Looking for E-STOP advice in LinunxCNC + Mesa + P4-S/P4-SE

Hi Folks,

New to CNC but I have been reading and watching a lot. I am converting an X3 Mill using LinuxCNC + Mesa 6i25 + 7i76 and I am looking to buy a VistaCNC P4-S pendant but I not sure if I should get the P4-S ($269.00) in which the E-Stop is via USB and LinuxCNC or the P4-SE + iMach EE Box ($317.00) which is a hardware E-Stop solution. There is a $48.00 difference between these solutions. I'm not try to be cheap but going for the extra is starting to add up and I don't want to spend extra and have the cheaper option be the better option.

Thanks
John.

A hard-wired e-stop switch on a pendant seems like it would be most helpful when a machine is large enough that you may not be able to quickly and safely reach a fixed e-stop from any given point or the machine doesn't have a fixed e-stop. If you weren't already planning to use a fixed e-stop switch, you could mount a regular e-stop switch on or next to the X3 and be just as good for less money. This has the added benefit that it works regardless of whether the pendant is hooked up.