[Norvil l]

What's happening with Detroit Tools- they were the CNC division of Smithy, but their website is empty.

[instructor37]

I looked at their CNC line a few times and it appeared to be a "shotgun" approach to the market. They were essentially some off the shelf Chinese machines with the Smithy name slapped on. Reviews were not very good and they tried a software called Easy-Trol which was quickly withdrawn. I think they found themselves falling behind in the hobby market with their 3 in 1 machines essentially being the same old designs from the 80's and guys like Tormach moving ahead with more sophisticated machines for the serious hobbyist. Bigger companies like Harbor Freight and Grizzly were grabbing off a lot of the low priced 3 in1 market as well. In the past they tried a knock-off of the old Shopsmith woodworking machine (perhaps the origin of their name) as well as a Chinese made bulldozer, all of which disappeared from the market. Looks like the big CNC machines are going to follow those other products into history as well.

[tmarks11]

Their website is back.

From my perspective, one of their problems is they try to market every single CNC machine that one or more chinese manufacturers make. There product line has a lot of overlap, and it is difficult to see why you should choose one of their machines over another. They should pick maybe 2 lathes and 2 mills, and focus on those.

With a lot of machines, and a small customer base, it would be difficult for them to provide good customer support for every single machine.

[Norvil l]

Their website is back.

From my perspective, one of their problems is they try to market every single CNC machine that one or more chinese manufacturers make. There product line has a lot of overlap, and it is difficult to see why you should choose one of their machines over another. They should pick maybe 2 lathes and 2 mills, and focus on those.

With a lot of machines, and a small customer base, it would be difficult for them to provide good customer support for every single machine.

I agree, if you look at their history, they are essentially a copycat company - every product they have ever offered was either a copy of someone else's or just an off the shelf Chinese product. They are based in Ann Arbor Michigan where the local university is a hotbed of Chinese students and visiting engineers. Wouldn't be surprised to find that they are partially owned by the Chinese.