Thanks Rob, I will be very keen to know what you make of the DRO and how the sizes match up with the SX2.7.
I only recently got my mill and went through the same SX3/SX2.7 dilemma. I still have nagging doubts, especially as Jason recommended in this thread to go for the SX3 if funds allow. One way or another it seems you can always spend more. I hope to take some consolation from using the funds saved to add useful features, like DRO.
I do like the recent change to the SX2.7 of the speed dial, instead of buttons. My intended uses/requirements are largely crystal ball gazing. I mainly want it to make/modify what I anticipate (and now hope!) will be fairly small metal parts for repairs/improvements. More maintaining/mending than model making.
I purchased the “SX2.7 Mill Starter Set 2” with mine, so I have the 80mm vice.
My first intended project is probably at the upper end of what I expect to grip in the vice. Which is to modify the tool post of my lathe, which is currently a 90mm x 90mm x 70mm steel block with a single tool slot. The current slot is too high to take some of the tooling the (Kerry AG) lathe came with, which seems odd. There is a one inch slot but the centre height limits the tooling to 12mm.
I’m still wondering about getting a QCTP. As an aside I find it a little frustrating the when you look at QCTP specs they always describe the post as being suitable for X” swing, when the key measurement is distance from the (in my case) compound slide to centre height. Mine is 34mm, which is probably a T2 or “250 111” for Chinese imports. The specs also sometimes fail to give the vertical travel of the tool holder, required to calculate the maximum tool size for a given centre height.
Btw, thank you Jason for the videos and vice comparison photos, amongst all the other information you have provided. When you said “We have covered vice sizes on this mill in several threads” I went looking for them, but I couldn’t find them with the forum search facility, as it only searches the subject title. Is there an “advanced search” option that I’m failing to see? I found them with DuckDuckGo using: +"sx2.7" +"vice" site:www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums