Woo Hoo first post!

Hi all, I am a long time lurker on this site, and have finally got the space and money to get a mill for my small home shop.

I am tossing up between the Sieg X3 and the Vario BF20, and would like some opinions on which would be a better choice.

My comparison on the specs of each (In metric, I'm from Australia:)):

SIEG X3

DRILL CAPACITY : 25
FACE MILL CAPACITY : 50
END MILL CAPACITY : 25
SWIVEL ANGLE : 0
TABLE SIZE : 550 X 160
X TRAVEL : 160
Y TRAVEL : 300
SPINDLE TRAVEL : 80
MOTOR POWER : 600W AC
SPINDLE TO TABLE : 350
SPINDLE SPEEDS : 100 - 2000
SPINDLE TAPER : MT3 / R8
WEIGHT : 165
PRICE : 1700

BF20

DRILL CAPACITY : 20
FACE MILL CAPACITY : 63
END MILL CAPACITY : 16
SWIVEL ANGLE : 90
TABLE SIZE : 700 X 180
X TRAVEL : 175
Y TRAVEL : 480
SPINDLE TRAVEL : 50
MOTOR POWER : 600W DC
SPINDLE TO COLUMN : 230
SPINDLE TO TABLE : 380
SPINDLE SPEEDS : 180 - 3200
SPINDLE TAPER : MT2
WEIGHT : 113
PRICE : 1400


It seems to me the BF20 beats the Sieg X3 in everything but spindle travel and the taper it cames with, but I guess my biggest concern is the difference in the weight of the 2, I can't understand why the X3 is so much heavier, it looks like a lighter machine, does this effect the rigidity of the the BF20?

Any other opinions on this comparison?

On paper, the BF20 looks better. I rather suspect based on the price that it is not actually up to those specs. There are machines, such as those made by Wabeco, Prazi, and EMCO Maier, that employ superior designs and can get more performance for less weight than the Chinese counterparts. A Wabeco F1210E, for example, is a more capable machine than the X3, at about 3X the price but somewhat less weight. Not sure if the Vario line could be in that league, considering the price.

Actually, looking at the Wabeco F1210E, I think the BF20 is a cheap Chinese copy of it, it looks almost exactly the same, and has pretty much the same specs. That is a very nice looking machine, but the price is a little bit high for my tastes!

Hi,

I do not own a X3 or BF20, but they are quite common here in France.
Some BF20 users report broken gears (they were mounted with plastic helical gear), ala X2.
No problem reported with the X3 since gears are metal.
So this with the CM2/CM3 difference make the choice towards the X3 (for me at least).
Note that a luxemburg dealer sells SX3 with SA30 spindle instead of MT3

Heavy side loads during milling make it difficult to hold morse taper.
MT3 fine for drillng, but not for milling once you load them up.
That's why I chose my Super X3
3600 RPM and rotatable head is great.
A mill can't be too heavy. The more rigid ther better.
The R8 spindle is stiffer than a MT3 also.
:)