The Ultimate Desktop CNC Router Comparison - Which Should You Buy?

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Timestamps
X-Carve - 1:01
Shapeoko - 9:11
Onefinity - 17:15

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[dana]

I bought the Shapeoko Pro XXL a couple of months ago. I had it together in 4 hours. I have been absolutely amazed by it. I have had no problems that weren't caused by myself, since I am a new CNC user. No complaints yet. I'm having fun and I'm happy as hell!

[JimIah]

Thanks for your video and your feelings on these machines. I looked at them and decided on the Shapeoko Pro XXL. I had a couple of problems with it as I assembled it but they were mostly my fat fingers vs the tiny screws in the x, y, and z limit switches. I did have a devil of a time in getting the power plug to go into the circuit board and the very small solder joints came loose. I guess you could say that this was my fault, but good on their guarantee, they replaced the board with overnight shipping and I was up and going. I am 74 years old and have been in woodworking as my hobby for over 50 years. This was a birthday present for myself and I am loving it. I also love the fact that Carbide 3D has a lot of good help online and on call. I have used it all and it is superb, especially for an old guy. I have watched many, if not all, of your YouTube videos and have learned a lot from watching your work. Thanks so much.

[calebsanz]

Coming from a 3018 Sainsmart...then a millright Carve king....and now a X50 Journeyman from 1F, I can attest to the rigidity and accuracy of this machine. Yes, i waited 3 months for delivery, but it was worth it. To answer your question as to what happens when you slam your x/y rails into the ends at full nothing happens. The steppers stall out, but no damage is done to the machine whatsoever. There are several youtube videos showing this. The main selling point for me was the ball screws (more precision, less backlash) and the ease of putting this machine together. Its 30 minutes....tops...and not a million screws like the others. Thats worths its weight in gold.

[JayBergCustoms]

I've got the OneFinity with the X-50 rail (only the X rail is 50, others are 35). It does indeed mount to the table with 16 screws. Mines into plywood with a MDF spoilboard mounted between the Y axis. It is definitely very rigid, have had no problems with it moving on the table or anything like that.

The one thing I really didn't like was the mount for the monitor. It's a swivel mount with magnets, so the monitor itself is just attached by magnets. I knocked it off less than two months after getting my machine, and of course the screen broke (it's a touch screen to boot). I upgraded to a larger touch screen that is mounted to a swing arm on a separate table from the CNC, and my controller is on that same table.

Its notable that the probe for the OneFinity is an XYZ probe, not just Z like the X Carve. You can move the axis with the controller/touchscreen, as well as with the wireless controller that's available. Controller offers four different speeds. I broke a 1/8th bit the other day not paying attention. OOPS!

It sucked waiting 5 months for it, and I actually bought a Genmitsu Prover 4030 in the interim to start learning, upgraded that to a 6060 (learned a lot about CNCs doing that), so when the 1F came in, I was ready to carve.

[RonMarshallrone]

I own the Onefinity Journeyman. First CNC I've owned but it's already paid for itself in 3 months. Great machine.

[sweterkitten]

I owned a shaleoko 3 and sold it for the onefinity. Onefinity feels like a race car compared to shapeoko 3. However im still waiting for a qcw frame for onefinity i ordered forever ago and they are not updating their website. Also i will say carbide3d has probably the best customer service i have ever experienced, truely top notch. So if support is something thats important then shapeoko for sure from my experience.

[stmper]

As a owner of a Onefinity woodworker. You don't want a onefinity CNC. They have issues with getting replacement parts. My screen died and i had to go to amazon and replace the part myself while Onefinity support could not stop playing with themselves and order me a new screen. My screen was out of stock on amazon i had to wait almost 2 months to get screen replaced. Onefinity has also blown out power switches on the controller a few times as well. it became a annoyance (had to buy power switches in a 5 pack) but it has been over a year or 2 sense it has done it last. and because of my Onefinity not being to run for 2 months I got way behind and i was saving up for the Masso upgrade anyway so im buying a shapeoko to replace my Onefinity.

[ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

An apples-to-apples comparison for a hobby-class machine is appropriate only for the X-Carve and Shapeoko. Onefinity machines are what I'd call "prosumer" to low-volume production offerings. For this reason (and many others), I'd confine this type of analysis to the X-Carve and Shapeoko.

Of these, the Shapeoko is a much better machine than the X-Carve...for essentially the same price.

With all that said, if you're committed to CNC, but aren't ready to step up to an industrial-grade machine, such as an Avid, Laguna, Phantom, ShopSabre, or other 4'x8' or larger machine, save yourself time, money and frustration, and go with the Onefinity Journeyman X-50 (48"x32"). You'll be able to cut 2D, 2.5D and 3D shapes on standard full 4' wide stock; doing what's known as "tiling" for jobs exceeding the 32" Y-axis of the Journeyman. Additionally, due to the use of ballscrews on all axes, coupled with optional larger stepper motors, the feed rates of the Onefinity rival that of machines costing three to ten times as much. The increased rigidity of the machine also makes cutting non-ferrous metal much more of a reality vs. machines targeted to the hobbyist community.

With access to a ShopSabre Pro408 (4'x8'), I just like having a smaller machine that's capable of handling a majority of the work I do. No high power requirements. No lengthy start-up cycle. Just turn it on, home it and get to cutting. All with similar precision to much larger and far more expensive machines. Ballscrews, not belts or leadscrews. Fast, smooth, accurate motion that's simply amazing...and well worth the nominal premium over X-Carves and Shapeokos.

As for software, both Easel and Carbide Create can be used with Onefinity CNC's, though the serious hobbyist or entrepreneur will want to quickly graduate to Vectric's VCarve Pro software. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it. Alternatives include OnShape, which has a free hobbyist license, and Fusion 360, which includes both CAD and CAM in the same package.

One thing this video didn't address is flexibility. Coming from machines with vacuum holddown, that's a must for me, and that's a breeze to accomplish for the Onefinity. A drop table for on-edge work, such as mortises, tenons, dovetail drawer boxes, pockets for cutting board handles or hidden hinges, etc., is also easily accomplished with the Onefinity.

All this in addition to wired and wireless controller accessories, touchscreen capability, WiFi, remote monitoring/control and, of course, the ability to create simple jobs and run the machine without a computer.

The Onefinity community is also extremely active and helpful, and a robust assortment of accessories are available from community members.

Lastly, Onefinity CNC machines are also capable of functioning as plotters, cutting vinyl, leather and cardboard using a drag knife, even laser engraving with either 7W or 14W diode laser offerings. So, after you've cut a project's shapes, you can label parts, make a custom box, even burn a logo or design (or simply cut thin stock) into the product. You're also able to diversify by laser cutting wood and engraving either metal or wood. All with a single, very capable machine. Be prepared to spend upwards of $6, 000 for a full set-up, though. On the plus side, this can all be done incrementally, over time, without losing anything. In that regard, the Onefinity is a platform that can be expanded as either your hobby interests increase, or your business expands.

[craigfaubert]

Someone needs to start looking at the Sienci Longmill!

[BasilMeadows]

I had a Shapeoko XXL3 and sold it for the 1F Woodworker. Pros for the move.. no belts, no v-wheels, FASTER! and more ridged. Cons.. Firmware needs some serious additions. Such as adding a bitsetter option for doing bit changes in one G-Code. Right now I run different G-Codes for each tool needed. Having the option to preset an X and Y zero for those of us that use stops or dogs for locating our work piece. The mount for the screen is a terrible design, I bought a swing arm mount for mine that works great!
I was running the XXL3 at 80 IPM, the 1F is set at 150 IPM and can do more. I keep hoping the folks at 1F will come out with an optional controller that has those features for multiple bit tool paths and a designated X and Y zero, but nothing yet.
Great video! I enjoy watching your stuff, no nonsense straight forward!

[williamknapp]

Perhaps because I'm a mechanical engineer I went for the precision and stiffness of the 1F. I realize that you don't need the same level of precision when working with wood but I guess that's just an occupational hazard. I also like that the 1F is easily upgradable to a true spindle. For about $250 I got a 2.2kW (3 Hp) spindle and VFD instead of the Makita router. The spindle is significantly quieter than the router and the extra Hp lets me up the cutting speed. If you don't opt for the 1F controller you can easily connect the BuildBotics controller (1F controller is based on the Buildbotics unit). The Buildbotics unit has a few more signals out that will allow you to connect and run closed-loop steppers. That would be about a $500 upgrade for 4 motors with encoders, their drivers and power supplies. I'll probably go that way because running open-loop generally makes me uneasy. Probably just another occupational hazard.
In general I find the 1F to be a great machine. It's well built, accurate, requires little maintenance and can be easily upgraded.

[ShadwDv]

X-Carve realistically is a 40 hour assembly. I have one, took about 40 hours. A lot of people who put one together for the first time have also reported 40 or so hours to assemble.

[stingrayguy]

Ok here is my two cents worth. I am a cnc machinist / programmer for a living. So rigidity is everything. I recently ordered the Journeyman X50. It has a 48x32 cutting area. There are videos with people standing on the X rail. I have always had a problem with the water cooled spindles being so heavy the gantry actually flexes. I am told by support that at the worst point of flex, you will only get .ooo6 flex. Now that is about a half of a thousands of an inch. The thickness of a sheet of paper is only about .0035. So I am sold on this machine. No rollers to worry about wearing down and no debris for them to skid across and no belts to always have to restretch. You are going to pay more money granted but this is as close to a industrial machine in a desktop you can get. Expect to pay over $3500 possibly more with dust collection and your spindle. I was quoted just over $3300 which includes about $190 shipping to Colorado.

[HamAround]

Just ordered a shapeoko pro XXL after going around and around looking as t these 3 machines. Carbide 3d gave me the best feeling from a customer support standpoint and it's a really capable cnc. Now I'm awaiting delivery

[gonesouth]

I am waiting for my Shapeoko 5 to come in now and am ready to get started on it. You mentioned that you could not find some of the information on the website. When you purchase the machine, they inundate your email in a good way with the information that you need. That being said, you able to do a lot of preperation for what you need to know even before it arrives. I did like your video and appreciate the work you put into it. I am a new sub and looking forward to seeing more content.

[harryshaw]

Before you gave us your opinion I had already picket the One infinity. I believe that it is held down by screws and you have to screw the unit down by screwing down the screws on the inside first I think the outside screw holes at the feet on the outside are at an angle that would cause the leg to push or pull the unit "OUT OF SQUARE" . I wished you had included the Longmill in this comparison. I purchased a CNC from Vevor which was a disaster. No support, no operation manual. So I'm stuck with something I know nothing about, now it cost me $895 plus shipping and they reimbursed me a small amount and I keep the cnc which is will be for sale pre-assembled.

[scottmorris]

I ordered a OneFinity, with the idea of the 6-8 week wait time, to spend the time with vCarve. Thanks for the confirming information.

[MikeFried-tj]

Hello, I am in the market for my first CNC machine. This video was very helpful but I am wondering if any of your review has changed in the last couple of years? Is there another to look at? Still feel Shapeoko and Onefinity are the best out there? I actually created my own spreadsheet and reviewed several others but came down to the three you reviewed. Threw out Inventables for a lot of the reason you listed (but did download their software to start designing). If you have any updates I would love to hear them! Thanks!

[dylanm]

Im using the Onefinity Machinist (all the space i had). Its been amazing and ive had zero issues with it, the maintenance of the machine is super minimal, the touch screen is easy to use, I can use Either Easel or Carbide create with it so there is choice of software... Ive already made enough on it that ive paid the machine off and more. Wish I had space for a woodworker or the Journeyman... whenever i do get a larger space I have no doubts ill go back to Onefinity - 100% worth the wait time.

[tommelinn]

Andy, it has been 2 years since you made this video. I have been thinking about getting into cnc, reading all I can, and am getting Youtube video overload. This is a great comparison and to see the comments made since you did it. I am close to ordering my machine. I think I am going with the Shapeoko 4XL. They have the 5 out now too but the 4 should do all I need along with all of the accessories. I considered the Infinity, Shark, and Longmill. The support, experiences, and history of Shapeoko keeps coming out on top of my comparisons. The ONLY decision yet to make is will it be the XL or the XXL. I THINK the XL will be the one I go with. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS COMPARISON!!!