he follows the forum saw the thread and wanted to answer any questions I might have. We discussed pricing, his views on addressing customer issues their two year warranty and what's covered. I understand his survival is based on making sales but I felt he was genuine and addressed my questions honestly. Like I said I am trying to gather info and probably won't pull the trigger for a while but I think it was outstanding of him to address the issues brought up here and to take the lead and contact me.
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Mike from Anatol called today to address any concerns I might have about their equipment. Turns out he follows the forum saw the thread and wanted to answer any questions I might have. We discussed pricing, his views on addressing customer issues their two year warranty and what's covered. I understand his survival is based on making sales but I felt he was genuine and addressed my questions honestly. Like I said I am trying to gather info and probably won't pull the trigger for a while but I think it was outstanding of him to address the issues brought up here and to take the lead and contact me.
One real question to ask. Will they give you in writing a unconditional money back guarantee? If not why not? We do. Period! Choice is all up to you!
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Mike from Anatol called today to address any concerns I might have about their equipment. Turns out he follows the forum saw the thread and wanted to answer any questions I might have. We discussed pricing, his views on addressing customer issues their two year warranty and what's covered. I understand his survival is based on making sales but I felt he was genuine and addressed my questions honestly. Like I said I am trying to gather info and probably won't pull the trigger for a while but I think it was outstanding of him to address the issues brought up here and to take the lead and contact me.
Do like I did, go see Anatol and M&R. Gives you vast perspective.
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My experience is Anatol will always make good on any issues. Trouble is there is a lot of issues and it takes a long time to resolve them. My printer worked in a shop with an Anatol auto and it was a similar deal, they came in and fixed it all up, just took awhile. So I'd say if you don't mind dealing with the issues and have the time and patience then the service is fine. But I do mind and don't have the time so it's not to my taste. It's very costly to have a machine not running in a busy shop or, if you as the owner are the only one able to work on the press, to be pulled out to make repairs frequently. Toss in shipping costs on parts (which you may have to pay even though under warranty) and the purchase price goes up a lot by the time you're settled in and running. I like to drop gear in and run it with minimal down time and fussing around. If that's a must your options narrow in mfg'ers.
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And to touch on Zoo's comment about the warranty. Yes you will pay shipping on the warranty parts. All the warranty covers is the part, no shipping, no tech charges, all that is on your dime. So depending on where you are in relation to their parts and you need overnight shipping that would really suck. Have you looked at overnight shipping costs? And of course Anatol makes good equipment, they have been for a long time. They just do not have the desire to be the best and that is the issue. They dont have to be the best but if they had the desire to be the best then that will show up in everything they do and thats unfortunate.
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Everything you guys have said so far is issue's, issue's that any auto press might have no matter who makes them. The one thing that really stands out is service, Rich at M&R started out as service and to his credit has built a nice company base around and on service which gives him the edge. Rich being a smart cookie has a service tech in just about every region you can think of, the cats like the Walmart of Auto's LOL. To Anatols credit or maybe its just my press I've had only minor snafu's and nothing I could not handle, I'm thinking if I need a tech them something is major wrong and I'm going to be down until that tech gets here. I know I defend Anatol a lot here reason being is there's a bunch of blue boys here, and if you ask about any other press they will toss M&R in and split the river. I can't and will not bash M&R cause that guy has been real good to me even though I print with the Red 1 and dry with the Blue 1. If this was an M&R thread you wouldn't hear a word from anyone tossing in Anatol or any other press except maybe Sonny with MHM, I say this again it's your money and whatever press you buy, buy wise and get what fit you.
Darryl
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I personally don't think you should spend that much money on an auto and have ANY issues with it for at least a few years and a million imprints. If I had any issues like I've read from numerous Anatol customers I would have gone ape. Daryll and Donnie have had decent luck with their machine and service but there are dozens of unhappy customers found in a google search within the first page or two. If a little manufacturer like 2M can make a machine that is as solid and reliable as ours is, there is no excuse for Anatol not to make a better one, yet they don't. Notice I didn't say "can't" because I'm sure they could but they won't commit to excellence or make much of an effort from what I can tell. There are at least 4 better machines out there, maybe a few less features than Anatol, but I doubt it will take months to get an issue resolved and I doubt you would have an issue if you went with another manufacturer. If the machines worked the way they are supposed to from install then they'd have a great lineup of presses, but the fact is they don't right now and unfortunately this story is so old that I don't think anything is going to change. The best predicter of future behavior past behavior and these stories of press problems and bad service are nothing new.
By all means buy whatever you want and whatever you think is going to work best for your shop, this is just one man's opinion who has been wrong about things in the past.
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Mike from Anatol called today to address any concerns I might have about their equipment. Turns out he follows the forum saw the thread and wanted to answer any questions I might have. We discussed pricing, his views on addressing customer issues their two year warranty and what's covered. I understand his survival is based on making sales but I felt he was genuine and addressed my questions honestly. Like I said I am trying to gather info and probably won't pull the trigger for a while but I think it was outstanding of him to address the issues brought up here and to take the lead and contact me.
I wish owners or people aside from salespeople would have the ballz like Rich to come on the boards. It is probably easier for Rich because there is nothing but praise for him, but it would still be nice to hear from some "higher up's". Defend their product, promote it, or explain it better. Anatol has watched the boards for a while, I know I have pissed Mike off pretty bad. Sorry dude but I Invested about $40K of my hard earned money in you guys when I was 23, and anatol started to lie to me before I took delivery.
I know I defend Anatol a lot here reason being is there's a bunch of blue boys here, and if you ask about any other press they will toss M&R in and split the river. I can't and will not bash M&R cause that guy has been real good to me even though I print with the Red 1 and dry with the Blue 1. If this was an M&R thread you wouldn't hear a word from anyone tossing in Anatol or any other press except maybe Sonny with MHM, I say this again it's your money and whatever press you buy, buy wise and get what fit you.
Darryl
I am with you here Darryl, it can be touchy to talk about a brand other than M&R but I kinda assumed that was because the US is so dominated by M&R.
