# DRO for an ENCO lathe



## Jkassis (Dec 24, 2012)

I am looking into a DRO for my ENCO Lathe and was wondering if anyone could give me some input on the pro's and con's of the different brands. I know I can get an Acurite or Newall brand for top shelf quality, but I don't really want to spend $1K + for one. I have seen one on eBay, a "Shars" brand from Discount Machine (http://www.ebay.com/itm/330736806399?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649), for about $600 (incl shipping) for the complete 2-axis package and would like to know if anyone had had any experience with this brand. I have purchased many Shars tools and I like the quality, but haven't tried their electronics. I would be open to other brands if anyone has a suggestion. Mitutoyo possibly? (http://www.candomachinery.com/mitutoyoDRO.html#mitutoyo-lathe), but these look like they are in the $1000-$1200 range too.

I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. I just need it for basic positioning, etc.:thinking:

Thanks in advance!
Jerry


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## ScrapMetal (Dec 24, 2012)

Jerry,

I have no direct experience with them but I see many recommendations for http://www.dropros.com  I'm in the market for a DRO myself and I'm taking a serious look at these as well.  You might do a search on here for them and see what I mean.

Hope that helps,

-Ron


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## Jkassis (Dec 24, 2012)

Thanks Ron, I will definitely check them out. Happy Holidays!


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## joehatz (Dec 24, 2012)

I bought a DroPro 2 axis DRO for my Milling Machine and works perfect. Very accurate and fairly easy to install.
Every day I use it I find another reason I am happy I bought it.
Good company and prompt delivery.
I then found the Dro Store which is located in Singapore who sell virtually the same equipment for about a third less including shipping.
I ordered a 2 axist DRO for my Lathe from them and it arrived Air shipped by Fedex as they stated.
The quality was very similar and installed just as easily as the other did.
The manual from DroPro is much better and had I not installed that one first I would have had difficulty understanding the manual from the Dro Store as it is written in Pigeon English.
I don't know if it is worth an extra $200.00 to buy from the DroPro but there service is better and reply promptly if you have any questions and you can talk to a real live person on the phone.
Again I think had I not bought the DroPro first installing the one from the Dro Store would have been a challenge.
The DroPro Videos are excellent.
Both kits are pretty complete but you will still have to manufacture brackets for them to fit your specific machine.


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## OakRidgeGuy (Dec 24, 2012)

Joe, 

Is this the place or company that your talking about?

http://www.meisterdro.com/servlet/StoreFront

Doc


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## joehatz (Dec 24, 2012)

Here is the web site for the places that sell the DRO's:  www.thedrostore.com    and   www.dropro.com
If you need more info let me know.


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## joehatz (Dec 24, 2012)

The second address is not correct it should be www.dropros.com


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## darkzero (Dec 24, 2012)

Jkassis said:


> I have seen one on eBay, a "Shars" brand from Discount Machine (http://www.ebay.com/itm/330736806399?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649), for about $600 (incl shipping) for the complete 2-axis package and would like to know if anyone had had any experience with this brand.



I'm a big fan of Mitu but they're DRO systems are very expensive. If you want to spend big bucks, go with a Newall or Fagor.

Discount Machine on ebay is Shars. That "Shars" unit is just a Sino with their branding on it. Sino is pretty popular & many people are happy with them. But you can get a Sino system for much cheaper from CDCO Tools. Their links are weird so go to www.cdcotools.com & click on DRO systems.

I have no experience with DRO PROS but I hear they offer excellent support/service. Even though they might be a bit higher priced than elsewhere, it's worth the support you get from them, plus they are in the US.

I haven't heard anything about their house brand but they carry Easson too. I have Easson on my mill that I got for unbelieveably cheap. I plan on changing the display later to something else but so far I like it.

Also check our ebay seller xiao1207. He's in China but he has great communication & fast shipping. I've purchased from him & I had great experiences with him.












OakRidgeGuy said:


> Joe,
> 
> Is this the place or company that your talking about?
> 
> ...



I don't have a Meister but the display I have on my lathe is basically a Meister without all the many colors. I'm using Sino scales with it & I'm pretty happy with it. Some say a Meister is easier to use than a Sino but I've never used a Sino before so I can comment on that. I chose this over a Sino since it's a lathe specific DRO & not a universal like the Sino which has all the mill functions as well. Figured if I don't need the mill functions, better to have a simplified unit without all the unnecessary options.


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## ML_Woy (Dec 25, 2012)

I purchased a DROPRO unit in November and I really like it. I went directly to their shop in Vacaville Ca. and met with them before deciding to purchase. I found out their units are manufactured in India and they have glass scale and magnetic scale units. If  you want a cheap unit you can purchase there glass scale unit with Asian documentation and save a hundred dollars. The  installation is fairly simple, drilling the holes in the mill is the most difficult part. I purchased the glass scale unit with there documentation and the three year warranty. They said the glass scales work fine but  you must protect them from chips and they provide a good cover and remind you not to use air to blow the chips off of your mill, seems that is the reason for the most failures, chips up in the scale.


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## Jkassis (Dec 25, 2012)

So are magnetic scales better than glass, or is the glass more susceptible to failure than magnetic? Are there pro's and con's to both? Sounds to me from what I have seen on DRO Pro's site, that the main advantage to magnetic is the capability of cutting the magnetic scales to a custom size. The warranty is also longer, but the price is substantially higher than the glass scale kit.


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## ML_Woy (Dec 25, 2012)

Jkassis said:


> So are magnetic scales better than glass, or is the glass more susceptible to failure than magnetic? Are there pro's and con's to both? Sounds to me from what I have seen on DRO Pro's site, that the main advantage to magnetic is the capability of cutting the magnetic scales to a custom size. The warranty is also longer, but the price is substantially higher than the glass scale kit.



My understanding from the people from DROPRO is that the magnetic scales are the latest thing. They can be trimmed to any length to fit any machine, they are not susceptible to chips, grease, oil. They actually have one working in their fish tank in their office which has been functioning for over a year. Now the glass is old technology and is cheaper. It cannot be trimmed to specific lengths and must be ordered to fit and they do give you excellence assistance in getting the lengths right when you order. The glass are susceptible chips and other debris. You cannot use an air hose to blow the chips off of your machine. If they stop working you can send them in for repair but if they are contaminated chances are you will be replacing them. They told me that if I took reasonable care and did not let other operators use the machine without supervision, they would last a long time. I got a three year warranty with mine.

So it you are thinking on putting the machine in a production environment I would go for the magnetic and avoid the possibility of downtime. For me, as a hobby machinist, the glass will work fine.


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