If we factor in the cost of the machines and the cost of the time it takes to make the tops then add on the cost of the materials, it’s easy to see how the prices stack up. Though the software to use these machines is becoming far more user friendly, the people with the knowhow and the ability to both create and program such fine designs are few and far between. A top of the range machine can start at around $100,000 and range up to an almost unlimited cost. That’s because neither do the machines, or the people that are qualified to use them.
High spec spinning tops don’t come cheap. One thing is abundantly clear however, and that is the price. This means that the designs made by high end top makers can become more and more outlandish, whilst the spin quality improves due to the precision of the manufacturing.
Manufacturers now have access to machines such as a 5-axis CNC machine which can have a tolerance of two thousandths of a degree Where once tops were made by hand, or on a lathe. With recent developments in the machinery used to make tops the scope for makers has broadened exponentially. The very best Spinning tops have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and that is due mainly to the increase in capabilities for computer manufacturing.
