I have not unboxed my 4xxl yet but by reading all the complaints about the CNC maybe I should just send it back and get a refund. This is not what expected to see about this machine. So is this common with this CNC or not. I do not want to make a costly mistake.
Hi Gary,
I’m not sure what complaints you are reading, but if you have specific questions about your machine or anything, I recommend you reach out to support@carbide3d.com and we’ll do our best to address/resolve them.
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Owner representation here isn’t going to match what is happening out in the real world. How many people got a machine that worked with no problems, and didn’t post a note here? Or had a small problem that was immediately resolved,and didn’t post a note?
I’m guessing that with only a little bit of rounding the answer would be “Pretty much all of them”.
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Gary,
The Shapeoko machinery lineup and the crew at Carbide are second to none. Incredible value, great service - I’m not sure what more one could ask for.
I’ve had a Shapeoko 3XXL for several years, and push it hard (regularly cutting steel etc). Never have I had a problem that wasn’t a result of me doing something that would have been classified as “don’t try this at home”.
They’ve sent me out spare parts for stuff that was clearly my fault and I was totally willing to pay for.
The fact there is a forum where one can see all the dirty laundry speaks volumes in itself. How many other companies would do that?
Of course, there will be sporadic faults with machinery, but that’s life, and the team at Carbide will resolve anything promptly.
Any naysayers will be in a tiny minority - just ignore them. Power it up, and get cutting!
Graham
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Buyers remorse is very real. The CNC world can be an active, rewarding experience. It can also be daunting. So is everything else we do in life.
No one ever unwrapped the new machine and went straight to work making wonderful items. It takes some time to learn how to draw your project, work the software, select the right materials, make the machine function as you need. That is the daunting part.
I am as new as anybody right now and haven’t had as much time to chase the game as I’d like. But through this forum and so many YouTube videos, I rest assured that my Shapeoko purchase was the correct one. The website said “Generally ships in 7 days from order” and mine arrived on day seven. I reached out to Customer Service for dimensions, etc to build a support table and got a response that day. My order for bits and clamps and other items were promptly shipped and arrived the next day. What more does one want from any company?
YOU must have done some research ahead of time and chose the 4XXL for some reason. Trust yourself and move forward
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It doesn’t sound like a good fit for you. This is not an appliance like a Keurig coffee maker where you take it out of the box, plug it in, put in your ingredients, press a button, and get a product.
Maybe I can use the analogy of pottery/ceramics. If all you need is a coffee mug, buy a mug from a store or artesian. Don’t get into the nitty gritty of clay, kiln, firing, glazes, etc unless you really want to create it and are willing to spend the time to learn it.
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We do our best to address complaints and issues as best we can — we’re not perfect, and things don’t always go as they ought, but when things go wrong, we do our best to resolve things — while we want to sell machines, that only makes sense if folks are able to use them successfully.
Working towards folks being successful we have written the entire software stack above Grbl (and we fund that) and have documentation:
and videos:
and a standing offer — if you get stuck on a file or project, send it in to us at support@carbide3d.com and we’ll do our best to work through any issues.
We’re here to help if need be — just give us a chance to.
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I’m also curious about what complaints you have read about.
I read a good bit of the posts on this forum and the only complaints I really see are those with software and design issues.
I bought a Pro XXL around thanksgiving last year but didn’t actually unbox it and assemble it until last month. I’ve not had any issues that weren’t me not paying attention and the entire experience has been positive for me.
I have been super excited with mine and thoroughly happy with the purchase.
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I had two problems with my machine
1- They didn’t sent the step 4 box (So I had to wait 1 month since I live in another contry)
2- One faulty X cable (So I had to wait another month, again)
But I have to admit that the support is amazing, I was able to get everything solved at the end so I can’t really complain, Here is one of the things that I’m able to carve with the machine:
I’m happy with the machine overal, I have been using it for several months without any problem, the only maintenaince that I had to do is a little bit of oil to the Z axis and general cleanup. I would purchase it again without doubt.
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I “upgraded” to a SO4 Pro XXL and have never had a problem. My old machine was always breaking, and I really don’t mind fixing, but it takes valuable time. Only complaint I have ever had was a shipping issue which was resolved to my absolute satisfaction.
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Hey Gary,
I read your initial comment and started thinking about it but then as I read through everybody’s response to you they all sum it up pretty well.
I can only speak for myself, I bought a 4XXL Pro. I did a ton of research and comparing between many different machines out there, and after about 4 months I committed and decided on this machine. I have no regrets! I’ve had my machine for about 9 months now.
What is your background? Personally I have no machining experience, no CNC experience, and no engineering experience. My biggest hurdle has been trying to understand the software to create the designs in my head and get them into the machine for cutting. I didn’t even understand the difference between a raster image or a vector image.
Personally I have found the software from Carbide 3D, Carbide Create and Carbide Motion are very easy and user friendly. Since getting this machine I have now ventured out into 3rd party software also.
Any frustrations or “complaints” that I’ve had with the machine have been 99% operator error. There has been many times that I’ve had to tell myself, “calm down, take a breath, and let’s think this through…or just walk away for awhile”, because the machine is very precise and it is only doing precisely what I told it to do.
And people on this forum are fantastic. Nobody talks down to the newbies and a lot of people are helpful or give tips and advice.
I had one wire that had a messed up connection, and contacting support@carbide3d.com has been fantastic. They are quick and responsive in my experience.
In the end, you will just need to decide what is right for you. I would recommend this machine.