I personally don't think you should spend that much money on an auto and have ANY issues with it for at least a few years and a million imprints. If I had any issues like I've read from numerous Anatol customers I would have gone ape. Daryll and Donnie have had decent luck with their machine and service but there are dozens of unhappy customers found in a google search within the first page or two. If a little manufacturer like 2M can make a machine that is as solid and reliable as ours is, there is no excuse for Anatol not to make a better one, yet they don't. Notice I didn't say "can't" because I'm sure they could but they won't commit to excellence or make much of an effort from what I can tell. There are at least 4 better machines out there, maybe a few less features than Anatol, but I doubt it will take months to get an issue resolved and I doubt you would have an issue if you went with another manufacturer. If the machines worked the way they are supposed to from install then they'd have a great lineup of presses, but the fact is they don't right now and unfortunately this story is so old that I don't think anything is going to change. The best predicter of future behavior past behavior and these stories of press problems and bad service are nothing new.
By all means buy whatever you want and whatever you think is going to work best for your shop, this is just one man's opinion who has been wrong about things in the past.
Alan you are SO right. I never understood why the bigger companies here didn't add more bells and whistles, digital readouts for sure! I love that about your press.
A classic example of anatol not committing to excellence is about a year ago they received a whole batch of bad proximity senors, instead of replacing them right away, they sent new machines out with bad sensors. The buyers of the new presses then got presses installed that didn't work. I talked with a lady here that had this issue and she was mad but she accepted it. I would of been so out of control mad I probably couldn't of talked on the phone.
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TCT you mentioned being a young buck, exactly how young are you? I'm probably the youngest guy here...
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Service is it. It is 8:00 pm on the west coast and I just emailed M&R service dept and got a reply 6 minutes later. That's pretty fast service.
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I bet 99% of people will probably be perfectly happy and fine with Anatol. The issue is the 1% are probably having more issues with their equipment than they should so I think some of the Anatol bashing is uncalled for in a sense. And like others have said get the press that you are most comfortable and that fits your requirements and you will be fine. As long as you are not that 1% ;)
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TCT you mentioned being a young buck, exactly how young are you? I'm probably the youngest guy here...
Oh I don't imagine I am the youngest one here, I was just saying I haven't been around long enough to say when the Javelins started coming out. I am 30 though, birthday is in February, now I will expect a present from you :P
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Figured I would chime in on this topic -
We have a 6 color Horizon servo/electric with two quartz flashes on one side of our shop,
and a 8 color Sportsman servo with two quartz flashes on the other side...
The Anatol has been here longer, and has run flawlessly, aside from a few distracting issues.
It is a really nice, quality machine, and has produced day after day. Can't speak highly enough about the press.
However, our first Anatol rep was great, but he left. Second Anatol rep was great, but he left as well.
We felt a little bit distanced from Anatol. This was a little bit disconcerting, especially when the entire means
of supporting the business was wrapped up in one machine. You hope that your machine doesn't take a crap,
but if it does, you had better have a means to get back on line, and quickly.
When it came to purchasing a second machine - Scott (Martin Supply) was here to walk us thru
options for M&R. Joe Mazur (M&R) was here to walk us thru options. He's been with M&R for I think decades.
We saw the Sporty in Atlantic City,and again, we had a whole group walk is thru options. We knew the quality
of the machinery was first rate, and this was matched by superior service and support.
Both companies make great machines. When it came to bringing in another machine and dryer - we had
to look long term. Support, parts, service - the things that really matter when it comes to using this type
of equipment.. This was the biggest single factor for us.
John
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Never posted or responded here before, usually come here for a quick answer and that's about it. Reading some of your "claims" and ridiculous comments that some of you are trying to pass off as "facts" I felt obligated to at least chime in... First and foremost if any of you have been screenprinting for more than 6 months and haven't figured out that a press is only as good, reliable, effecient etc etc etc as the person operating it than you migh as well stop reading this right now. Does anyone really believe that an M&R produces a better print than an Anatol press?? I have two Anatol automatic presses and two M&R dryers so I've given both companies a lot of my money. While I can't praise M&R the way most of you do, the bashing of Anatol seems almost as if you're being coached, or paid, or worst of all like you're trying to get the attention of a CEO (Rich) as if he's going to call you and offer you a seat on his board, it's extremely transparent and quite pathetic.
I would be willing to wager quite a bit that there isn't a press out there that could keep up with the Titan or Horizon I have in terms of speed. And I read someone post that they were "lied to by Anatol before delivery" or something like that, that's the one post that I know is a flat out 100% lie unless the buyer was unclear about the "details" of the purchase, which I wouldn't doubt. I can get ahold of someone at Anatol in every department they have 24/7, I was even given direct cell phones numbers which is pretty unheard of.
In a little over 9 months of owning the Titan I put between 300-325,000 prints on it and I can say without any hesitation that the only problems I had were: proximity adjustment handles that broke because of an error by the operator, and one wire going from the motherboard to head #4 which I wrote off to standard wear & tear. The proximity handles were sent to me every time I asked, I never saw a single invoice, and a bypass wire was sent Next Day Air to me again at no charge.
Could I get the same result out of an M&R, Workhorse, even a Brown press? Probably, but not because they're superior products but because I know what I'm doing and I take care of my equipment. Name a press that can print faster than the Titan, I have had it up to ~1,150 prints per hour? You can't do it because there isn't one available. Name a press that has a more compact footprint than the Titan, it's not much bigger than my 6/4 manual Riley Hopkins? Once again, impossible. Give me the brand that has an equal model to the Titan that's less expensice? ((((crickets)))) There isn't one.
If you're looking to print more than 2 or 3 colors on a dark shirt than of course you'll have issues, that's not really what it's made to do. The same people who complain that their Anatol press has issues and is always breaking down I bet are the same people who ignore their car, house, kids, pets, credit cards and employees and constantly wonder aloud why they're always letting them down. This equipment is only as good as the user. There's no legitimate reason anyone could give for using an M&R or any other press for that matter over Anatol when you're talking about the ACTUAL PRESS. If you can't get the print you want from the Titan than you're just not that talented of a screenprinter, sorry to break it to you like that... All the phots attached were printed on my Titan, whether you think they're up to your standards or not is up to you. If you think your clients are more picky than mine, I can promise you they're not.
But by all means, keep complaining and blaming issues on everyone else but you (the user), and spending twice as much on a press that will get you the same result I get from Anatol, seriously, please keep it up. That's the attitude that has brought me a lot of work and maybe some of it used to be yours, who knows?
Yours,
Joseph J. DiDonato
Owner
Midwest Graphics &
8845 Graphic Design
1200 W. 35th
Chicago, IL 60609
Cell: (734) 320-1100
email: Didonato8845@gmail.com
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Never posted or responded here before, usually come here for a quick answer and that's about it. Reading some of your "claims" and ridiculous comments that some of you are trying to pass off as "facts" I felt obligated to at least chime in... First and foremost if any of you have been screenprinting for more than 6 months and haven't figured out that a press is only as good, reliable, effecient etc etc etc as the person operating it than you migh as well stop reading this right now. Does anyone really believe that an M&R produces a better print than an Anatol press?? I have two Anatol automatic presses and two M&R dryers so I've given both companies a lot of my money. While I can't praise M&R the way most of you do, the bashing of Anatol seems almost as if you're being coached, or paid, or worst of all like you're trying to get the attention of a CEO (Rich) as if he's going to call you and offer you a seat on his board, it's extremely transparent and quite pathetic.
I would be willing to wager quite a bit that there isn't a press out there that could keep up with the Titan or Horizon I have in terms of speed. And I read someone post that they were "lied to by Anatol before delivery" or something like that, that's the one post that I know is a flat out 100% lie unless the buyer was unclear about the "details" of the purchase, which I wouldn't doubt. I can get ahold of someone at Anatol in every department they have 24/7, I was even given direct cell phones numbers which is pretty unheard of.
In a little over 9 months of owning the Titan I put between 300-325,000 prints on it and I can say without any hesitation that the only problems I had were: proximity adjustment handles that broke because of an error by the operator, and one wire going from the motherboard to head #4 which I wrote off to standard wear & tear. The proximity handles were sent to me every time I asked, I never saw a single invoice, and a bypass wire was sent Next Day Air to me again at no charge.
Could I get the same result out of an M&R, Workhorse, even a Brown press? Probably, but not because they're superior products but because I know what I'm doing and I take care of my equipment. Name a press that can print faster than the Titan, I have had it up to ~1,150 prints per hour? You can't do it because there isn't one available. Name a press that has a more compact footprint than the Titan, it's not much bigger than my 6/4 manual Riley Hopkins? Once again, impossible. Give me the brand that has an equal model to the Titan that's less expensice? ((((crickets)))) There isn't one.
If you're looking to print more than 2 or 3 colors on a dark shirt than of course you'll have issues, that's not really what it's made to do. The same people who complain that their Anatol press has issues and is always breaking down I bet are the same people who ignore their car, house, kids, pets, credit cards and employees and constantly wonder aloud why they're always letting them down. This equipment is only as good as the user. There's no legitimate reason anyone could give for using an M&R or any other press for that matter over Anatol when you're talking about the ACTUAL PRESS. If you can't get the print you want from the Titan than you're just not that talented of a screenprinter, sorry to break it to you like that... All the phots attached were printed on my Titan, whether you think they're up to your standards or not is up to you. If you think your clients are more picky than mine, I can promise you they're not.
But by all means, keep complaining and blaming issues on everyone else but you (the user), and spending twice as much on a press that will get you the same result I get from Anatol, seriously, please keep it up. That's the attitude that has brought me a lot of work and maybe some of it used to be yours, who knows?
Yours,
Joseph J. DiDonato
Owner
Midwest Graphics &
8845 Graphic Design
1200 W. 35th
Chicago, IL 60609
Cell: (734) 320-1100
email: Didonato8845@gmail.com
1st My press can print faster than your 1150, cant mention the name here but most people here know what it is.
2nd how in the hell can you state that a press is only as good as its operator? Are you insinuating that if a crappy press is sent to someone it is their responsibility to keep it running not the OEM? Silly.
3rd how can you come here and call people liars? Are you involved in their situations with their dealings with Anatol? Do you work for Anatol? No, so how do you know what anyone here has dealt with?
4th No one is really trashing the machines everyone is basically discussing Anatols long history of support issues. Just because you had success does not mean everyone else has.
It is pretty obvious M&R has done something just about no other manu has done and that is back up their product at all costs. Why that irks you I don't know but man understand people tend to buy things for piece of mind instead of risking major support issues down the road.
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"No one's trashing machines" was that supposed to be a joke? This is more biased than the M&R testimonial page on their site....
"It is pretty obvious M&R has done something just about no other manu has done and that is back up their product at all costs"?? I needed a single cable for my dryer a month ago, one lonely cable that raises/lowers the heaters, I JUST got it this week after they lost my work order twice and sent out a technician in person, twice as well. Now that's the only time I've ever had to deal with them but where would you say that rates on the Customer Service Scale between 1-10, "1" being, well, pretty much my noted experience above and "10" being technician brought the proper tools and equipment to replace a cable the first time....
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You seem to have a lot of pent up anger. Maybe from working with two Anatol machines? :P
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"No one's trashing machines" was that supposed to be a joke? This is more biased than the M&R testimonial page on their site....
"It is pretty obvious M&R has done something just about no other manu has done and that is back up their product at all costs"?? I needed a single cable for my dryer a month ago, one lonely cable that raises/lowers the heaters, I JUST got it this week after they lost my work order twice and sent out a technician in person, twice as well. Now that's the only time I've ever had to deal with them but where would you say that rates on the Customer Service Scale between 1-10, "1" being, well, pretty much my noted experience above and "10" being technician brought the proper tools and equipment to replace a cable the first time....
Quote me where someone trashes the machine? The discussion here is about reliability and service mainly.
You are being hypocritical with your rude statements about M&R customers being loyal and yet you sound exactly like an Anatol loyalist your self.
