News

To repair, or not to repair - that in fact is a question we get quite often. The Microstar® V-40 is a well engineered handpiece that was built to last, and many dental labs have units that have been in service for over 15 years. But when your V-40 is ready for a tune-up or in need of service how do you know what the costs are and if it is a wise investment?

As the only Schick Certified Repair Center in the United States we perform repairs on V-40 handpieces in various conditions. Some handpieces simply need the cable or chuck replaced, while others need completely rebuilt or need repairs to the control box. The costs for most repairs ranges from $60 to $300, but most of the handpieces we repair need the front end rebuilt and the average cost is around $200.

Are the repairs a good investment? Well, when you consider that the V-40 system cost around $1200, and add that to the overall quality of the handpiece, we find that it makes sense to do just about any repair necessary to the actual handpiece. Sure, you can go out and get a cheap, low quality handpiece new for around $500, but even being brand new that cheap handpiece simply will not perform like a rebuilt V-40. You also have to consider that a V-40 usually only requires major servicing about every 5 years.

The one scenario where spending the money for repairs might not make sense is when the control box needs major repairs. The reason for this is that 90% of the time we see a control box in need of repair we also see a handpiece in need of repair. This means a couple things - the costs are much higher, in the $700 range, and the unit has probably seen its better days. So even if it were repaired it might not run optimally. We've pretty much discontinued doing repairs to control boxes because there are so many associated problems.

What it really comes down to is what condition your handpiece is in and if you enjoy using a high quality handpiece. If your V-40 is still running, but just needs a tune-up then certainly we would advise getting the repairs done. Chances are you can put the unit back into service for another 5 or 10 years with no issues. Either way we are happy to offer a no-risk inspection and give you a quote on what it will take to get your V-40 back up and running. You can also order V-40 handpiece cables, chucks and chuck tools directly from our website.

Contact us for more information about getting a risk free repair estimate, or simply download our Repair Request Form then send it along with your handpiece to our repair center.