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Wow, all the big TH-cam watch channels are running these new Elma machines. I thought, because it looks the size of a small fridge, that is was more than capable at cleaning parts, thank you for sharing your experience.

I work in a major logistics company. My advice is: never sign the paperwork before you open the package. If something is damaged - reject it and thats it. If they refuse to let you open the package, then just reject it again. Those claims take forever to process.

Well better luck this time but not perfect. From my own experience getting clean parts easily is the holly grail and I haven’t found it yet either!😕. Are you full time watch making or still a hobby?

Oh Leo, so sorry mate you experienced this. Thanks for sharing. Loved the review, commentary and your great personality!

I bet cousins was involved with this

Sell Elma and buy kiwicleaner. I'm just finishing putting mine together. Frank who designed it is currently working on an automatic version. You have a lot of choice when it comes to construction. The casing is 3D printed so you can choose any colour you want. Do you want a beautiful oak base instead of a regular one? No problem. Do you want more effective drying? Buy a bigger heater instead of a standard one. Do you want four jars instead of three? No problem. A big plus for me is the ability to choose rotation in both directions. If something breaks it costs ridiculously little compared to Elma. New motor $25, power supply $20. The whole thing costs $500.

Does anyone know how many times the L&R liquid should be used in each basket?

Is nothing built to last anymore? Their machines from 70 years ago are still better thank this

These machines were never meant to completely substitute and replace manual cleaning. You should be pegging your holes, and cleaning as much as you can with pegwood or swabs before. Also, pre-cleaning your parts before putting them in the machine will prolong the life of your cleaning solutions. There are professional watchmakers with much more capable cleaning machinery than this, and they still pre-clean. I'm glad that they sent you a satisfactory unit, even though you had to call them out online to get it. I was considering this machine, now I'm not so sure.

i got the same machine same problems constant dirty parts after cleaning i got mixed feeling about the machine ..

I ordered this same machine from Jules Borel here in the US. It arrived undamaged and packaged fine, not as well as your 3rd one. I got about 4 months of use before the heater failed. Jules Borel, who were great, offered to send me the "mainboard" which i had to replace myself. I basically had to take the whole machine apart to do it but it fixed it. Been working just fine ever since. I preclean all my watches with a brush before using the machine. Because there is no ultrasonic and it only oscillates in one direction I dont get good results without precleaning. L&R solutions. Thanks for the videos.

The suppliers make you say you are trade which totally alters your customer rights. I had a similar problem with a horotec tool it did get solved but the supplier (My Cousin er viney) made me wait a month while they contacted horotec, like you I expected my complaint to be dealt with by the person I handed my money to.

I bought a cheap $600 Indian copy of a vintage machine. XD

Hi Sir I have an Elma machine that I use I am a watch mechanic in Sri Lanka

In my experience Elma is fantastic.. Use lots of their Cleaners over many years. I can tell you we also have had TRANSIT DAMAGE .. and that even with exceptional packaging I have still seen freight forwarders poorly handle packages and still see TRANSIT DAMAGE . While I see broken glass - who opens a package in their Kitchen ? no sensible person I know.. so your video here is grossly unfair ... this is an issue of TRANSIT DAMAGE . It has nothing to do with the high quality of the product in this case. Yes, I know Elma products are in the higher end cost wise , but truly they are ! Again, we have seen reliability with Elma unseen anywhere.. Lastly .. they do stand behind their product. When I have ever had an issue it was always resolved to my satisfaction. Being in Australia we are half a world away from the manufacturer.. Did you but it direct ? or was it through one of their distribution partners ? In Australia there is an excellent supplier .. Sometimes the Germans are not as efficient trying to resolve issues outside of Germany.. which is not a fault of the brand . I wouldnt have anything else..

Yeah that’s why I prefer the vintage cleaning machines I just repair my old one lol idk looks like a 3D printed one would work better than that one there.😅

The brushing in a glass jar is still needed to prepare the parts for rinsing machine. The cleaning solutions has to be gentle wit the parts. If you add acids you will get cleaned parts but it would also be hars for the parts. Also, the pegwood is still needed for cleaning the jewel holes. A cleaning machine is not ment to do the whole job.

I have a solvex RM, its been faulty since day 1, been back to elma for 2.5 months, just got it back and its even worse than before, its absolutely outrageous

Hi, I also bought one of these machines. I'm trying to return it 7 der warranty but they want me to pay for packaging and shipping. 70 euro plus delivery to receive their crappy box. No chance. I've also found their machine to be relatively poor at cleaning. The ultrasonic step you suggest in your follow up video is a great idea. My machine doesn't rotate freely and I can therefore not use it at their recommended settings. Wishing I'd only spent £500 on one of those Indian machines!

