SainSmart Genmitsu · Open-frame router
3018-PROVer V2
The cheapest name-brand way to find out whether you like CNC.
$219Sale price; list $269.
Work area290 × 180 mm
Spindle60 W
DriveLead screw
MetalNot for metal
Will's take
A $219 experiment that tells you whether this hobby is for you. That’s worth a lot.
I have a soft spot for the 3018. It’s not a serious machine, and it doesn’t pretend to be: a small bed, 40 mm of Z, a little 775 DC motor and a plastic carriage. But it goes together in half an hour and teaches you everything — CAD, CAM, zeroing, feeds and speeds, breaking bits — for the price of a nice drill.
Keep it to wood, plastics, foam and PCBs. If you find yourself fighting it within a few months, that’s good news: it means you’re ready for a real machine, and you’ll know exactly what to look for.
— Will
What I like
- Cheapest way in from a known brand
- Assembles in about 30 minutes
- Huge community and lots of mods
What I'd watch for
- Very low rigidity
- Only 40 mm of Z
- Weak spindle — not for metal
Spec sheet SainSmart Genmitsu 3018-PROVer V2
| Work area (X × Y × Z) | 290 × 180 × 40 mm 11.4 × 7.1 × 1.6 in |
|---|---|
| Spindle | 775 brushed DC spindle up to 10,000 rpm |
| Drive | Lead screw |
| Linear motion | Round rails |
| Frame | Aluminum extrusion, plastic X/Z carriage |
| Enclosure | No |
| Tool changer | Manual |
|---|---|
| Controller | GRBL, 32-bit |
| Software | Candle; works with Easel & Carveco |
| Metal | Not for metal |
| Footprint | — |
| Released | 2022 |
Still confirming with SainSmart Genmitsu: spindle wattage, exact work area (290 vs 300 mm).
Also consider