Every benchtop milling machine gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Machines are grouped by table length (mini, bench and large); table area, motor, features and warranty use the same scales in every group, and price uses a scale for each group.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | price at the cheapest linked store | 25% |
| Table size | table width times length, in square inches | 20% |
| Motor | motor power in watts | 15% |
| Features | R8 spindle, digital readout, brushless motor, variable speed, power feed and tilting head | 30% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 10% |
Where the numbers come from
Table size, travel, motor power, speeds, spindle taper, readouts, weight and warranty come from the maker’s product page, spec sheet or manual, or the maker’s own listing copy at a retailer. Prices are checked at the maker’s own store, Amazon and other retailers, and the lowest price at a store the page links to is used. Only models with a published model number and a maker or maker-brand listing spec page are included; unbranded clones are left out.
The factors
Price is the current price, on a log scale, so halving the price always counts the same. For mini mills, $3,000 scores zero and $900 full marks; for bench mills, $4,500 scores zero and $1,400 full marks; for large bench mills, $6,000 scores zero and $2,000 full marks.
Table size is the table width times its length, in square inches: 60 sq in scores zero and 300 sq in full marks.
Motor is the motor’s power in watts, on a log scale: 350 W scores zero and 1,500 W full marks. When a maker gives only horsepower, watts are horsepower times 746.
Features add up the parts of a machine that save time or widen what it can do: an R8 spindle 25%, a digital readout of spindle depth or table position included in the listed price 20%, a brushless motor 15%, variable speed 15%, a powered table feed 15% and a tilting head or column 10%. A display that shows only spindle speed doesn’t count as a readout. Variable-frequency drives count as variable speed but not as brushless.
Warranty is the maker’s warranty: none scores zero and 3 years full marks, so 1 year scores a third.
What isn’t scored
Travel, quill travel, head tilt angle, speed range and weight are listed but not scored. Rigidity and accuracy aren’t scored because makers don’t publish them in comparable terms; weight is the closest published stand-in, and a heavier machine of the same size usually chatters less, but it isn’t scored.
Missing data
If a figure isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. Features are neutral only when none of them is published; otherwise a feature the maker doesn’t mention counts as missing from the score. The exception is warranty: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero and is marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.