Re: PCNC 440 vs 770 vs ??? for newbie
770, no question.
1. 770 has a great design for flood coolant (the 440? Not so much).
2. 770 has higher precision ground ball screws
3. 770 has a bigger envelope
4. 770 has a tried and true induction motor/VFD combo. I am suspicious of BLDC motor/drive combos, as there have been a lot of hobby levels machines with those that have not stood the test of time. I wouldn't expect Tormach to make a bonehead mistake here, but this is a new design, so you never know
5. 770 design is well tested, no growing pains. 440 already has growing pains with the newly released Leadshine driver that came installed on the first round of machines having a design flaw that led to un-commanded spindle action (scary!).
The 770 is significantly more machinery for only slightly more money. If you have the space get it!
Tim
Tormach 1100-3, Grizzly G0709 lathe, Clausing 8520 mill, SolidWorks, HSMWorks.