Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory
That JET lathe is a piece of crap. We had that exact model in our shop and thankfully parted ways with it.
Buying used is great if you can get quality older American (or German/Japanese/Korean) machines...the problem is most of those are not going to be classified as "tabletop". With $3,000 to spend I'd be looking at a used Monarch 10ee or Hardinge HLV-H, which are two of the greatest "small" lathes ever made...the problem is the 10ee is 3500 lbs and the HLV-H is 2200 lbs...ie not table top.
I would under no circumstances buy a used Chinese lathe (any small Grizzly/JET/etc). They're all made by the same factory with a different badge and they all suck.
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I definitely agree with your principal Cory, but I have found some Chinese equipment that functions adequately before. It will never be the BEAST that a Hardinge HLV(mmm that dovetail way) is, but it being used may actually be better than buying a new one. Who knows exactly what you are getting new with a Chinese machine, but if you are buying off someone that really has used it regularly for some time they have had time to break it in and find fixes. They do require a lot more regular maintenance to be serviceable however. You will never catch me buying a new Jet/Grizzly/etc, but I might still check out an old one on the chance it may surprise me.