Can someone explain Hardinge lathes to me?

[Provincial]

My advice to the OP is to not look for Hardinge lathes if he doesn't need the level of precision that their reputation. You are paying a premium for the name, and for most users a South Bend, Clausing, or even a decent import will be plenty good enough.

I often see newbies being advised to only settle for a Kurt mill vise. Let's be realistic. A newbie will be lucky to push the limits of an older, quality vise (as long as it isn't worn out) or a decent import. Only after getting the skills, and having a high-quality mill in good condition will the Kurt make a difference.

It is easy to spend other peoples money. The Government is skilled at this.

 

[mmcmdl]

The Government is skilled at this.

They are amateurs to a lot of us on here .

 

[wired]

My advice to the OP is to not look for Hardinge lathes if he doesn't need the level of precision that their reputation. You are paying a premium for the name, and for most users a South Bend, Clausing, or even a decent import will be plenty good enough.

I often see newbies being advised to only settle for a Kurt mill vise. Let's be realistic. A newbie will be lucky to push the limits of an older, quality vise (as long as it isn't worn out) or a decent import. Only after getting the skills, and having a high-quality mill in good condition will the Kurt make a difference.

It is easy to spend other peoples money. The Government is skilled at this.

Ive owned a few southbends and Ive never been a fan of the small bushing head lathes. Hard to spin them fastI. have a big Hendey Im rebuilding the apron on right now and once thats done I expect my drive for a precision lathe will be reduced a lot.