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LOL THREAD
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Wow, well I don't know about all of the claims, but I do know this. When we were shopping for our auto, we did our research, we hadn't gotten as in depth with shop owners across the country and abroad as we have now 7 years later, but, with that said, we had narrowed the search down to MHM, M&R, and Anatol. MHM was just plain out of our price range at the time as it was our first auto purchase and we needed something more at the entry level with as many colors as we could get. That now left use between M&R and Anatol. With Anatol we emailed, called, and faxed, not to mention went to their booth at trade show leaving plenty of information to, NEVER EVER, get a call back about buying a new machine. We even went to the point where we sent several emails, and several phone calls, to NEVER, get a call returned. We figured well, heck, if we can't get them to call us back when wanting to spend 30 or so thousand dollars with them, what happens if we need support. Now, obviously with M&R, as soon as we expressed our interest, the contact was there every which way you could imagine, not in the, "bash the other guys and only buy from us" way, but knowing we were knew at buying an automatic, giving us the information we needed to know to make the right choice. Knowing that info would open up other choices, like progressive, Tuff, ect. We still took our time to make our decision and decided to go with the company we felt supplied what we needed and was their to support it. I'm sure there are independent techs out there for any of these machines, and bottom line, if shops are lucky enough to have that contact alone, they feel more secure in a purchase, but for us, it was as basic as returning an email, or a phone call.
Here is an example:::::
I have a friend in Alabama, bought his Diamond back through a dealer. Has had a few issues with it, communicating to M&R through the dealer, he wasn't satisfied on how it was going. Let me now note here, his press was really never totally out of commission just some air cylinder glitches. We too have a DB and besides replacing a couple choppers, never had the issue he had. A month later I'm chatting with him and he says he's still occasionally having the issue and the dealer made him feel that it was "his" fault, "going back to the statement, gear is only as good as the operator subject". I emailed Rich Hoffman and just briefly let him know what my pal was expressing. THAT DAY, he had multiple calls from service manager at M&R, THAT week, he had a tech flying in from Chicago to go over his machine and replace any part that could cause this issue. ---------- This all from 1 little 4 sentence email to Rich. It's not a "tail kissing" thing, or a, "trying to get a seat on the board"---- that one is funny. It's just plain out fact of superior customer care, and personal care from the CEO of a large company. How many times could any of us expect a personal reply from say the CEO of Hirsch, or Burgman, or Anatol ect, probably never, probably won't get much of a reply from a managing partner, and in some cases not even a reply from customer support from some of these companies. Although I will state that Dan Axleson of Workhorse is a cool dude and will personally email with you and handle an issue for you, other than that, countless testimonies from shop owners I have personally spoke with about lack of proper communication from other companies. I am in no way saying that Anatol doesn't make a good machine, they actually look like dam good machines, but for me, when I couldn't get a returned phone, fax or email to try and spend money with them, there was nooooooo way I could ever conceive the notion of spending a dime with them. One more thing, even talking with one of their dealers on the East Coast, his contact stopped as well, only to find out he high tailed it to China, couldn't count on his support either as he seemed to not be able to return emails from China, lol.
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Maybe I'm just the luckiest guy in the screenprinting world then! My guess is that they're a small company trying to grow and not that Anatol DIDN'T want to sell you a press, but I could be wrong. If that's reason enough for you to spend $40K instead of $20K than that's clearly within your rights, doesn't mean it was the right or smart thing to do though.
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Maybe I'm just the luckiest guy in the screenprinting world then! My guess is that they're a small company trying to grow and not that Anatol DIDN'T want to sell you a press, but I could be wrong. If that's reason enough for you to spend $40K instead of $20K than that's clearly within your rights, doesn't mean it was the right or smart thing to do though.
Your problem is you are making a lot of assumptions about other peoples experiences. You flat out called people liars yet you couldn't possibly know if they are lying or not, how could you? Quoted above case in point how on earth do you know if he paid 40k for his press and how could you possibly know if what he would have bought from Anatol would only have been 20k?
Anatol has earned their reputation over the years, this thread is proof positive they have a serious image issue that needs to be dealt with otherwise these threads will always consist of support and communication issues. No one has made any of this up it is real and has been real for over a decade concerning Anatol. * Everyone knows the CEO is a douche and is their biggest road block, many good people have worked for Anatol and struggled to improve their product and service and yet every single one of those people I speak of no longer work for Anatol.
Maybe you should go work for them, and when a customer calls you and tells you the servo crapped out you can tell them sorry but it is your fault for not being an engineer and fixing it your self.
*Frog edit
I don't think that that statement is true. I, for instance do not know that he is a douche.
As for the turnover in employees, some of that is due to "raiding" by other companies.
That said, I've been assured that things are and will continue to improve, but as we know, the proof is in the pudding. Let's see.
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Maybe I'm just the luckiest guy in the screenprinting world then! My guess is that they're a small company trying to grow and not that Anatol DIDN'T want to sell you a press, but I could be wrong. If that's reason enough for you to spend $40K instead of $20K than that's clearly within your rights, doesn't mean it was the right or smart thing to do though.
the resale value of an M&R press makes up for the extra that you spend. the anatols depreciate faster than a european luxury car.
how much would you pay for a 10/12 2001 Trident SVX vs. a 10/12 2001 gauntlet?
ive seen a Trident go for less than 10k, and a gauntlet go for around 25k. figure that each press started at around 65k - you could take that 25k and put it toward a new gauntlet. the trident? - to only get around 10k? thats a down payment on a used gauntlet...
and yes - we have a Trident, and yes we have a Gauntlet.
the 2003 gauntlet has 4.5 million prints, and the 2001 trident? dont know - we had to replace the circuit board that knew how many prints we had.
you will more likely be able to find replacement parts for an M&R than you would for an Anatol.
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Be glad that you are a 99%er :)
I bet 99% of people will probably be perfectly happy and fine with Anatol. The issue is the 1% are probably having more issues with their equipment than they should so I think some of the Anatol bashing is uncalled for in a sense. And like others have said get the press that you are most comfortable and that fits your requirements and you will be fine. As long as you are not that 1% ;)
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I would be willing to wager quite a bit that there isn't a press out there that could keep up with the Titan or Horizon I have in terms of speed. And I read someone post that they were "lied to by Anatol before delivery" or something like that, that's the one post that I know is a flat out 100% lie unless the buyer was unclear about the "details" of the purchase, which I wouldn't doubt.
