You are on a very slippery slope - "for just a few more $$, you can get . . . . . more." Unless you are really focused on small items, then I (as most folks here) recommend getting the larger machine (subject to space and ability to manage weight and power). Granted, bigger is not always better - there are limits. For general mucking around, turning stuff - a 16" lathe would not be "too big", going to 18 or even 20" swing, while still fine for making 1/8" pins may get to be a pain. The 14" lathe is not going to be "too big". That is a very useful size machine. The 1236T that you mentioned is probably a very nice machine - what I don't really like is the speed range - the bottom end at 90rpm is too fast if you have something large enough to take the gap out, and 1600rpm is a little slow for a small item (though I hardly ever run over 1000rpm, so not a show stopper). Of course a VFD will fix both those issues - but why not start with a machine that is better set up to start with.
Personally, I like 1440BV speed range better, and it is already variable. The 2" spindle bore would be a big step up over the 1.56" of your other option. The carriage, toolpost mount and tailstock don't look very robust. The 1440HD is much more robust, but the long headstock may be a show stopper for you (and doesn't have a 2" spindle bore). How long do you need between centers? 40" is a useful size, but consider your needs and whether you are going to needs something longer. Remember 40" is the absolute maximum, when you add a lathe chuck, or add a drill chuck in the tailstock it eats up those 40" - in practical terms you will lose about 10" of useful bed in tooling.
I think you are taking the right approach to ask people their opinion (you'll get plenty of that here). So my opinion is that you should look at the features more than the brand sticker.
There is no "ideal" lathe - or any other machine for that matter. If you do end up taking this hobby seriously, you'll end up with a quite a few machines and the reason is because certain machines work better for certain tasks. My first lathe was a 15", 30 years later I got an 11" and I'd love to get a 20-22" swing machine. I do general mucking around machining - I use the 15" lathe way, way, way more than the 11" (and the 11" is a well tooled, top quality piece of old English iron that is in excellent condition, compared to the 15" that is also well tooled /in good condition offshore knock off).
I suggest you pour as much cash as you can manage into the basic machine (whether you lean more towards larger or towards higher quality depends on your needs) - because those are things that you can't fix later. Addons, such as tooling, DRO, VFD etc you can sort out as you wish or "need". Wanting a bigger spindle bore, a larger swing etc is very hard to do much about.
Let us know how you make out. David
