The "ultimate" TAIG page is www.cartertools.com. It's a basic webpage that will require some more digging to see everything - but they is a plethora of information.
What's true is that sherline spends a lot of money on marketing. If you read this site, I think you'll find very few (if any) people will recommend a sherline over a taig. Sherline's just aren't rigid.
I went with a TAIG over a chinese for two reasons: 1) a TAIG is more accurate and 2) I'm space constrained. That being said, there are some great company's that really spruce-up the chinese mills and make them into solid machines.
Nick Carter, who runs cartertools.com and posts frequently, is an expert. I'm almost certain I've come across photo's on his site where folks have kept hand-crank wheels on the steppers for manual control.
Tormach PCNC 1100, SprutCAM, Alibre CAD