Novakon or somthing else?

[sseaner]

I am new to CNC and have been reading all the forums and trying to digest it all. My first thought was to convert an X3 or the new Grizzly 704 but I really do not see the cost savings or benefits, especially if you screw something up. I was considering the 135 but now I am looking at the new 145. The machine will be used primarily for personal use, prototyping and making parts. The recent posts of the many problems people are having just setting up their machines is causing me some concern ( especially since this is my first machine). I guess my question is given the choice would you purchase a Novakon again or would you take another route.

Thanks,

Scott

[ihavenofish]

I am new to CNC and have been reading all the forums and trying to digest it all. My first thought was to convert an X3 or the new Grizzly 704 but I really do not see the cost savings or benefits, especially if you screw something up. I was considering the 135 but now I am looking at the new 145. The machine will be used primarily for personal use, prototyping and making parts. The recent posts of the many problems people are having just setting up their machines is causing me some concern ( especially since this is my first machine). I guess my question is given the choice would you purchase a Novakon again or would you take another route.

Thanks,

Scott

i like novakon, the machines are good, and the service is better.
id buy one again if i was in the market for the same machine type.

the new 145 looks like a nice machine. im going to go visit and take a look at it at some point soon.

one thing i like about them is that they are more actively involved in the designs of the machines that some of the other guys. they take customer input on shortcomings in the machines and make the manufacturer address them.

you can see right off in the 145 photos that theyve eliminated some of the key drawbacks to the older x3 based machine, without jacking up the price dramatically.

[izzy88]

I am in the same boat as you, still not decided on which mill or company to go with. I am also concerned with after sales support once I get the machine.

One thing I do know is that Novakon has a track record of excellent support. Yes, there are machines that were not perfect but from what I have read, they do their best to support their customers. If I had the money and space, I would go with a Haas VMC but it is a hobby so there needs to be a compromise somewhere.

Reading through these forums, other companies also have issues here and there but we all need to be reasonable in our expectations.

Right now, I am deciding between Novakon's NM-135/NM-145 or Tormach's PCNC770. Novakon has a really good comparison chart on their page, I give them a lot of credit for having the initiative. After reading it and going on the Tormach's site, the Novakon's are still way cheaper once you factor in all they include in my opinion.

I'm still leaning towards a Novakon mill though.

I am new to CNC and have been reading all the forums and trying to digest it all. My first thought was to convert an X3 or the new Grizzly 704 but I really do not see the cost savings or benefits, especially if you screw something up. I was considering the 135 but now I am looking at the new 145. The machine will be used primarily for personal use, prototyping and making parts. The recent posts of the many problems people are having just setting up their machines is causing me some concern ( especially since this is my first machine). I guess my question is given the choice would you purchase a Novakon again or would you take another route.

Thanks,

Scott

[nuclear]

I like my NM-135 despite the problems I have had with it and some that still have not been resolved. It is pretty good for its size.

After using it for a couple months I wish I would have purchased a bigger machine. Not necessarily a larger table but a machine with a frame that was more substantial. I cannot cut material as fast as I thought I would be able to with the 135 and still maintain a nice surface finish. I more rigid machine would help this tremendously. My advice would be to buy the biggest machine you can afford.

[fourwheeler]

I guess my question is given the choice would you purchase a Novakon again or would you take another route.

Thanks,

Scott

To answer your question yes....I would buy another Novakon machine. I had a few issues with mine but they are solved and the machine works really well. Well enough infact I may buy the NM-200 this year.

[iflyparagliders]

My NM-135 worked out of the box. Which is good 'cause I am pretty much of a newbie. However, I am having problems with a 4th axis rotary table I got from them. I think it is a bad servo motor, but it still could be something in the controller. Fortunately that is not the main part of the system. Khai and Rodney have been really good about working with my waffling between sending the table back or fixing it. They are willing to work with me either way.

I have to say that good service is important because, like you said, everybody is going to have problems. I'd recommend them just from that standpoint. Their mills are pretty good, too.

And, yeah. Get the biggest one you can afford because, even though I get a kick every time I watch this amazing piece of machinery run through the G-code spittin' out chips, it still goes round and round more times than I'd like.

Tom