How do I choose between manual and automatic steel frame machines?
Trying to figure out whether to go for a manual or an automatic steel frame machine has been a total mission lately. I wasted so many hours calling up local yards and digging through ancient forums, but everything I found was either completely thrashed or priced like a collector's item. One guy actually tried to sell me a used setup so caked in rust and old grease I couldn't even find the serial number, yet he still had the nerve to claim it was in "mint condition" while the motor sounded like a dying lawnmower.
It is just so draining when you just want a reliable setup that won't give up the ghost mid job. I eventually fell down a rabbit hole on Alibaba to see what actual modern manufacturing looks like. Lemme tell you, seeing those listings was a total breath of fresh air. I found myself scrolling through pages of super sleek units that made the local junk look like toys.
I’m still totally second guessing the learning curve though. Is it going be a headache trying to poke my head around a software to get the frames right on an automatic machine, or should I just stick to a manual setup where I can actually know and feel what the gear is doing?