RongFu31 vs mini mill or x3

[ZipSnipe]

Ok , I,ve looked at the other posts about the Rong Fu and it seems to be 60/40 good /bad feeling on the Rong Fu. My question is, I have $500 bucks in my hand, I can go pick up a Rong Fu tomorrow for that and for another $500 the old man said he would throw in $3500 in tooling. ooorrr should I wait until Harbor Frieght opens in May and just pick up a mini mill or an X3? What would you do?

[lakeside]

i could never bring myself to buy anything that sound like "WRONG FOR YOU"

[ZipSnipe]

I know , I heard you say that before, your the reason I,ve been hesitant about running and buying this mill, which its actually a Acra, but after I looked at it, it looks just like a Rong Fu

[lakeside]

What Are Your Real Needs And Have You Looked For Used Equipment There Is A Ton Of Used Stuff For More Money You Could Get A Used Bridgeport
LINK FOR USED MACHINES (AND I COULD NOT PASS UP THE PUN ON THE NAME IT DOSE SOUND LIKE THAT)
http://www.machinetools.com/MT/machi...p&groupid=8004

[mark c]

I've got a Rong Fu 31 that I really like. You'll hear bad things about the 5" of Z travel here, but if you can work within those limits, like I can, I think you'll like it. I bought this over the square column cuz it has more RPM right out of the box. I heard it's possible to change out the motor & go to a VFD & get more RPM, but I need to run at 115 volts and don't want to do a lot more in that regard. Eventually I'll CNC the thing, but for now it's a treasured member of my shop.
It's also got more travel than a X2 or X3.
I wouldn't necessarily take the advise of someone who is making a pun about the name. See what anyone else has to say about the machine itself and base your decision on that.
If you can get a copy for $1000, I'd say thats an OK deal.

Later

[ZipSnipe]

Yeah I was really hoping to get feed back on how people like their Rong Fu's, mini mills and x3's. Oh I would love to get a Bridgeport however size is a factor and at the moment the Rong Fu is about as big as a machine I can afford. I also plan to get a lathe which right now I,m looking at a Southbend Model A, but its pretty big too(450lbs). I have a 12 x 30 glass shop(my current business) however the machines are only going to be there temporily as I plan on possibly putting up a 8 x 10 shed (found I nice one at Lowe,s)at my house to do the machine work in ( I,ve seen some these guys on here with less space than that). I plan on milling steel and aluminum.

[JFettig]

Zip, If those are your options, stay away from the X2(mini mill) I personally like the Industrial Hobbies mill or the lathemasters mill or similar(square column)


btw, you got a pm from me,

Jon

[ZipSnipe]

Great, I was getting ready to go get this thing and now the guy wants $2000 up from an original $500. Can you believe that, how do you put an ad in the paper for $500 + tooling, then when I call tell me its $500 for the drill/mill and $500 for the tooling, then when the day comes for me to come get it tell me it's $2000 for all. Oh well I,ll just wait for Harbor Frieght to open and get the X3 and just collect my tooling as I go along..

[JFettig]

what a looser.

btw, many local harborfreights arent carrying the x3, I checked the one here in fargo yesterday and they didnt have it. I am going to suggest you get it from Grizzly, mainly because they have a larger table, which means more travel and more travel in the z-axis and it makes that big of a difference. go check it out over there.


Jon

[yukonho]

The rule of thumb is simply that bigger is better. The more mass you have, the faster, deeper and cleaner you can cut.
I have a round column mill like the 31 and to be honest, is is still a little small for production. The larger square column mills are the best bet (like the RF-45 and clones), the X3 is not a production machine by any stretch.
As far as making fun of names, keep in mind that TOYota is the worlds largest automobile manufacturer.
Colin

[lakeside]

.
As far as making fun of names, keep in mind that TOYota is the worlds largest automobile manufacturer.
Colin

TOYota does not sound like a warning "WRONG FOR YOU" and could you see a car named Rong Fu (my opinion only on name have no Knowalge of machine itself)

[yukonho]

OK Mike.
We wouldn't want anyone to purchase a machine based on actual specs and established history. Much better to base your $2000 purchase on how closely the name of a foreign company resembles a phrase in our language.
All of these machines are made in China or Taiwan ROC, and the RF-45 specs out, in theory and in practice, as the best of the benchtop mills.
For further information, do a search of RF-45 on these forums. The general consensus is that, for a manual machine, it is the best. If you are going to convert to CNC, there are less expensive machines out there that will work as well as the RF-45. This is because, for the most part, the added expense of the RF-45 is due to higher quality leadscrews and nuts, and other parts that are replaced when converting to CNC.