Other Builds - Pandora's Box

[m_c]

It's all about expectations, and finding people who actually know what they're talking about and without a vested interest.

Personally, I'm not against people starting with a cheap basic machine, as they give a newbie an idea of how things work, the machines will usually produce a tolerable result, but the machines weaknesses will also show the short comings, and why on this site people are quite critical of any machines flaws.

What I don't like to see are people who spend thousands on a machine, that is quite frankly mediocre.
This is where expectations, experience, and vested interests kick in.
If you've never ran a well designed and built machine before, you're never going to know that continual tweaking to keep things running well isn't a typical thing, or that the cut marks in your parts from machine flex aren't normal. There's also those who know the short comings of their machines, but aren't willing to admit to them.

Youtube is full of people promoting their latest purchases/builds, with lots of inexperienced viewers who don't know any better.
I've seen people claiming their basic machines using v-groove bearings and angle are as good as linear ways. One of those you'll be continually adjusting for maximum performance, the other will just work for thousands of hours without adjustment.
What do you think gets more views, a video with titles like "I built this CNC using basic tools for $500", or "I built this CNC for $5000"?
One of those CNCs will be attempted to be copied far many more than the other, but what one will likely still be running unmodified in 5 years time?

I get that for some people, the continual fettling is part of the hobby, and doing things as cheaply as possible is part of their challenge, but if you expect a cheap design to just work for long period of times without issues, you're going to be quite disappointed. And anybody who tells you otherwise, is at a minimum being economical with the truth and/or oblivious to their machines short comings, or is just an outright liar.