Our Pick: Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436

It wins 6 out of 9 comparison categories while costing $200 less.

Avid CNC
Spec
Inventables X-Carve (legacy 1000mm)
$2800
Price
$7495
660 × 961 mm
Work area
1219.2 × 1219.2 mm
152 mm
Z travel
165.1 mm
710 W
Spindle power
930 W
120 kg
Weight
136.1 kg
Aluminum frame with profile linear guides and ball screws on all axes
Frame
Gantry router with linear guides and ball screws on all axes
Avid CNC control system running Centroid CNC12; motor and control package selected when ordering
Controller
Inventables GRBL-based Pro control system with spindle VFD
Centroid CNC12, Fusion 360, VCarve, Aspire
Software
Easel (free or paid plan), Fusion 360 (CAM), VCarve (CAM), UGS or gSender (alternative senders tested by Inventables)

Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4 wins 4 of 5 spec categories. Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 costs $4,695 less. Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 leads by 12 points overall — here’s where those points come from:

Benchmark Scores

Side-by-side score comparison across all five benchmark dimensions.

80
Avid CNC

Overall

68
Inventables X-Carve (legacy 1000mm)
42 Value 40
88 Rigidity 70
90 Precision 72
40 Ease of use 92
82 Capability 60

Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436

Pros

  • Industrial-grade linear rails and ball screws
  • Aluminum frame with profile linear guides and ball screws on every axis
  • Designed for wood, plastics and non-ferrous metal work with a suitable spindle and tooling
  • True CNC motion controller (not GRBL) for advanced features

Cons

  • Expensive for the work area offered
  • Spindle, control package and work surface affect the complete-system cost
  • CNC12 setup and learning the machine still take time
  • Requires a suitable Windows control PC for CNC12
  • Assembly is more involved than consumer machines

Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4

Pros

  • Spindle and programmed VFD are included
  • Easel combines design, CAM and machine control
  • Ball screws and linear guides replace the original X-Carve belt-drive arrangement
  • Manufacturer assembly and support resources are available

Cons

  • Easel Pro requires an ongoing subscription for advanced features
  • The 4x4 model needs a substantial bench and installation space
  • Inventables does not support replacing the supplied spindle with an arbitrary third-party unit
  • Choose 4x2 or 4x4 at purchase; no size-expansion kit is offered

Verdict

Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 wins this comparison with 6 categories to 3.

It wins 6 out of 9 comparison categories while costing $200 less.

Where to Buy

Price-first merchant links with the clearest reason to click first.

Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436

$2800

Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4

$7495

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 and Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4?

The Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 ($2,800) features a 710W spindle with a 660×961mm work area and a Aluminum frame with profile linear guides and ball screws on all axes frame. The Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4 ($7,495) features a 1500W spindle with a 1219.2×1219.2mm work area and a Gantry router with linear guides and ball screws on all axes frame. Overall, the Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 wins more comparison categories.

Which is better value for money — Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 or Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4?

The Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 is $4,695 cheaper at $2,800 vs $7,495. Our value scores rate the Avid CNC Benchtop Pro 2436 higher at 42/100.

Which router is easier to set up and use?

Based on our ease-of-use benchmarks, the Inventables X-Carve Pro 4x4 scores higher (92/100 vs 40/100). Both support Mach4, Fusion 360, VCarve among other software options.

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