# How Reliable Are Variable Speed Controls



## herrwood (Aug 24, 2016)

Looking to get a mini lathe to play with , was looking at a few of the smaller grizzles the 7x14 would most likely satisfy my needs but not a real fan of electronic things that usually break and i can't fix. So I see the 9 x 19 they have is a manual setup  (saw the 10 but that won't work for the space I have).
 So the question is how reliable are the electronics and these smaller lathes, I do realize a little more set up time as i have a belt driven wood lathe.


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## mksj (Aug 25, 2016)

Often with electronics they will fail either early on because of a bad component or last for a long time and then fail. Some components have a finite lifespan, like electrolytic capacitors. On these type of machines there is usually a single control board that is easily replaced and would be covered by the warranty if early on. I do not see this as a limiting factor.


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## herrwood (Aug 26, 2016)

mksj said:


> Often with electronics they will fail either early on because of a bad component or last for a long time and then fail. Some components have a finite lifespan, like electrolytic capacitors. On these type of machines there is usually a single control board that is easily replaced and would be covered by the warranty if early on. I do not see this as a limiting factor.


 
That does make sense , I do realize the electronics make operation easier then making  belt changes.


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