New Rapida 75 vs Used XL75

I have a client that is toying with the idea of buying a new Rapida 75. I am doing my best to talk him into buying a used XL75. Other than cost, is there any advantage to having a Rapida 75 over a XL75. What am I missing here? Just trying to gain a bit of knowledge on this machine. Is this machine the old Adast press?

 

As you may be able to tell from my user name, I am a KBA fan for the most part. But, different horses for different courses. There is no one "best press" for everyone. It depends on the area of the country (due to service), in-house maintenance staff, and application.
I did work for KBA for a number of years as Product Manager and District Sales but the brainwashing has worn off so to speak. LOL
Make no mistake, the Ra 75 IS NOT a true KBA Rapida series of machine. It started out as the Adast, then the Polly then Grafitec Polly then the Performa series for KBA. It has been improved upon and re-worked but is not the same machine as a KBA Rapida. I'm not saying it is necessarily a bad machine but just not an upper shelf machine like the Rapida 106.
While not a huge Heidelberg fan, to answer your question, not even close between the machines you mentioned. In fact, as a consultant I would recommend a CD 74 over the Ra 75 any day of the week for any application.
If you require any further technical comparisons or assistance with your Customer, feel free to contact me at any time. 563-249-3252

 

I appreciate your honesty, thank you for that. I have been doing a bit of research on the RA75 on behalf of my client. Please let me know if any of this is untrue. 1. Machine made in Czech Republic 2. No autoplate 3. standard press ready skids wont fit in feeder 4. various tools needed to adjust rollers including hammer and punch (please tell me this isnt true) 5. Max speed of 16k is rarely possible 6. Cover stock marks like crazy at high speeds 7. Build of delivery is very cheezy and cheaply built 8. feeding issues on lightweight or heavy stock 9. Grippers constantly sticking and frequently need to be freed up only to stick again 10. Inker doesnt hold color very well unless rollers are new and have been recently adjusted. All this feedback I got from former RA75 pressman so I dont know how much of this is accurate.

 

It is made in the Czech Republic in the old Adast factory. I think there is a difference between a Ra 75 and the new Ra 76. I know the Ra 75 has had issues with the inker, the rest of the items I am not familiar with.
I think the biggest fact I would stress with a potential buyer is to find out how many of these machines or even similar machines have been sold in their region, or even in North America. I would guess that the total of the old Ra 74 , the Ra 75 and the Ra 76 in North America over the past 12 years would be less than 10 machines. That should send up some red flags with any buyer.