Shapeoko Pro XXL HONEST REVIEW: Three Months Later

Three months after buying my Shapeoko Pro CNC Router from Carbide 3D, do I regret it? What are the problems with it? Is Carbide 3D a good company? Watch to hear my experience buying my first CNC.

VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - The Good Stuff - Pros List
2:27 - The Bad Stuff - Cons List
4:52 - My Regrets
6:06 - How Good is Carbide3D Support?
7:02 - Current Status of Shapeoko Pro and Order Shipments
8:15 - What Have Your Experiences Been?

#shapeoko #cncwoodworking #samcraft

**DISCLAIMER**
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[onefastbob]

My Pro XXL arrives today. Wish me luck. Great video as always. Keep up the great work!

[OGs_Playground]

I appreciate your up front delivery. I am a new Pro owner as well. I experienced the same issues you did. The rigidity of the machine and the customer service easily makes up for the wait I experienced.

[Annacats]

This is exactly what I'm looking for - an unbiased review of the Shapeoko Pro. I'm close to buying this tool to make signs from wine barrel heads. In the last few years, I've been using the barrel heads for firewood or give them away. Now I want to make some $ on the side of my wine barrel furniture. Thank a bunch for your input!

[thegenxproject]

I’ve been doing lots of research on machines and glad I found your channel. I’m ordering one of these and you answered my questions thank you. Shipping time would give me time to build the needed table for it.

[dandeflavis]

I am a carpenter, that said after buying festool products the price of the pro really isn't bad for what you get. I am currently looking at buying the XXL pro or the hdm. I have a production run of chairs coming up soon and they require a lot of layout and the 12 chairs use about 1850 4x20 dominos and 450 8x40 dominos all done in solid mahogany so I started looking into a CNC router to do the bulk of them.

[MaximAvs]

More people need to make a video like this! Thanks Sam! You can definitely fault Carbide with lack of COMMUNICATION!! Communication is FREE

[stmper]

Ok i got my first CNC in December. Picked up a onefinity woodworker. Now granted im really new in this world. i bought back in june but prob because i was classified as a pre order onefinity keeped me completely informed. they even tossed in free upgrades as i waited for mine to be built and shipped. they gave a free pro version of the dust boot :) I have been so happy with My Onefinity i even paid extra for the laser Jtech 7 w for 700$ just to keep it with onefinity. I could have got a 10w laser for 100$ cheaper but i have been that happy with the hardware and support from onefinity. i dont work for them or anything just love mine that much.

[stuffwithkids]

Thank you Sam.
Now, July 2024, They seem to have it moving smoothly. My accessories whipped in a day and my machine shipped in 5 days, due to be delivered in 4 days, the 5 Pro.
Wish me luck!

[shaunbayliss]

Sam just to say that your video on the shapeoko pro, is a top man support. I have just purchase this machine for my hobby as I have just retired and needed a video's like yours too help me through the installation and setup of the machine, I will be watching your cannel for any new tips and trick to ensure a smooth running of my machine.

[ClintonCaraway-CNC]

I also ordered the Shapeoko Pro on October 15th. I to was disappointed when it took longer than promised to receive my machine. However I am not in the same situation as Sam. I am a 48yr old disabled professional woodworker.
I am setting up my retirement shop and for me EVERYTHING takes longer than I expected. That being said it was mid January before assembly began. I was SHOCKED by how much easier this machine went together compared to my original Shapeoko 3. This has been well thought out with the customer in mind.
My machine came with all the parts but the BitSetter was missing a magnet and wasn't assembled correctly. No problem C3D overnighted me a new one.... well the new one was missing the copper bushing the plunger rides in. At the same time I had had finished assembly and realized my machines Z-Axis stepper motor wasn't working properly.
A few email's to support at C3D and I was put in touch with Brandon. He told me how to begin troubleshooting and agreed to call me when I had the first few simple things required to trace down the problem. I jumped up and had it ready in less than a hour. This was at about 9:30pm EST on a Friday night so I emailed him back saying I was ready anytime he could get back to me. I realize there is a three hour time difference but I was available 24/7.
Within a hour he emailed me asking if it were okay to call. I said sure. Now remember it's now about 11pm EST making it 1am in California. He called and spent over three hours on the phone with me. It probably could have been done in less than a hour if we both stayed on task but we are after all cnc enthusiasts and I learned a lot.
We traced it down to be nothing more than a bad wire and that was shipped you guessed overnight.
I was up and running Monday and everything has been great since.
That is the end of my story for now.
If I had a con about the Shapeoko Pro it would without a doubt be the Z-Axis. The Z-Plus is actually a z-minus in my book.
Why build a machine heavy-duty on two other axis and then put the standard part
on the third. The reason was because the Z-Plus is fine if you want to run C3D router and cut at 100ipm. Personally I wanted to reach the next level. After upgrading the Shapeoko 3 to the point it would easily cut with a ¼" bit at 0.25 DOC @300ipm I want more. Hopefully very soon this issue will be resolved 😉

[gsamek]

Thank you for the video. I am trying to become a new CNC owner but the Shapeoko XXL Pro has been sold out for several months now. If they become available, I am told that they sell out in about 30 minutes.. I very much enjoy hearing about the CNC router that you have purchased as it helps me to believe that I have made a good choice in going after it myself. I just hope it comes available very soon.

[ChrisHornberger]

Just made a deal to get one of these second hand, and am looking forward to it. Thanks for re-affirming what I've heard about the general quality and robustness of the machine.

[richkrabbe]

Thanks Sam, you really helped me make up my mind on what CNC to go with! Great video!

[josephbohme]

Honest review, very refreshing Sam. Sizing up. Keeping one smaller for productivity on many jobs not requiring a bigger bed. Then having a bigger one also for the larger demand that may come. Me, Signage. Making desing frames like a door and other smaller one cutting single lletters to be set into hogouts on big sign for dimensional looks even use hard foam material. Can pour and make your own polyurethan blanks if desired.

[cliff]

Bought an XXL in July 2020 before I knew the PRO was coming out. Their service and support is absolutely #1. I really didn't use the machine much until October because I was new to CNC and was trying to learning the in's a out's. I started making stuff to sell for Christmas and was swamped with orders -- great stuff!! But then I started having disconnect issues, most likely because I live in Indiana and colder weather meant turning the heat on and more static electricity. So I was ready to pull my hair out because I would get 1/2 way into a project and lose connection. I e-mailed the company on Thanksgiving Day and they responded in 2 hours -- who does that on Thanksgiving Day. We went through a lot of trial and error to figure out the issue and they sent me, free of charge, items to deal with the electro magnetic Interference. Their support just can't be beat. I think the issue with the PRO was they just didn't realize how popular it was going to be and couldn't keep up with it. I am happy with my purchase and the company. For a hobbyist or small business it is well worth the money. Great video with honest input!

[hescowall]

I ordered my 3 XXL about the same time and had the same experience. Also I had ordered a Laguna Fusion II table saw from Rockler and it was also very delayed in shipping.
Neither Carbide, Rockler or Laguna reached out to keep me up to date on what was going on. I'm very happy with my equipment but my projects were delayed for over a month.

[ryanjohnquest]

There really is only so much our friends and family can take when it comes to hearing about CNC 😂

[everythingnnothingpodcast]

Great feedback, thank you. I will be in the market for a CnC machine this year. I am still shopping.

[VictorTellez-qu]

I got my Pro about 5 months ago. The wires were not marked and so I had to call. They walked me through the process of using a heat gun to activate the labels on the wires so that you could read the labels. I think they should have stated in the instruction booklet to stop and call for wiring hook-up. Then they would know when to start the clock for my 1 month period of protection (break anything and it will be replaced for free). Instead the rep told me that they started using a new supplier of the wires. That remark made me question the quality control. After this period of time I am very happy that I went with this machine.

[JaytheP]

Excellent video Sam, I’m glad you kept it real. I’m planning on getting the Pro for speakers, so I’m going to keep a close eye on missing parts and delays