[CL_MotoTech]

the additional set up fees are a pita I can agree , 10k seems a bit steep for a few hours work . In regard to the spindle crash , thats the cost of a bad crash unfortunately . I'd be concerned with how much it would cost to replace the grizzly spindle , time involved in getting the new one and if it'll fit properly into place . 10yrs from now the likelyhood of getting a replacement would be slim to none . The last company I worked at had a spindle seize up on a mini , cost of parts and labor was around $3500 , not bad considering it was at least 10 yrs old and has run a lot of parts .

I've worked on most big brand machines in numerous shops over the years so I have a lot of experience with the variety . I myself have Chinese mills 3 tormachs , novakon and 1/2 dozen retrofit benchtops , simply for dollar value . They get the job done and when the time comes I will have no problem loading them into into a scrap bin , and replace them with others . In what I said previously , I'm not looking to give the impression that I am not familiar with Chinese machines or that I am against them .

If you look at alibaba you'll see similar machines with ct40 spindles and better specs than the grizzly . It would mean having to broker in the machine but after tariff etc you'd probably match their price with a beefier machine with similar controls .
Personally in that price range I'd rather buy a couple or a few more tormachs , or even a used super mini . The likelihood of buying a used mill with all the extra options is pretty high , and they are reliable machines

With my G0704 I've ordered parts and had them arrive next day. Of course, I've also had them take 5 days. And who knows with these new machines what that's going to be like. I certainly would rather deal with Grizzly than a no name on Alibaba, but I did have a search there and found some enticing machines for the price. These size machines certainly come with their issues. They aren't really big enough to do everything you might need, but they do just enough to get yourself into trouble. Of course for somebody like me with only 500 square feet of shop space, I don't have a lot of choice, especially if I want to bring a car or motorcycle in for service. And of course 3 phase is an issue in that I don't have it.

I forget why the startup on the VF2 was so expensive, it's been like 8 years since that happened. Suffice it to say, I do remember it being a ***** of a process.