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Post by johntx on Jan 1, 2019 21:00:04 GMT -5
I use a very cheap DIY CNC right now, and other reviews pretty much sold me on Axiom. Looking at the value proposition, though, for my needs the entry-level I2R series is the only option that makes financial sense. The first units were supposed to ship late December, so I sure hope to see some real-world feedback on them within the next couple of weeks. Anyone heard anything on this?
Would love to know if it really "just works" out of the box, what is involved in setup, if there's a high fraction of out-of-box failures, etc. It's not cheap but it's so much cheaper than Axiom's other offerings it has me feeling cautious.
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Post by stevem on Jan 1, 2019 21:58:09 GMT -5
I have a AR4 now and would also like to see one, but I don't think it will be available for awhile. After it comes out, it will take some time before there are any real world reviews about it.
What are you using now?
I will say that it I had a choice of either a NextWave HD4 and the new Axiom, I would get the Axiom I2R. At $4000 for the HD4 and what the I2R price, I don't see how you could go wrong.
I had a HD4 for 3 months and could not get it to run fore more than a day at a time between repairs. I know they sell alot of them, so maybe I just got a bad one, but there are many more complaints on that machine compared to Axioms.
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Post by johntx on Jan 2, 2019 20:08:49 GMT -5
Thanks Steve. There is a lot of information online suggesting that Axiom products are far superior to NextWave, so I believe you! I'm currently using Shapeoko 3, which is based on toothed belts, so I have every reason to believe this thing will work.
Are you suggesting the machines are not going to be shipping as early as they had planned?
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Post by stevem on Jan 2, 2019 21:38:55 GMT -5
When looking at the Axiom site, the arrival sate has been moved back from December to mid January. Don't get me wrong, because I love my machine, but Axiom has not been accurate on arrival times of accessories or new machines.
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Post by aluomala on Jan 3, 2019 19:57:32 GMT -5
When looking at the Axiom site, the arrival sate has been moved back from December to mid January. Don't get me wrong, because I love my machine, but Axiom has not been accurate on arrival times of accessories or new machines. I concur. I know it's part of the "biz" to make grand promises, and then fail to deliver, but it is very frustrating/annoying when you are on the receiving end of the grand promise/epic failure. I think that one of the major factors (I know little to nothing about the process, other than what I've read online, so I'm probably out to lunch) is to do with the offshore factories and shipping to N America. I have heard that some of these companies won't ship their products until the sea-container (or similar) is full. Like full full. Not 90% full. Not 99% full. But 100% full. So if your item is sitting in a sea-can that's only 98% full, you can be waiting some time until it is 100% full. I'm sure there are many other factors (trade war, anyone?!?; shortfalls from downstream (or is it upstream?!?) providers; winter storms in the Pacific; etc), but I can bet that if it doesn't fit in an envelope and it's coming from Asia, it takes a long time, and since we live in an Amazon Prime same-day delivery culture, 2 days, let alone 2 months is an eternity. I ordered a poster from a site online as an Xmas present for my daughter back in early October, and it took over 2 months to get to me in Canada (I didn't realize it shipped from China, and we had "labour disruptions" (CanadaPost union members were on rotating strikes.... right before Christmas: nice!), so that was more on me than on the company that sells these things, but pretty much EVERYTHING seems to be made in China now, so you have to factor that into buying pretty much anything). Personally, I would love to buy a "Made in [North] America" machine, but so many of the components are sourced from China, that I don't think it would even be possible (due to the regulations about how much of each product has to be produced/assembled/etc on US/Canadian/Mexican soil), even factoring into the higher labour costs here. On a semi-related note, I got a message to my FB business page from a person from China, trying to sell me a CNC router, direct. The price (when I pressed on the cost, delivered, in Canadian dollars, to my house) went from $4000 to $14,000 pretty quickly, and even then I wouldn't be able to use it (it had some pretty weird voltage, like 335V), and I can just imagine what kind of support that I would get with it. There are a lot of people posting on FB forums (CNC related) asking for help with their Chinese CNC machines, because I suspect they get zero support once the check clears and the machine is delivered (many, many weeks later). Allan
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Post by stevem on Jan 3, 2019 21:54:18 GMT -5
Axiom has done this with every accessory they have offered or are going to offer. I really believe it would be better business if they would have the item they are trying to promote and be able to deliver it and not just keep moving the arrival time back & back.
