Mark 7 Presses worth the money?

[36873687]

27 minutes ago, tanks said:

 

In my case it wasn't backing out but actually shearing off.

Same here snapped flush

[TRPOperator]

I asked in another thread if anyone had problems with the Evo Pro.

Are they a better design in my opinion yes. 

However there were missing parts and parts that didn't and still do not work. Cant get CS to return emails or anything. 

 

I wont go into bashing here. But lets just say I have had my Evo Pro since Mid Nov. and the auto-drive has yet to make a round. 

 

Worth the money design wise yes, CS and warranty wise, TBD, at this point no. 

Edited January 9, 2019 by TRPOperator

[Nigels1911]

Sir - 

 

We received a package with no RMA # or Name on the package that we could relate to an outstanding RMA - so we could not tell that this was you - we think we now know that this was your items - we have reached out to you to confirm that this was your products.  We also would like to speak with you about the nature of your issues to be sure we resolve them the right way for you.

[SnowinOnRaton]

On 12/9/2018 at 10:00 PM, Absocold said:

I'm in the market for another press and I'd be interested in a manual drive Evolution but they are not available - autodrive only. So I guess I'll be looking for a 1050.

 

Make sure you put yourself on their email waiting list. I was just talking to customer service last week and they are getting a much better handle on how many Evo Manual presses they can make available each month. I was told they will soon be offering “some” each month. How many, I don’t know.

 

That said, I had one on order that just arrived last week. I placed the order on Sep 18. I got one of those emails saying they were in stock and I immediately placed an order. Within hours I noticed the website was back to saying they were out of stock again. Apparently I had managed to get an order in due to a system glich. Rather than cancel my order they went ahead and put me in line.

 

I placed the order in kind of ‘the heat of the moment’ not really knowing how I was going to pay for it but I had PayPal Credit and 6 months interest free to figure it out so I made an impulse buy.

 

Well fast forward to December and I was rethinking my extravagant purchase due to some unexpected expenses. I called to cancel my order but the press had literally shipped earlier that day. I figured I would just return it unopened and eat the shipping once it arrived. 

 

Long story long.... I stupidly opened the box and man let me tell you, it’s one thing to see it in pictures, but it’s another thing entirely to have it in front you. I live in Arizona and I’m about 20 minutes from the Dillon showroom. I’ve been there many times drooling over the 1050 but this is a whole other level of machine. 

 

To the OP’s question, is it worth it? Yes, definitely. Would I be happy with a 1050, no doubt. It’s a great machine. No one can take that away from Dillon but I can tell you the hype over the quality and engineering of this press is not just talk. It’s just jaw dropping. 

 

I had had every intention of returning it but now I’m looking at selling some other gear I own because I just really don’t want to let this go. 

 

Also, I’m super happy that I didn’t cave and go with the Evo Pro. The Manual is all I need right now and I just couldn’t be happier with it. 

 

Anyway... I’m a newbie loader who’s only loaded a few hundred rounds of 9mm on a single stage Forster Coax. Which I also love. What a great choice that was too. So take my 2 cents for what it’s worth. I’m a “buy once, cry once” kinda guy and I love quality tools and I can tell you this is one purchase I’ll not regret. Now if I can just figure out how to pay for it! ;o) 

[XL6504ME]

3995 for the basic machine,        2 k for a dillion 1050     hard to justify the difference .   my 1050 works great.  

[mikamarj]

1 hour ago, XL6504ME said:

3995 for the basic machine,        2 k for a dillion 1050     hard to justify the difference .   my 1050 works great.  

I had RL1050, now have Evolution Pro. Evolution is way better, totally worth the price.

[tanks]

11 hours ago, XL6504ME said:

3995 for the basic machine,        2 k for a dillion 1050     hard to justify the difference .   my 1050 works great.  

 

Actually, comparing apples to apples, basic machine without a bullet feeder is $2900. 

https://www.markvii-loading.com/Evolution-Autodrive-Package-Builder_p_393.html

 

To me it would be worth the difference.

[teros135]

1 hour ago, tanks said:

 

Actually, comparing apples to apples, basic machine without a bullet feeder is $2900. 

https://www.markvii-loading.com/Evolution-Autodrive-Package-Builder_p_393.html

 

To me it would be worth the difference.

 

No, basic manual Evo with case feeder and powder measure (no bullet feeder) is $3530, plus $102 shipping & insurance.  Not exactly the same as a 1050 at  $1800 + $25 shipping.  