Joseph J. DiDonato
Owner
Midwest Graphics &
8845 Graphic Design
1200 W. 35th
Chicago, IL 60609
Cell: (734) 320-1100
email: Didonato8845@gmail.com
You seem rather confident there, but don't know what you are talking about. I bought a press and dryer the same week. I have the ridiculous emails from the rep at anatol still. Without going to a long story and not wanting to turn this into more of a circus, I'll keep it short. How long do most people think a ocean shipment from Poland to the states takes? I am talking from the point it leaves the port to arrival in port. We have done a fair share of overseas shipping and I would guess 10-14 days depending on stops. According to the knowledgeable reps at anatol it regularly takes 3 months, and that is not unusual..... Also according to them it is common to lose track of or not know where a ship(ocean liner) is in it's travels for up to 2 weeks... You can track damn near any ship out there with a 15min update of current corse, past courses, and anticipates schedules. I would love to see a ocean liner leave port somewhere in europe and say to the shipping docks in NY or NJ "hey we will see you guys some time between next week and 3 months from now. We can just pull in and off load any time right?"
I have said like many people, I don't really have a problem with their presses(dryers are different story) just the company that is supposed to stand behind them.
I am by no means a blue backer, in fact the only piece of M&R equipment I could ever see us possibly buying is a auto coater. I just have found something I like better. But when it comes down between anatol and M&R and someone is asking about a first auto in the $20K range I just tried to put the options out there. When I bought our first stuff, it was a huge investment in anatol to help us to the next level. Did we make it? Yes, but there was a huge amount of dancing around and let downs along the way, which made it more challenging. I am not afraid of a challenge but hell, if you knew you could go down two identical paths and end up in the same place would you rather take the one with a 10% chance of bumps or the one with a 50% chance of bumps? Exact same paths just maintained by two different companies.
If you want to see a press print faster that your unbeatable 1,150/hr come on up to MN and I will let you see it first hand.
I have gone on too much here and I am sorry but I take a heavy interest in equipment in this industry and could go on for days.
Sweetts, Man I am sorry things got so derailed. Looks like for your footprint you would have the following options:
-Titan
-Horizon Mini
-Diamondback L
-Javelin or Freedom presses maybe looks like their standard outside dimensions are 10'5"
-Lawson Mini-Trooper
Heck if you want to get real out there ASPE(tag printer company) has a new press that will print 12"x12" now:
http://aspesite.com/LPXL.php#.UkL4S4ZwqSo (http://aspesite.com/LPXL.php#.UkL4S4ZwqSo)
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I bet 99% of people will probably be perfectly happy and fine with Anatol. The issue is the 1% are probably having more issues with their equipment than they should so I think some of the Anatol bashing is uncalled for in a sense. And like others have said get the press that you are most comfortable and that fits your requirements and you will be fine. As long as you are not that 1% ;)
I believe it's much higher than 1%. Just from my research it seems much closer to 40-50. Assuming that less than 10% of screen printers are active on forums and the amount of negative posts on those forums puts the numbers much higher than 1%. Unhappy customers are always more vocal than happy, but there is still an alarming number of posts out there from people who didn't join the forum just to talk about their issues with their press.
I really hope that Anatol is as concerned about what their customers have said and can use that to be better at keeping customers happy than they are this thread.
Frog edit
Alan, this is not exactly fair or necessarily a very accurate image, as you note, these bright red "in-your'face" clipped posts are without names and dates, we really don't know how many of these are the same person and the same issue, and also, we don't know how and if and when it was resolved.
Not really fair, a little like slanted journalism.
You're right, I didn't post the happy customers' posts but I don't agree with it not being fair. I didn't tell those people to post their thoughts. And Frog, not sure how it can be innacurate, it was all clearly typed and posted by owners of their equipment, I simply put in a neater package that was much easier to read. All I did was a google search, copy/paste, done. And as far as if it were resolved in one way or the other isn't really a concern of mine since the concern is in the issues that the customers were commenting about. If someone has to go to the effort that some have to get a resolution should the actual resolution really be praised? I understand that not everyone can fix an issue on the first try or at the first sign of a problem, but many companies try and you can tell those that have tried and those who have not.
Ask yourself why there isn't a thread like this about M&R, or Workhorse, or MHM, or Sroque...not that there aren't a few unhappy customers, but it's a much smaller percentage compared to some manufacturers.
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There are a couple 8 color Statuses sitting in a corner of a large shop collecting dust in my city that the owner refuses to use and nobody in town will buy them off of him.
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I bet 99% of people will probably be perfectly happy and fine with Anatol. The issue is the 1% are probably having more issues with their equipment than they should so I think some of the Anatol bashing is uncalled for in a sense. And like others have said get the press that you are most comfortable and that fits your requirements and you will be fine. As long as you are not that 1% ;)
I believe it's much higher than 1%. Just from my research it seems much closer to 40-50. Assuming that less than 10% of screen printers are active on forums and the amount of negative posts on those forums puts the numbers much higher than 1%. Unhappy customers are always more vocal than happy, but there is still an alarming number of posts out there from people who didn't join the forum just to talk about their issues with their press.
Ok Joseph, here ya go, and we're all liars.
Here are copy/paste posts from a quick search. I'll try to cut names since those who wrote these have no idea I'm posting them.
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i had similar issues with the anatol equipment i have used. in my opinion there machinery is built with cheap hardware. the designing of their presses are unique but inadequate. for example i have tried several techniques to print a good underbase with a single stroke on one of their horizon autos. it couldnt do it. at least not in one stroke. i am also not a big fan of the side clamping autos. but any ways with out getting too involved, i have been in a lot of shops and had a great deal of press time on a lot of different machines. not all of them but most of them for sure. my advice to any one is to go with m&R it is hands down the best equipment i have used. or if you cant afford it go with workhorse. the falcon i had ran actually had M&R operating system. i dont know if they all do. also i have never ran any of the workhorse air presses. like the freedom. Both m&r and workhorse have great dryers and exposure units as well.good luck.
