The Maker’s Toolbox: Makera Z1 Desktop CNC Mill Review

Makera has very quickly become the name in consumer desktop CNC mills, thanks to the popularity of their Carvera and Carvera Air machines. Now they’re pushing the envelope with the new and very competitively priced Makera Z1 machine. I put the Z1 to the test to find out if it lives up to Makera’s reputation and if it can do real work on a budget.

The model lineup

Makera’s first machine, the Carvera, is still their flagship model. It is the largest model in the lineup and features an automatic toolchanger (ATC). But it is relatively expensive at $5,499.

Then Makera released the Carvera Air, which has a slightly smaller work area than Carvera and omits the ATC. Those changes helped Makera get the price of the Carvera Air down to a much more tolerable $2,499 — less than 50% of the Carvera.

And now Makera is launching the Z1, which is less than 50% of that. The pre-order price is just $1,099, which is pretty incredible for a CNC mill of this caliber. There is also the Z1 Pro, which has a pre-order price of $1,499 and adds a few nice upgrades that I’ll discuss in a moment.

What do you lose by buying a Makera Z1 instead of a Carvera Air? A non-trivial amount of working area and some spindle power. That’s pretty much it. But as you’ll see, you also gain some features that are desirable.

The basics

The Makera Z1 is a relatively small desktop CNC mill that weighs just 17kg (37.5lbs). The outer dimensions, with the lid closed, are 350mm wide ×470mm deep ×450mm high (13.8in × 18.5in × 17.7in).

The working area is 200mm × 200mm × 100mm (7.9in × 7.9in × 3.9in). That is only about one-third of the volume of the Carvera (the square-cube law is powerful) and it is pretty modest, but still very usable for a wide range of tasks.

Both the Carvera and Carvera Air have 200W spindle motors (15,000rpm and 13,000rpm, respectively), while the Z1 has a 150W spindle motor (13,000rpm). Frankly, I consider even 200W to be on the weak side, so 150W isn’t ideal. But with a machine like this, the idea is to run small end mills at high speeds. As long as you stick with 1/8” end mills, the spindle power should be sufficient.

The motion system (the motors and rails) is a bit more complicated, especially as it relates to the Carvera and the Carvera Air.

The Carvera has servo motors. The Carvera Air has closed-loop stepper motors. The Carvera has linear rails for the X and Z axes, but hardened rods for the Y axis. The Carvera Air only has linear rails for the Z axis, while the X and Y axes make do with hardened rods. Both have ball screws on all axes.

The Z1 has open-loop stepper motors, linear rails on all axes, and acme lead screws on all axes. However, the Z1 Pro upgrades those to closed-loop stepper motors and ball screws all around.

Does any of that matter? Yes, but none of it is critical.

Linear rails are generally superior to hardened rods. Servo motors are generally superior to closed-loop stepper motors, which are superior to open-loop (standard) stepper motors. And unless something has gone horribly wrong, then ball screws should always be superior to acme lead screws, which have noticeable backlash.

So, the Z1 Pro has real and tangible benefits over the Z1. In practice, however, I didn’t see much lacking in the performance of the Z1 that I could attribute to the motion system.

Neat features

With the raw specifications out of the way, I want to talk about some of the features of the Makera Z1. In particular, I want to focus on the features it has that the Carvera and Carvera Air don’t.

Subjectively, I think the Makera Z1 is more attractive than both the Carvera and Carvera Air. It may be more plasticky, but it doesn’t feel cheap and I like the way it looks.

Moving on to something more objective, the chip evacuation and dust collection system is very different. Makera is calling it AeroDust and it works with the Cyclone Dust Collector Lite. The Cyclone Lite provides both vacuum suction and blowing air to clear the work area. The Z1 has ports for both and it doesn’t require an air pump. The bottom of the Z1’s enclosure even helps to channel chips down to the vacuum port on the back.

The enclosure also contains a built-in camera, so you can look at the progress of a job over WiFi. That is a feature that neither the Carvera nor the Carvera Air possess.

And not for nothing, but the Makera Z1’s small size works in its favor when it comes to rigidity. The frame structure is similar, but it should have less flex because there is less distance to span.

So many accessories

If you were to outfit a brand-new machine shop, you’d find that you need to spend as much money on accessories — tooling, workholding, instruments, and so on — as you do on the machines themselves. The machine can’t do anything without those accessories.

So, I was very happy to see that Makera has really committed to expanding their ecosystem with a whole bunch of accessories designed to work with the Z1.

Some of those, like the Vacuum Bed, are only compatible with the Z1. The Vacuum Bed is one of my favorite accessories, because it makes workholding (at least for suitable materials) effortless. Just put the material on the bed and suction from the Cyclone Lite holds it in place.

