Hi all.
Wanting to purchase a good quality lathe (and milling machine) that must offer the following:
Fit on benchtop.
Minimum 500mm between centres.
Thread cutting gearbox.
Require no ‘fixing’ from new to start using (quality).
There seems to be a massive gap between cheap Chinese stuff and hi-end / used industrial equipment. I’m looking for a level above hobby stuff.
I’m in England / Europe. The only brands I can identify that offer the above have all had worrying reviews in terms of quality.
SIEG
WARCO
OPTIMUM
Any advice (other than buy a big used professional machine) appreciated.
You can also consider PAULIMOT
www.paulimot.de
I also plan to buy a lathe from them. I was considering Optimum or Bernardo, but price-wise Paulimot is better and I read good reviews for their machines.
So far I only bought tooling from them and it was a pleasure dealing with them.
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They look like the standard Chinese offerings. One place to compare is Alibaba
Metal Lathe China Trade,Buy China Direct From Metal Lathe Factories at Alibaba.com
Buy Metal Lathe China Direct From Metal Lathe Factories at Alibaba.com. Help Global Buyers Source China Easily.www.alibaba.com
You'll see everything that is available to importers and who the suppliers are. There are many companies that offer these products and those that work directly with good manufacturers can provide slightly better quality stuff. But, if you read through the experiences of forum members none are absolutely turn-key.
Read and learn....
John
I’m not disputing your experience with this seller. Just pointing out the similarity of product and one source to understand marketing/supply chain dynamics.Hello John,
Off-course all cheap machines are china or taiwan.
IMHO one can not compare alibaba/aliexpress sellers to a reputable european seller which actually is importing machines under own brand (similar to Precision Mathews in the USA).
I have no relationship with paulimot. But I do know they check all their machines at the Neu Ulm shop and they offer quality products.
And warranty is virtually not existent when you buy from china directly.
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