I have never owned a CNC machine. I am trying to decide between the 4 XXL and the Pro XXL machines. The XL or the XXL which is more necessary to start out with. Don’t want to get something overboard or something I will regret with this machine. I only plan to get one. I have an idea of what I want, want to see what experienced CNCers would advise.
My take on XL vs. XXL is:
- if you work on boards, get an XL
- if you work on sheet goods, get an XXL
(further, if you’re doing small-scale work, don’t discount the Standard size — the vast majority of my projects would fit on a Standard machine, and I often use a Standard SO3 either when visiting my mother-in-law, or when cutting tropical hardwoods on my back deck)
For Pro vs. 4:
- if you can translate time into money, or it’s in your budget, spring for the Pro
- if you are willing to translate additional time in the shop into a savings, and want to make long-term maintenance easier, or will use the machine only occasionally, then the 4 is the option which is a bit easier on the wallet
Either can do the same work, and for the most part turn out the same surface finish, just the linear rails on the Pro make it a bit easier to go faster/easier to get a nice finish (though with a bit of additional time and care, the 4 should yield similar results).
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I have an SO3 and the SO4 is its first cousin. The regular SO4 has the X and Y belt driven. The SO4 pro has linear rails but is still X and Y belt driven. The SO3 has 9MM belts and the SO4 has 15MM belts. Both the SO3 (now discontinued) and the SO4/Pro are good machines. However the SO5 is much superior. The SO5 is all ball screw driven taking away the belt systems. There is a cost difference but a CNC is a long term investment. Whatever you imagine you will make now will change in the future. Projects are like potatoe chips, you cant make just one.
The SO4/Pro is a solid platform but if you average out the cost increase for an SO5 over 5 years it is not that much. The SO5 comes in 4’x2’ and 4’x4’. That means you can cut sheet goods. The SO4 is 33" x 33". Even though you may not have in mind to cut sheet goods as stated earlier as you progress so will your project sizes. With the tiling option on all models in Carbide Create you can run unlimited lengths of material.
Any of the C3D machines are quality machines with excellent support. There are other vendors but C3D seems to be an excellent customer experience. The forum you are reading this on is an invalueable asset. You get advise from a wide ranging experience of real users as well as C3D employees. The forum is moderated so you dont get the noise you get on most social media.
So over time the SO5 may be a better choice than an SO4/Pro but it is your money to spend. Just spend it wisely.
One more thing to consider is the costs of tooling. C3D makes tools that are in their database and ready to use. You can add custom tools but C3D has enough tools available you may not need 3rd party tools. No matter what model CNC you get you have to feed it with tools.
My last advise is if you are a woodworker you will find many uses to supplement your craft. If you are not a woodworker a CNC is still very useful but you need to feed your machine with wood/metal and that means the ability to cut and mill wood/metal to use. People without woodworking experience try to make their CNC do everything. That is possible but having woodworking experience would benefit you but is not necessary. Besides tools and materials you will need a suitable computer to run the software. The software to design and then machine your projects is free from C3D. You can buy a pro license to add to the capabilities of the software but is not necessary and you should wait until you get your feet wet before investing in the pro. There are many other paid options for software but free software is a big advantage.
Good Luck choosing your poison.
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I am a current SO4 XXL owner and I would agree with the sentiment of @gdon_2003. My machine does everything I need, but I do get more chatter and whatnot with the vWheel/belt drive. Just ask @wmoy how much I think about upgrading to a 5.1.
Granted I bought my machine long before the SO5 Pro was on the market, but the differences are quite large and I would rather find a way to come up with the extra cost for the 5 vs get the older machines if you can.
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If you can justify the extra expense for one of the 5 Pro’s, I would definitely go with that. But it really depends on what you intend to machine with it & make. If it’s not large 1/2 sheet stock or metal machining, then one of belt-driven gantry machines is perfectly good.
However, the linear bearing improvement of the SPRO vs the previous generations’ V-wheels is well worth it.
Lots of great points above… My first machine was a SO4S. I had absolutely no CNC experience but it’s been a great machine. The only thing for me was that after using it for a while I should have bought the XL. @WillAdams points about how you are going to use it are exactly right. A few months ago I bought a used SO4XL and the 4x2 size is perfect. I can do my small projects on the 4S and the bigger ones go on the XL.
I went with the SP5 a couple years ago because of the ball screws versus belts.
You can see C3D is “upgrading” the machine to 5.1, so this machine has design focus.
This may help I first bought my 4 XXL using the soup can router and was having issues with the bottom bearings locking up and this was at the recommended settings so I upgraded to the vfd and it’s been a great CNC. I know it’s a mix emotions on the basic router but don’t waste your money on this router you will be more satisfied with the vfd at the start . I recently purchased a 2x2 5.1 as my second CNC with the 80 mm set up and it’s an absolute beast and yes I had issues straight out on the box but brandon got me back on track …love that guy . Thought at first to be a replacement for my 4 XXL that I’ve had for 3 or so years but I like it to much and still use it so she is staying . Here’s my point with the vfd upgrade on the xxl that you should do it may be more economical to go with more robust CNC when you add up the difference in cost. One last thing when you do purchase the CNC you will be learning the new meaning of patience in a level that you didn’t think you needed , though the folks at carbide are awesome and had to reach out to them on both CNC’s with the little demons that needed to be removed they are limited at responding due to the smaller team that they have in the customer service. With William and the above my head pros that respond on the forum is a major asset that may be able to guide you to figure out the issue if you have one while you wait for customer service to be able to respond . The reason I bought my second is I believe in carbide create and wouldn’t go with any other. Danny Winebrenner
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Totally agree with @Winebrenner on the VFD option. I upgraded my SO4XL with an HDZ, 65mm spindle and VFD and it’s awesome. Absolutely worth the money to get a spindle instead of the router. I use both the C3D router and the ER11 router on my first SO4S and still do but my go to now is the SO4XL with the spindle for all my bigger projects.
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