What's new
What's new

VFD Pricing reflect quality?

crusty1007

Plastic
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Location
Horseshoe Bend
Fellas, in your experience, has price been a substantial indicator of quality, longevity, etc of a VFD?
I'm looking at a 1 to 3 phase- 1HP VFD/converter and pricing goes anywhere from $180 to close to $800. I'm not seeing much for options difference, mainly the brand. Is there any specifications I should be paying close attention to? I've read through a few of the threads and according to one of the stickies, there is some cheap junk that needs to be watched out for.
I don't want to buy cheap and have it be junk, but, I am also on a budget.
Please post feedback on brand experience or particulars I should be watching for!

I'm sure it will be asked, so, this is for a EFI-1 230v 3 phase .5-.9hp drill press(branded Rockwell) in my garage. I was going to go the old school route of using a 3ph motor, started by a single phase pony motor to generate the 3rd leg but by the time I get done paying the money for a used 3 phase motor, extra pieces/wiring, I am knocking on the door of a VFD. Plus, with toddlers floating around, the VFD makes more sense from a "safety" standpoint.
If you feel I should be looking at an alternate option of conversion, by all means, toss it out there.
-TIA
 
I like Automation Direct, buy inexpensive control, overseas brands are lovely. The better ones in the low priced units have superior documentation. I wouldn't go near anything made in US of big name stuff. Outrageous prices, poor support, random quality, big talk, no action.
 
Fellas, in your experience, has price been a substantial indicator of quality, longevity, etc of a VFD?

The price is more a indicator of the buyer:

1. quality acceptance level.
2. Inexperience
3. Ignorance.

Category 1 is for educated individuals who know what they are getting into.

Category 2 is for the poor innocent new guy who is a prime target for cheap stuff.

Category 3 is for the kind of guy who finds it difficult to learn from mistakes or learn what is fact due to education level.
 
I did the pony motor thing on my South Bend with a 1/2 hp motor and it worked...until it burned up the motor due to the generated leg (wild leg) coming in at 160v instead of 120v.

I switched to the GS2 drive from automation direct and haven't had a problem with it. You also get full power with the VFD compared with the de-rated pony motor system.

As for price vs. quality, it's not always a direct relationship. With what you want to do, the GS2 will do the job.
 
The price is more a indicator of the buyer:

1. quality acceptance level.
2. Inexperience
3. Ignorance.

Category 1 is for educated individuals who know what they are getting into.

Category 2 is for the poor innocent new guy who is a prime target for cheap stuff.

Category 3 is for the kind of guy who finds it difficult to learn from mistakes or learn what is fact due to education level.

And..again, we're off to the races!:nutter:

Stuart
 
The price is more a indicator of the buyer:

1. quality acceptance level.
2. Inexperience
3. Ignorance.

Category 1 is for educated individuals who know what they are getting into.

Category 2 is for the poor innocent new guy who is a prime target for cheap stuff.

Category 3 is for the kind of guy who finds it difficult to learn from mistakes or learn what is fact due to education level.

Just quit smokin' that weird synthetic shit, take two aspirin, and enroll in the morning, then:

LDACA - Learning Disabilities Association of California

It's a baby drill press. In a garage. Not the Temple of the Moon.

The Scientology guest speaker recruiting office is two doors down the hall.

If they cannot fill your soul with hope? Maybe they can fill your hole with soap.
 
The price is more a indicator of the buyer:

1. quality acceptance level.
2. Inexperience
3. Ignorance.

Category 1 is for educated individuals who know what they are getting into.

Category 2 is for the poor innocent new guy who is a prime target for cheap stuff.

Category 3 is for the kind of guy who finds it difficult to learn from mistakes or learn what is fact due to education level.

Category 4 is for the hopeless and lost.... :nutter: :nutter: (one for each)
 
I've had good experience with used units from Hitachi(2 HP), Toshiba ( 2 HP) and Lenz ( one 2 HP and one 1/2 HP with 120 V input) .
All have good documentation - especially the Lenz from Germany - very Teutonic and precise.

The guys I've bought from are in the business ( usually outside contractors doing upgrades and removals) and will help on set up if needed.

miro
 
Fellas, in your experience, has price been a substantial indicator of quality, longevity, etc of a VFD? -TIA

If it's Chineese, NO. NO aspect of PRICE has any relevance to quality, longetivity, etc.. A better indicator, would be a deck of Tarot cards.

