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New problem with my powermatic shredder

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FmGrowit

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Unfortunately, in good conscience, I can't sell these shredders. I'm going to remove the shredder from my website until these issues are resolved.
 

DrBob

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it was a lot of money that I paid form this shredder, it seems to me that it should work forever. these little problems are bullshit
 

DrBob

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all in all I paid a lot less for my flat screen tv.$200.00 less. I do see you are not offering them for sale as of right now, right today. the thing does such a nice shred, but why do they break?
 

Jitterbugdude

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Maybe we should compile a list of failures/issues with the Powermatic, both the original and the new version. Might help the manufacturer improve his design.
 

Brown Thumb

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I would keep selling them. You don't have to warranty them.
And They stand behind there product.
Why do they Break?
A lot of answers for that one. But 3 reverse problems and 3 different problems. Mine was my own fault when Pulling the cover off the connector came undone.
DGBAMA wire came off switch. Cold solder joint?
Dr Bob looks like the gears ate your wire.
In my eyes all simple fixes and when you bust something they send the parts out N/C.
Very simple machine to work on, at least for me.
 

Brown Thumb

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Maybe we should compile a list of failures/issues with the Powermatic, both the original and the new version. Might help the manufacturer improve his design.
They know where there problems are.
For example the blades rusting together with the Baccy Tar causing a lot of problems.
Instead of using stainless cutters or chroming the steel cutters they made the cutter assy narrower to keep the cost down on the unit.
I will give them credit for trying to build a good shredder at a affordable Price.
The new shredder has a couple of Bugs in it but it looks like they already took care of one of them.
It is built like a Tank.
 

Freeotatv

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Good info on the soldering gun...thanks...im envious of the mig welder..ive been wanting to learn now to weld but from what im hearing about having to rent the gas tank...seems like a diy hobby that has monthly costs so havent dipped my toe into it
 

Freeotatv

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The shredder is advertised to have titanium coated blades but with anythign coated it is bound to wear off especially when it is a shredder based machine. Ive only had mine for 4 weeks and its seen about 4lbs and no issues but that is a short trial period.

Personally i would pay more for a model that has stainless steel teeth to avoid the future rusting issue which is bound to happen...but it is what it is and hoping to get three years use out of it before i have to start the mechanic work on it.

popping stainless steel teeth into it would probably bump the price up $200 ..rough round uneducated numbers...basing that off how much the polish manual shredder by gabej costs...

the shred is immaculate...its ideal...and the performance is also ideal...hopefully this new model gives a return related to lengevity.

has anybody had theirs for 2+ years with no issues?
 

Freeotatv

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Don...have you considered carrying the gabej model....not saying anything negative about powermatic but the gabej marketing stainless steel cutters is pretty attractive....did i get that right...or is it only yheir combs that are stainless steel?
 

DGBAMA

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In all fairness, my wire issue could well be my own fault, possibly putting too much pressure on the connection when I took it apart for preventive maintenance about a year ago. No other problems, never jammed.
 

Freeotatv

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I've only had 1 problem. My machine jammed due to me pushing way to much tobacco through and never cleaning it. I've had it since they first came out. No wire or bearing issues.

Thanks that offers optimism with care and tlc this baby may last some time...
 

FmGrowit

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not saying anything negative about powermatic but
The forum has hundreds of posts about the flaws of the shredder.

Yes, I've looked into the Polish shredders and they are cost prohibitive to bring to the US and distribute. I know I shouldn't be looking at making money on everything, but to buy 1000 shredders that nobody will buy is just plain crazy.

The rakes are stainless and if you think the Powermatic is problematic, those rakes are complete junk and they don't work.
 

Freeotatv

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Makes sense...inlooked at the gabej...but for the costs and international shipping the costs went close to powermatic.

im a fan of the powermatic ..hopefully wont run into some of known issues.

The ease of use and shred is ideal....i agree with bt ...the units main chassis is built like a tank.

there is nothing i miss about hand shredding....
 

Knucklehead

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Good info on the soldering gun...thanks...im envious of the mig welder..ive been wanting to learn now to weld but from what im hearing about having to rent the gas tank...seems like a diy hobby that has monthly costs so havent dipped my toe into it

I own my own argon tank for the mig, and my own oxy/acetylene tanks for the cutting torch, and the acetylene tank for the plumbing soldering torch. You can pick them up here and there.
 

grgfinney

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I have had mine for almost 2 yrs but haven't had any problems with it, I don't abuse it is still in original box, I think the most I put through it at once was about 8 lbs I have the second model
 

Knucklehead

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has anybody had theirs for 2+ years with no issues?

I've had my shredder for two years. It's the second generation with the cooling fan. A couple of members had posted problems with the gear retaining screws coming loose and they didn't realize the problem until their gears had stripped. After reading those posts, I checked my screws, found them slightly loose and reinstalled them with blue loctite. Other than that, zero problems. I baby my machine. It was never meant to be a commercial unit. I shred about a pound at a time, running the machine in reverse before and after use, which gets rid of alot of the sticky stuff. Shredding a pound at a time prevents a massive build up of sticky stuff. Most of it dries between uses and comes out when I run it backwards. I derib as I shred. I set the bag of leaf on my lap and I pull the main rib from a leaf and stick it into the machine while I derib the next leaf. The first leaf is shredded and the machine shuts off before I can derib the next leaf, so the machine is not running continuously. The motor is not being bogged down by massive amounts of leaf. It's only shredding one or two leaves at a time and there is zero bog down to the motor. This method is just as fast as deribbing first, and night and day difference in the amount of wear and tear on the machine. I've read posts on here where members derib all their leaf first, then shove it through the machine as fast as the machine can handle it. Several pounds at a sitting. (I think I've read 16 lbs. by one member at a single sitting) No offense to anyone, but some of these problems are brought on by misuse of the machine. In my opinion, the biggest drawback to the Powermatic is the absence of a comprehensive owners manual.
 

leverhead

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...I will give them credit for trying to build a good shredder at a affordable Price...

It's not an easy problem to solve! Cutting a fine shag and still having room for all the gunk.... it might be impossible to do this way (pasta cutter V2.0). Cutting two pounds a month with a blade isn't any fun either.
 

DrBob

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shredder 004-001.JPGshredder 005-001.JPGshredder 006-001.JPG A few more photos of my shredder. I have taken pretty good care of it and it shows no signs of wear after 50# of shredding this year. There are a lot of potential problems with the gearbox but with good lubrication it should last a long time. One potential problem is the gear movement sensor which can get fouled with grease. Too much grease is not better. Another area is the cutter head which can get plugged up and I blow that out with compressed air about once a month after it has sat for a few days, The motor section also gets blown clean at the same time as it will build up with dust, kind of a nuisance but it only takes 15 minutes to do.
There really isn't a better option as far as shredders go and I think that Powermatic is working on improving the machine. I would not hesitate buying another Powermatic shredder
 

Jitterbugdude

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Me too! I'd buy another if mine ever dies. One thing I'd like to see though is a hinged top so that all I have to do to clean the cutters is to lift up the top, clean and I'm done.
 
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