I had gas shocks on it before the upgrade. They didn't do much so I left them off. I am running a 4025 oz/in stepper on the z. The driver for it is a bit bigger then the 3hp vfd running the spindle.
The surface finishes had improved quite a bit. I haven't really run the machine a whole lot yet. Just to make parts for the ATC I am building for it. I will be making some parts for a vw tdi swap I am starting. machining the fly wheel and adapter plate should be fun.