V-80 To Not Be Supported After 2022?

[psiprinting]

I just heard from our sales rep the V-80 is to no longer be supported by Xerox after this year.
He said it's a 1st generation Versant and they are in the 3rd generation.
We are coming to the end of the lease on it but wanted to keep it on for envelopes, carbonless and as a backup to the flagship digital machine we are purchasing.
Has anyone else heard this?

 

[TJPrinter]

Xerox probably wants it back so they can refurbish it, add a few minor upgrades and sell it as a V280. But no, I haven't heard that yet.

 

[kslight]

I think it’s best to clarify the exact terms with your rep and service. In the early stages, no longer supported just means they will not develop the software / etc but they usually have parts and will continue to service the machine (probably at a higher cost) for another year or three. I assume there are a lot of common parts from this machine to the following generations, but maybe not.

 

[psiprinting]

I think it’s best to clarify the exact terms with your rep and service. In the early stages, no longer supported just means they will not develop the software / etc but they usually have parts and will continue to service the machine (probably at a higher cost) for another year or three. I assume there are a lot of common parts from this machine to the following generations, but maybe not.

Actually I looked at the 4100 as a replacement and according to Xerox it uses the same drums and toner.
I was also just shipped a new 2nd BTR for a 2100 and there is no difference.
So yes there are many similarities between the Versants.

 

[TJPrinter]

I think it’s best to clarify the exact terms with your rep and service. In the early stages, no longer supported just means they will not develop the software / etc but they usually have parts and will continue to service the machine (probably at a higher cost) for another year or three. I assume there are a lot of common parts from this machine to the following generations, but maybe not.

I looked into keeping my V80 about a year ago. The buyout was very good, much less than I would have thought. The down side was that the new service (click charge) contract was higher than what I was paying and it was actually less expensive to get the new V280 with a lower click charge, even with the lease added in.

I looked into doing the service myself and indeed many of the parts that your tech would be replacing you can buy and replace yourself, since the 80, 180, 280, 2100, 3100 and 4100 have many of the same parts, Fuji was smart about this. In the end I went new and full service since it was my only press. As a backup envelope and NCR press it may work for you until something goes wrong and you can't service it. Perhaps they would make you a great buyout offer.

 

[kslight]

I looked into keeping my V80 about a year ago. The buyout was very good, much less than I would have thought. The down side was that the new service (click charge) contract was higher than what I was paying and it was actually less expensive to get the new V280 with a lower click charge, even with the lease added in.

I looked into doing the service myself and indeed many of the parts that your tech would be replacing you can buy and replace yourself, since the 80, 180, 280, 2100, 3100 and 4100 have many of the same parts, Fuji was smart about this. In the end I went new and full service since it was my only press. As a backup envelope and NCR press it may work for you until something goes wrong and you can't service it. Perhaps they would make you a great buyout offer.

Yeah that’s how they get you. My former employer liked to have several machines “past their prime” instead of a few good machines and when I became a part of the accounting side it was horrifying to see the financial consequences (let alone downtime considerations) of having our old equipment vs new. Even though we “owned” our machines we were still throwing $15k a month at Xerox on service base charged and clicks…our BW click rate on a mono machine was effectively 4-5x that of a new machine…and color was 1.5-2x. And the machines were down all the time. They would have spent a lot less money just having new equipment instead of overpaying for something already 5-10 years old and paying double click charges against a new one. It got pretty stupid. There were other reasons for this, as the business ultimately failed, but my advice is generally on a digital color machine a lot of people are better off just leasing a new one every 4-5 years especially if it’s your only press. After year 5 (sometimes sooner..) the machines are not as reliable, service may not be as good, of course the click costs go up, etc… I suggest buying offline finishing equipment, and leasing digital presses (and avoid too much inline finishing equipment unless it really makes sense for your workload).

 

[Mstrkey]

Honestly, it all comes down to volume. It may be far cheaper per copy or far more expensive per copy on the new machine if you take your average volume into account. CHeck what xerox will charge for service on the older machine and it's been a dependable unit it may be worth keeping for a while. It may not. You really need to run your own numbers on this one. If they're close.........go with the newer unit.

Don't forget to assess your local situation as well. I put off and early lease special for the time being because local business have been destroyed by covid mandates. I'm not seeing any real uptick to normal in my local market now that mandates are lifting. I have no desire to sign any new contracts at this point. If I have to wait a year and run my older machine while I service it myself, I will.

 

[psiprinting]

Our volume is good. We here in Florida haven't had any mandates since the middle of 2020.
Ownership is being driven crazy by the offset side and is looking to move more production to digital. The machine we chose has very reasonable monthly lease cost plus the added benefit
of having the lowest click rate among all it's competitors plus gets the best reviews of all I talked to that own one.
But none of the big flagship machines seem to really support things like envelopes and carbonless which I can throw at the V-80. I could also use it with small run orders when the new machine is tied up on a long run. With carbonless I just switch to an old 2nd BTR
and bang away variable data sets without sweat. With envelopes I can even do heavy 4 color with closed flaps and they look as good as offset without all the offset hassles.
These are not a major part of the business but the customers who give us those jobs are.
We are asking Xerox for price to keep it on a service contract because even though it is capable it is not reliable. I would hope reduced volume would help with reliability.
We are going through the same lack of drums, toner and parts with it like everyone else with a Xerox is but if we lose the V-80 there will be a big hole to fill.