DRO but Which One?

K

Kroll

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I know this horse has been beat to death.The more I read and watch Utubes my headache getting worse,I have read post back several yrs ago and different forums to kinda present day and time.Guys I am just weekend wannabe machinist type person just doing this for fun so nothing serious but I want it to be spot on and trouble free(possible) I know that comes at a cost.Guys I can't come close to afford one of those top shelve models so I have in mind DROpros but thats little above my budget but maybe.So guys 1)DROPros but what would you pick as your Second choice?I have look over on auction site and they are there by boat loads and are very cheap which kinda scares me little.I want the magnetic scales but looks like on ebay its all glass.What I want to put this on is a mill say 2axis and also 2 axis for my 11" lathe later down the road.On Ebay I can find 3axis for 300.00 but glass and its hard to resist that price but again which one and from who?I know that at those prices support is out----Thanks guys,riding this horse one more time----kroll
 
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Many folks buy the systems from Aliexpress and are happy with them. I think the site called "Siton" is fairly reputable. I believe the owner's name is Wilson-
"Wilson!" "Wilson!" (Castaway movie)
m
 
I just bought an Easson 3 axis glass scale kit from Wilson at Ali express and installed it on my Millrite. The price was 50% less than DROpros for the exact same equipment.

I purchased the DRO for my PM1340 Lathe from DROpros but didn’t want to spend as much on my 50 year old Millrite, so I tried to go the cheap route since I had already installed one system and most of the mystery was gone. I couldn’t be more pleased with the system and the experience with aliexpress.
 
Sounds good and less than DROpros but I see Aliexpress has several models pic from and heard that Easson is good also.But which model did ya'll go with?
 
I went with the Easson 12c with glass Easson branded scales. I paid an additional $20 per scale to upgrade to 1 micron.
 
I went with the cheap units too. Glass scales aren't bad, they are just more difficult to mount. Mag would be nice, but I'm not willing to pay for them for my hobby. When they get cheaper, maybe.

I went with ebay due to the coupons they were doing at the time. It's the same gear, I suspect most of them just put different stickers on them.

If you want support beyond the crew here or youtube, somewhere like DROPros can be a good choice. I hear good things about them.
 
Guys it sounds like glass scales are not that bad and it looks like several have the Easson brand.I just have hard time spending 800 for a good DRO that DROpros sell and I'm sure its worth it but thats just out of my budget.Going to research little what bss1 has
 
Budget wise I'm in the same boat, and trying to read the ever smaller numbers on the dials is getting to be a pita.

A friend of mine went with IGAGING two years back. It was one of their older models but worked quite nice. Mag scales so cutting wasn't a big deal. Was accurate enough for pretty much everything he was ever going to make. I'm about 80% sure it's what I'm going to be ordering in the next month or so. Probably just the basic version not their higher end unit. I just need something to display accurately to 3 decimals that doesn't stress my eyes and give me a headache after an hour and they seem to fit the bill the best.
 
A few years ago I bought a DRO from DRO Pros, good reputable company, I had trouble with the touch pad a couple of years after I bought it. Got in touch with them but found out the unit wasn't available anymore and neither were parts. My take now is unless your going top of the line like Fagor or similar you may as well go China direct and save a bunch eliminating the middle man. I put a three axis from Aliexpress on the mill last winter, couldn't be happier. It replaced a 15 year old Shooting Star that now upgrades the shaper.

Greg
 
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