Buying a Bitaxe: what to look out for (buying guide)

The Bitaxe is one of the best-known open-source Bitcoin miners for the home, and the market of originals, replicas and offers of every quality level is confusing. To help you choose, we go through the buying criteria that matter. A short checklist follows at the end.

1. Current generation and a real BM1370 ASIC

The chip decides the most. For a Bitaxe, look for the current Gamma generation with the efficient BM1370 ASIC. Older Bitaxe models with the BM1366 or BM1368 need noticeably more power for the same hashrate (higher J/TH). For a device that runs around the clock for years, that adds up on the electricity bill.

2. Original or clone

Because the design is open, there are many replicas. Some are excellent, others use inferior components, a weak power stage or sloppy soldering, and those weak points cause instability and crashes later on. Buy from a vendor who describes the hardware quality openly and stands behind it. An anonymous bargain listing rarely does.

3. Power supply and accessories

Check whether a matching power supply is included or has to be bought separately. A power supply that is too weak or poorly made is one of the most common causes of instability and constant reboots. A stable stand is sensible too, and if you want to tune, a cooling upgrade. Our miners come with the matching power supply, and most of them with a stand as well.

4. Firmware: open instead of locked

Genuine Bitaxe hardware runs the open firmware AxeOS. You control pool, frequency and voltage yourself and receive community updates. Avoid devices with locked firmware, a cloud requirement or a mandatory account: that goes against the idea of open-source mining and makes you dependent on the seller.

5. EU shipping instead of customs fees

This point is often underestimated. When you import from overseas, import VAT, customs duties and handling fees add up quickly, and you wait for weeks. A complaint then means expensive return shipping. If you buy within the EU, none of this applies. So look for a vendor with a warehouse and shipping inside the EU.

6. Warranty, withdrawal and support

When you buy from a vendor in the EU, you have the statutory warranty and, as a consumer buying at a distance, a 14-day right of withdrawal. Also look for support that answers in your language. During the first setup or when tuning, a quick and competent answer is worth a lot. We ship within 24 hours and usually reply within a day.

Your buying checklist

• Current Gamma generation with a real BM1370 ASIC?
• Clean hardware quality from a vendor who stands behind it?
• Matching power supply (and ideally a stand) included?
• Open AxeOS firmware, no cloud requirement?
• Warehouse and shipping inside the EU, so no customs and a short delivery time?
• Right of withdrawal and support in your language?

Rule of thumb: it is better to pay a little more for current hardware, a matching power supply and real support than to save in the wrong place and later deal with crashes, customs fees and support that never answers.

A good first device is the Bitaxe Gamma 601; all models side by side are in the miner comparison. What to expect once the device is at home, from power to placement, is on the home mining page.