If it was made in the US, Germany, Japan, Sweden, mebbie a scant few other places, perhaps, but that also depends on wether it's latest technology, or 'legacy' equipment, NOS/NIB from prior generations. A secondhand ABB, Allen-Bradley, Yaskawa or similar 'Industrial Market' or "OEM Market" leftover from ten-fifteen years ago could be in your hands for a pair of twenties, and be a much better drive than something brand-new on the 'consumer market' today. The market USED to be:

OEM Market: Intended to sell to a company that would be installing hundreds of them into say... ESCALATOR
DRIVES going to subway station installations in New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles... or a manufacturer of large cooling system air handlers, to allow the system to run in variable speed mode to suit load, bring up systems gently, smoothly, for reduced noise...

Industrial Market: Intended to sell to a company who put them on THEIR machines, on THEIR factory floors... hundreds, perhaps thousands, in order to reduce power usage, provide soft start, reduced start surge, improve flexibility... or to municipal public works, to install on pumping stations to get same...

Nowday's there's Secondary Commercial and Consumer Market:

Secondary Commercial: To increase the sale-ability of it's small imported drill press, they equip it with variable speed... or to make a clothes-washing machine to be quieter, and fall under the "Energy-Star" umbrella, a company fits a small (open chassis) VFD in there to allow the motor to spin slow and instant-reverse, effectively eliminating the cost, weight, and expense of a gearbox...

Consumer Market: Intended to sell to a guy who'd buy one for something, put it on, and likely never be seen again.

The latter two circumstances are very prevalent today. In comparison to the realm of the former two, modern stuff in the latter two generally sucks.

Compare it to machine tools: Industrial stuff always rules. I could spend $7800 on a brand-new 12" JET lathe today, or for $1200, I could pick up a WW2 era 18" x 54 Lodge and Shipley, that's been used once a year for the last 50 years, complete with extra chucks and tooling. Which is the wiser choice?
 
Crusty 1007,

I'm gonna stick my head into it and start a vfd versus dc motor war !
I have a VFD on my Bridgeport 2hp 3 ph...works great for years now.
But, I went to a 3hp DC motor (from treadmill)for my 17" drill press.... coupled it to a typical MC60 controller board. I removed the flywheel and cut a 1/8" keyway (main drive shaft)on the mill. Simple to do ... just lock the tail shaft with any means your comfortable with, then cut a long keyway. I applied a V belt pulley that has a set screw & keyway (had to put this in the lathe and ream a good hole ) . Wired the motor switch to reverse (tricky here)when needed and am waiting on a link style belt to drive it all. BTW: I did have to make a motor mount for the DC motor and am running it to the original stepped front pulley...# 2 slot... Of course the one drag is the "soft start". But it's a 17 drill press for home shop...no mass production & I'm retired and have time to ...yada yada !!
The 3 hp is powerful for slow big drills . The v belt worked but I want to try one of those link style belts just to see about slippage/workability .. yada yada again !!
 
There are three categories, at least, more if you count MIL and high end industrial, but you won;t get into those..

Industrial : "We ain't paying much for these, cuz we're buying a lot of them, but if they start failing, we are going to try to return every one for full credit, and if you want any more business you'll do it".... (these cost a fair bit, and generally work well). Eaton, Vacon, etc. You won't get into those either.

Semi-industrial: Lower cost, but are made decently, and generally work fine.... TECO, Hitachi, Automation direct, lower end Invertek You will do OK with them.

"I Dunno" category: As in, "I dunno how the heck they can sell them for that". Stay out of this area. They are all from china, may be line rejects, overstock on special programmed units, etc. Good chance they will not work for you, and are often built more like consumer goods. You know, "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is"
 
If it's Chineese, NO. NO aspect of PRICE has any relevance to quality, longetivity, etc.. A better indicator, would be a deck of Tarot cards.

Nowday's there's Secondary Commercial and Consumer Market:

Secondary Commercial: To increase the sale-ability of it's small imported drill press, they equip it with variable speed... or to make a clothes-washing machine to be quieter, and fall under the "Energy-Star" umbrella, a company fits a small (open chassis) VFD in there to allow the motor to spin slow and instant-reverse, effectively eliminating the cost, weight, and expense of a gearbox...

Consumer Market: Intended to sell to a guy who'd buy one for something, put it on, and likely never be seen again.

The latter two circumstances are very prevalent today. In comparison to the realm of the former two, modern stuff in the latter two generally sucks.

Like the cheap particle board furniture with plastic laminate wood tone finish. After a little while the crap is on the curb waiting for garbage men.
 








 
Back
Top