Usually I am of the mindset of buy once cry once. But I am not there yet with this.
I have a Journeyman machine with the buildbotics controller. 65mm spindle mount
Right now I am running a router but would like to get into a spindle. Id like it to be run off the gcode and machine its self
Right now I would like an air-cooled, 110v spindle.
What recommendations sub 400$ for the set are out there. If I go with redline, Id want to upgrade to the 80mm and Im not there yet. Too much to change. When I do that, Ill upgrade to Masso.
I know collectively there is a lot of experience here. Id like one that is reliable and works well - without breaking the bank. Typically dont go hand in hand - but there seems to be endless options.
There will never be a better time to go with a big spindle and basically upgrade everything else than right now during this launch of the Gen2 machine. You will regret passing this one up. I was going to just do the IPP upgrade to a redline controller. When this came out I said WOW this whole machine was not much more than the upgade cost and I can get a whole new one and i can and will sell by elite journeyman. I stayed with the journeyman size not because of the small extra cost but because my shop is already crowded lol. But I will have no regrets. My work that I do is small, and in three years I have never needed to have a bigger machine. But Yeah do it now. There will never be a better time nor a better deal than right now!
“There will never be a better time” sounds like a high pressure sales pitch. There will always be good deals to be had- it’s just a matter of awareness and timing.
Buying a spindle and VFD are generally well within awkward financial discussion territory with your better half for probably the majority of us hobbyist types. I’d rather pay full-price for something I have high confidence that it’s the right fit/best value for my application vs jumping too early and risk realizing a costly mistake. Another mistake would be to buy a 110v 1.5kW spindle vs a 220v 2.2kW based solely on the initial price difference. Another mistake would be to buy a $1000 spindle/VFD kit when you are perfectly comfortable properly terminating a spindle cable and setting the VFD parameters, which can save you about 50% vs a kit.