The new Makera 3D Wired Probe is also very welcome. Similar probes are commonplace in the professional CNC world. I even have one on the big CNC mill in my garage and it is great that Makera now offers their own.

The 3D Wired Probe can detect surfaces via touch in any direction. It can find the top surface of the material, plus the edges. It can even locate the center point of cylinders or bored holes. In short, it makes defining origin points easy.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to test mine. My Z1 test machine simply wouldn’t register it. My assumption is that a firmware update will enable it in the future and I’m looking forward to that.

Like the Carvera and Carvera Air, the Z1 has an available 4thaxis module. The design is a little bit different, but it functions in the same way. It spins the material, giving the end mill access to the sides and bottom, instead of just the top. That is very versatile.

For example, I used the 4th axis almost like a lathe to make six plugs (jewelry for stretched ears) at once out of a solid chunk makore wood. These will need a bit of sanding before they get treated and I could have achieved better results with more careful CAM work, but this should show you how useful the 4th axis can be for real world projects.

The new Makera Z1 Low-Profile Vise is just as useful. Clamping, taping, and other workholding methods all have their place, but a vise is indispensable when milling metal. This particular vise design fits the Z1’s bed properly and uses as little of the Z axis travel as possible.

Then there is the aforementioned Cyclone Dust Collector Lite. That’s basically a compact vacuum cleaner that the Z1 can control. Or you can use it manually and completely independently of the Z1. With my Carvera Air, I’ve been attaching a big, unwieldy shop vac. Now, with the Z1, I can keep the Cyclone Lite attached all the time.

Software

To run a CNC mill, you need at least two pieces of software: CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) software and control software — though some machines run g-code directly from storage in firmware.

On the CAM side, you can use whatever software you prefer. I usually turn to Autodesk Fusion, because I know it well. But for my Z1 tests, I decided to stick to Makera’s own CAM software.

Makera CAM has been available for a while now and I wasn’t a big fan of it when I reviewed the Carvera Air. I found that it was simple, but too simple. Its ability to turn 3D mesh geometry into usable toolpath boundaries was inconsistent and milling strategy options were very limited.

It has improved a bit and I would now classify it as “usable in a pinch.” But it still can’t work directly with solid CAD (Computer-Aided Design) models and is therefore only as good as its ability to trace 3D meshes. That is still inconsistent and often frustrating. Even aside from that, the toolpath options don’t have much depth.

All of that said, Makera CAM is free and virtually all other CAM options are expensive. That is certainly a compelling selling point all on its own.

On the control side, the Makera Controller software (also available as an iOS and Android app) has always been fantastic and is part of what makes Makera machines so user friendly. It prioritizes intuitive job set up, with movement controls and more advanced options available when you need them.

Then there is the brand new Makera Studio 2026 software (also available as an Android app), which combines the CAM and controller functionality into a single experience. It also includes a guided wizard that can help with some CAM work, plus much-needed simulation features.

That just entered the Closed Beta phase and so I can’t talk about it much — though I did test it. However, I will say that it appears to rely on the same basic CAM engine under the hood.

Performance

This is what I was the most excited to test, because it really is everything. Small desktop machines like the Carvera, Carvera Air, and Z1 push the boundaries by their nature. There is a reason that “real” CNC mills weigh several thousand pounds and it isn’t because people like wasting space or money. The CNC mill in my garage weighs nearly 4,000lbs and it is considered a light duty machine.

When cutting soft materials, like wood or plastic, the Z1 is fantastic. It is in its element there and cuts well, without any real sacrifices. The same is true for PCBs. In fact, I would say the Z1 is a perfect machine if PCB milling is your goal.

With any of those, the Makera Z1 will do just fine and neither the rigidity nor the power should be much of a hinderance.

But what everyone really wants to know is if the Z1 can mill metal.

Ferrous metals are simply not an option. At least not officially. I’ve seen some users pull it off with Carvera and Carvera Air machines by taking very light cuts. But the Z1 has even less power and I wouldn’t even attempt steel.

Non-ferrous materials, however, are on the table. Aluminum and brass are the go-to choices there. Copper would work, too, if you have enough money to buy the material.

With the Carvera Air, I was a bit disappointed by its capability in aluminum. I struggled to get good results, even when taking incredibly light passes. Brass machines very well and does a great job of hiding imperfections, so it was better.

How does the Z1 compare? Very well, actually. It is potentially even better than the Carvera Air.

