Chester or Warco.

[Martin Turner 4Participant @martinturner4]

Hi guys, I have been looking to buy a nice used smallish mill but nothing so far has really come up and really I want to progress my workshop fit out but the mill needs to ideally go in first.

Just wondered what experience people have had with Chester vs Warco? as some of the machines I have been looking at seem to come out the same factory with a few very basic trim, handle, paint differences etc.

Warco VMC vs Chester 626

Warco GH Universal vs Chester Lux

Warco Super Major vs Chester Super Lux

[Martin Turner 4Participant @martinturner4]

[John RuddParticipant @johnrudd16576]

I have the Chester 626 and have been very happy with it….

Just to add, I also have a Chester 9 x 20 lathe and have had a Chester mini mill…

Of late there has been some maligning of their products.

All I can say is I'm happy with their products and after sales service.

I find them courteous and professional and aim to please.

Just a satisfied customer…

[NIGEL pearson 1Participant @nigelpearson1]

I have a warco vmc mill and couldnt ask for a better machine in the price range,also warco aftersales is second too none

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I have no complaints about my Warco VMC, some feel the need for a bit more height from nose to table but so far I don't. Well worth getting a DRO and auto feed if possible. Warco do a variable speed drive version now.

Mike

[DeanoParticipant @deano]

Having just recently sent a Chester Mill back due to it being utter junk, I’d say don’t buy. Of course, that’s just my opinion. I may be burned in effigy by some forumeers, but I can live with it. At the recent show in Leamington, I decided to give them a fair go and compared the products they had there with Warco in case I’d just had a bad machine. For my money, Warco had superior feel and just better quality. That’s were my money will be going. Of course, you should if possible try both. Ally Pally might be a good place to make your comparison.

[Graham SwalesParticipant @grahamswales]

Have purchased Warco Mills and Lathes for industrial use with no issues at all. Purchased Chester mill for my own use at home. First one supplied rusty, combined metric and imperial leadscrews and indexes. Returned as unfit for use….. Second one supplied – allegedly fully inspected at the UK works by the chief engineer – surface finish no better, motor and control board went with a bang on first turning the supply on…….. Got full refund and went elsewhere!

Make your own decision, but if I was in the market again I would go for a green machine!

Graham

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

I have a small Chester 16V mill and a larger 626. Mine are superb and I have had good service. However, I was able to view and inspect both mills before parting with the dosh. Nicer colour too (in my opinion).

Phil H

[Martin Turner 4Participant @martinturner4]

Seems a few have had issues with there Chester stuff, the thing I find strange is some of it looks identicle to the Warco stuff but if it's so bad is it just a bad copy coming from a different factory?.

PS Warco do currently have a nice used metric VMC with power feed but ideally the universal or major would give me a little more travel and height.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

It is quite a difficult choice between the knee type and square column type. Prices aside the tables are different sizes and speed and clearances differ between them. I think there are also small differences between the two importers models of the same style too. You really need to see them as near as possible together – at the Ally Pally show in the spring.

[Chris HembryParticipant @chrishembry84309]

I have a Chester Super Lux…no issues with accuracy or finish. Also have a Warco lathe….the famed aftersales service has never materialised as all emails have been ignored. Just my experience !

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

I can't comment on Chester equipment as I have a Warco WM250V-F lathe & a WM16 mill, so far I can't complain. I bought both mine at the 2012 Harrogate exhibition after checking out Warco & Chester stands, I didn't get that 'gut feeling' with Chester equipment as I did with Warco machines, plus I got a reasonable discount with Warco's for buying both machines & stands, plus free delivery. No deal was on offer from Chester's plus they wanted £60 for delivery.
​After sales from Warco was up to my expectations, at first they sent me the wrong machine which also had casting faults, a couple of e-mails, with pics soon resolved it, machine exchanged with no transportation cost to me so…

George.

[Dan CarterParticipant @dancarter89683]

I have a 290v lathe from Warco and a Super Lux from Chester.

Both are a second try, the first ones having gone back. Initial response from Warco was disappointing (implied I was being an idiot for suggesting the carriage lock should work, the lack of any way to lock the cross slide wasn't ideal and supposedly hardened ways should be harder than cheese), but came good in the end, and the exchange was excellent, they sent one of their guys out fully equipped to remove and replace.

Chester's initial response was better in that they accepted there was a problem immediately, tried a fix then agreed a replacement without argument when it became clear it was fundamentally broken, but was a normal courier, so more faffing during the replacement.

Honestly I couldn't say there was much between them for service.

The Superlux was however much cheaper than the Warco equivalent at the time, assuming the specification met your needs, mainly as it came with DRO fitted, whereas the for Super Major or whatever it was an expensive uk fitted extra.

I did mention at the Warco showroom that I would have preferred to buy from them as local, but couldn't justify the price difference for what was clearly the same basic machine with slightly different spec, just got some shrugging etc.

Dan

[Martin Turner 4Participant @martinturner4]

Posted by Dan Carter on 20/11/2017 23:16:05:

I have a 290v lathe from Warco and a Super Lux from Chester.

Both are a second try, the first ones having gone back. Initial response from Warco was disappointing (implied I was being an idiot for suggesting the carriage lock should work, the lack of any way to lock the cross slide wasn't ideal and supposedly hardened ways should be harder than cheese), but came good in the end, and the exchange was excellent, they sent one of their guys out fully equipped to remove and replace.

Chester's initial response was better in that they accepted there was a problem immediately, tried a fix then agreed a replacement without argument when it became clear it was fundamentally broken, but was a normal courier, so more faffing during the replacement.

Honestly I couldn't say there was much between them for service.

The Superlux was however much cheaper than the Warco equivalent at the time, assuming the specification met your needs, mainly as it came with DRO fitted, whereas the for Super Major or whatever it was an expensive uk fitted extra.

I did mention at the Warco showroom that I would have preferred to buy from them as local, but couldn't justify the price difference for what was clearly the same basic machine with slightly different spec, just got some shrugging etc.

Dan

I live in Southampton so Warco are much closer than Chester, but my thinking is like yours why pay extra for the Super Major when the Super Lux is basically the same machine for less money.

I also questioned Chester with Warco basically having the same machine for less and all I got was out quality control at the factory is better.

[Chris TriceParticipant @christrice43267]

And yet more numerous stories that make me buy good British second hand. I wonder if Myford, Boxford, Harrison, Colchester etc had this many returns in their day? I'd be interested to hear from either Chester or Warco what proportion of machines lead to "customer feedback" and what happens to these returned machines. I hope they go back to China but I have my doubts.

[thaiguzziParticipant @thaiguzzi]

Centec 2B

Tom Senior – any

Harrison vertical

Elliot Omnimill

For more money; Deckels and their clones

……

No Warco or Chester in that list….

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Chris Trice, wondering how many returns for The Brit household names. I sent two Bridgeport mills back when I was managing a toolroom. The later ones became a bit iffy and could not be sorted on site.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Chris Trice on 21/11/2017 01:22:24:

And yet more numerous stories that make me buy good British second hand. I wonder if Myford, Boxford, Harrison, Colchester etc had this many returns in their day? I'd be interested to hear from either Chester or Warco what proportion of machines lead to "customer feedback" and what happens to these returned machines. I hope they go back to China but I have my doubts.

Bit hard to compare the two. If you pay hobby machine prices you would be a fool to think you are getting industrial quality. Go and have a look at 600Group site and look at the price of a new M300 or 10XX Boxford and compare that with a 12×30 Warco/Chester. Even a new Myford will set you back £10k from RDG so can't compare that with a similar capacity 7x ?? minilathe.

You pay your money and you take your choice Would you expect a Rolls to be the same quality as a Dacia Duster?

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

As a member who has a lathe from Warco and 1 from DSG and a mill from Chester and a K&T as you would expect they are from opposite ends of the spectrum. The Warco Lathe [ GH750 ] now discontinued was bought new in circa 2001and has been a superb buy, never any problem and still performs great to this day. The only thing I have ever had fail was the halogen bulb !!" Did remove the original motor and fitted a 3hp 3p Siemens one running off a Eurotherm 650 drive [ now made by Parker ] . The Mill from Chester [ LUX ] has been a bit more of a pain, Did quite a lot of work to the interface between the Column/ Base/ Head. involving epoxy injection, now far more rigid very easy to get it perfect in the x-y and it will stay where I set it. The nod from front to back is more of a pain, I feel that the head is too heavy for the column [ you will always have a bit of nod but I would be better with a more rigid column] Having said that it has performed reliably since bought in around 2005 and again I removed the original motor and replaced it with another Siemens 3 hp 3p running through a WEG CFW 08 drive. Hope this has been of some help.

