I have been researching hard these two european combination machines (The minimax CU410 Elite-S and the Felder CF740S) and am trying to make a final decision about one or the other. In summary, I am hoping that someone out there has actually used or evaluated both machines in person and can give me some practical advice.
In general:
Felder CF741S Advantages:
- tons of options
- great build quality
- electric powerdrive and LED on single phase machine
- seems like greater market penetration and perhaps a larger installed base
- availability of high speed router spindle
Felder CF741S Disadvantages:
- Price premium
- tons of options, all of which appear to be slightly overpriced as compared to MM (or priced at a premium)
- short tables and extensions are expensive options
- 12" blade max
- proprietary (often Felder rebranded) tooling -> more "european"
- long lead time on machine delivery
- rolling carriage not as flexible in rotation
MM CU410 Elite-S advantages:
- price is better
- machine is 1/3 more massive (why? Better?)
- takes a 14" blade
- Sam Blasco is a great guy and a terrific resource and about a 2 hour drive away
- I am also in the market for a MM bandsaw
- longer jointer table
- uses USA spec tooling
- ? better rolling carriage
MM CU410 Elite-S disadvantages:
- no LED height or power drive on single phase machines
- not much info out there on installed machines
- not as many fancy add on options (might be a good thing for the wallet)
These are just the salient points. In broad brush strokes, it seems like the MM machine is bigger, heavier, immediately available and perhaps a bit simpler with fewer bells and whistles. The Felder is fancier, less massive, requires a lot of retooling to european standards, has a long lead time and probably a lot of hidden costs lurking under every bush.
Rather than focusing on the specific option issues, does anyone have direct experience with both machines who could weigh in and help me avoid a mistake?
Rick