I purchased machines from Ferry in 1997 through a different company I worked for. We purchased two 5-axis routers and two multi-headed 3-axis routers. During that time, we looked at two or three other companies that were doing 5-axis machines, but from our perspective, Quintax built a more solid machine. We purchased the routers, and it turned out we were right.
We only had one machine at Formex when I came here, and it was slow. We were cutting at about a quarter of the speed that we could cut with a Quintax router. The rigidity of the head and the overall components were very different. I was given a budget after about three years, so I purchased a 3-axis machine and another 5-axis machine from Quintax. I had the machines running side-by-side — the same part running on the Thermwood and the Quintax — and the Quintax was about four times faster. If you understand routers and how to program them, I’d buy Quintax every time.
I work with a couple people at Ferry — mostly Burt Wilson and Eric Kenney. It was very easy to sit down with them. If we wanted an additional add-on, it was painless to get it. We wanted a heavy-duty 3-axis machine, and that’s exactly what they built for us. The options on the controls were also nice. It was great being able to tell them what we wanted and get exactly that. Burt’s probably one of the most knowledgeable people with those controls and machines. I’ve had to call Thermwood’s product support and sometimes my call is passed on to two or three levels. It eventually gets solved, but if I call Burt and explain my problem, he’s going to give me a solution. They’re quick with customer service.
Overall, Quintax machines are high quality. When you put the machines in that price range beside each other and look at how well built and how sturdy they are, Quintax is better. That’s the biggest feature for me when someone calls for a reference. They’re robust machines and can handle heavy-duty cuts.
