You'll have less spindle torque with single phase vs 3 phase , but you'd still have more machine than you would with a tormach
a 10-20yr old mini mill isn't necessarily an old machine since they haven't changed much on them other than the control interface , and personally I like the older controls better that the new . They can easily be moved around with a pallet jack .

Both tormach and the haas have their benefits and both work for a start up looking to make money . I ran a bunch of the mini mills in the past and I love them . But, I'd only be able to run one in my residential shop vs the 4 pcnc440's and torus pro , 5 spindles running production is an exceptional difference in an hourly take . This works for me and it's not going to work for everyone .

I honestly think that the wisest way to go about starting a business with tormachs is to buy a bare bones mill (which is cheap) . That means hand bombing tools but a bit of physical labor that pulls in far more money than a day job is worth it in my opinion . This way there is minimal investment or the investment can be put into more . A fully dress 1100 is pretty much the equivalent in cost of 3 bare bones 1100's , 3 spindles running vs 1

[QUOTE=CL_MotoTech;

Running a machine for short run and R&D type work on single phase, okay, but attempting production on single phase is silly.[/QUOTE]

I do production every day . I could easily rent a large shop and drop in a bunch of industrial mills but I don't see a need for it