[Tanfastic]

Mark 7 presses are not a "Bang for the Buck" proposition, it's a premium product.  If your objective is to get primers, powder and bullets into cases in the most cost-effective manner, this is not what you want.  Dillon presses get the job done.  If that's all you want, can afford, care about or whatever valid reason, you don't need to feel bad about buying one.  If you want something "better", then there's Mark 7 with the Porsche 911 of loading presses waiting for you.  It's NEVER going to be priced the same as a Dillon, never.  That's not how premium products/brands work or why they exist.  Mark 7 is pressing the envelope of design and engineering and improving reloading vs. how "it's always been done".  I have zero regrets in getting my Mark 7 Evo and upgrading to that from my Dillon 650 vs. going with the 1050, which was my other option.  

[SnowinOnRaton]

1 hour ago, Tanfastic said:

Mark 7 presses are not a "Bang for the Buck" proposition, it's a premium product.  If your objective is to get primers, powder and bullets into cases in the most cost-effective manner, this is not what you want.  Dillon presses get the job done.  If that's all you want, can afford, care about or whatever valid reason, you don't need to feel bad about buying one.  If you want something "better", then there's Mark 7 with the Porsche 911 of loading presses waiting for you.  It's NEVER going to be priced the same as a Dillon, never.  That's not how premium products/brands work or why they exist.  Mark 7 is pressing the envelope of design and engineering and improving reloading vs. how "it's always been done".  I have zero regrets in getting my Mark 7 Evo and upgrading to that from my Dillon 650 vs. going with the 1050, which was my other option.  

 

Well said. Im just happy I got one before the latest price increase.   With what they are going for now I probably would have just gone with a bare bones 1050 and added a bullet feeder down the line and even an ammobot or auto drive after a few more years. 

[ddc]

23 hours ago, XL6504ME said:

3995 for the basic machine,        2 k for a dillion 1050     hard to justify the difference .   my 1050 works great.  

 

So.... has the basic machine with case feeder and bullet feeder gone up in price from around $2750 up to almost $4 grand? Really?

[teros135]

4 hours ago, ddc said:

 

So.... has the basic machine with case feeder and bullet feeder gone up in price from around $2750 up to almost $4 grand? Really?

 

Yes, really!  They give us great freedom to buy as much or as little as we want.  From the web site right now, the core machine (from the crank to the toolhead) is $2850 with the standard "stacking" primer system (like the Dillon).  Then you can choose a traditional 11' plastic case feeder ($350) or a commercial 14" metal case feeder ($1250; it's faster and more reliable) and a standard, mechanical powder measure ($330) or a digital powder measure ($800).  There's also an option for an onboard primer collator (about $1690; there seems to be an error on the web pricing right now, but see the Evo + Autodrive or Revolution prices).  You can buy a "die pack" which isn't described but reportedly includes Lee dies ($460+).   And a bulletfeeder, of course. 

 

So the "basic" Evolution (manual version with the hand crank) starts at $3529, plus shipping and insurance (it's beefy and weighs 75# shipped).  With the metal case feeder and digital powder measure it's about $4999, and with the onboard primer collator it's about $6690.  Add an autodrive, and ... well, you know.  It's kind of like Porsche a la carte.   

 

Like Tanfastic said, it's definitely a premium product.  Dillon is basic but reliable, well-supported, has a huge user community for advice, and will run all day with a few third-party add-ons.  Mark 7 has basically re-engineered the Dillon, and they're bigger and beefier, meant to inspire confidence (and even awe).  An Edge will get you there, but an SVI is smooth and beautiful.  Take your pick.

 

Edited January 21, 2019 by teros135

[ddc]

6 hours ago, teros135 said:

 

Yes, really! 

 

 

That's huge. At the original price point you could argue that with the included bullet feeder the price was not that big a leap from buying a new 1050 and adding a Mr Bulletfeeder.

That is apparently no longer true. At least to my mind anyway.

 

 

[tanks]

Due to manufacturing capacity vs demand it makes marketing sense to increase the price of the basic Evolution. I expect for it to come back down some once capacity and demand balance out. I noticed the price of the Revolution has not changed at all though since my purchase back in June.

 

I priced out an Evolution with all of the options I have on my Revolution and the price difference was about $800 less. I guess that makes sense at the Revolution has a bigger motor to go to 3,500 RPH setting.

Edited January 21, 2019 by tanks

[1911onr]

I was toying with the idea of an Evo. But at $4K for entry level, I'll stick with my 1050 until I hit the lottery. 

[srrch]

I was toying with the idea of an Evo. But at $4K for entry level, I'll stick with my 1050 until I hit the lottery. [emoji3]

#ammobot #ijs [emoji3]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[1911onr]

My 1050 is already married to a MK7 autodrive.  A divorce is out of the question.  

[Mike Dame]

Quality costs, lots of people want Infinitys but settle for a lower quality STI because they don't want to spend the extra$. 

