If you determine that the included tooling makes ~$1000 a good deal, and you have the space, and ability to move the machine into that space (it's going to be pretty heavy), then that's certainly not a bad option at all.
I recently went through this process of deciding on a machine and came to the conclusion of an SX3 for numerous reasons that are directly related to my needs in a machine for a productive environment where I need to be able to repeat various tool-changing with minimal loss of setup/layout, which translates to needing a dovetail Z-axis. Keeping in mind that I work primary in plastics, which reduces the need for a lot of weight and power and rigidity dramatically. That decision turned out to be perfect for my needs, however, this does not mean it's the best option for everyone, and I would encourage everyone to go through the process of weighing the balance of price/weight/features and take into consideration the additional costs that will be involved with various options. In these decisions, time is your friend, if you can take your time and research options and wait for a good deal on used machinery within a reasonable distance, then that's usually considered the best way to go. For me, I don't live in a place where there's a ton of this type of machinery being sold frequently, and was kind of in a rush to get a machine up and running.
I was really turned off by the X3 mostly on account of the plastic-gear-drive 2-speed transmission. I've read around the net that the transmission is noisy, and the gears will break when you crash the machine or cause an unwanted sudden load of sorts. The SX3 had the belt-only drive system coupled to a more powerful 1HP motor. Belts are cheaper than gears
. For a $50 upgrade, an after-market pulley kit nearly doubles the stock spindle RPMs if needed (I'm seriously considering this).
Picking out used machinery will almost always result in more machine/iron for the dollar, but organizing the method of getting the machine home and put in place can often add costs unforeseen, like truck/trailer/forklift rental. Keep this in mind. New machinery ordered from one of the major distributors has the advantage of being delivered at least out front of your house. In my case, the delivery guy offered to roll it right to the garage.
Lightly used is ideal, as you probably won't have to do much if any fine tuning and modifications to get the machine ready for use. Brand new chinese mills, or older more heavily used machines will both require some work. My SX3 Took a lot of cleanup, and there were definitely some areas that needed some attention to be "right" or at least closer to it . Still working on a solution to the Z-Axis gib which is kind of a bum-deal. I think it will eventually need to be counterbalanced to really have a nice operation on the Z-axis that doesn't require engaging of the Z-axis lock before cutting.
I finally had the chance last night to play around milling in some mild steel on this small machine. For small projects, while respecting the machine and keeping the depth of cut and feed rates under control, it's adequate. However, if I wanted to get to removing serious material on this machine I would definitely need the spindle speed upgrade pulley and some cobalt or carbide roughing end-mills. A larger machine would undoubtedly be much more forgiving in metals. If you plan on doing a LOT of work with hard metals, I suggest buying a machine with as much weight and quill diameter as you can possibly figure out how to move/afford.
-Eric