The router which has scratches on the base and sides and didn’t even come in its own box, there is no user manual or warranty card. Since nothing in the whole kit box is labeled, I can’t tell if all the parts that are supposed to come with a new router are even there.
The sled I got has several dings and scratches and black scuff marks like it was pulled or pushed across something. One of the two linkages has rubber washers, the other doesn’t. The linkages are also scuffed.
I’ve sent pictures to @MetalMaslow, in the hopes that he will replace them with new parts. He was very quick to answer my questions before I purchased, but it took several days for him to respond when he sent an invalid tracking number.
Additionally, only part of my order, the kit, arrived. I haven’t gotten the top bar, and when I asked him about it, he didn’t give me a tracking number, or any idea when to expect it.
The Metal Malow kit has such potential, but selling used, scratched up parts as new is dishonest.
The parts are not used. The router’s are bought in bulk as factory blemish which we put on our website, they have a 1 year warranty through makita or you can go through us.
We throw away all packaging and by doing so can fit everything in a box that qualifies for UPS flat rate shipping. We put all the bare routers in a box, they rub against each other. If we kept all the packaging it would increase shipping $20-$30 depending on location. UPS flat rate shows 11 lbs on a box that actually weighs 44 lbs, it is basically 4 x lighter rate.
We operate out of basically a small home based shop. We don’t have a professional spray paint booth. Steel parts are painted with rattle spray paint cans outside, they are flipped over on racks after a few hrs so might have rack marks on paint finish since it would take 2 or more days for parts to fully cure. we cannot wait two days inbetween coats.
Items like gantry plate we pre-paint to avoid rust and then drill holes in them which causes scratches on the spray paint.
Z axis is disassembled and reassembled and stacked and it might have scratches just from moving around.
Scratches are cosmetic, they do not affect the performance of the machine, but we understand some people have concerns about scratches and have offered you a full refund.
will post images like these on website so people know exactly what they are getting.
picture shows typical router base with a few scratches. Router base is not even used on the maslow cnc machine anyways.
customer sent me this image of inside of bottom of z axis. We have to remove the plate to install the custom gantry and honestly it just looks like that from taking it apart and reassembling, Is hidden by c beam anyways.
I understand if you are frustrated about scratches, but our communication has been fine IMHO. So why say it took several days for you to get tracking #??? it took 2 days
4/24/2020 9:03 PM emailed us asking for tracking
4/26/2020 8:15 AM we gave you correct tracking. last digit was cut off when we copied and pasted the number. Honest mistake.
And yes we do not ship bars at the same time as the kits, and I did reply saying the bars shipped out last Friday and you should get them in a few days on my phone didn’t have tracking # handy as I dont’ like to do work like that on my phone only when sitting at my desk. but I’m guessing you won’t like the bars either because the paint will be scratched on those as well.
So lets keep this civil, just return it and we’ll be glad to refund it.
@Metalmaslow, employing a ad hominem response doesn’t help your case. In what way was my post uncivil? I stated facts and even complimented the potential of the kit. There are many things to like about it.
However, this does not look like factory production scratches. Particularly, since there are photos and videos of other sleds other customers have received and they do not show this marring.
In the case of the router if it is new, where is the warranty card or other Makita materials?
With regard to the time-to-response, I think the problem is simply that there is a support/sales email address from which the order information is posted and a inquiry email address. I first requested the corrected shipping info on the former, and got no reponse. When I tried the latter a day or two later, you did respond in good time.
I strongly suspect the router has been used before, because there is marring that comes from setting its height repeatedly, not just from it bumping against something in transit.
The wrenches that are included show the kind of dings and indentations on the inside of the tool (where it connects to a nut) that come from usage. ( E.g., after using my Dremel for a time, its wrench, which is made of the same material, shows the same markings. ) These can be felt. New parts do not have these marks.
If you are purchasing the routers in bulk ‘as new’ perhaps you should find a different supplier?
I got my kit when they first came out. My plate had some paint damage as well - I spray painted it. It’s not worth complaining about something like this, it’s not like it effects the functionality of the part in any way. This is a DIY kit made by a guy in his backyard, don’t expect everything to be perfect. Expect that you will have to do some things yourself.
A new power tool comes with a warranty. I want that warranty. I made the purchase with the assumption that I would be receiving new parts. Not repackaged used parts.
I am discussing this on this public forum, because this is where I found out about the kit in the first place and was instrumental in my choosing to purchase it.
He says you have a warranty. You should be able to check the serial number on your router with the manufacturer if you are worried, but he says he would also replace the product if there was an issue. I don’t see what the problem is.
I guess, the problem to me is one of deception and community.
I am not a new-comer to buying or building equipment from kits. I have built four 3d printers - two of which I upgraded later in their lifetime with aftermarket parts- from kits. I built and outfitted a van RV (solar power, cooking, heating, cooling) from kits. I have a collection of reproduction edo-period Japanese karakuri I built from kits.
I designed my own kit to make your own blue laser pointer (I don’t sell them, I gave them away as swag at a conference)
I know what new parts should look like, and what parts that have seen usage look like. This is the first kit I have received with parts in this condition. I am posting so that others may be aware so that they can make informed choices.
How many things have you purchased from one-man shops? I have purchased a lot of kits, from various sources, this is neither the best nor the worst. I always expect there to be something missing or damaged, because there’s generally not much QA when you don’t have staff. Even my original kit from barr had some issues, but I’m a tinkerer, when I come across problems, I fix them, It’s part of the fun of buying a DIY kit.
Remember, you are not buying this kit from a company with a warehouse full of parts, you’re buying a kit from a guy who is using his garage and backyard as a workspace - Adjust your expectations accordingly.
Metalmaslow has been nothing but honest with his communications with me. I didn’t see any deception. The parts are adequate for the price I paid, and he’s listened to the community as he’s developed his kit, adding parts for free to it as it was developed. When I ordered my z-axis kit, it didn’t come with any vacuum duct, but after a few of the early kits shipped out and he got feedback, he stopped production and fabricated it at no cost to the people that ordered the kit and shipped it out. Other companies / people that I have purchased kits from would have listed these parts as “upgrades” and sold them to their consumers, but he chose to take the financial hit himself, and this shows what kind of person he is.
The other side of this is he assembles the units to ensure a good fit, and then disassembles them to fit everything in the small box to save you money on shipping. All the kits have little scratches and dings and screw marks from this process but that doesnt mean the equipment isn’t new, it means it was tested before shipping and then crammed together in a tiny box for cheap shipping. If a few scratches are going to bother you, a $500 CNC machine may not be for you. Mine has the same cosmetic blemishes, but Home Depot supports the warranty on my router with no questions and the machine works perfectly.
The other side of this is he assembles the units to ensure a good fit
That certainly didn’t happen with mine!
My kit had scratches on many parts also, probably from how it was packaged, but not a big deal to me. There were several other issues with Metal Maslow, but I wouldn’t be worried about scratches. Hopefully he helps with the warranty.
Garrett was the first one of our customers to order a dewalt 611 clamp, we ate the $45 cost to get the clamp from invetibles, loosing money in the process, but according to him the spacers we sent did center the router properly, so we offered him a refund, this was 6 months ago. but since then he said he got it to work. Even offered him a refund again last week. Keep in mind this was 6 months ago, still has a grudge over it.
you may have missed the thread that was just closed of someone being very vocal
about his complaint, I suspect they are a bit on edge still as a result of that.
note that he said the routers are factory referbs, so they will show some use
marks, not just production scratches.
As I said, there is a lot to like about this kit. But when I purchased the kit, there was no mention (and there still isn’t) that the router is factory refurbished. Changed this morning, the site now reads “new factory blemish”. I was under the impression that I would receive a new router, and had I known I wouldn’t I would have ordered the kit w/o the router.
And, the router isn’t the only issue, I can post other pictures of signs that the sled has been dragged along something with some pressure. Hard plastic doesn’t tear or permanently scuff by moving from place to place in the act of assembling or packing for shipping.
There isn’t any problem with him choosing to sell those parts if he had been upfront and honest about it BEFORE purchase. Used and refurbished parts should be clearly delineated as such AND discounted in price from new ones. Not passed off as new until someone complains publicly about it. Now I’m stuck having paid for new parts and having to make the choice to accept it or incur both the expense of sending them back and the loss of time to get replacements. The most honorable resolution is for him to refund to me part of my purchase the difference between new & used.
He offered a full refund, take it and go away. These guys are making hardly anything for all the effort they put out in putting these kits together. Be happy for all they do to promote this hobby/business.
Yes, I’m resurrecting this but I have a story that will add to this thread. The service was awful and I’m out $600 + return shipping and he now refused my return package. More story to come but I don’t know how some of the members here think his quality of service is anything but okay. It’s AWFUL. I’ll get back to you guys once this PayPal dispute is taken care of. He pulled a fast one on me. DO NOT buy from MetalMaslow.