When I ordered my AR4, I was told I should have it in 30 days! It took 3 months. They do say they are partners with the company who make the machines, so why can't they be more accurate as to the time it will arrive. That company also makes the Powermatic CNC which is a clone to the Axiom except for the cabinet. The Laguna uses the same controller as Axiom as well, but with their spindle, you need a bucket of water under the machine and a small pump for circulation.
I sometimes think the only thing made in america is what we make with a machine that came from somewhere else.
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Post by aluomala on Jan 3, 2019 22:06:21 GMT -5
Axiom has done this with every accessory they have offered or are going to offer. I really believe it would be better business if they would have the item they are trying to promote and be able to deliver it and not just keep moving the arrival time back & back. When I ordered my AR4, I was told I should have it in 30 days! It took 3 months. They do say they are partners with the company who make the machines, so why can't they be more accurate as to the time it will arrive. That company also makes the Powermatic CNC which is a clone to the Axiom except for the cabinet. The Laguna uses the same controller as Axiom as well, but with their spindle, you need a bucket of water under the machine and a small pump for circulation. I sometimes think the only thing made in america is what we make with a machine that came from somewhere else. I hear ya. I remember the issues people had with the 4th axis, and with orders of their CNC machines. Some issues are beyond their [Axiom's] control. I had issues with my machine, but I had to use a distributor in Canada, and that was a soup sandwich from start to finish, so that wasn't neccesarily Axiom's issue, but as the saying goes "You're known by the company you keep!" so if Axiom doesn't vett their distributors properly, it reflects poorly on them. As well, my distributor was only parrotting what Axiom was telling them (in terms of expected deliveries, from overseas to their warehouse, and then out the door from there), so I guess the poor communications (on timelines) can be blamed on both. I think the problem is that if companies are too honest ("When will you get it? Who knows?!!? A couple months, maybe a year?!? That sound good!?!?") customers will just gravitate to whomever has product in stock. I very nearly went that route while waiting for my machine to arrive. I went to a local dealer who stocked Laguna IQ series machines, and could have had one that they had on their floor, for about $1000 more than the Axiom (IIRC) if I cancelled my order and bought the one they had. A friend who had a AR4Pro (what I ordered) advised me to chill and wait, but I came pretty close to going that way. A bird in hand...... Allan |
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den
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by den on Oct 31, 2019 15:57:47 GMT -5
I have had my I2R6 now for almost a month. The set up was not too bad but it would have been nice to have a few more details to make the set up easier. I did encounter some issues as soon as I turned on the machine. Being this is my first ever machine I was a little intimidated and frustrated that I was getting errors and alarms right out of the box. The main issues were that when homing the unit it was making terrible noises because as I found out both the X and Y limit sensors required adjustment. Luck has it that Greg at Axiom reduced my stress level and walked me through the process to fix my issues. So far I have made a number of items on my machine including a free download on a napkin holder that really increased my confidence that I can do this. Now I just need to learn more about Vetrics in order to make more stuff. The machine works well and I am pleased with how accurate and quiet it performes.  |
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Post by todddineen on Jan 3, 2020 21:44:27 GMT -5
I have used many cnc mills over the years, I currently have a small one in my shop.....In November I ordered the I2r8, and I am very excited for it to ship. I did contact support a few days ago, and they pushed back the ship time to the end of January...a little disappointing, but not much we can do but wait. I have been using the free version of Vcarve pro, and seem to have a handle on that, and now for the last month, I have been learning fusion 360. I hope to be able to jump right in when the machine arrives....
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den
New Member
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Post by den on Jan 29, 2020 15:44:14 GMT -5
Todd, You will love having the machine. I just ordered and received the JTech Laser cutter for the I2R and will be installing it this weekend. I'm new to laser so I am looking for some advise.
If you have not ordered the clamp kits available through Axiom I would suggest you invest in them they are great.
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Post by ppd417 on Feb 17, 2020 22:25:18 GMT -5
I too have a Next Wave (Piranha XL) machine and it works OK most of the time, but is very finicky.
I'm doing more production work in my small shop and need a more reliable machine,
that's whY I'm seriously looking at the I2R 6. The specs are far superior to anything
Next Wave has and comes in at a decent price point. Just wish there were more real world reviews.
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