Hi everyone,

I've been researching and reading for a while now and I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on my first bench top mill. But before I do I'd like to get some advice and feedback from the people who have actually used these things and know what they are doing.

So high level overview, I'll basically be using it for primarily aluminum machining. Mostly small parts only 2-5". Not a large volume, lets say one piece a day for an estimate. What I'd really like is something pretty durable with decent support for newbie's like me Budget is roughly 5k +/-. I'd really love to get a unit that has an option to upgrade for water cooling or at least blow air on the piece to clear the chips.

These are the ones i'm considering so far?
Taig cnc mill
x2
x3 from somewhere like grizzly, harbor freight etc + conversion

Any other units you guys recommend? Of those options which is better for what i want to do? If I go the conversion path, which companies kit is the best?

Thanks everyone