New here, buying a seig KX3QC

[Titchy83]

hi all,
im new to this site. Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with a sieg kx3. I wasnt looking to buy one but was offered it and it looks.like.a neat little machine. I dont know much about this specific machine so any info would be helpful. I did a search before i posted and didnt find much.
thanks!

[RB211]

You were offered it for free? I'd take it for free but I run away from anything made by Sieg. Poor designs, poor fit and finish. It's based on the X3, a wet noodle of a mill.

[danlb]

Hmmm A CNC mill based on the Super X3? I'd take it for free too. A good writeup at mini-lathe.com http://www.mini-lathe.com/KX3/KX3-2.htm

[epicfail48]

Looks like a CNC-only version of the Seig X3, doesnt look like the basic kinematics and build is any different so you should be able to look for reviews of the X3 to get some answers on how well it runs.

Personally, i have a Seig X2 and a companion lathe and ill easily say that a lot of the hatred people have to Seig as a brand is incredibly misplaced, and generally seems to come from people comparing the products to the more 'premium' tools. My tools from them have had their problems, yes, but the price that i paid for them easily explains the lack of quality control, and if youre buying a mill or lathe odds are you can figure out the process needed to make the smaller fixes yourself. Even as far as the "design defects" go, yeah, theres some compromises made but its pretty easy to see why, and equally easy to work around those 'defects'. Low rigidity is the biggest issue, root cause is low mass and the reason for that is cost saving and the fact that Sieg makes benchtop machines. Kinda hard to call it a benchtop machine if its heavy enough to destroy a bench. Can still do some serious work with the machines though, just cant take the same cut that you would with a giant cat40 spindle monster mill.

Far as the X3 in particular goes, unfortunately i havent got any personal experience beyond playing with them in the Grizzly showroom. That said though, i wouldnt mind getting my hands on one. I like the layout of the hand wheels on the x3 more than something like an RF-45, thought that isnt really relevant here. Not too fond of the gib system used, but it gets the job done. Casting thickness seems adequate, by eye at least, but that can be deceiving and again, ive not used this particular mill so trust hand-on information from others more. All in all, if the offer for the mill you got was actually free, dont even think about it, just take it. A free CNC mill is a free CNC mill. If you just didnt mention a price, well, mention it to see how good a deal it is. Really though, anything below about $1500 id say would be a steal

[Mike Burch]

Welcome to the site!

As a former Sieg lathe owner, I have no complaints. Obviously, you get what you pay for.

There's a 2017 NOS Sieg KX3 for sale here in New Zealand, at the equivalent of US$8,600. I am not tempted!

[Stu]

I seem to remember John Stevenson being involved in the KX3 development somehow.

[DFMiller]

I own a KX3.
Bought one direct from factory years ago.
Based on my experience Free is about 10 dollars too much.
If someone wants one they should talk to me offline. Vancouver BC area.
All I can speak to is mine. It never worked properly from factory. Design / Manufacturing defect from factory. Z axis.
It took me a long time to zero in on problem.
I have corresponded with another owner with similar issues.
I think they vary significantly machine to machine.
Sir John and I spoke at length about it.
I do know a couple of people who have had good success with theirs.
It’s been a while but I think Sir John and I decided the the KX1 was a decent design but the KX3 had a couple of huge issues.
Mine requires a total rebuild/ scrape/ redesign of Z. Something I have not got around to.
After much consideration I have a Taig sitting in crate waiting to take its place.
My take if you have a full machine shop and skills to rebuild it go for it.
If not run away fast.
Dave

[RB211]

I've owned a Sieg Mini Lathe and a X3 small mill. I can't even call them casting kits. The X3 mill might be ok if you milled off the dovetails and installed linear ways, replaced the Z column with something that doesn't flex as if it was made out of plastic. My dislike of the brand isn't misplaced. They were designed for the "newbie" segment, people who don't have enough experience yet to know what they really want, and go by the size and weight of the tool. That's why they sell so many of them. Eventually they get replaced with something much better.

[mickeyf]

Title of the post has the word "buying". Implies "not free".