Is an old domestic lathe worth the same as a new import lathe?

As for old iron against import. I'd much prefer old iron from US, UK, Australia, Japan, Germany. Any day if it's in good condition. The problem is here getting one in good condition. They're pretty scarce in any condition, but in good condition, forget it.

Which is why I had to settle for an import, and again that is why I went for a Taiwan product at least you get a serviceable item up front, something that you don't have to pull apart and rebuild just o be able to use it. I spent months looking at all the chinese imports and couldn't find any that I thought were worth it.

So eventually a trip to Melbourne 500m away to a dealer who specialised in Taiwan machines. Not only were the machines so much better, but the service was also. Very happy to plug in a demo machine and let me have a play. and I was impressed. And three years later i'm still impressed very happy with my Taiwan purchase. A tool room quality machine, too short for gunsmithing, well a pistol maybe, but many of it's longer brothers would be ideal.
 
It's different now. 30 years ago I would have hesitated to tell a newbie to buy an old used machine. Now with the internet everything you need to know to look for on a used machine is readily available. It just comes down to whether or not the person is an impulse buyer or someone that is willing to do the research before he buys. For the latter I would have no problem recommending old iron. Quality aside, if you are patient, one of the big advantages of a used machine is the amount of tooling that you can get with one.
 
Patience is a virtue in looking for a older lathe. I spent over a year of looking before I found my lathe just a couple of miles from my home. After awhile I concentrated my search on estate sales with at least some documentation as to prior usage. Some of the stuff that came with my lathe was still in the original shipping boxes and envelopes with dates and addresses. The lathe had been lightly used by a hobby machinest it's entire life. I believe that my lathe was a rare find.
 
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