This should come in a wooden crate from the manufacturer - with the proper padding inside to make sure it doesn't move around.

Fvck elma. L&r for the win! They will go out of business very soon

its disgusting service from Elma this like when you pay 3k for a machine and this is the result i see in the comments they have contacted you but i would just want my money back simple as that

Ok, sometimes you just have to manually clean some parts. I have had to use soapy hot water to clean steel parts before now. I can’t explain it. My ElmaSolvex is like this on odd occasions and that cost £11,500 + VAT at the time. There’s no silver bullet for cleanliness.

For such an expensive machine, that is extremely poor packaging. I bought a "cheap", new cleaning machine from India and it was so well packaged that it could have fallen off the back of a truck and still not broken anything. Plus they shipped it out to Australia via DHL air express all for US$500. Of course it is not an automatic machine, but an old style "manual" machine like the traditional vintage cleaning machines. But it works 100% and came with 3 spare glass bottles and caps.

So in fact ultrasonic, heated liquid works the best. What we need: machine that heats, ultrasound and demagnetise at the same time.

Disaster

i had buy a new ElmaSolvex VA and it doesn’t work 🤷🏻‍♂️ Elma swiss make me paid for the transport of the machine also if it’s guaranted 😂😂😂

If you end up using it, I think you will be shocked by the rate of evaporative loss of hazardous fluids from the jars. Very basic loose jar lids, non threaded, non friction fit, and the seals are essentially cosmetic.

All show and no go! It would be beneficial I think if the jars were heated for stubborn spots imo

Looks like the machine is not fit for purpose..

It must be very disappointing to spend this much money and still be unable to clean watch parts satisfactorily, not to mention the wasted time and hassle to simply getting an intact machine and jars delivered. I would be interested to know how well the Solvex coped with cleaning off Molykote DX - I know it has a reputation for stubbornly clinging to parts, especially when it has aged, but even freshly applied. Thank you for sharing your experience with this machine, and Elma’s customer support + packaging.

The dog looks pretty pissed off as well.

Thabks for posting this. Eye opening. Expensive piece of kit you have every right to expect them to stand behind their product, when they dont what separated their product and a Pearl/Janta machine is literally only wasted money.

Thanks for the video. Would certainly not touch any of their machines after watching this.

I'm diying a cleaning machine because I'm just a hobbyist. The four glass jars I bought for £40 were packaged in pre-cut polystyrene holders that kept them separate and they arrived perfectly. How could elma expect bubble wrapped glass jars floating inside the box not to break?

I noticed the message in the comments from Elma apologizing and saying they will send you a new machine. Makes me laugh that you had to go to the trouble to post this video for Elma to do what they should have done in the first place. Thanks for the video and this has put me right off ordering a Solvex (which I was on the verge of doing). I'm going to wait and try to find a good vintage one instead I reckon.

Complete junk. If they cant engineer a simple shipping box with protective inserts there is no way i would buy their products.

Please accept our sincere apologies for any damage that occurred during the transport of your machine. We are really sorry and we fully understand your dissatisfaction. We will send a new machine to you directly. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your patience. Your Elma Support Team

I am so sorry you have had to go through all this. I would have thought that consumer laws would allow you to return this machine for a full refund? I really appreciate you sharing this because I was looking at buying the exact same machine and after seeing this I am figuratively running down the street screaming and shouting like I've seen a monster or something. What a stress out this must have been for you... and it's still not over! I feel I would have practically have needed to be medicated after going through what they have subjected you to. It seems not only inhumane, but bordering on criminal in my opinion. I cannot believe the annoying hum that machine makes (one of my pet hates), but also the sound it makes as it spins up. It should be virtually silent, not sound like it's grinding up inside. The dodgy electronics is amasing to see and hear about. I can't see how this company's machines would be reliable in the long term? What a piece of junk! You must get a refund somehow. I would recommend having a look at the Nekkid Watchmaker TH-cam channel and seeing his machine. It's top notch, fully enclosed during operation with acrylic that he closes that traps all the noise inside during operation, like I've seen on CNC milling machines... and no hum! Thank you for sparing me the stress and anguish you have been put through, I would rather have one of those Indian made machines and a separate ultrasonic machine than be put through that nonsense. I still can't understand how their manufacturing quality and packaging has become so poor. They have destroyed their reputation with this machine in my opinion. I'll be sharing this video with others in the industry. I might even show it at an upcoming seminar! I have subscribed and I hope you will keep us updated on the saga. My deepest condolences, and good luck getting this sorted out.

The machine was damaged due to poor packaging..its inexplicable why they would expect that box to safely transport the equipment..and not prepared to offer a replacement thats bad . Thanks for exposing this company.