[bpress54]

Has anyone had any experience or know of anyone who has used or knows anything about either of these machines? I'm considering the Pilot Pro only because it seems better built than the Rockler machine, which appears rather flimsy. Thanks

[JerryBurks]

The Shark Pro (plus or not) is indeed not very rigid but I would not call it outright flimsy. I used it for a few months and it did a good job making the parts for my own home brew machine including some aluminum parts. It also helped me understand what is important for my own design. I know some people on the Shark Pro forum use it professionally for sign making. The new HD version with supported linear bearing rods is probably better.

At the end I was happy to sell it and work now with a much better machine.

I don't know anything about the Pilot. But I would not jump to conclusions based on appearance. If you want to know if one machine is better than the other you should ideally do a test drive, e.g. cutting a square at reasonable speed and depth and measure how accurate it comes out. But I understand that may be difficult to organize.

[bpress54]

Hi Jerry, thanks for your input. What machine do you use?
Ben

[JerryBurks]

Hi Jerry, thanks for your input. What machine do you use?
Ben

My build thread is here. You can see the Shark in action in the second post.

[PDJ]

Hi all,

This is Phil from PDJ. I do the technical support for the Pilot Pro. We have a Pilot Pro vs Shark comparison chart on our home page- PDJ Pilot Pro CNC router kits, parts, plans, assembled 3D printing prototyping woodworking projects. The bottom line is the Shark is a toy and I do not know how they can send them out the door and sleep well.

The Pilot Pro base machine is 26X26 and can be expanded. We provide plans, parts, kits, and assembled machines. We offer kits and builds for 2626, 2642, 2650, 4250, and 5050. The kits come ready for assembly.

The quality of the Pilot Pro design is much higher than the most machines including the shark. The shark is a low quality hobby machine. For instance the Pilot Pro uses heavy duty extrusions, the shark is plastic UHMW. The same stuff they make milk cartons out of. The Pilot Pro use Hiwin precision rails, This is an industry standard. The shark uses rods with little accuracy. Our lead screws are C5 ball screws, this is the same spec you will find in a machine shop. Our parts are CNCed and face milled from aircraft grade aluminum. Our support is free and we spend as much time with customers as they require, often spending hours on the phone getting them up to speed on how to use a PC, CAD software, CAM software, setting up and running the machine, projects, etc.

All our customers are satisfied and a lot of them share there setup and work on our testimonial page. Please take a look - PDJ Pilot Pro CNC router testimonials and pictures of their work

We hear all the time from customers that buy other machines near the same cost or more and they are disappointed with the quality. If you are going to spend money on a machine it's best to spend it as an investment on a machine that is a high performance machine that will last for years under constant use. Our machines are design with the accuracy to mill circuit boards yet out perform milling machines cutting aluminum. If you try to save on cost you will end up with a machine that will not meet your expectations.

Our machine has a retail value that is over $10,000 due to the quality of our parts. The 8020 alone cost over $500 for a 2626. This is because it is hand picked and custom machined by the factory to our high specs. We keep our overhead low and pass the savings on to our customers. Why? Because we want everyone to get involved with these machines. We want to empower everyone to create and be successful.

We know you have lots of questions and we are hear to help. Please email, call, or visit us today.

PDJ Pilot Pro CNC router kits, parts, plans, assembled 3D printing prototyping woodworking projects

Thanks for your consideration,
Phil