Thanks for the reply Ross. Some interesting observations there, and some questions to add to my list. I'm going to pop across to their base next week and have a look, so will be able to ask in person.

Yes, you're quite correct, I want to buy prebuilt with warranty otherwise it just ain't gonna happen! Keen to crack on with some projects that require custom front panels. There are a few pictures of panels on their website that have been made with their machines and they look plenty good enough to me. Specs say 0.1mm accuracy and there is a YouTube video of a pcb being milled, and though it's not a particularly impressive board it seems to work.

Intrigued by your comments on price. This seemed to be the cheapest prebuilt gantry out there, and the other option I'm looking at is Exel CNC, which has better components but is also over twice the price for a similar table size. Do you have any suggestions for where else I ought to be looking? All advice gratefully received.

If, when and wherever I purchase, I will definitely post a newbie user thread... should be amusing reading for you old pro's if nothing else!!!

EDIT: SPaG.