# Time for an Upgrade



## printsfordays (Oct 6, 2017)

Hi all, I went to the ISS show in Atlantic City this past weekend and am ready to buy a new embroidery machine. I currently run 4 heads and am looking to add 2 more. 

I am currently stuck between the ZSK racer 2 and the Melco emt16 plus. 

I know that these are two very different systems. A 2 head vs. two single heads connected via Melcos operating system.

Both machines seem as though they would be great buys but the Melco is of course the cheaper option and has some interesting features. 

What types of experiences have you guys had with these two machines and companies? 

What are some of the pros and cons.

So far for me it goes...

Melco pros,

-Cheaper investment with ability to cheaply and easily add heads later on

-Melco support appears to be top notch

-Ability to run as single or two head

-lightweight

Melco Cons,

-No mechanical adjustments on machine for tension seems problamatic

-Seems not as beefy as ZSK

-Needs to be linked to a computer to continue running?

ZSK pros

-Two heads and lcd for simple setups (its what im used to)

-seems to be durable and beefier than melco

-small arm 

Zsk cons

-exspensive

-appears as though support may not be as good as melcos

Whatcha guys think?


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## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

I didnt look at the melco setup at iss but I was impressed with the zsk. If I were looking for another machine, they would certainly be in the running.


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## printsfordays (Oct 6, 2017)

I was as well, seemed like a machine that would just run. Harder to find info on than Tajima and Baruden though.


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## Nmfiredawg (Sep 13, 2014)

I am in the same boat between ZSK Sprint 6 and barudan co1. Some pros and cons and what my dilemma is. Where is your tech? I don’t have either here in New Mexico. Zsk as good videos and depending on who you buy it from four day course for maintenance. Zsk can be upgraded to new controller if they make one in next ten or so years. Smaller tubular design. All metal. Made in Germany. Customer support can be iffy here in USA according to different people. Some people are happy and some not. That is th big con people have with zsk is distribution in USA. I like their videos and some people say theirs has ran four years with out needing a tech to come out. They have a pocket hoop. Price is little more then Melco but not to bad I think, comparable to Tajima and barudan prices. Not as many techs again con, but supposedly good phone support.

So that is the questions I’m going through right now, go with a bigger brand here in USA, or the zsk. I think the questions to ask are is the zsk distributor you get it from going to be there for your in a few years for warranty, or will they go through another shake up. 

The racer looks like a great machine, I like that all their heads are the same on their machines. My problem is i like barudans cap system, and size of sewing field , not counting the racer xl. 

I think between the two, even though I have not run either of them. Would be the zsk over the Melco, just for the fact of the controller, checking see out area, not needing a computer.

Now if anyone else has ideas between zsk and barudan I’m all ears. I’m waiting on final bid from spsi but is at least four grand less the barudan, however for me it’s between two different levels of machines, if I went against the barudan pro I think zsk would win out.


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## printsfordays (Oct 6, 2017)

Bigger brand here in the USA or the more highly sought after machine..the ZSK is also my question. Im used to running without support as my machines are all ten plus years old.


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## Nmfiredawg (Sep 13, 2014)

The biggest brands are Tajima and barudan. All three should run and run with proper care. Barudan hard to find used. I looked at all four, Tajima, barudan, Melco, and zsk. I narrowed down to the two.


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## LTPEMB (Jul 10, 2015)

zsk seems to have a better staying power. IE if you watch resale boards and such zsk comes up almost never... which is either bad or good... bad cause there are few or good cause if you look into their video support site they basically break down how to fix pretty much everything... and if you are incapeable then they do have additional support but not to the "support structure" in place of others... which is to say... if you look into industrial support methodology there is a "build a cheap machine prone to breaking with a 'Proprietary' method needing dedicated support" OR you get "Build a more expensive but robust machine with a wealth of hands on info and DIY fixes and upgrades but is limited on dedicated support." 

For every zsk single OR multi resale out there, there is 25 melco for resale... think about why they are selling their melco... think about why zsk comes up never even though it holds a significant enough place holder to be worth mentioning (compared to happy or other...) 

Melco is great for a very specific market in getting relatively inexpensive networkable single heads that can be useful for small runs and personalization operations. But is terrible for mass production... its all about your target market....

If i were to dedicate a warehouse to small order/personalization/online sales type work... MELCO you can fill a warehouse with single heads and make money doing tons of small variable work... cheap single heads are easily variable....

Where as zsk is focused on the industrial specific adaptability and robustness... They have single head adaptability for small order etc but they are built to a higher reliability and even more strange and powerful capacity... Ultimately its all about direction... what is your market etc. 

I always comment the same choosing a machine is not about choosing specific machines its about choosing the advantages each machine gives you for your target market... ie melco great for small run persanalization and simple artwork marketability, at low machine cost, ZSK is manufacturing grade machines with a commercial use so ultimately its about putting together your customer profile and demand... are you asking for smallish order high quality... go for zsk... you will use it for years.... if you are going for quick sell easy work go for melco as the quick boost... 

I have heard some people say melco is great but between everything Barudan, Tajima, ZSK are the top three for quality robustness etc. Barudan and ZSK trading off in view points but ultimately its a matter of diy usability (ZSK) and true honest robust build quality (barudan), With Tajima having the most "availability"


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## Biverson (Oct 20, 2014)

I was in the same boat a year ago. I was between ZSK and Barudan. I went with Barudan and am way more than pleased. ZSK is a great machine but they lag in establishing a company and techs here in the US. They've added more distributors over the last year, but there are more Barudan techs out there. Also, to get a ZSK 6 head it's about 8-10K more than a Barudan 6 head. Actually, you can get a Barudan 6 with a stretch sewing field close to a Racer 4 with a narrower sewing field. I do like the ZSK videos and that they're forward thinking in that way, but at the end of the day Barudan was a better buy for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LTPEMB (Jul 10, 2015)

I am a hands on kind of guy so I always go for DIY approach even if the initial cost is a bit more... (although I generally go for a DIY cheap approach in bringing a crap machine up to high quality standards... which is far more personal labor but can be more profitable if you know how)


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## printsfordays (Oct 6, 2017)

Thanks for the insight, I definitely got the feeling that the ZSK was overall a more quality build in comparison to the melco. Having access to all those tech videos sounds very useful as well. 

The ability to control thread tension from melcos OS seems nice but i can imagine it being a nightmare to work on by yourself if something actually fails mechanically. Anyone work on melcos on here?

Also what kind of volume are we talking about that is to much for the melco machine in comparison to the ZSK?


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## LTPEMB (Jul 10, 2015)

printsfordays said:


> Thanks for the insight, I definitely got the feeling that the ZSK was overall a more quality build in comparison to the melco. Having access to all those tech videos sounds very useful as well.
> 
> The ability to control thread tension from melcos OS seems nice but i can imagine it being a nightmare to work on by yourself if something actually fails mechanically. Anyone work on melcos on here?
> 
> Also what kind of volume are we talking about that is to much for the melco machine in comparison to the ZSK?


Its not so much a volume question and more about order types/heads per machine. I answer the same way to everyone... a single operator can handle 1-4 machines at one time if you have the right setup and operations training... So figuring out your specific target market/ordersize etc. is the key to optimizing your setup. 

single heads are great for half a dozen small 1 to 3 piece orders.
2-heads are basically good for 4-12 piece orders or if you are tight on space.
4-heads are best for 8-72 piece orders... in a day
6- heads are best for 12-140 pieces ish... in a day
8- heads are great for 32-200 piece orders... in a day

So if you are limiting yourself to 1-4 machines... Picking the right machine is about satisfying a need. Are your orders lots of small 1-4 piece orders? then maybe 1 or 2 melcos... or bite the bullet and get 1 or 2 single head ZSK sprint series. (the newest sprint 7 looks extreamly useful with 18 needles, useful for keeping different setups/needle types reducing changeout time for special projects...)


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## Biverson (Oct 20, 2014)

printsfordays said:


> Hi all, I went to the ISS show in Atlantic City this past weekend and am ready to buy a new embroidery machine. I currently run 4 heads and am looking to add 2 more.
> 
> I am currently stuck between the ZSK racer 2 and the Melco emt16 plus.


If you do hats - ZSK all day. Melco fits a niche, but if you've already got 4 heads and are needing to add more ZSK is going to fit better IMHO. If you understand tension, hooping, backing already then the ZSK will be your workhorse. I also don't like that Melco's have to be run off a PC so you have to have one of those dedicated to them. They also have a lot of plastic, where ZSK is quality German steel.


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## printsfordays (Oct 6, 2017)

After much deliberation I think we're going to go with the ZSK racer 2


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## ejg0011 (Jun 19, 2017)

printsfordays said:


> After much deliberation I think we're going to go with the ZSK racer 2


Following to see how this goes. Just spoke with SWF and ZSK back to back - highly recommend, very comical.


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## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

As someone who owns an SWF (Sunstar) and is considering a ZSK, all I can tell you is, there is zero doubt in my mind which I would buy and it sure as hell isn't the SWF. Fool me once...


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## printsfordays (Oct 6, 2017)

Ill check back in and let ya'll know how it goes. So far it has been good working with ZSK though I will say it was hard getting past the price difference between ZSK, melco and swf machines.


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