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What type of trouble!? Let's see I've dealt with lying(MULTIPLE TIMES), fixing a problem that breaks right away again, committing to do something then not EVER following up, I was even told that my TEMPORARY super glue fix on the auto press was a good fix instead of them sending me out a new part. One time I was actually told my equipment was on a ship(cargo ship I assume) that was lost. But in all reality what can you expect from a company that seems to have new reps, or techs every few months(I have had 3 different cell numbers of techs taped to my press)? I know I am going on and on but my frustration level for them can not go any higher! I really could write all day about the problems, but I guess if you want to know more or care to know more just email me.
It is unfortunate, because I really like the company I bought through and their rep(not an anatol rep.) but I need to figure out how to have him get the commission from another company's machine they don't sell!
Really, I have found their machines are such a P.O.S. that I needed to start fixing the stuff my self! Here are a few pics of my handy work. Might give up printing and be a anatol tech for 3 months or so!
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I've had similar issues as mentioned above. Anatol dryers are overengineered and problematic to say the least. The presses are'nt bad but when I have to call back next week when the techs return from a trade show well thats a problem. Yes but when you can't get a tech on the phone due to the fact that he is at a trade show well, again, that is a problem is'nt it?
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While I do agree you sent out the switch(The EXACT same one you were paid over $200 to "fix" in April, a wonderful fix that lasted 3 months) I was told "how sorry your company was about my issue, and a new functioning switch would be sent out at no charge whatsoever". You can imagine my delight when I opened up my UPS statement and saw your company was nice enough to charge the shipment to my UPS account WITHOUT authorization. Although the charge is minimal, it is the principal here that is the most frustrating aspect your company seems to constantly overlook. That has been my issue since anatol let me down time #1, 6 YEARS or so ago...
If stating the truth in a public forum, and using a reliable timer from my high school days is what it takes to get anatol's attention, then mission accomplished.
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Have an Anatol horison 8-7 mini. Can set the dwell time for 4 seconds or more and the press runs fine. When it is set at 3.9 seconds or less we get an intermidentant skipping problem. The press will print and index and before you can get the shirt all the way off it will index and print again. It may print 48 shirts fine and then skip or 500 to 600 and never skip then it may skip 2, 3, 4 times in a row. Was told by Anatol this is a software problem but have been waiting over 10 weeks for the fix. Am very tired of cleaning pallets. Not only does this slow production but am waisting a lot of time cleaning. Is any one else having this problem??. Anatol will NOT say why it is taking this long to fix the problem!!
This morning started a 400 shirt run and the #7 head will print part of the design sometimes, no of it at others and just sit and do nothing at all some of the time. Called Anatol about this and was told "service is busy and it may be awhile before someone gets back to you". That was over 2 hours ago so here I sit with my finger where it doesn't belong having to back up the press and manually printing the #7 head about every 5 - 6 shirts.. Don't I just LOVE this service. Is anyone else having problems like these not only with your press but also the Service.
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appreciate them trying to contact me but why has it taken 10 weeks for this to happen?? and only after calling and asking to talk with Anatol ( the owner of anatol ) and the posting of this message.
like the machine when it is running right put this is the problem, it has issues
Anatol: Did Anatol get you going??
Finally got the new boards in end of last week. Had a few cliches but got them fixed. So far seems to be running fine. The only reason I was given why it took so long was "we forgot about you", oh well.
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Please help! I have a Mariah 1 gas dryer and it is not firing after the first attempt and I get a "Ignition error" light and a delightful alarm noise... I talked with Anatol earlier this morning but no dice at this point. Their day must end at noon or something... Any help? Please!
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run far run fast from Anatol. We have had our Titan with quartz flash for just over a year. The customer service is terrible. We received our press with a bad cpu and struggled with it for 6 mos doing their diagnostics and never getting the issue resolved when the press finally quit, just wouldn't turn on. We were down for 8 DAYS in NOVEMBER because they didn't want to send the part. They also had a supplier send them a bad batch of chopper cylinders, that I think we received the majority of, and they acted like we were doing something wrong. The latest is they sent us the wrong part, that we paid freight for and now to send the correct part they want us to pay freight again - on a warranty! Their mistake, it's warranty and they want me to pay freight twice?! You would think that we would have heard from someone in ownership or upper mgmt after all that we have been through but we haven't which tells me they approve this level of customer service.
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Anatol makes a good machine for the money. Their service, company and business morals are a total joke however. If you go with Anatol you will get a good press, my advice though is to make sure you have a number of a independent tech that is able to work on it if necessary. You can PM me if you would like the info of one I have used, he is great and travels all over. I know I will probably get some heat for this, but I'm just speaking from personal experience with two of their products.
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Hey, I just wanted to check and see if anyone ended up purchasing an Anatol machine. We've had a Titan for about 3-4 months and unfortunately we've had quite a few issues with it. The first couple times it shut down it was an electrical problem. Then recently it sprung an air leak from one of the valves. We've lost probably 10 days of work with the machine down. The guy who Anatol contracted to help us install it has been very helpful but the company itself hasn't. They seem unwilling to acknowledge that our machine hasn't performed the way they said it would. The sales rep who sold us the machine has taken the all-to-familiar "I just sold it to you, it's out of my hands now" approach so we've been less than thrilled with their service and support. When the machine is up and working it works great. It's possible that there are just a bunch of small snags that have to get worked out or that we just got a problematic machine. Either way, it would be nice if we could just run for even a month without an issue. If anyone else has any experience with Anatol I'd be very curious to hear what they thought. Thanks!
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Our exact story as the above post. Machine is JUNK! Anatol sucks with customer service after you purchase your machine. Haven't heard from or seen our salesman since we purchased the machine in November! Have spoken to just about everyone at that company with no satisfaction. Now threatening legal action. Machine has not worked for a consecutive 2 weeks since we got it! Not to mention it sat on our loading dock for 3 weeks before my local rep. contacted someone he knew to install it. Absolutely no training as was promised and tech spent 5 days here after it was set up trying to get it to work properly! Save yourself and buy something else!
