Hot take: I picked a Fadal over a Haas for my home shop and I don't regret it one bit

So here's the deal. I had about 8 grand saved up and I was looking at two machines last spring. One was a beat up 1998 Haas VF-2 that some guy in Portland was selling, the other was a 1995 Fadal VMC 15 that a shop near me was getting rid of. Everyone told me to go Haas because parts are easier to find and the control is more common. But man, that Fadal had way less hours on it and the guy threw in a box of collets and some tool holders for free. I went with the Fadal and honestly it's been a tank. Yeah the control takes some getting used to and it's not as fast, but for what I do (small batch parts and one-off stuff) it does the job. The spindle has more torque down low too for cutting steel. Haas guys always talk about their machines being user friendly but I've had to replace a couple of relays on a friend's Haas and that wiring harness was a nightmare. Anybody else run older Fadals and think they get a bad rap?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_mitchell7d ago

Kinda like preferring a manual truck over a automatic.

faith_shah887d ago

@logan_mitchell the manual just gives you more control, feels raw and connected.

kim_ramirez36d ago

Nah man that's the real secret right there - everyone talks about parts availability for Haas but Fadals are basically bridgeport mills with a CNC slapped on. You can fix damn near anything on those old Fadals with a multimeter and some basic mechanical skills, no proprietary nonsense.