Greetings! I’m considering purchasing a Pro XXL CNC machine listed on Craigslist, and as a newcomer to CNC, I would appreciate your guidance. Could you please advise me on the key aspects to inspect and the questions I should ask the seller? My intention is to make an informed decision and avoid any potential regrets down the line. Thank you for your assistance!
Make sure it’s a Pro, see:
https://my.carbide3d.com/gettingstarted/
You’ll want a Maintenance Kit:
If the machine was purchased less than 12 months ago the warranty transfers, so get the specifics of the purchase and let us know at support@carbide3d.com
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I bought a used Pro XXL a few months ago. The guy delivered it from 2 hours away, set it up, gave me a brief tutorial and did a test cut. That was all super helpful.
Make sure you see it run and get some pointers from the guy.
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The thing about buying a used machine that you dont know anything about how to run can be an issue. The Shapeoko Pro XXL is an excellent machine but it also depends on what the last owner did with it.
My advise is to get the owner to demonstrate the machine by cutting a project. A simple vcarve will prove if the machine runs and can cut. Plus you can get a quick guided tour of the machine and its features.
I would not buy a machine that the owner does not know how to operate and if you dont know anything it can be a problem. So by getting a simple project cut you know if the machine is working or not.
Now if it is cheap enough even if it is not working you can fix it relatively cheaply IF YOU HAVE the mechanical and electrical knowledge to make repairs. If you are not mechanical or electrical and the machine is not operational you are buying trouble potentially.
Definitely ask the owner why they are selling it. If the have no reason I would be worried. If they bought it and just dont use it then a big maybe. If they can demonstrate it then my probability of buying it would go up.
You can learn how to operate an operational machine but if it is not operational and you do not have the knowledge it can be a bad deal.
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Is $2500 an ok deal for a machine with approximately 60hrs of use?
Hmm. I paid $1900 and it came with a bitzero and 15 or so bits. I don’t think there is any way to really evaluate how many hours are truly on the machine so you would have to look it over and see if it looks like it’s in good shape.
A brand new Pro XXL is only $2800. I would expect a bigger discount for a used machine unless he has hundreds of dollars of extras. Is he throwing in the table? That may be worth some to you if it’s decent.
Replacement routers are pretty cheap and easy so I wouldn’t worry to much about that but does the rest of the machine seem sound?
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That seems like a high price to me. Usually if I am buying something used I shoot for 50-70% of the original price. Much more beyond that, it’s usually worth it to me to purchase new and get the warranty and peace of mind of a new machine. For comparison, I am selling my s3 xxl with my enclosure for $1300 locally. The pro definitely has advantages over mine, but if I was spending that much I would just buy new. Unless, like mentioned earlier, it has a ton of extras included, I think you can find a better priced machine.
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Thank you for the responses!
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