[MIKE JEFFERS]

"It isn't much of a machine, but the fact that you have to go through such inane gyrations to get one to function means you get inducted into a cult of oppressively smug moral superiority if you own one, which seems to be their major attraction to many."
never had that with my x1 or x3 .......an i missing a whole part of this nonsene
must be on the dark side :-)


btw you in marketing there monk?

[Harryman]

MacNC's are nothing but junk, stay very far away.

There's lots of X2's out there, but if you check out the voluminous posts here about them, definitely not worth much right out of the box. If messing around, rebuilding and modding your mill is your idea of a good time, go for it. If you'd rather spend your time making parts, there's better solutions.

Taig's are the best bet for performance/value in that price range, plenty of users and plenty of help for the novice.

I've got a Minitech, they're worth a look, cost a bunch more than a Taig but worth it for a turnkey precision mill IMHO. http://www.minitech.com/

[Stepper Monkey]

I forgot about Minitech. Like Harryman says, if you can afford them, you can't go wrong there.

For real small detail work, Model Master out of Georgia has some interesting mills, and there is always the Roland as well, but they cost a small fortune and are severely limited in their size and cutting capacity. They are a trade off of capacity for accuracy and compactness, which certainly has its place, but there aren't many hobbyists that find a use for them. Mainly jewelers and the like.

[composites]

+1 for the Taig