

You wind up paying a lot of money for these machines to gain minor upgrade in performance, quality, and reliability. There are more expensive machines with bigger motors, expensive linear rails, and fancier movement systems. The Prusa MK3S is engineered to be just barely more 3D printer than most people should ever need. My 3D-printing background makes me see Carbide 3D’s CNC offerings as being the equivalent of Prusa Research’s 3D printers.
Shapeoko xxl pro#
I like the Shapeoko 4 and Shapeoko Pro more than the X-Carve Pro If I had the option to buy a Shapeoko 4 or Shapeoko Pro for $500 or so more, I probably would have taken it. I’ve never once wished I bought a less capable machine than my Shapeoko 3, and it definitely wasn’t at the very top end of my budget. Even though I know I should own an XL, I’d have a really hard time not buying the XXL.įrom where I’m sitting, this is a good thing. The Shapeoko 4 XXL only costs 27% more than the standard size and only 12% more than the Shapeoko 4 XL. I do most of my cutting in the front left corner of my Shapeoko XXL.

The Shapeoko XXL takes up a lot of space, it requires a lot of stretching and leaning to secure things down in the rear of the machine, and building a usable enclosure for this behemoth is more problematic. At least 95% of what I work with would fit in the standard Shapeoko, and the vast majority of the rest of that 5% would fit in a Shapeoko XL. I somewhat regret choosing the Shapeoko XXL. Sure, you get an awesome Sweepy 2.0 Dust Boot with the Shapeoko 4, and lots of things are upgraded, so this isn’t exactly a fair comparison. Add a router, and that’s precisely what I paid for my Shapeoko 3 XXL.

The standard Shapeoko 4 starts at $1,800. They’ve since added the stronger Z-axis, though, so I think $1,320 is a fantastic value. When I bought my Shapeoko 3 XXL, I believe the standard size was around $1,300 with a router. I’m disappointed in how far up the price has gone on the entry-level Shapeoko. You haven’t told us why you’re disappointed! It isn’t an upgrade I need, but I’m excited that the option is available. Maybe you just have an extra $500 to spend, and extra rigidity and reliability certainly can’t hurt. If you’re going to be pushing your Shapeoko hard, those linear rails will be nice to have, and the Shapeoko Pro even includes a $120 BitSetter. Of course, upgrading to the Shapeoko Pro will cost you another $500. I’d pay that just for the upgraded table! I’d have to pay $250 just to upgrade my Z-axis, so you certainly seem to get more for your money today.Ī post shared by Carbide 3D up to the Shapeoko 4 XXL will only cost you another $330, and there’s definitely more value than that for me in what the Shapeoko 4 brings to the table. You now get the upgraded Z-axis and a Sweepy Dust Boot in the box. If you order a Shapeoko 3 XXL today, you’ll pay $1,970, and you’ll have to pay another $80 for the router. I don’t remember there being any special promotions or discounts, and it doesn’t note anything on the invoice.
Shapeoko xxl plus#
When I bought my Shapeoko 3 XXL in 2019, I paid $1,830 plus $95 shipping, and that included the router. Let’s talk about the exciting parts first. I’m both excited and slightly disappointed by the pricing I’m sure the wider belts are less likely to stretch, and I bet they do a slightly better job when pushing the machine into more rigid materials. I haven’t had any problems with my older, narrower belts, but bigger is definitely better in this case. I’ve been drooling over that new hybrid table ever since seeing the first photos of the Shapeoko Pro, but it isn’t something you can easily add to a Shapeoko 3. Most of these upgrades make the machine more rigid or at least more durable. Fully supported extrusions on the sides.The hybrid aluminum t-slot and MDF table.We already know my older Shapeoko 3 doesn’t have the linear rails or the lead screw-driven Z-axis. Rob’s blog post announcing the Shapeoko 4 claims that the Shapeoko 4 is roughly 80% of a Shapeoko Pro, and that assessment sounds accurate to me. The Shapeoko 4 is just a Shapeoko Pro without the expensive linear rails. I Bought a CNC Machine: I Have No Idea What I’m Doing.The latter is even shipping on all recent Shapeoko 3 models, and it is an upgrade I can make to my machine for a reasonable price. I’ve messed around with machining aluminum, and I’m certain I’d have a better time if I had the Shapeoko Pro’s linear rails or the upgraded Z-axis. Carbon fiber is rigid stuff, but it cuts quite easily, even if it is extremely rough on endmills. These don’t exactly give my older model Shapeoko a workout. I mostly cut carbon fiber plate for FPV drone frames, and I occasionally cut wood. The Shapeoko Pro is a lot more CNC router than I personally need.