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I have the same situation. Have not received a straight answer from anatol since the day I committed to it. Delivery was about 2 months later then planned. Machine has never ran like it was supposed to and has continually gotten worse to the point of not even worth it to turn it on anymore. Finally got a service rep to come and he couldn't fix it. Engineer was supposed to be here today, but now that is delayed also. Couldn't be more frustrated with my purchase at this point....
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Has anyone ever had an issue with an Anatol Horizon 6/8 Air Press? We've had the machine now for 2 months and every week have a different error message or malfunction. Anatol keeps blaming a bad batch of sensors, but with so many issues I'm wondering now if it is a lemon. I'm very disappointed in the machine and am now losing money and business due to being down all the time...
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Same here, even after the electrician worked on our machine for a day and a half we are still having issues with our sensors. Not only do we have to fight to get more than one sensor, now that our machine is 3 months old they want me to pay for them to be shipped, even though they admitted they manufactured machines with bad sensors. $27,000 machine and they are worried about $20 to ship replacement sensors...I wouldn't care if it had worked properly once, but it never has.
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My story is basically the same as yours. We received the press in April. We are constantly receiving error messages. They are constantly blaming it on sensors, software, etc. I don't really remember how many sensors have been replaced. They have updated my software twice, installed a new monitor, new computer boards (2 I think). Since the original install they have sent techs on 2 occasions. 2 weeks ago was the last time. 2 days after he left, Head 1 made a clicking sound and died. It still isn't working.
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Wow I wish I would've read this post before I decided to put out 20k deposit on a Horizon that was said to be in stock and ready to ship! Lies, excuses, and b.s. seems to be company policy at Anatol. I've put my business on the line by betting on the small guy when I should've taken the safe blue route:/...I've lost weeks with no equiptment being that i sold my old equiptment to make room for the new, I've lost 2 1000+pcs jobs (hopefully not the clients) that were in house ready to print being that I was told to have jobs ready for the tech to run while he setup and trains my guys, and I've lost hair due to the stress put forth by a company who could easily be direct about any issues that may or may not cause delays which is understandable and isn't something I'd even consider posting on TF about since things happen. I thought my understanding of this was made clear to them and all b.s.'n would be out the door after I fought tooth and nail to find out the horizon that I was told was in stock and would ship 3days later only to find out the next day it wouldnt even be state side till June due to a miscommuciation between dept's at anatol. At which time I spoke with "upper management" who told me a loaner press (Titan *downgrade) would ship 2days from then and be swapped out in june when horizon arrived. I thought this to be positive since they accomodated an unfortunate but understandable situation and a great start to our newly established biz relationship...its been over 2weeks and no press and plenty of reasons why from missing a chip, next for quality control, crating it now, to I have no idea (per sales rep). Total disregard for a customer/ a customers $/ and a customers business is what I've experienced from Anatol up to this point with all the blaten lies and misinformation..I didn't post 1 complaint when I purchased the first Anajet mPower 10 in Aug '11 and didn't receive it till jan 12. It was only suppose to be 1month lead time, but anajet was straight forward about things as they came, and I've been grateful to have purchased equipment from them! Maybe Anatol should try Anajets direct and honest approach to customer service..
BTW since i can't seem to contact anatol anymore, and they already have 20k so theyre not blowing my lines up anymore like the good ole pre-deposit days any recomendations of how to get my $
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I hope that you have a good experience. My experience has been as others have posted. Had to get with my attorney once when the press stopped working completely 6 months after received - it never worked right since we received it. Having to get with my attorney again now. PM if you need more info.
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Seems like anatol comes with baggage..I can say that because I have seen the issues first hand..I don't own one but I worked at a shop that did..what a nightmare the press was..it worked but sometimes it seemed to be haunted.. LOL.. And getting the tech to come out on time or on the day promised was a crap shoot..
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I just have to give my 2 cents for whats it's worth, even though you have already purchased your press I am hoping this might save some other person looking for reviews on Anatol presses. We purchased a Titan press from the Orlando show last year and have had nothing but problems. The salesman visited my shop to sell me the machine and once again to pick up the deposit. Other than that, I have never heard from or seen him again. We received our machine (minus the sleeve platens we were promised in the sale) and it sat on our loading dock for about 3 weeks until finally one of my local screen print suppliers (and Anatol rep) arranged for someone he knew to set up the machine. After 3 days of installing, the machine did not work properly. After about 2 more weeks and constant phone calls to Anatol, they finally sent a tech out to fix it. It took the rep 5 full days to get the machine operational. Since the purchase, the machine has not worked for a consecutive 2 weeks without problem. Now I am being told there are defective switches on the machine and each time one goes out, they send me one to replace it. I have contacted Anatol on MANY occasions and spoke to MANY different employees and managers and am now threatening legal action. If they know switches are defective, why do they only send them out one at a time instead of sending enough to replace all of them? Because they only have 44 pieces of replacement switches! This is the most unprofessional company I have EVER come across. The customer service is the worst! All they want is your money and then, you are on your own! Save yourself the problems and buy something else!
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I wonder if all these people are making this up? I know some of those posts are from the same people on different forums but that's a lot of unhappy customers considering most screen printers have never posted on a forum. And for the record, I don't own an M&R auto and we've done very well with another manufacturer but we do have a Sprint International and Sidewinder manual press in shop so I have dealt with their service first hand.
To be fair, I think three of those were me! :-[
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The last time I talked to a "tech" he said he was previously an HVAC guy and was still learning. Had to take a pic of every problem because he never knew what I was talking about. Gave up on them helping with broken servo so I brought in a machine shop engineer who had never seen a press before (he called it the red spider). He removed it and brought it in the next day not only fixed; he beefed it up. Then came all the air lines breaking on a daily basis. Had to replumb the entire machine with locally purchased hosing. I just don't think their entry level presses are that well made. Now the Vindicator is well built but pricey
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Alex no doubt shipping from Poland should not take 3 months. I have had two presses shipped from Poland myself, I would say both once they left the port took less than 4 weeks closer to 3. Once they hit port in the US there could always be a hold up due to customs but that is typically less than two weeks.
