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Call now! Toll Free Order Line & Tech Help 1-877-628-6028 DRO PROS 1-2-3 Value! - Easiest to use Digital Readout - DRO Kits start at only $599 - 3 Year warranty Our Kit and Part Prices always beat Heidenhain Newall Acurite Sargon & Fagor! Compare all of our Digital Readouts! Click HERE
FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a DRO? DRO stands for Digital Read Out. A digital readout system digitally displays a machine tools exact position on an electronic display board.
I can't seem to get the slot in the brackets to line up with the readhead - am I missing something? For some reason, this is probably the most missed item when installing the DRO kit, so don't feel bad. Probably 95% of our customers try and align the two large threaded holes on the sides of the readhead with the slots in the bracket set. The brackets are designed to align with the four smaller tapped holes on the bottom side of the readhead, not the two larger holes on the side. Click HERE for more information.
What can a DRO do for me? A digital readout system can greatly simplify your work, save time, reduce costly mistakes and allow you to produce more accurate, exacting parts. Without a DRO system, an operator must count the number of hand wheel revolutions to determine exact position of a tool head against the table. For example, some milling machine leadscrews are graduated at 16 threads per inch (TPI), which means that for every turn of the hand wheel the table moves 1/16 (.0625), therefore it takes 16 turns to move the table exactly 1. Other machines are calibrated at 10 TPI, meaning it takes 10 hand wheel revolutions for the table to travel an inch. On the Z axis, it is typical for each division to represent .002, where one full revolution is equal to .060. Needless to say, it can quickly become quite confusing! The bottom line is that with a digital display, the days of counting hand wheel revolutions are over. Simply turn the display on and youre ready to go!
HELP! DRO PROS vs. Easson vs. Newall vs. Fagor How Do I Choose the Right DRO Kit?
To start with, all DRO PROS kits are quality built to do the job right. However, with that said, each kit has it's own unique advantages. We know that choosing a DRO kit can be difficult, so in our endeavor to help our customers we've developed the following chart. While we try to be as impartial as we can, our interaction with our customers and their feedback has certainly influenced us greatly in forming our "opinions". Please keep in mind that every installation is different, only you can know what's best for your particular installation.
DRO PROS M Series PROS: The best DRO kit on the market today. Professionally built, hands down it's the easiest DRO to use on the planet. Included 3 year warranty and 1 micron resolution sets it light years ahead of the competition. Completely re-written, 72 page, full color manual is the best we've seen. CONS: None we've found so far. COMMENTS: DRO PROS just hit a home run. Affordable, built to last, and one of the best looking, easy to use displays we've seen. WHY YOU WOULD CHOOSE THE M SERIES: If you've been waiting for a best value, professional quality, easy to use but still affordable Digital Readout, this is it! SUMMARY: Destined to quickly become a DRO PROS best seller. If you're looking for excellent quality, but also want the best value for your dollar, this is your kit.
Easson PROS: The strongest advantage of the Easson is it's user friendly design. Quality and durability is excellent. Price continues to be very reasonable, meaning it's also the best value DRO we sell. Another potential advantage is the display size. The Easson display is over 12" across. Unlike many competitors units, off-side viewing and brightness is excellent. Internal transformer allows unit to correctly function in freezing temperatures with no problem. Because of the larger front panel, most all of the Easson's functions (ie bolt hole, line hole, centerfind etc.) have dedicated function buttons on the front. This makes Easson a truly "walk up and operate" type of digital readout. Free video tutorials online make learning functions effortless. Repair and parts are both available directly from DRO PROS, unlike many other resellers that send customers overseas for all "repair and warranty" issues. Finally, Easson parts are very reasonably priced - ever price a replacement scale for a SONY or Fagor kit lately? CONS: Canary yellow display color not liked by all. COMMENTS: Easson has been producing Digital Readouts for over 20 years now, and continues to be our best seller. Because we import direct, the price remains lower than the competition, therefore making Easson one of the best value DRO packages we've seen. Lastly, many customers mistakenly think the Easson display case is plastic, which it is not. It is cast metal and extremely durable. WHY YOU WOULD CHOOSE EASSON: You want an intuitive, easy to use DRO which happens to be the most affordable and popular readouts we've ever offered. SUMMARY: Easson continues to be a very popular, easy to use DRO system. If you're looking for excellent quality but also want the best value for your dollar, this may be your kit.
