I try and limit advertising Products we sell on the Forum but this is of interest:
We have been selling Lapidary Gear for the last 14 years - over that time, we have tried many times to get a well priced faceting machine for our customers. We have had machines from India, from Asia, we tried the Graves and the Omni but all failed the quality test.
We heard about the new Tom Thumb Faceting machine from the Omni maker. I see they have arrived in Australia for $2650 (plus add a bit for the power transformer). I really still worry after our experience with Omni how these will stand up in regards to the quality and repeatability Australian faceters demand but I wish them well. Very interested to hear feedback on these or any other makes - that is what ALF is for so that the community can help each other with advice and experience.
Coincidentally, we had already negotiated with Polymetric USA to become their exclusive Agents for the entire range of four different options of Faceting machines. The Polymetric machines are built by a guy who loves each one of them - they are definitely not a mass produced item with quality and precision the aim.
I asked a guy in the USA we all know what he thought of the polymetric and he said:
The machines are as solid as a brick shithouse 
(image courtesy of Jon
)
I have cut on them, and truthfully, if I had not made the XS3, I would have bought one for myself.
Zane is a good honest hardworking guy with kids to support, and he'll kill himself for a customer who needs help. How I know him is he is a customer..I make OMF blanks for him out of BATT and Darkside. Other than that I have NO financial interest other than helping a customer grow his business. He worshipped his father, who designed the machines and started the company...His father died some years ago. To Zane, it's a Labour of Love, and it shows.I respect the advice from guys like this - Gearloose has been as involved as anyone can be in Faceting Machines helping to pioneer Digital systems that actually worked and of course now inventing and supplying the best Polishing Laps Faceters have ever had the opportunity to use (Darkside, Greenway, Batt, Batwing etc)
A lot of words sorry - anyway lets feature this great Faceting machine option:
Polymetric Xristal-Tek 87, Dial Indicator, Precision Faceting
Retail Price: AUD $2900.00 but the high dollar allows us to put it on special for AUD $2625.00.
If your budget can stretch a bit further, check out the Scintillator - top of the line with everything you could ask for.
cheers
Andrew
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