Hi Fellas,
Looking to get a CNC machine, and I've been reading a lot. I'm on the fence between the Tormach and the Syil X4+.
I'm a puzzlemaker, and will use the mill for wood, brass and aluminum, maybe acrylic now and again. I don't ever see myself milling much steel, much less stainless or any tricky metals. Everything I've made in the last 5 years is 6 inches or smaller.
Pros for Syil:
-I believe it runs on 110, so it would save me the expense of running a 220 line. The cable run alone would be at least 120' from the box, so this would save me a lot of cash.
-Easily moved. My shop for various reasons could move next week, or I could be here another 5 years. I can just see myself getting the Tormach in place and getting that 30 day notice the next monday or something.
-Price of course, I estimate it would run me $10K to realistically get the Tormach installed and running, vs. about 7K for the Syil. That extra 3K goes a long way toward a ShopBot Buddy, which is my next purchase.
-Takes up less floor space.
Pros for Tormach:
-My perception is that they have excellent customer service, and their manual lays everything out very well for a novice to CNC like me.
-Better resale value should I decide to part with it (not likely thus not a big factor)
-Possibly (probably) more reliable and easier to get running out of the box.
-Higher spindle speed, which is important for wood.
-More mature product?
Any input would be appreciated. I have no CNC experience, but do have a Harbor Freight Syil X2 that I've been using a couple years for basic operations. Already have a full R8 collet set, tooling, etc. I feel like not spending the extra few grand on the Tormach may be short sighted, but the Syil would save me some significant cash and is much easier to receive and set up logistically. Basically it seems like the Syil will likely do what I need, but will take longer to learn and if the tool has issues it would slow me down a lot vs. the Tormach which I think has a greater chance of running well out of the box.