Newall PROS: Beyond anything else, Newall has brand name recognition. Additionally, the M20 kit has some potential advantages you should be aware of. With the thinnest scales we've ever seen (only .4" tall) the Newall's magnetic scales can fit where other scales can't. Depending on your particular installation, this may or may not be a deal-breaker by itself. If you run coolant, you should know the scales carry a full IP-67 rating, meaning they are submersible and impervious to grease, oils, and coolant. If that wasn't enough, the scales are magnetic, not glass, and can be easily cut to the desired length. As the reader head is a magnetic "non-contact" design, the reader head is not attached to the scale body, which means installation is much easier also. CONS: Currently only available in 2 axis kits. Longest travel scale available is 40". Display head is easy to use, but not quite as easy as the Easson. COMMENTS: Excellent build quality, good manual. If you don't need a "low-profile" installation, the thin scales will not present an advantage over standard size glass scales. In day to day operations, glass scales, if properly installed, work exceptionally well and are not prone to being contaminated by coolant. The primary advantage we can see with these scales is when mounting on a lathe where coolant is used. Often times the cross-slide leaves little mounting room to properly mount a scale shield when utilizing glass scales. In this case, using a magnetic scale that is impervious to coolant would be a considerable advantage. WHY YOU WOULD CHOOSE NEWALL: If you have an installation requiring a low profile DRO or are mounting on a mill or lathe where the scales would get exposed to coolant, this is the kit to buy. You may also choose this kit because you recognize the Newall name and are willing to pay a little more for it. SUMMARY: Newall's M20 kit is amazing and we're hoping to see a 3 axis kit in the future
Fagor PROS: Fagor enjoys loyal brand name recognition. The build quality and packaging of the kit is good. CONS: Expensive. Fagor's Innova display is a smaller, more compact display, so most of the functions are accessed through a push-button menu driven system. Some users find this design frustrating and difficult to use. The comment we hear most often is "Sure do need to keep the manual close by". COMMENTS: We feel the Fagor Innova series could use a redesign of the front panel, especially adding more function buttons. WHY YOU WOULD CHOOSE FAGOR: You've used Fagor in the past and don't want to change, even if the alternative is cheaper and easier to use. SUMMARY: Fagor is a quality built DRO, but is being challenged by many less-expensive, easier to use DRO's.
Scales At DRO PROS, we only sell true five bearing glass scales with our kits, and with over 70 different size scales to choose from, we fit your machine right! For .0002" resolution scales up to 39.3" in capacity (models 100mm - 1000mm), the scales are included in the price of the kit and there is no surcharge. Simply tell us what size scale you'd like and we'll send the correct length scale. For scales greater than 39" capacity (our oversize scales), there is a small surcharge based on length when purchased with a kit. Please refer to the chart below for more details:
Why does DRO PROS post their digital readout part prices online when other companies don't? That's because if you were to find out what other companies are going to charge you for parts when you need them, you might not buy their digital readout kit in the first place! Our part prices always beat Heidenhain, Newall, Acurite, Sargon & Fagor! At DRO PROS, we're proud to show off our low part prices. Go DRO PROS!
Why should I buy from DRO PROS? We speak English - We answer our phones - Same day shipping
Our goal is to make customers for life. We feel that, in the long run, treating customers right will yield much more than simply "going for the sale". In accordance with that, we have attempted to pass on some ideas to help you, the customer, in completing your purchase decision:
Price. Probably the most talked about factor when buying a digital readout. Price can also be the most misleading, and perhaps worst way, to judge a digital readout kit. We've all heard the old adage, "You get what you pay for." Before the internet, it was true, price did generally correlate directly to value. But that was yesterdays economy. All resellers obtained their goods the same way, and therefore incurred the same costs. In today's economy, the market has changed drastically. At DRO PROS, we import and sell directly to you. Unlike our competitors, we do not have Western and Eastern sales divisions and multi layers of management to support. One location, one cost, and the savings get passed on to you!
