I found my first machine because I had been working with a guy locally that had two. I didn't know a THING about operating a CNC machine. That was roughly 2008. I have had 5 ShopBots since then- and I do not regret any one of them. I currently am operating a 60 x 120 machine that I am upgrading to a 72 x 120. ShopBot may not be on the cutting edge at the moment but they led this whole revolution in hobbyist and small shop CNC. See them for the value that they carry. They were and are a valuable resource. And not being on the cutting edge means we are not on "the bleeding edge"- which you would be with a number of these other companies. I am not Pollyanna about this- but ShopBot is a fantastic organization. And it is up to US to make the forum as important as it used to be. My 2C worth. Monty