Black Friday has too many dates, bundles and prices to read in one sitting, and an AI assistant can sort them for you in seconds if you ask the right questions.

This year SainSmart's BFCM sale runs from Nov 1 to Nov 30, 2026. Members get 20% OFF eligible items from Nov 16 to Nov 30, a four-day Flash Sale on CNC bundles runs from Friday, Nov 27 to Monday, Nov 30, and selected laser engravers and 3D printers carry holiday prices. Items bought during the event can be returned until Jan 30, 2027. Across CNC routers, laser engravers and 3D printers, the question most makers ask is simple: which machine, at which price, and when do I buy?

Below are three copy-and-paste prompts, one for each choice, that combine SainSmart's own buyer's guide and software guide with live web research, so ChatGPT can recommend a machine, a software workflow and the right deal for your project.

Before you start: give ChatGPT three sources

ChatGPT gives its best answers when it reads SainSmart's own pages first and uses the wider web only to fill gaps. Paste this setup prompt at the start of every new chat, with web search turned on, then send any prompt below as your next message.

You are a friendly maker-shop advisor. Use web search to open and read these three pages:
1. https://www.sainsmart.com/pages/black-friday (current sale, prices and dates)
2. https://www.sainsmart.com/blogs/news/genmitsu-desktop-cnc-buyers-guide (how to choose a Genmitsu CNC)
3. https://www.sainsmart.com/blogs/news/sainsmart-software-compatibility-guide (which software works with SainSmart machines)
Treat these pages as the main source for SainSmart products, prices, dates and compatibility. You may also search the web for independent reviews, forum posts, manufacturer specs and software documentation, and you must label that information "from the web". If something is not listed on the SainSmart pages, say "not listed" instead of guessing. For every SainSmart product you mention, add its product page link from sainsmart.com, and never make up a link. Show dates in Pacific Time. Reply "Ready" and wait for my next message.

The three pages cover different jobs: the sale page tells you what is on offer and when, the buyer's guide explains which machine fits which project, and the software guide explains what you need on your computer to run it.

Want to skip the copying? The button below opens ChatGPT with the prompt already filled in and web search turned on, and ChatGPT will ask you for any detail you leave blank.

Ask ChatGPT to pick my CNC machine →

Choose your CNC machine

The Genmitsu buyer's guide turns machine choice into a few questions: the largest piece you will make, the material you will cut, how much spindle power and rigidity that needs, how much assembly you want to do, and what else you must budget for. The prompt below asks ChatGPT those same questions for you.

The guide's own picks by use case give you a quick reference to check ChatGPT's answers against:

Tell ChatGPT your project and get a pick

Act as a friendly CNC advisor. Use web search to open and read these SainSmart pages first, and treat them as your main sources:
- Black Friday deals: https://www.sainsmart.com/pages/black-friday
- Genmitsu buyer's guide: https://www.sainsmart.com/blogs/news/genmitsu-desktop-cnc-buyers-guide
- Software compatibility: https://www.sainsmart.com/blogs/news/sainsmart-software-compatibility-guide

My requirements (if any item below is blank or still shows an example in brackets, ask me for it first, one question at a time):
1. Projects I want to make: [e.g., 3D reliefs, signs, parts]
2. Largest finished piece, length × width × thickness: [include units]
3. Materials I want to machine, and the operations for each: [e.g., softwood: shallow engraving; hardwood: deeper 3D relief carving; aluminum: shallow engraving; pockets; cutting all the way through]
4. CNC experience level: [complete beginner / some experience / experienced]
5. Assembly preference: [DIY kit / mostly assembled / ready to use / any is fine]
6. Available bench space, width × depth, and location: [include units; shared room / garage / separate workshop / other]
7. Total budget, including the machine, cutting bits, clamps, software, tax and shipping: [amount and currency]

Recommend one main machine and one backup from the Black Friday page. If the best fit for my needs is not on the Black Friday page, say so and name the closest on-sale option. Explain how each fits my project size, materials, experience, assembly preference, space and total budget. Distinguish the machine's cutting travel from its overall footprint, and consider room for clamps.

Show the listed machine price, say which offer it comes from and whether it can be combined with other offers, and show how much of my budget remains for essentials. Explain any compromises, especially shallow aluminum engraving versus deeper metal milling. Do not claim a machine meets requirements the sources do not confirm.

Suggest a suitable software workflow using the compatibility guide. After your first answer, ask follow-up questions only if an essential detail is missing, one question at a time.

For every SainSmart product mentioned, include its verified sainsmart.com product page link. Never invent links, prices, specifications or compatibility. If information is absent from the three main pages, say "not listed". Label any supplementary information from other sources "from the web" and cite it. Show sale dates and times in Pacific Time.

This prompt already contains the sources, so you can paste it into a new chat without the setup prompt above. Replace each bracket with your own details, or leave it and ChatGPT will ask.

Choose your software

A CNC needs three kinds of software working in a chain, and the software compatibility guide explains each link: CAD to design the part, CAM to turn it into toolpaths and G-code, and control software to send the G-code to the machine. Your computer's operating system narrows the choices, so tell ChatGPT what you run.

The guide was published in November 2024, so ask ChatGPT to check each program's developer page for newer versions and prices.

Build your software workflow

If any bracket below is blank, ask me first. I use a [Windows / Mac (chip: ___) / Linux] computer and I am a [beginner / intermediate / advanced] user. I will make [project type] on [SainSmart machine]. Using the SainSmart software compatibility guide, build my workflow step by step: which CAD, which CAM and which control software, and which are free or paid. Then check each program's developer page for the current version, price and operating system support, and label that part "from the web".

Check the deal

Whichever machine you choose, check what you will actually pay. The main promotions on the sale page are:

Flash Sale items cannot be combined with other offers.

Check which deal fits your machine

I want to buy [machine] (if this is blank, ask me which one first). Is it in the Flash Sale, eligible for the 20% OFF offer, or neither? Show the dates in Pacific Time and the price I would pay, and for a Flash Sale bundle list what is included with the product page link. Quote the page's terms for each answer, say whether the offers can be combined, and tell me the return deadline for items bought in the November 2026 event. If a rule is not listed, say "not listed".

Fine print: check before you buy

AI is a fast reader, not the final word on specs or price. Keep these habits when you shop with it:

• Confirm every price, date and bundle on the SainSmart Black Friday page before you check out, because the page is the only source that counts.
• Ask ChatGPT to quote the line it used and name the page. Anything marked "from the web" is outside information, so check it on the maker's own page.
• Software prices and versions change often, and the compatibility guide dates from November 2024, so confirm them on the developer's site.
• If ChatGPT cannot find a rule, it should say "not listed". Ask SainSmart support at support@sainsmart.com instead of guessing.
• Discounts are while supplies last, and the Holiday Machine Vault is excluded from all promotions and discount codes.

Ready to shop?

Paste the setup prompt, answer ChatGPT's questions about your project, and you will have a machine, a software workflow and a cart plan in about ten minutes. When you are ready, open the official sale page and check out before the Flash Sale ends on Monday, Nov 30.

Shop SainSmart Black Friday