Hi all,

I am playing on starting with a bitcoin project within the next few months. I am thinking about investing in buying 5 Antminer s9's to start off with mining bitcoins and to continue to grow untill 10 or 15 of them.

I've been doing some intense researching but the different experiences in mining bitcoins in 2017 just don't make sense to me.. So I am hoping to gain some wisdom from some of you!

1) is it lucrative to invest in 5 of these Antminer s9? (or maybe the newer model that might be released by that time)? I realise it will take a few months time, but according to most calculation sites it will take me around 4 months to draw break-even. Dont include the electricity costs etc.

2) Is it necessary to join a mining pool when you have 5 to 15 of these powerful miners yourself? Or is it impossible to do it yourself without the help of a pool?

Hope to hear from you guys soon! And thank you so much in advance.