I dont want to be a contrarian but if you are unsure send it back. Everyone on the forum has given positive feedback and so would I based on my experience over the last 4 years.
So sit down and think about why you want to send it back. We all experience buyers remorse but what is the real reason you are doubting your purchase.
Are you worried about the time commitment? Is it the purchase price? Is it fear of failure?
There is a learning curve and a time commitment. The purchase price is on line with c3dās competitors. All everyones lives are sucesses and failure.
So bottom line really sit down and think about it and give yourself a truthful answer and act on that.
We have a supportive community that will help you every step of the way.
If you really want to use a CNC then I donāt believe you made a mistake as long as you are willing to learn how to use it.
When I got my unit, it had a bad connector and customer service was amazing. Then, i made a stupid early mistake and turned on my router before measuring the bit zero and drilled right through it and they lived up to their promise to replace anything that we break in the first 30 days.
The unit works great and Iām loving it while I continue to learn. Worth every penny and itās a quality machine. No regrets.
Gary,
The assembly can be daunting. Follow the instructions. They are pretty clear. It will take a few trial runs to get your project the way you want. The basic software should work for you. No need to buy the auto cad software. I would highly recommend the zero probe and a shop vac. I have a 4PRO XXXL and love it. Once you get your design worked out, things will fly. They provide good support. No bad questions they can help.
I understand the steep learning curve that goes along with getting started and learning a new process or tool. Stick with it, and take it a step at a time. Big problems or processes donāt get sorted out all at once, itās a divide-and-conquer process. You know that from doing woodworking. Good luck.
When I first got my Shapeoko I almost gave up as well. I bought it not knowing the first thing about CNC, cad, cam, work holding, or feeds and speeds. Itās a huge learning curve. That being said, this machine is amazing! Itās not the Shapeoko thatās flawed, itās the user. And I say that from personal perspective.
Granted their are some little bugs and quirks that need to be addressed every now and then but overall the machine is great and the support from Carbide is superb!! I didnāt start this journey with one specific thing in mind that I wanted to create. I wanted to have another tool at my disposal when I went to create something.
Itās a long journey, and like anything worthwhile a difficult one for sure. But itās so rewarding when you get it all to mesh.
These are just a few examples of what you can do with the Shapeoko once you learn how to use it. I have a 3XXl, so your 4 is easier to use and more capable.
Iāve got 4 weeks into a build (after receiving it) on a CNC4NEWBIE and right now kicking myself in the ass for not buying another Shapeokoā¦ It has been one thing after another with this machine! Canāt get support for crap out of these people except for one guy locally in the US who wonāt ever respond to emails or FB Messages, nope, heād rather face timeā¦
The 3XXL I had and sold for a larger machine just a couple of months ago, I owned for nearly 3+ years and NEVER, not one single time, did I ever have a problem with it that 1) i didnāt create myself and 2) wasnāt resolved expeditiously by the best customer service ever or in the FB groupā¦
You need to keep in mind the one single most important thing about reviews
You will rarely ever see GOOD reviews. Only bad reviews from pissed off people who shouldnāt have bought a CNC machine to begin with and in a lot of cases, have never even reached out to support for assistance.
Made this new chassis for my dad. All done on a 2016 Shapeoko 3. Dimensions larger than could be done in a one-sided operation. It was tricky and took patience, but was doable. Donāt think I could have been making this without a CNC.
I needed the support two times and everytime they were extremely helpful and friendly. I have no regrets purchasing this machine, even considering the hefty 400$ shipping costs to Germany.
The only thing I would add is to start with a small & easy project. In your head, you might be envisioning making a replica of the Sistine Chapel with you machine: you could ā¦ in time. Start with the Hello World project. Can you make that? Move on to circles, rectangles, and triangles. Can you successfully make those? Next, try making them so they are the exact size you designed them to.
Pile up the little successes, build your confidence, keep learning (and failing) and you will get to the Sistine Chapel projects that lives in all of our heads.
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.
Me: skims whole topic, sees not one actual complaint linked or specifically detailed. Sorry, but "Ģ¶BĢ¶oĢ¶oĢ¶oĢ¶oĢ¶.Ģ¶"Ģ¶ in my opinion strong claims require strong evidence.
If you decide to keep it and run into snags, post here and youāll find an awesome community of folks willing to help. I promise, if I didnāt like this thing I wouldnāt pretend I did. I get my mind blown regularly by what people make on these āhobbyā machines, as well as what Iāve been able to accomplish myself (with plenty of happy accidents/learnings along the way).
Thanks so much for the āBoooā very mature response. I highly suggest you look at every email sent out by people having problems with breaking parts and programming errors. Not one positive remark being made about how they love the machine. Most of the responses Iāve received were very positive except yours and one other. Because of the positive responses Iāve received I decided to keep my CNC and work through it with help from most people.
Thereās got to be at least one in every groupā¦
I donāt think links are necessary. There are a lot of complaint topics/posts.
I had an issue with my Z axis getting stuck & ruining cuts. They sent me a new one & all is good now.
Itās a small, and relatively young company serving a niche market. Thereās going to be issues. Itās how they handle them thatās important. And despite the many complaints, there is plenty of evidence that people are succeeding with their machines.
Sorry, that was meant to be a bit lighthearted while also acknowledging I think itās bad form to drop a bomb and not back it up. The second part is completely supportive, and Iām glad you decided to work through it. The form is not dissimilar to other [rare] posts here. Which of these might receive a more productive response?
āIām so sick of this machine! Nothing works! What a piece of garbage!ā
āHi all, I feel really stuck. The z height on a part I tried to cut is way off from what Iām intending. Hereās my procedure: [a, b, c] and I attached my Fusion360 file if anyone has time to take a look. I appreciate it.ā
Specifics make all the difference in the world. No one can comfort your fears of a vague boogeymen. We can certainly hear concrete issues, try to reproduce them, and/or share our experience.
I highly suggest you look at every email sent out by people having problems with breaking parts and programming errors.
How might I go about reading other poepleās emails?
Thereās got to be at least one in every groupā¦
I guess? I was willing to call out what I think is bad form and unhelpful behavior. I thought a silly thing like saying āboooā would be fine. Iāll edit my comment.
And despite the many complaintsā¦
I legit havenāt run into these. @Garyrikli posted (a) in a way that suggested heād all but made up his mind, and (b) suggesting these machines are so bad itās not even worth unboxing the thing to try it. I think a āfinal hurrahā style email warrants a little bit of leg work to specify the issues. Thatās all.
