- Joined
- Jun 22, 2023
- Messages
- 328
not the same lathe but a close cousin, these are better thought of as a learning opportunity.
here is a thread about my experience,
www.hobby-machinist.com
remember they (seller) will do anything not to have to take it back so you have 30 days (time starts when they ship it), open it up when it hits your door and inspect everything, watch a lot of videos to know what to look for, mine was much better than what i was expecting after watching the videos YMMV.
all in all i'm enjoying mine.
spare parts and things like chucks are all on you and you will get to know your lathe really well before it is time to move on.
it will not be in the same class as a PM or even a grizzly, the 1.5" bore and 1.5 hp motor is nice. and you will not get the features from PM or Grizzly for 3x the price.
the MX-600A is nice because it ships with a center and steady rest, the front mounted forward/reverse feed selector as well as the h/m/l feed selector are nice.
i wish it had power cross feed but that comes at a min of 3500 and i may just add a stepper cross feed drive.
i would recommend the longer versions, mine is 24" center to center and that is nice after working on a 7x10.
the els is nice but you will not be doing that much single point threading and that can be retrofitted later to a larger lathe, at least that was my decision.
read my thread and ask questions i will give you my honest opinion, i have no dog in the fight about cheap Asian lathes vs expensive Asian vs ventage heavy lathes i like them all and think they all have a place.
the 210 8.3" swing lathes have much better following for parts than mine and that whole els system can be bought on ebay for around 200, same for the motor and drive board, i would shy away from the direct drive versions, the models with the 2 speed pully system are great for additional TQ and easy to retrofit a motor into.
here is a thread about my experience,
MX-600A 9"x24" mini lathe
well i bit the bullet and bought a MX-600A (1100w brushless 8.7X23.6 with a F/R H/M/L gearbox and a 1.5" spindle bore, shipps with a steady rest, a follow rest and a dead center) off of e-bay, after getting it and turning some steel (does a decent job IMO). I got this expecting a box of lathe...
www.hobby-machinist.com
all in all i'm enjoying mine.
spare parts and things like chucks are all on you and you will get to know your lathe really well before it is time to move on.
it will not be in the same class as a PM or even a grizzly, the 1.5" bore and 1.5 hp motor is nice. and you will not get the features from PM or Grizzly for 3x the price.
the MX-600A is nice because it ships with a center and steady rest, the front mounted forward/reverse feed selector as well as the h/m/l feed selector are nice.
i wish it had power cross feed but that comes at a min of 3500 and i may just add a stepper cross feed drive.
i would recommend the longer versions, mine is 24" center to center and that is nice after working on a 7x10.
the els is nice but you will not be doing that much single point threading and that can be retrofitted later to a larger lathe, at least that was my decision.
read my thread and ask questions i will give you my honest opinion, i have no dog in the fight about cheap Asian lathes vs expensive Asian vs ventage heavy lathes i like them all and think they all have a place.
the 210 8.3" swing lathes have much better following for parts than mine and that whole els system can be bought on ebay for around 200, same for the motor and drive board, i would shy away from the direct drive versions, the models with the 2 speed pully system are great for additional TQ and easy to retrofit a motor into.
Last edited: