Picked a used Haas over a new Tormach and kind of regretting it

Had $15k to spend and went with a 2005 VF-2 off Craigslist instead of a new PCNC 1100. Now I'm 3 weeks into chasing a coolant leak and a bad encoder, and that 'save money' move is costing me in downtime. Anybody else gamble on old iron and lose?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin_wright14d ago

lol I gotta respectfully disagree with you here man. That Haas is a real machine tool meant for production work, a Tormach is basically a fancy hobby mill. Yeah the first few months can be rough chasing down gremlins on old iron but once you get it sorted out that VF-2 will run circles around the Tormach in rigidity and speed. A 2005 Haas is still a proper VMC that can make you real money, the resale value alone will always be way higher than what you paid.

shanel1313d ago

That 2005 VF-2 with a tool changer and proper enclosure is a different animal entirely. I've helped three buddies rehab old Haas machines and every single one of them outran their Tormach by lunch on day one after the gremlins got worked out. @robin_wright is dead right about resale too - I sold my 2008 VF-2 for 18k last year after getting it for 12k three years prior with a dead spindle drive. The Tormach won't hold that kind of value because the whole machine is built to a hobby price point. You're paying for rigidity and speed with the Haas and that translates directly to paying jobs.