Granite or Patriot?

[cvz6977]

Ok, I know from all of my trolling that this is opening a can of worms but hey I am fishing for a 3 in 1 and these seem to be at the top of the list. Space is the main issue so anyone that chimes in about getting seperate machines, which is what I would love to do, can just swing on by and build me some more space and I will fill it with all those wonderfull individual machines. So, if your not going to build me an addition, I would appreciate some honest opinions, good or bad about the smithy granite 1340Imax and the shoptask patriot. I am expecting quotes from both companies and will post them up when I get them. Thanks in advance for any insight.

[smallblock]

I'll be the first to chime in- These comparisons usually break down into 4 categories-
Features
Quality
Service.
Price

Features can be easily compared on the company website. My guess is that you have already decided which machine offers the most in lathe and milling.

Quality is more difficult to determine on your own without actually buying one of each brand and finding out the hard way. I have owned 2 Shoptask/Shopmaster machines and found the quality to be fine for the price point. I don't know about Smithy, but I would be wary of any sales pitch that claims some superior degree of quality from a Chinese factory, especially if the price is similar to the competition.

Service is a major issue for most people, and reading these forums, you will see that both companies receive reasonably good reviews, with each having the occasional hate mail. Looking at the overall picture, Shoptask has been around for 30 years- Smithy about 25, so you can take some comfort in knowing that both are pretty solid.

Price is another black and white comparison you have probably already done. Shopmaster offers a machine with 4 axis CNC, VFD drives and 3 axis ball screws for 4995.00- The Smithy, if outfitted the same way, I think will be substantially higher.

[cvz6977]

Thank you for the input. I have considered all of these categories. At first impression it seemed that the smithy was the way to go. After closer review, the patriot is getting some high marks. These marks are based on a realistic idea of what I plan to be machining, the features and quality of parts that are used in the building of the machine. I understand that the chinese machines leave a bit to be desired but with a little effort can be modified to produce consistant quality. I can live with this until I have more space to get seperate machines. The best bang for the buck is what I have to deal with for the time being. I would like some smithy owners/users to chime in with their opinions as well.

[cvz6977]

Smithy granite 1340 Imax without the stand or shipping, $7848.00 This is for complete (uninstalled) cnc set up. Shipping to my door would be an additional 400 and the stand is 300. Another couple points for the patriot?

[smallblock]

Smithy granite 1340 Imax without the stand or shipping, $7848.00 This is for complete (uninstalled) cnc set up. Shipping to my door would be an additional 400 and the stand is 300. Another couple points for the patriot?

Is the CNC a 4 axis? Does it include ball screws? Does the kit require removal of your normal manual functions and modifications to the machine? What software and drives do they use? Do they supply a PC? Can the spindle be controlled through the CNC for threading, constant surface speed, tapping etc.? Do they offer a CNC rotary table?

These are some questions I would ask before making my decision.

[cvz6977]

Actually waiting for a reply to those questions and a few more. They have a rotary table but it is not included...of course...lol. I'll keep updating as information comes in.

[digitalmdi]

The Shopmaster is designed as a CNC machine from the ground up and comes to you complete with the pre-configured PC- basically a turn key machine. The Smithy is essentially just a 3 in 1 machine which offers a retrofit kit for CNC. If you were going to do your own retrofit, there is a Smithy on E-bay for about 2k, and you can buy CNC kits on this forum for around 1K.

[cvz6977]

The smithy's on ebay are some older models except for the 1324 in florida that is refurbished for 16k...wow. If I go with a smithy it will be the 1340. The patriot is looking better every day I research. I wish they would return my phone calls...