Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

My most delightful purchase of 2008, March 30, 2009
By END_THE_FED

"I've been wanting to write a review for the Carvewright for quite some time now. I bought mine off of amazon around 8 months ago (free shipping and no tax works for me!).
From what I know on the forum, I'm one of the younger people to use this machine but I'll be the first to say that the software is the most attractive and easy to use thing imaginable. I've dabbled and played around with other CNC machines [not on my dime] and the CW Designer Software is gorgeous and intuitive - it truly is CNC for the masses. If you are hesitant or afraid download the software from the CarveWright website and try it out for yourself. CarveWright also has amazing resources like their user forum, tutorial videos and I even got a newsletter saying that they have a training DVD that you can order (4.95 shipping or something) or just stream online. Either way if your gripe is software they do a fine job of providing you with material, my dad has it figured out if that says anything - if you can't figure it out your own laziness is to blame.

As far as the end products go, I find it to be pretty solid - I have around 82 hours on mine so I'm one of the more mild users. I use it for logos and detail work on panels, and it really hasn't given me any issues aside from needing a belt replacement (which was inexpensive, and they sell upgraded rubber belts so I won't have this problem again). I've also done a couple of the lithopanes for a couple of my friends who have gotten married - carved them onto corian and they came out flawless.

Things I really like:

1. The quick change system, as others have said - it's awesome. the CW tells you when to switch bits and it's a breeze
2. Bit Quality, I haven't had to replace either of my bits yet and they're as sharp as the day I bought them. They look like they'll make it over a year and other users on the forum have hundreds of hours on a single bit
3. The software as I detailed above, it's awesome.
4. Uploading projects to a card: you never have to plug a computer into the CW and the memory card holds a ton of projects, I haven't run out of room and even when I do the card is rewritable
5. board sensor: measures the board with crazy detail, it catches when my board is off by just the slightest amount and automatically scales my project accordingly - very handy.
6. Price, I can't think of any competition for the carvewright under 5 grand. I've seen other consumer CNC machines, and there is no compatible software that's nearly as easy to use as the CarveWright Designer Software, maybe if CarveWright were to license their software that would be a more usable machine but as of right now I don't see why you'd pay more for an inferior machine.

Things I don't like as much:
1. the aesthetic: probably the most stupid gripe and one that may only pertain to me but I don't like the way it looks but in no way does that hamper it's functionality.
2. it's noisy. I don't have many tools, and like I said I'm young but this thing is only a bit quieter than a router. I usually leave my shop and just let it run, but don't fire it up after 9PM if you have neighbors unless your garage isolates sound very well.
3. It requires more maintenance than my VW does. This is probably where a lot of people have problems, they likely aren't maintaining the machine like they are supposed to. The CW has very, very, specific and detailed instructions on maintenance. Since I'm a Volkswagen owner I'm somewhat conditioned to follow maintenance instructions to a T, so I usually set my computers calender to remind me to lubricate and grease up the machine when it needs to be greased.

And that's it, the pros far outweigh the minor cons, whether you are a hobbyist or a small business as long as you have a little bit of patience you'll enjoy the CarveWright. However if you are impatient and easily frustrated and unwilling to learn SIMPLE SIMPLE SIMPLE software maybe you're better off with a hammer and chisel."

71 of 71 people found this review helpful.