In my testing in brass and aluminum, my tolerances and surface finishes from the Z1 were almost identical to what I got from the Carvera Air. In 6061, for example, I generally got about +/- 0.15mm tolerances, which is virtually all due to deflection. Very careful finishing passes (not too light, not too heavy; not too slow, not too fast) can improve those numbers, but that finding the right balance is difficult.

But here’s the kicker: I was running the Z1 more aggressively than I ran the Carvera Air to get similar results. That isn’t an objective judgment — I might be able to achieve the same aggression on the Carvera Air with the right strategies — but the takeaway is that the Z1 definitely doesn’t have inferior performance when compared to the Carvera Air.

That impressed me, because the Z1 is so much more affordable than the Carvera Air.

The Comparison

So, when comparing the Makera Z1 and Carvera Air, my opinion is that their real-world performance is functionally identical. If you choose to purchase a Z1, you aren’t sacrificing aluminum or brass milling capability.

The Z1 has a smaller working area than the Carvera Air, of course. But other than that, you really aren’t losing anything by choosing the Z1 and saving $1,400.

And, in fact, you gain some features: the built-in camera and the chip evacuation system integrated into the enclosure. That isn’t quite as good at clearing the workpiece as the Carvera Air’s dust shoe, but it is good for funneling a large volume of chips down and to the back of the enclosure where the vacuum port is.

Future strategies

In my opinion, the Makera Z1 is a pretty amazing value. It is so good that I don’t think there is any room for Makera to release an even more affordable machine in the future.

So, where does Makera go from here?

I don’t have any insider knowledge here, but I know where I’d put my money: they will develop a new flagship machine next.

The Carvera is about to face some very strong competition from the likes of Nestworks and multiple new contenders launching 5-axis desktop machines this year. But the Z1 proves that Makera has learned a lot about how to build a good desktop mill and to do so at a low price point. They should take those lessons and apply them to a more serious machine to replace the now-aging Carvera as a flagship.

In my opinion, it would need to be a heavier, more rigid, and more powerful machine. It will need coolant and it will need to be able to mill steel. And it needs to do all of that at a price under $6,000 to be competitive.

Before I tested the Z1, I wasn’t sure if Makera could pull that off or not. Now, I’m confident they can. The Z1 is the perfect demonstration of Makera’s ability to bring costs down. Combined with clear consumer demands and competent engineering, they have everything they need to make it happen.

Complaints

My opinions about the Makera Z1 are very positive, but nothing is perfect and there are always nits to pick.

For example, the translucent plastic of the lid is very staticky and attracts dust like crazy. There is even some kind of anti-static option in the controller software, but I couldn’t figure out what it does and it didn’t seem to make a noticeable difference in my testing.

Another nit I have to pick is the beep the Z1 makes to get your attention for a tool change or when the job is done. It is the same beep that the Carvera Air makes. It is high-pitched and irritating. It actually bothers one of my dogs. I wish it was a more pleasant tone.

Finally, I have mixed feelings about the omission of a spoil board. The Carvera and Carvera Air both have MDF beds (on top of the aluminum beds) and MDF spoil boards on top of those. The spoil boards get damaged by full-depth cuts and are consumable.

But the Z1 combines the bed and spoil board into a single MDF sheet. That is probably better for flatness, but it means a slightly more expensive consumable. Luckily, a replacement MDF bed for the Z1 is only $2.99 and so buying them shouldn’t be a serious financial burden unless you go through a lot. But if it had a Carvera Air-style spoil board, it would be easy to laser-cut your own replacements for well under a dollar each.

Conclusions

Should you buy the Makera Z1? Absolutely.

If you’re considering it, I will assume that the working area fits your requirements. If it does, then there really isn’t any reason to buy the Carvera Air. Stepping up to the Carvera will get you the ATC, but that is a lot more money to spend for one convenience feature.

Stepping outside of Makera’s lineup, there really isn’t anything on the market to compete with the Z1. Nothing even close to its price is a contender. This market is flooded with low-quality, poorly supported, and generic machines that I don’t think are worth buying at all — certainly not when the Z1 now exists and sets such a high bar.

If your budget for a new machine is less than $2,000, the Z1 is a no-brainer.

But one question remains: should you buy the Makera Z1 or the Z1 Pro?

I only tested the Z1, so I can only answer based on my experience with that and what I know about the Z1 Pro on paper. However, I am still confident in stating that while the Z1 Pro has some nice upgrades, it probably isn’t necessary for most people. Frankly, I think the vast majority of users would struggle to even notice a functional difference between the two versions in real use. But if you plan to really chase precision, you might be able to justify springing for the Z1 Pro.

Most of you, however, will be perfectly happy with the Z1. Go ahead and pre-order the Makera Z1, and make sure to get some of those awesome accessories with it.