Ricoh 7210 vs Versant 2100...

@kdw75 - thank you and the other contributors for their real-world experience with the 7100. 1.5 years into it: would you add anything to your initial review? i'm particularly interested in
  • how they've been holding up generally?
  • how is the registration after a prolonged use?
  • whether you've experienced any toner buildup when running longer b/w jobs?
  • whether you have tried running very lightweight stock (50gsm) – and if yes what your experiences were?
 
@kdw75 - thank you and the other contributors for their real-world experience with the 7100. 1.5 years into it: would you add anything to your initial review? i'm particularly interested in
  • how they've been holding up generally?
  • how is the registration after a prolonged use?
  • whether you've experienced any toner buildup when running longer b/w jobs?
  • whether you have tried running very lightweight stock (50gsm) – and if yes what your experiences were?
So far they are running great. Each has over 1 million 13x19 clicks so far. Registration has been very good and is almost never touched. Other than replacing the normal parts, they have been extremely reliable. So far the only part we have to get replaced regularly by the techs is a belt after the fuser. Coated paper polishes it and then it causes sheet wrinkles, especially on 70# gloss text. They replace it ever 3 months roughly. We haven't had any toner buildup or other issues. We also run lots of carbonless on one machine without any hint of trouble.

My only two remaining complaints are the color fluctuations during the run, which aren't terrible, but are a little worse than our Versant was. So you don't have to calibrate very often, but there is fluctuation during every run. Our Versant 2100 on the other hand has to be calibrated much, much more frequently, but once you do it, the color is more consistent during the run. We run heavy coverage work with brand spot colors that are important to match. The other complaint is that some jobs run at about 2/3rds speed and Ricoh blames it on the files. On some jobs, the machines will run a couple of sheets then hesitate for a sheet or 3 and then run another batch. Doing this during the entire run. Our Versant 2100 never did this. It seems to be pretty random. We had two files that were identical except for a different sale date int he middle of the flyer and one ran at full speed, while the other did the hesitate I mentioned.

Keith
 
So far they are running great. Each has over 1 million 13x19 clicks so far. Registration has been very good and is almost never touched. Other than replacing the normal parts, they have been extremely reliable. So far the only part we have to get replaced regularly by the techs is a belt after the fuser. Coated paper polishes it and then it causes sheet wrinkles, especially on 70# gloss text. They replace it ever 3 months roughly. We haven't had any toner buildup or other issues. We also run lots of carbonless on one machine without any hint of trouble.

My only two remaining complaints are the color fluctuations during the run, which aren't terrible, but are a little worse than our Versant was. So you don't have to calibrate very often, but there is fluctuation during every run. Our Versant 2100 on the other hand has to be calibrated much, much more frequently, but once you do it, the color is more consistent during the run. We run heavy coverage work with brand spot colors that are important to match. The other complaint is that some jobs run at about 2/3rds speed and Ricoh blames it on the files. On some jobs, the machines will run a couple of sheets then hesitate for a sheet or 3 and then run another batch. Doing this during the entire run. Our Versant 2100 never did this. It seems to be pretty random. We had two files that were identical except for a different sale date int he middle of the flyer and one ran at full speed, while the other did the hesitate I mentioned.

Keith
@kdw75 Thanks for this detailed answer!

I have an offer for an almost new (showroom/fair use only, 250k clicks) 7100 on the table, with a 36 months maintenance contract (after which they won't support it anymore – end of life).

The machine specs: Built in 2016, banner sheet tray, EFI RIP (as well as transport, installation, full training).
All prices below originally in €, but transposed to US$.
  • $36k to buy
  • For a stacker + cooling unit they'd charge an extra US$ 6k
  • For an additional two trays (given that one is used up by the banner sheet tray), they'd charge an additional US$ 4k
  • -> Fully spec'd at $46k
  • 3,9 €ct. (4,7 $ct.) per click full colour @ 30k clicks per month
From your perspective:
  1. is this a good deal?
  2. anything missing?
  3. anything that could cause a headache?
 

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