[rreedmach]

I've been running a very successful business for over 15 years. We have a variety of Haas, Mori Seikis, and a couple Fadals. Recently I hired another programmer and brought my son aboard. We have always been true faithful Surfcam customers but the dilemma I faced was paying for the upgrade and maybe an additional license or two so everyone may have their own and make my shop more efficient as a whole. My son was excited about coming aboard and downloaded this program of Bobcad. Initially I wasn't interested because of all the bad things I'd heard. After many phone calls from these guys my son was manipulated/convinced/talked into buying this program. Make daddy proud I guess. He only paid $1,000 for 3 Licenses of the V25 Mill Pro with training videos which isn't the point. The point is that I have had so many issues that this has easily cost my shop several thousand dollars and now even if we do get a refund we won't get all of it come to find out regardless of fact told money back guarantee. I should have just stuck with my gut and bit the bullet as this is my livelihood. I now know why there are so many threads and people on this Bobcad page and it's most likely due to the fact that others were either talked I/to, maniplulated, or conned into buying this software off of the price. I've read many things recently and it seems as if Bobcad employees are on this forum listed as users to say good things and back others up who aro employees !!!! I regretfully post this as wish I never indulged into this product as it may be good for some, maybe hobby guys really, but I would not give this software to my competitor !!! Signing off, PISSED IN TEXAS !!!!!

[txcncman]

Guess you did not know how to tell when a salesperson is lying. Caveat emptor. They all do it to varying degrees. There is a reason BobCad/Cam is cheaper. Cheaper does not mean better value.

[TonyW]

I've been running a very successful business for over 15 years. We have a variety of Haas, Mori Seikis, and a couple Fadals. Recently I hired another programmer and brought my son aboard. We have always been true faithful Surfcam customers but the dilemma I faced was paying for the upgrade and maybe an additional license or two so everyone may have their own and make my shop more efficient as a whole. My son was excited about coming aboard and downloaded this program of Bobcad. Initially I wasn't interested because of all the bad things I'd heard. After many phone calls from these guys my son was manipulated/convinced/talked into buying this program. Make daddy proud I guess. He only paid $1,000 for 3 Licenses of the V25 Mill Pro with training videos which isn't the point. The point is that I have had so many issues that this has easily cost my shop several thousand dollars and now even if we do get a refund we won't get all of it come to find out regardless of fact told money back guarantee. I should have just stuck with my gut and bit the bullet as this is my livelihood. I now know why there are so many threads and people on this Bobcad page and it's most likely due to the fact that others were either talked I/to, maniplulated, or conned into buying this software off of the price. I've read many things recently and it seems as if Bobcad employees are on this forum listed as users to say good things and back others up who aro employees !!!! I regretfully post this as wish I never indulged into this product as it may be good for some, maybe hobby guys really, but I would not give this software to my competitor !!! Signing off, PISSED IN TEXAS !!!!!

Really? You signed up here just to post that as your first official post? (posts:1)

We have used BobCAD for quite awhile here. And although you may read some of the things going on here that you say are 'bad', it's only us resolving some issues with NEW software and a NEW build. For the most part it works and works well. For the price I still feel it does a lot. More than I thought it would, and they are still adding features and working on it WITHOUT charging their users upgrade fees or 'maintenance' fees.

All software take a little time to get used to and tuned to your personal needs. I can understand your frustration, but I (we) use this on a daily basis and always are making chips with it. Not sure what's not working on yours as you never actually stated the problem. Coming here and ranting won't really get you help. Stating what your issues are WILL get you help.

After you've cooled down a bit I suggest taking a look at it again, or assigning someone to do that so they can get it to do what you need. Trust me, it will do it.

And if you think there are problems here, go look at the Mastercam board. More problems there than here, and they have to pay for those lovely problems.. every year..

Take a breath and let us know the issues ok?

[slowlearner]

My wife bought a couple seats of BC a couple years back for the art program.
I played around with it for a few hours but that has been the extent of my using it. Why, I dont have time. I am a MC user but I am not current there neither. I plan to upgrade but here again this is going to take a lot of time I just dont have. I think I would be money ahead to hire another programmer who can use it to its full advantage. I dont mean to be a smart a** by my comments here. My experience came from burning a lot of midnight oil and making every mistake possible. In time things will become more efficent for you all too.

[aldepoalo]

I am not sure what problems you are having because you didn t post any but I can say we can help. Shops of all sizes use Bobcad and just because it cost less doesn t mean it doesn t work.

if your shop is a surfcam shop , do not expect bobcad to work like surfcam. You have to learn how it works and not how you think it should.

If you pm me your contact information I ll look up your account and learn more about what is going on. 727 479 6328 is my cell number you can call me anytime and I ll help you.

I know how frustrating it can be when things don t work. All cad cam systems have a learning curve, if you can get your post setup and working right, and understand the basic work flow ( which I can help with ) you ll be cutting parts.

I know I can program any part you can in surfcam with bobcad. If I can do it so can you. We have a great community of users on cnczone will all kinds of exsperiance. We will help you, I. Will help you and our support team will help you.

Not to mention you still have 1 seat of surfcam to fall back on while you get up and running with bobcad. Even if it s and older version of surfcam, you stil know who to use it right. So your not dead in the water.

Bobcad is a tool, and like any tool you need to learn it. Hold in there ad lts us help you.

[BurrMan]

He only paid $1,000 for 3 Licenses of the V25 Mill Pro with training videos which isn't the point.

I'll post this for your son.....

Smart kid!

I dont work for BobCad.

[Big Chips]

Bobcad works..period! It will do what others do....it is easier touse...maybe not as indepth...but it will get tuf done and fast... quirks yes...but all software has them...dont even try to say surfcam didnt..or doesnt..

i use v25 everyday..... it IS good software....

[rreedmach]

Before I go to bed I would like to respond to the notifications I received.

-Txcncman: If this is Ralph, I know 'many people' who have used you throughout the years, and I +ave reffered you as well myself to do inhouse programming for a couple I know.

-Tony, there's too many issues so with that being said Monday I'll just call my rep and jump from 5.2 to 6.1 as I am in this business to make money. If I want to drive from here to Dallas I want to get thete without any issues. I just want to drive there without any issues or breakdowns. I don't need the mechanic to tell me I need to replace this or that and then miles down tbe road have to call another mechanic.

-Slowlearner: Level 1 of MasterCAM has Rastor to Vector as my neighbor across the street has MCX5L1 and for the past year had tried to get me over to MC but if going to spend any money would and now will be Surfcam 6.1 upgrade.

-Al: I understand your position and without a doubt I know you are respected among this community but there is way too much to go into. True, I of course still have my SC5.2 license but the amount of time wasted versus just programming this machine and moving on can not be recovered, therefore I have lost a great deal of money. I have a couple people who think they can make anything work, who infact have experience with other software (Mastercam and Gibbscam both) and they were not able to get this going as several ERROR codes etc, and these guys are in no way newbies). I am without a doubt sure that Bob of Bobcad as well as all the users are grateful to have you tjere as there wingman as I was thankful to have my wingman when I was in the Airforce flying against Migs at any given time.

-Burrman: Not sure what that means except for maybe my son was a dummy for buying it because $1,000 is $1,000. If that is the case I will agree with you 100%.

-Big Chips: I'm sure with the right amount of time you can make anything work, even rewrite the program, but I don't have that amount of time as I am a shop/business that is running full time.



I thank everyone for their time and input (especially Bobcad Al for his willingness to help....Bob should give a raise to you if this isn't your job title) but I will just go with my first instinct and upgrade my Surfcam. Thank you all for your input.

[BurrMan]

-Burrman: Not sure what that means except for maybe my son was a dummy for buying it because $1,000 is $1,000. If that is the case I will agree with you 100%..

I was giving your son an "atahboy" for making a good choice. It appeared to me you ripped the hell out of him, and again in this last post, called him stupid... ??? All because YOU (or your help) doesnt understand? WOW!

I was thankful to have my wingman when I was in the Airforce flying against Migs at any given time.

Please... Tell me now, you would walk up to a warthog and jump right in and go for a strafing run on tanks in the desert, without ANY pre-training, gathered information, practice and help to get up to speed.

If this is "a real story"... I wish I could sit with your son for 1 week. He would have BobCad dancing on it's head, and singing "goodbye" to the other workers in your shop....

[fidia]

I have been using solidworks and mastercam successfully for a long time and have just installed and licenced V2 for SolidWorks. Initially it really frustrated me as I needed to program the lathe and there is no boring cycle. So I abandoned it and went back to mastercam. However I got help from the tech support and now am using bobcad most of the time. I use deskproto the rest and am not going with mastercam as its too complicated for someone new to learn and too expensive. I have just activated the v2 mill pro got an error straight away which al has told me how to fix within hours.

Most cam software companies buy or rent the toolpath algorithms from a main software supplier so there is not much difference between them. Take a breather and give bobcad a chance. They have aggressive salesmen however al seems to always be at the end of a phone if you need help.

[Riaan]

Hi
If you have couple of machines in mich you invested thousands of dollars why do you skimp on spending money on software.? I am not saying bobcad is bad as i never used it. I wave one Leadwell v30i and just bought Edgecam for 1operator only. Surely there must be a relationship between the value of your machines and what you are prepared to spend on software.

[fidia]

I have been using solidworks and mastercam successfully for a long time and have just installed and licenced V2 for SolidWorks. Initially it really frustrated me as I needed to program the lathe and there is no boring cycle. So I abandoned it and went back to mastercam. However I got help from the tech support and now am using bobcad most of the time. I use deskproto the rest and am not going with mastercam as its too complicated for someone new to learn and too expensive. I have just activated the v2 mill pro got an error straight away which al has told me how to fix within hours.

Most cam software companies buy or rent the toolpath algorithms from a main software supplier so there is not much difference between them. Take a breather and give bobcad a chance. They have aggressive salesmen however al seems to always be at the end of a phone if you need help.

[Big Chips]

okay...

FIRST i do not work for Bobcad...i am a customer..and at times a dissatisfied customer...but more than not a SATISFIED customer...no cad/cam software is 100% perfect...

so check that crap at the door with your belief that people are here touting bad software...


SECOND.... i will say what most here will not...

YOU have and ONLY you have the control of what happens in your shop..and this is also the sales calls...YOU could have stopped it...Just like I did 4 years ago when i first purchased Bobcad and did not use it for the next 3years... If your time is so valuable and after being in this game for 15 years...then YOU SHOULD KNOW by know you ONLY make informed and solid decisions in business...YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST then purchase....not purchase then do your research to determine if this move is right for your company.WTH!?

If you are so much of a full time shop...then why in the hell are you letting a person (your son) that is not in management role or in a position to make purchasing decisions MAKE lasting and impacting business decisions???..and furthermore WHY did YOU go on his word alone in a business atmosphere?

You made 3 big mistakes...YOU as a business owner...OH! let me get this correct...YOU as a full time shop made decision based on the word of of a subordinate from which no repercussions will come to if that decision is wrong. You took his word for what he WANTED to hear from a sales rep.

2nd mistake....you are too busy to oversee the most basic operations of your full time shop. In other words YOU made the decisions around there...no one else...it is your money that you are playing with as you said. If you had done prior research you may have decided not to go the route you were instructed to do.

3rd mistake and worst...

You let your emotions govern your business decision on this purchase and by your actions here on this board this is very evident in lieu of the fact your sole membership is based off of becoming a member with the intent to attack Bobcad.... absolutely NO successful business owners accepts things work correctly without training...at least most of us that wish to stayed ahead of the game and in it. You didnt buy surfcam and start making part the first day...do not even try and make us believe that..

The thing is this...and again i will say what most will not or cant...

get your money back if you can and move along...it you do not have anything CONSTRUCTIVE to post or looking for help (in which many people here will help you)...then go surfing... but to become a member and make your first post is f'ing ridiculousness slamming a sponsor of this site...AND DISRESPECTING THE OTHER BOBCAD CUSTOMERS AND MEMBERS IN THIS FORUM SECTION by slamming our selection of software.

you dont know me..and i do not know you....but i have delt with people that are like you many times in life..."IT IS ALWAYS SOMEBODY ELSE'S FAULT OR SOMEBODY'S PRODUCT IS NO GOOD CAUSE YOU CANT UNDERSTAND IT OR GET IT TO WORK" ....it all falls on YOU! ...You should make the decisions you should hold the responsibility and YOU should act like a business man and an adult and KNOW TO SLAM A BUSINESS LIKE YOU HAVE IS NOT COOL...AND YOU WOULD NOT APPRECIATE IT BEING DONE TO YOU OR YOUR BUSINESS! OH HELL NO I CAN TELL YOU WOULD NOT...

GET A FREAKING GRIP!!!! I AM DONE WITH TRASH TOPICS LIKE THIS....

MODERATORS DELETE THIS TOPIC PLEASE!

[txcncman]

Wow! Talk about emotional.

[Big Chips]

Wow! Talk about emotional.

NOPE, JUST KEEPING IT REAL.....

[slowlearner]

I had to go back and read the original post again. I am not taking sides here but will say that he says he lost several thousand dollars. I charge $100 an hr
for modeling and generating code. If his shop rates are similar to mine and he lost 2K thats 20 hours. It took me a year to turn a profit with Mastercam
386. If I had the time I would learn to use my BC but I need to upgrade and learn X6 first. I have been taking classes and it still hard to comprehend all the changes. Thats just me though maybe the saying is true "You cant teach
and old new tricks"

[SBC Cycle]

Oh look, it's this thread again.

[SBC Cycle]

I regretfully post this as wish I never indulged into this product as it may be good for some, maybe hobby guys really, but I would not give this software to my competitor !!! Signing off, PISSED IN TEXAS !!!!!

I missed this last part of your post. I have some customers in Texas but very few so I wouldn't likely be a competitor. I will solve your problem and you can give the software to me!

I'm just a hobby guy with 7 CNCs, so BobCAD is perfect for me. I've got two more Haas mills coming in December, a few extra seats of V25 Pro would be nice.

We've only been in business for 25 years so it's possible we don't have your experience but I think I can make BobCAD work.

On a side note, it doesn't look like your son is suited to work in your shop. Send him here to Ohio and I will make a programmer out of him. He got a better deal on V25 Pro than I did so I'd be willing to gamble on him.

[victorofga]

this post didnt made the job done..
yet for 3 seat he didnt spent 50-80K yet..
i think theres no exist bussiness where 50-80 K just can be spent at fingertip..
that 3 seat could cost 2 vmc in good condition..
so from here i think son was thinking smarter, because with harder work the job can be get done.. with fraction of cost..

btw im an old fart, and i worked next engineers, they programmed with a calculator and some paper...
when they got ready, they punched the tape.. and machinist also were educated to read tape..

[The Engine Guy]

I missed this last part of your post. I have some customers in Texas but very few so I wouldn't likely be a competitor. I will solve your problem and you can give the software to me!

I'm just a hobby guy with 7 CNCs, so BobCAD is perfect for me. I've got two more Haas mills coming in December, a few extra seats of V25 Pro would be nice.

We've only been in business for 25 years so it's possible we don't have your experience but I think I can make BobCAD work.

On a side note, it doesn't look like your son is suited to work in your shop. Send him here to Ohio and I will make a programmer out of him. He got a better deal on V25 Pro than I did so I'd be willing to gamble on him.

SBC

Well, I can echo all of your post for sure (Except I only have 5 CNC machines, sold off 4 of my bigger ones about a year ago ) and I could sure use at least one extra seat of V25 so I don`t have to cart a PC back and forth between home and the workshop ! ! ! !

Hey, here`s a thought, instead of the poor guy being stuck with the software because the BC guarantee states you only get money back if the software won`t produce code for your machines and as far as I know it does then how about a couple of us "club together" and buy the seats from him ? ?

His only loss then would be a couple hundred bucks for the License Transfers, reckon that might be a plan ? ? ?

Just here to help out as best I can

Regards