unitedreminders
New member
After 6 months of owning and operating the Straight Shooter LF-12 feeder, I offer these observations and comments, focusing on the product and technology, on the service and support offered by the company, and on the price/performance of the system. Cutting to the chase: I’m thoroughly satisfied with my purchase of the system.
First, the product is all that I expected. I use the LF-12 to feed postcards into the OKIdata 9650 printer. My typical job run is 500 – 1000 postcards, 110 lb stock, coated on one side. I print custom messages on the reverse side. The feeder feeds the postcards flawlessly and runs faster than the Oki could ever handle. I can adjust the feeder quickly and easily for different sizes of postcards that I use. The LF-12 is completely dependable.
There are elements of the product engineering that show a real sense of customer orientation. The system is based on Straight Shooter’s stable line of feeding devices, providing a solid technical foundation for the LF-12 product. While new to the print feeder market, Straight Shooter has years experience in working with the basic technology. Also, the system makes consistent use of standard sized parts, lowering the cost and making the feeder more serviceable.
Since the LF-21 was designed for envelop feeding, the Straight Shooter folks recognize the need to gain additional experience in the printing business They are working to make the system more effective in a print-feed mode and are very opened to feedback from their customers. In my discussions with their lead engineer, we discussed the need to lengthen the feed guides to bring the media closer to the printer input space and developing a more effective means of aligning the feeder to the printer. I hope to hear from the company about these modifications soon and will post to this site in the future.
Straight Shooter’s service and support have been impeccable. They provided on-site installation as a part of the package (and since I live in a remote location, this was no small accomplishment). The installation technician was prompt, prepared, friendly, happy to talk about his product, and give lots of information and quick at getting the feeder up and running. BTW, the installation was accomplished using a single hex wrench; it’s that simple.
Follow-up support has been there – I spent 2 hours on the phone with the company’s lead engineer, walking through a series of troubleshooting steps unique to my application.
Regarding the feeder’s price: at the time I purchase the system, it was the best in the market. I expect that their competitors have been forced to lower their prices to compete.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make a few comments on the OKIdata 9650 printer. I have found it to be the more troublesome part of the system. Compared to Oki’s projections for the consumables their actual performance has been disappointing. The printer is rather more expensive to operate than I had anticipated. I don’t buy the consumables from OKI; I’ve found the aftermarket alternatives are just as good. Also, I have experienced overheating problems with the printer on runs of less than 1000 postcards. The telephone technical support has been inconsistent, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible.
There are some noteworthy positives about the 9650. It is engineered to be easy to work with. All of the consumables - toner, drum, belt (pulls the media thru the system) and fuser are easily accessible and replaceable. The software interface is easy to work with, though I am sure I’ve only used about 25% of its capabilities. And, the system comes with plenty of documentation.
First, the product is all that I expected. I use the LF-12 to feed postcards into the OKIdata 9650 printer. My typical job run is 500 – 1000 postcards, 110 lb stock, coated on one side. I print custom messages on the reverse side. The feeder feeds the postcards flawlessly and runs faster than the Oki could ever handle. I can adjust the feeder quickly and easily for different sizes of postcards that I use. The LF-12 is completely dependable.
There are elements of the product engineering that show a real sense of customer orientation. The system is based on Straight Shooter’s stable line of feeding devices, providing a solid technical foundation for the LF-12 product. While new to the print feeder market, Straight Shooter has years experience in working with the basic technology. Also, the system makes consistent use of standard sized parts, lowering the cost and making the feeder more serviceable.
Since the LF-21 was designed for envelop feeding, the Straight Shooter folks recognize the need to gain additional experience in the printing business They are working to make the system more effective in a print-feed mode and are very opened to feedback from their customers. In my discussions with their lead engineer, we discussed the need to lengthen the feed guides to bring the media closer to the printer input space and developing a more effective means of aligning the feeder to the printer. I hope to hear from the company about these modifications soon and will post to this site in the future.
Straight Shooter’s service and support have been impeccable. They provided on-site installation as a part of the package (and since I live in a remote location, this was no small accomplishment). The installation technician was prompt, prepared, friendly, happy to talk about his product, and give lots of information and quick at getting the feeder up and running. BTW, the installation was accomplished using a single hex wrench; it’s that simple.
Follow-up support has been there – I spent 2 hours on the phone with the company’s lead engineer, walking through a series of troubleshooting steps unique to my application.
Regarding the feeder’s price: at the time I purchase the system, it was the best in the market. I expect that their competitors have been forced to lower their prices to compete.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make a few comments on the OKIdata 9650 printer. I have found it to be the more troublesome part of the system. Compared to Oki’s projections for the consumables their actual performance has been disappointing. The printer is rather more expensive to operate than I had anticipated. I don’t buy the consumables from OKI; I’ve found the aftermarket alternatives are just as good. Also, I have experienced overheating problems with the printer on runs of less than 1000 postcards. The telephone technical support has been inconsistent, sometimes very good, sometimes terrible.
There are some noteworthy positives about the 9650. It is engineered to be easy to work with. All of the consumables - toner, drum, belt (pulls the media thru the system) and fuser are easily accessible and replaceable. The software interface is easy to work with, though I am sure I’ve only used about 25% of its capabilities. And, the system comes with plenty of documentation.
