Hi Jim,
I have been extremely happy with mine. Just as a basis, I am just a hobbyist. I don’t make products to sell. So I am not running it for hours on end every day.
I absolutely would do it again just like I did - having the whole package made getting it up and running a breeze. I didn’t want to get into buying the individual parts and having to figure out how to program the VFD and controller. His instructions were easy to follow and I was up and running with no hassle. Yes, it cost more but I don’t regret a penny of it - the time and aggravation savings was worth it for me. Not having to deal with the Makita router has also been a plus.
I know that Danny has enhanced the kit now and has an enclosure for the VFD which looks like it makes it even easier and gives you a Manual/Automatic switch. I have only needed to run mine manually a couple times and it is easy enough to enter the MDI commands in the controller screen to run the spindle without running a gcode program. Usually when I do this it is to surface a workpiece using the 1F wireless controller.
I ended up having no leak issue with the Kool connectors, but see my comment above about the threads. Be careful not to over-tighten those. I replaced the supplied water lines because I wanted longer ones to run inside of my drag chains. I am using a waterproof storage bin from Home Depot, and I use a less than 50/50 mix of antifreeze. I have run some longer carves and have had no issues with the spindle running hot. I have considered getting a chiller, but it would be for peace of mind more than needing the cooling. I would assume a chiller pump would have a longer life than the cheap pond pump. I always look at my lines with I turn mine on to make sure the pump is still flowing.
The water-cooled spindle is really quiet. That benefit kind of goes away when I fire up the dust collector and start cutting, but not having the scream of the Makita in addition to those helps.
I have run everything from 1" surfacing bits, 1/2" shank 1/2" down cut end mill, all the way down to 1/32" end mills. It looks ridiculous running a 1/32" bit in an 80mm spindle, but it works beautifully doing intricate inlays.
Lastly, if you want to see my setup, I have a webpage that has pictures and shows how I did everything: CNC Prep