RYOBI 524GE VS Heidelberg Printmaster 52-4

[mazengh]

we are adding a new press, and i would like some advice as we are comparing these two models. anyone with any input or experience with these two machines please give advise and opinions....

thanks in advance

[Neil Meggitt]

Only Ryobi presses I've worked on are 524H with AAC system and a 662PFH and I honestly would rather be out of work than be paid to operate another Ryobi press. I ran both of these presses from new and didn't rate any aspect of them. You get what you pay for, all a question of what you want it (or expect it) to do.
Honest answer, with the current economic climate I don't see why anyone would want to buy new with all the great deals that can be had from buying a nearly new press for a fraction of the price of a new one. Just my 2 cents.

[OffsetGuy@presstechnician.com]

Comparing a Heidelberg to a Ryobi is like comparing gold to tin. Hiedy is the best in the world. Presently it seems as if Ryobi is more geared toward the waterless copier market called a DI. They are deeply committed to Presstek and those proprietary supplies they make.
If you are a true printer buy a real press or stay with the lower end machines like a Ryobi or Presstek DI
Or consider Toner
OG

[RGPW17100]

We were down this road four years ago. We went with the SM52 5 color with coater instead of a new Ryobi. We went to see demos of the ryobis running and they were pretty impressive. The new ones with coaters are not the same generation as the 3304 and 512 series. We went with Heidelberg for two reasons. The deal they made included system service for 3 years and it is easier to find operators with experience with the Heidelberg console. After buying it I am glad the decision we made. We literally beat the crap out of that machine for two straight months without a hiccup. If you get one you really should get an inline coater. You can turn your jobs immediately with minimal powder plus most customers expect some sort of coating.

[mazengh]

update: it's a speedmaster, not a printmaster... i corrected the thread title

[nwpmikey]

I have to second what neil has said..

stay clear of the Ryobi..

i also ran the same 524HX that neil ran at the same company..

Bloody terrible machine, shoddily made, cheap and nasty in my opinion..

We were always replacing parts on the machine, compressor, pumps. we ended up replacing the parts ourselves as the engineers that worked for Ryobi in the UK didn't know what they were doing.. some of them had not even set any rollers... once called to get some feeder parts replaced and they sent an engineer that had not even opened up a feeder before, so i sent him away and did it myself....

Steer clear of Ryobi...... if you want decent press, decent print quality and decent service backup

[Neil Meggitt]

At least your boss learned his lesson and never bought Ryobi again, you just need to convince him to stop buying Komori now Mike lol.

[dana]

manroland just came out with a 14x20 press the "roland 50". double diameter impressions / mark free tranverters.

http://www.manroland.com/com/en/5052.htm

[mazengh]

What if the RYOBI 524GE comes with a console, and a semi automatic desnsity reader integrated to the console whereas the Speedmaster 52 doesn't even come with a console... does this give the advantage to the RYOBI?

[Mechanic]

Dude, there is not one Speedmaster 4-color without a console. Heidelberg's weak pointg is the power consumption and the electrics-electronics. Noone can beat the Japs on that. Ryobi has also a better feeder to my taste. Heidelberg is a better equipped press with very good after sales service.