Quote Originally Posted by coops3d View Post
The question is, have I made a decent choice?
To be honest while they look nice pretty I've got some real reservations about these machines.?

First Pulleys even brass ones running on aluminium extrusion is not good IMO. Dust and crap will act as grind paste and eventually the friction between them will wear groves in the soft extrusion and this will lead to troubles down the line. The more it's used the quicker this will happen. I suspect these machines will need very regular adjustments and after the newness as worn off lots of slop chasing will be done.?

Next concern is the speed's they quote.? Max 1800mm/min Rapids is very slow and this will be the minimum required for cutting soft materials which this machine is really only capable of cutting. This is made even worse with HF high speed spindle which means the machine will be cutting at it's maximum capabilty's pretty much all the time.!! . . . Any machine working at or above it's maximum operating abilty's is going to have shorter life than one working and doing the job comfortably within it's parameters.

For first step into CNC then it's an OK machine but IMO it's too expensive for what it is and the cheap Chinese machines can give just as good an introduction to CNC for much less money.
Both are limiting and quickly out grown when the bug really bites but Replace the Chinese Electronics and they will out perform and out last this machine IMO and because the Chinese machines use off the shelf components like linear round rails, unlike these that use bespoke bearings and extrusion which forms the chassis then they can be kept running longer for less money.!

But proof is in the eating and machine time will be the acid test.!