Intuitiveness or "Ease of Use". Probably the most important, and hardest to determine factor when buying a readout. Think in terms of after the sale. Even if you get an absolute 'rock star' bottom line price that would make William Shatner proud, if the digital readout is not user friendly, you still didn't get a 'deal'. The whole point of getting a digital readout is to make your work easier and more enjoyable. If the digital readout is poorly designed, too complicated, if the display isn't bright enough, or in other words is 'user unfriendly', you'll regret your purchase decision every time you turn it on. It simply won't matter what you paid, it's not worth it!
Support. Most likely the second most important, and perhaps most overlooked factor when buying a digital readout. Imagine trying to reach a technician when you've bought a digital readout from an overseas reseller! Yet every day, people "save" $50 and buy products on eBay without stopping to think what will happen when they need service or tech support. Some digital readout resellers don't even publish a phone number! While our competitors continue to pare down or even totally eliminate their customer support, we continue to expand our Customer Service. We've completely re-written our manuals, top to bottom, to better serve you, the customer. Our Live Demo feature allows us to interactively guide you to the best decision based on what you do. Our Video Tutorials are the best in the industry, and are available free for you, our customers. Our tech help is the best in the business - our techs all know our readouts inside and out. Nobody knows digital readouts like DRO PROS!
Warranty. Of course, all DRO PROS digital readout kits come with a standard, 3 Year USA digital readout warranty. Something not quite working correctly? Call us, don't get redirected overseas by the other guys!
Parts. Can you believe some resellers don't carry parts? That's right, buy from the "other guys", break a scale, and you get to replace the entire digital readout kit! Don't assume you can just go buy a different brand scale, either, because most manufacturers use different connectors on their scales. If that wasn't enough, even among those with a common connector, such as a DB9, most are hard wired differently. Finally, don't overlook the cost of parts. At DRO PROS, an 800mm replacement scale will cost you $197. A similar scale sold extensively by a European company will cost nearly $700! Finally, we have a massive inventory of parts, so rest easy - a replacement part is only a phone call away!
The Best Value. We literally search world-wide for the best value digital readout products on the planet. If there was a better digital readout package to be sold, we would be selling it. Yes, we've seen cheaper units on eBay, but there is a reason they're cheaper. Think poor quality, no parts, no manual, non-existent customer service, poor product fit/finish etc.
Customer Service. We pledge to never "over sell" you on a product that won't work well for you. Our philosophy is to try and save you money and get the best value kit tailored to the machinery you have. Many of our customers are surprised when we recommend against buying a more expensive brand. Again, our philosophy is to build customers for life. Give us a call and let us save you money!
Shipping. Most orders ship the same day, the next at the latest. We do not 'drop' ship, we have our own massive warehouse of inventory right here on site. We use FedEx, you'll get a tracking number emailed to you immediately, and we cover all shipping insurance automatically.
The Company. DRO PROS is a veteran owned, American company. We enjoy selling quality products at competitive prices. We believe that providing the best customer service is the key to success. No other company spends more time on the phone with customers than we do. Even in a down economy, our company continues to thrive and grow. We look forward to earning your business!
The Bottom Line. Our line of digital readout's are simply the most user friendly readouts on the planet. Because of our direct marketing structure, they're also extremely affordable. Coupled with our extensive customer service and affordable parts, our Digital Readout products are simply the best value on the planet.
Shipping:
Domestic Shipping to
the United States:
All digital readout shipping is done
via FedEx for a flat rate of $43. You'll get a tracking number emailed
direct to you from FedEx, enabling you to track your shipment door to door!
We cover insurance against any potential shipping damages, so no hidden fees
here! International Shipping outside the United States: All of our DRO shipping is done via the United States Postal Service. We charge a flat rate of $80 shipping to Canada and $140 for International shipping.
3 Year Warranty:
All
DRO PROS
brand digital readouts come with a written, 3 year warranty.
At DRO PROS, we take care of our customers. Have an issue or need some help? Let us take care of it with a toll-free call to California! Call us now TOLL FREE within the United States at 1-877-628-6028! Customers outside the United States can always reach us at (707) 452-8437
Professional Digital Readout kit packages start at only $599! Our Kit and Part Prices always beat Heidenhain Newall Acurite Sargon & Fagor! Call Toll Free now at 1-877-628-6028 for all your digital readout needs!
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