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Never posted or responded here before, usually come here for a quick answer and that's about it. Reading some of your "claims" and ridiculous comments that some of you are trying to pass off as "facts" I felt obligated to at least chime in... First and foremost if any of you have been screenprinting for more than 6 months and haven't figured out that a press is only as good, reliable, effecient etc etc etc as the person operating it than you migh as well stop reading this right now. Does anyone really believe that an M&R produces a better print than an Anatol press?? I have two Anatol automatic presses and two M&R dryers so I've given both companies a lot of my money. While I can't praise M&R the way most of you do, the bashing of Anatol seems almost as if you're being coached, or paid, or worst of all like you're trying to get the attention of a CEO (Rich) as if he's going to call you and offer you a seat on his board, it's extremely transparent and quite pathetic.
I would be willing to wager quite a bit that there isn't a press out there that could keep up with the Titan or Horizon I have in terms of speed. And I read someone post that they were "lied to by Anatol before delivery" or something like that, that's the one post that I know is a flat out 100% lie unless the buyer was unclear about the "details" of the purchase, which I wouldn't doubt. I can get ahold of someone at Anatol in every department they have 24/7, I was even given direct cell phones numbers which is pretty unheard of.
In a little over 9 months of owning the Titan I put between 300-325,000 prints on it and I can say without any hesitation that the only problems I had were: proximity adjustment handles that broke because of an error by the operator, and one wire going from the motherboard to head #4 which I wrote off to standard wear & tear. The proximity handles were sent to me every time I asked, I never saw a single invoice, and a bypass wire was sent Next Day Air to me again at no charge.
Could I get the same result out of an M&R, Workhorse, even a Brown press? Probably, but not because they're superior products but because I know what I'm doing and I take care of my equipment. Name a press that can print faster than the Titan, I have had it up to ~1,150 prints per hour? You can't do it because there isn't one available. Name a press that has a more compact footprint than the Titan, it's not much bigger than my 6/4 manual Riley Hopkins? Once again, impossible. Give me the brand that has an equal model to the Titan that's less expensice? ((((crickets)))) There isn't one.
If you're looking to print more than 2 or 3 colors on a dark shirt than of course you'll have issues, that's not really what it's made to do. The same people who complain that their Anatol press has issues and is always breaking down I bet are the same people who ignore their car, house, kids, pets, credit cards and employees and constantly wonder aloud why they're always letting them down. This equipment is only as good as the user. There's no legitimate reason anyone could give for using an M&R or any other press for that matter over Anatol when you're talking about the ACTUAL PRESS. If you can't get the print you want from the Titan than you're just not that talented of a screenprinter, sorry to break it to you like that... All the phots attached were printed on my Titan, whether you think they're up to your standards or not is up to you. If you think your clients are more picky than mine, I can promise you they're not.
But by all means, keep complaining and blaming issues on everyone else but you (the user), and spending twice as much on a press that will get you the same result I get from Anatol, seriously, please keep it up. That's the attitude that has brought me a lot of work and maybe some of it used to be yours, who knows?
Yours,
Joseph J. DiDonato
Owner
Midwest Graphics &
8845 Graphic Design
1200 W. 35th
Chicago, IL 60609
Cell: (734) 320-1100
email: Didonato8845@gmail.com
The maintenance issue and caring for your equipment is a great point. I also believe it is reasonable to do the repairs in house but thats me.
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Well I received my quote today and he did offer me a great deal that will stay very close to where I want to be for a 8-6 servo indexed with a flash, platens, crating, set up and warranties 30 day money back and 2 year. I hear what all you guys are saying and I appreciate the input. It should be noted Mike reached out to me after seeing the post and was very honest about issues they have had, that speaks volumes to me. The suggestion you guys have on other presses to look at is golden and I will be looking into each to see what fits best for me. Thanks again guys for the info, obviously there is a lot to be said about brand loyalty and some of you guy are not lacking any of that lol. So I will for sure be looking at the blue crew. Again thanks for the info. Now play nice
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I think Anatol is a fine press. They have a lot of work to do on service and support. I talked to many Anatol shops when I bought and that was the common theme. I almost bought a Anatol for the record.
Let me ask you, which is easier to believe?
The blue crew are all just defending their purchases and are all covering up our problems.
Or
We are all brand loyal because it's a awesome brand worthy of actual loyalty.
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I'll say again buy what you want, shut up and use it, I've had ford's and chevy's both have been good both have broken down. It's nice to know service is around the corner when you need it, but nice to know you don't, when man made's something that's 100% you better have pockets to your ankles.
Darryl
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I'll say again buy what you want, shut up and use it, I've had ford's and chevy's both have been good both have broken down. It's nice to know service is around the corner when you need it, but nice to know you don't, when man made's something that's 100% you better have pockets to your ankles.
Darryl
I agree with a caveat. Dodge MHM neither break down :P :P :P :P
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I agree. You rarely (close to never) hear about issues with Workhorse with their equipment or their service, I think that's a great testament to that company.
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For what it is worth I own 4 Anatol machines. None of them are entry level so I can't speak to the Titan or Horizons. I own a 12/14 Stratus, a 16/18 Pegasus, an 8 color trident and a 14/16 Pegasus II. All presses work daily and we print a lot of shirts. My Status is 10 years old and probably has close to 4M prints or more on it. Like others have posted the main board has been changed out in it once and it lost it's count, but I am pretty sure it's in that range. Service in general is not Anatol's strongest point - that said there is little that will or has gone wrong that you can't fix yourself or have fixed by one of your crew.
I am the guy who did big prints in CA - now in Springfield, MO - big move at the end of last year.
I am happy with my machinery and it works well for us. There are lots of very good machines on the market though and anytime you make a large purchase you need to do your own homework. I did and am happy with my decision(s), but that does not mean there aren't a lot of good choices out there and you need to look at all of the options, features etc... and make the decision that is right for you and your company. Anatol would not be a bad choice - neither would several of the other manufacturers. The type press you are looking for will limit your choices somewhat, but you already know what you need, now you just have to get what will work for you at the price point you want to spend.