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Just adding a bit about my experiences. My frustrations were due to the shipping company literally destroying one of the outer boxes and in the process removing my step 3 box. Customer support responded to my plea for help in minutes out of hours on a Saturday evening. The replacement was sent and another shipping company managed to turn overnight delivery into 5 days…
once past that the machine was easy to assemble. I have never used a CNC machine but I was able to cut two pieces on my first run that turned out great. One of them was something I literally could not do by hand with the precision I needed. Along the way people here on the forum have really helped out. Not only that, there are some dedicated Carbide 3D folks here who have gone well past the extra mile.
I have had my share of frustrations but it is a learning process. I spent a lot of time trying to decide on a machine. If you are not up for it there is no shame in that, but please don’t knock the quality of the machine or the level of support. My PRO is awesome and it is worth every bit of what I paid for it and all of the effort to learn how to use it effectively. Carbide 3D has had my back.
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Good evening Gary,
I’m a newbie and got my machine about 6 weeks ago. I don’t have any real experience with machines like this other than a little 3d printing which doesn’t compare. I’m not sure about the complaints you are referring too, and I also have had buyers remorse in the past on other purchases.
I’ve a a few small issues so far and they were my error, not the machine. Support responded in a day and then gave me a call to talk through it. It was within the 30 days and they overnighted me a part that I screwed up.
Outside of that, the machine does everything it’s supposed to so far. There is definitely a learning curve for CNC, so all I can say is follow their advice and just start cutting. I spent a few weeks after I got it making excuses why I couldn’t cut things. Now I can’t stop. Still learning, but it’s been a blast!
I am sure you will do the right thing for you, I hope to see something soon that you decide to cut!
Tony
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Hi Gary
I have wanted to get into CNC for a lot of years. I Looked a many different CNC Machines and decided on the Shapeoko XXL Pro. My background with CNC was limited to knowing What the letters CNC stood for.
I purchased the Shapeoko XXL Pro because it was a larger platform and the support from what I read was very good. After the Shapeoko arrived it sat in my shop for several months about 4 if I remember. It sat for several reasons, I gathered the items I needed for the movable Kreg table and the needed materials to build the top and several drawers and decide on how I was going to collect chips. The other reason for waiting was for my retirement.
When I did retire I started to build everything and get the machine setup and all the accessories built and installed on the table. Again my background was only knowing what CNC stood for. So I started learning and what I didn’t get right away I looked on the forums and YouTube.
I did have some machine problems after my first project. At first I thought it was something I was doing and after checking my files I found nothing wrong. I went to the machine and checked everything several times. My background was with Heavy firefighting equipment and the electronics associated with them. I checked wiring and found some problems with the harnesses and connectors. I called C3D Support and they were very helpful. We did several phone calls and one or two video calls. Basically Carbide 3D has a great support team. That is the customer service that I always look for with anything I purchase. Parts usually came within one or two days depending on the time you called.
I believe that you are like me, I started to worry a little myself for a lot of reasons. Now that the machine is working like it should I am really enjoying working with it.
So my tips to you are
- keep your machine
- take your time when you assemble it
- follow the directions and check everything again once you have it assembled
- if you do have problems or just don’t understand something you can reach out to Carbide 3D or to people on the forums.
For me there was a learning curve and I am very sure most other people have the same learning curve too. I am now confidant using my machine and push it to the max when using it
If you do have problems you will learn how to deal with them and gain the experience and skills to work your machine.
Anthony
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Thanks for your help on this question. I’m retired law enforcement and have about 15 years woodworking experience. New construction kitchen cabinets and smaller items mostly. I know nothing about CNC so it’s a little overwhelming for me. Most responses have been encouraging and after reading them I’m diving in and will make this work. I also took time to search for the right machine so spending that much money was a challenge for me. I hope I made the right decision. Thanks for your encouragement.
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If you run into trouble, shoot us an email or give us a call (or both). We’re here to make sure you succeed.
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There’s a lot to learn, but there’s also a lot of good learning resources out there.
I recommend checking out https://my.carbide3d.com/ and the youtube videos on the carbide3d channel. From there you’ll likely go down a lot of different rabbit holes.
Kevin did a great job on the my.carbide3d videos and the first projects should really help get you started. Drop any questions you have here or to support. The community surrounding these machines is pretty fantastic, as most everyone just wants to see you succeed and be helpful.
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I had a problem right out of the box but got it fixed. It was s simple sensor realignment. I’m guessing you got the machine to make things and are hands-on. This machine is so nice. If you have a lot more cash you can find a better one but the value of a Shapeoko is worth every penny. And the community here is second to none! I looked everywhere and weighed the pros and cons of the SOPro and others out there. Needless to say, I bought one a few months ago.
If people who love their purchase were as vocal as those with a complaint I bet you would not have posted your concern.
These guys have been around and their track record with me has stayed stellar!
jbc
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I love mine… I know you will too.
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I too am retired after 35 years in IT. I have done woodworking for about 10 years, building Murphy best, desks, raised beds with desks, etc. Mostly for family but have a small cutting board business I mess around with.
I purchased a used SO3 and had a lot of problems. ALL because I didn’t read the manuals; I didn’t assemble the machines from start; I didn’t take the tutorials; I didn’t even join this forum as soon as I should have. I don’t think anyone could have started CNC is a more “uninformed” and blind manner.
That said, between this forum of users and the best customer support I have ever seen in any business, I upgraded to a XXL machine and while I am FAR from understanding all the things I hear and see on this forum, the machine is GREAT and works as well as any machine in its class.
I can only suggest that you take your time and just have fun. It will come and continue to come as you try, fail, try again.
Good luck…and ask questions! Lots of questions.
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