When compared properly to items in the same world 4k is rather cheap start to become properly automated.

[Mike Dame]

Ever notice you dont see people jumping into ammobot discussions to hijack it for Mark7? Guess ammobot needs all the help it can get to make up for falling so far behind the curve.

[srrch]

Ever notice you dont see people jumping into ammobot discussions to hijack it for Mark7? Guess ammobot needs all the help it can get to make up for falling so far behind the curve.

No reason to be so sensitive MD. I'm sure that hijacking a thread is something you've never done.

That being said, to the OP, automation is not inexpensive, but neither is our sport. Any of the automation options is better than pulling the handle. You'll have that machine for a lot of years, so the cost of a couple grand extra spread over several years is not that much.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Jfitz427]

On 1/21/2019 at 12:29 AM, ddc said:

 

So.... has the basic machine with case feeder and bullet feeder gone up in price from around $2750 up to almost $4 grand? Really?

I would have bought a mk 7 at 2750. the 1050 plus  bullet feeder is about 2000-2200. I could have justified the difference of 500-750, but not 2000 difference. Even at 3000 I probably would have gone for it. But 2200 is already pushing it for me, 3000 would really be. 4000, no way. I’m very persuasive, but even I couldn’t pursaude my wife into why we need a 4000 press. I’m sure the 1050 will put out high quality ammo, and very quickly for many years to come. Maybe in like 10 years when I’m midway though my career and hopefully at a higher position with a much higher salary. 

 

I wonder if it will make financial sense long term for them. I do these types of analysis all day at work.  Just for a basic example say at 2750 say 100 people would have bought it making them in total sales, 275k. And say at 4000 per unit they exclude 50% of that potential customer base and 50 sales nets them 200k profit, so they make less. In order for them to make the same amount of money they would have made at 2750, they could only lose at most 30% of buyers, as 70 sales would net them 280k, but in order to actually increase revenue with the price increase, they’d have to retain 80-90% of the targeted audience. I’m not sure they lost only 10% with that price increase. The free market always works, so will have to see what the price does after the initial pre orders get fulfilled an the initial hype dies down. 

[cool]

A $ 4000 less order not hiring new employee

[Steve RA]

13 hours ago, cool said:

A $ 4000 less order not hiring new employee

 

Could you explain that a little more fully ??

[jcwallace84]

2 hours ago, Steve RA said:

 

Could you explain that a little more fully ??

 

I wondered too, but imagined it was a statement correlating price, demand, and employee requirement.  If they determine a price of say 4,000 and will gross 400,000 vs  pricing at 3,500 and grossing 425,000 but requiring an employee which would cost 50,000 they would chose the 4,000 price.  If I were to run a business, I would guess I would have to consider things like this.  I pre-ordered my press at the $2,500 price which included a bullet feeder and everything, and at that price point it was a no brainer.  The amount of machining and CAD time/engineering, and the overall package was worth more in my determination after I put it all together.  

[OptimiStick]

22 hours ago, Jfitz427 said:

I would have bought a mk 7 at 2750. the 1050 plus  bullet feeder is about 2000-2200. I could have justified the difference of 500-750, but not 2000 difference. Even at 3000 I probably would have gone for it. But 2200 is already pushing it for me, 3000 would really be. 4000, no way. I’m very persuasive, but even I couldn’t pursaude my wife into why we need a 4000 press. I’m sure the 1050 will put out high quality ammo, and very quickly for many years to come. Maybe in like 10 years when I’m midway though my career and hopefully at a higher position with a much higher salary. 

 

I wonder if it will make financial sense long term for them. I do these types of analysis all day at work.  Just for a basic example say at 2750 say 100 people would have bought it making them in total sales, 275k. And say at 4000 per unit they exclude 50% of that potential customer base and 50 sales nets them 200k profit, so they make less. In order for them to make the same amount of money they would have made at 2750, they could only lose at most 30% of buyers, as 70 sales would net them 280k, but in order to actually increase revenue with the price increase, they’d have to retain 80-90% of the targeted audience. I’m not sure they lost only 10% with that price increase. The free market always works, so will have to see what the price does after the initial pre orders get fulfilled an the initial hype dies down. 

 

Yeah. I tried to buy one and just missed the cutoff before they became unobtainable due to availability.  I was surfing around tonight to see if I could place my order, and saw the price increase.  Now it’s unobtainable due to cost.  I could talk myself into the $2,700 price point as compared to the 1050. But not $4k. That’s two 1050s.  Especially when I know they were $2,700.  I guess I am in their 'acceptable loss' column. Which is an odd place for me to be, because i'm usually in the 'We can charge this idiot almost anything!' column when I really want something. 

Edited February 3, 2019 by OptimiStick