David,
We bought our first Desktop sight unseen just on the specs, the company's responses to our initial questions, and all the help from the forum.
Once we had our first machine, there was never a question about the fact that going with the spindle was the right choice for us.....happy enough so that we bought an exact same Desktop within 3 months for the production work
No regrets at ALL going Shopbot.
As to the Y limitations...pretty much a non factor, as VCarvePro that comes with the machine has a "Tiling" function, and as long as it's not more than 24" wide, you can slide almost any length project through the Y-axis.
We only rarely need it, but it's there.
The Desktop is built like a tank!
I don't think you'll have any regrets purchasing one, and if you're like me, you'll LOVE the precision and repeatability you'll have!
scott