Watkiss Digivac+ with bookletmaster and trimmaster pro

[Pratik]

Hi,
We are thinking of buying a preowned watkiss of the above mentioned configuration.

Any feedback for this product? Any users with any tips? Positives, negatives, etc..

Also, wanted to enquire if you staple pins from some other manufacturer work on this machine, because apparently Genuine watkiss ones are quite expensive.

Thanks

 

[Craig]

I have a Slim Vac with Bookmaster/Trimmaster pro. It's about 10 years old and works well. Parts are quite expensive though when the time comes to replace them. The staples are cheaper from Presstek if you are in the US. The books do not come out as flat as some others and the output conveyor is borderline retarded. I mean who really thought it is a good idea to make your booklets travel up hill??? The trimmer will not handle as thick of a book as the stitcher, maybe 18 sheets of 90gsm, but not much more.

 

[Pratik]

Hey Craig,
Thanks for the reply. We are based in India and primarily doing only short runs, usually 24 pg booklets maximum.
I am sure we can import staple pins into India from one of our associate trading companies that is based in the US. Can you give me an approximate cost of pins. I believe they come in lots of 5000 pins each and the staple hard is part of the unit, so every time one puts the new pins, it is a new head so overall less maintenance.. Is that true? Does this machine need a lot of maintenance or a super intelligent operator. I have seen nobody in India who uses bookletmaking lines at our level so am unsure, but I want to invest in good technology.
Also, as far as production of this machine goes, can we do a 300 gsm cover with 5 leaves of 170 gsm comfortably?

Thanks

 

[Craig]

Hey Craig,
can we do a 300 gsm cover with 5 leaves of 170 gsm comfortably?

I'm not sure about the collator feeding the cover, mine is a SlimVac which is suction fed. I know the stitcher and trimmer would handle it.