[MrWild]

I know you asked about comparisons of their reliability but also pondered the automatic changeover to CNC upon opening the crate. The only reason at all that I can see for not going straight to a CNC package is the constraint of project money. Us old farts can make multiple involved set ups so that a manual machine can make anything, but with the ease of one set up machining verus multiple setups and blending with an all manual machine it just makes sense to go CNC as soon as possible. Don't need a rotary table with CNC unless doing four axes machining. Right there says a lot.

I remember how it was making automotive radiator header dies before electronics. A rotary head and Trav-A-Dials. As the wheel wore on the TADs, allowances needed to be made or the spacing of the "hats" on the die steel that formed the dimples on the header for each radiator tube were off. The rotary head would do the end of one hat at a time, and you could have 40 or more hats in a row with up to four rows of hats. Chances for screwups were about 240 times. CNC? LMAO. A few clicks and then go read a magazine. <-- Not really...... :-)