Originally Posted by
Scott Cowell
Glad to hear all of the input. -
Yes, I will admit I chose the ebay route because of the immediate gratification allure. Promises of 2 week delivery from a US warehouse (all lies). I also wanted some sort of middleman protection (ebay and paypal). This part worked somewhat, as I did get a refund promptly. That said, I am now looking at importing direct.
The upside is that it appears that I can either get a comparable machine (not the XB1060, thanks Dave) for less money, or get a bigger, meaner machine for the same money. I am leaning towards the latter, as I have already emotionally spent the money.
Now I am shopping for a 1390 sized, cabinet style machine. I too have noticed that MANY of the machined offered by different manufacturers seem to have the same cabinet in different colors, same control panel, and similar specs. I have been checking Alibaba, Aliexpress, and contacting companies directly. Will check into Tabao (thanks to the other Dave).
Honestly, this is for hobby use, not thriving business. Sure, I will want to peddle things to support the habit and make me feel as if the machine could pay for itself, but this will mainly be for fun. Building theater props, cosplay stuff for the daughters, holiday gifts and decorations, cool light fixtures, occasional edge-lit signs, tesselated tiles, etched mirrors and anything else that might please the Mama.
100w is probably plenty for me, but I have seen some 130w models cutting thin sheet metal. Cutting thicker materials and possibly cutting thin metal looks attractive and more versatile. But, I still want to cut paper (custom cards, decorations, etc). Any drawbacks to a more powerful tube?
For those that have such machines: any advice?
Scott.