Cheers.

[Martin Turner 4Participant @martinturner4]

Posted by thaiguzzi on 21/11/2017 06:39:09:

Centec 2B

Tom Senior – any

Harrison vertical

Elliot Omnimill

For more money; Deckels and their clones

……

No Warco or Chester in that list….

My first choice would actually be to buy a used small industrial type mill like you mentioned above, my old lathe was a Harison and it was old but still very accurate and well built. Unfortunately it got put into storage at my uncles farm when we moved and some local kids thought it would be funny to set his barn on fire, so I am also after a lathe as well as the Harison had all the alley parts just melted away in the heat.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Raymond Anderson on 21/11/2017 08:22:33:

… The Warco Lathe [ GH750 ] now discontinued was bought new in circa 2001and has been a superb buy <etc.>

.

I have never bought a machine from either of these suppliers, but Raymond's post prompts an intriguing question:

How does the 'quality control' of current supply compare with that of 2001 ?

Note: I am not 'bashing' Warco, Chester, the Chinese, or anyone else; it's just a simple, honest question.

History suggests that 'Market Forces' frequently lead to cost-cutting [and concomitant quality-cutting ?] …

MichaelG.

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by JasonB on 21/11/2017 08:06:04:

Posted by Chris Trice on 21/11/2017 01:22:24:

And yet more numerous stories that make me buy good British second hand. I wonder if Myford, Boxford, Harrison, Colchester etc had this many returns in their day? I'd be interested to hear from either Chester or Warco what proportion of machines lead to "customer feedback" and what happens to these returned machines. I hope they go back to China but I have my doubts.

Bit hard to compare the two. If you pay hobby machine prices you would be a fool to think you are getting industrial quality. Go and have a look at 600Group site and look at the price of a new M300 or 10XX Boxford and compare that with a 12×30 Warco/Chester. Even a new Myford will set you back £10k from RDG so can't compare that with a similar capacity 7x ?? minilathe.

You pay your money and you take your choice Would you expect a Rolls to be the same quality as a Dacia Duster?

Indeed.

I have an almost unused Boxford 330, but if you want to buy new from Boxford, the cheapest basic short bed 280 is a whisker under £11,000 with the vat, and it is a totally bare spec – it doesn't even come with a 4 jaw chuck.

That's not knocking Boxford, it's well known I am an X10 fan, but just illustrating your point.

A new M300 will be even more money!

There's also probably more secondhand rubbish British lathes on the market than excellent ones too!

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 21/11/2017 08:57:08:

Posted by Raymond Anderson on 21/11/2017 08:22:33:

… The Warco Lathe [ GH750 ] now discontinued was bought new in circa 2001and has been a superb buy <etc.>

.

I have never bought a machine from either of these suppliers, but Raymond's post prompts an intriguing question:

How does the 'quality control' of current supply compare with that of 2001 ?

Note: I am not 'bashing' Warco, Chester, the Chinese, or anyone else; it's just a simple, honest question.

History suggests that 'Market Forces' frequently lead to cost-cutting [and concomitant quality-cutting ?] …

MichaelG.

Michael

I have wondered exactly the same.

16 years of potentially improving the products since 2001, vs more competition driving prices down.

Something will have to give somewhere.

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Hello Michel, Very good question and one which I personally could not answer. I'm sure that there will be other members that have bought earlier machines and then the newer types. Be good to see how they stack up on the QC front.

Regards.

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

I have never bought from Chester or Warco but do have a Taiwan built 3HP 14"x40" copy of a Harrison M300. Bought second hand it was built in 2001 Importer/brand is Excel. It still produces very good work, I did make a new beefed up cross slide for it and modified some off the shelf feed screw/nut for the cross slide. I bought this after spending over a year trying to find a good Colchester Student or Harrison M300.

My Taiwan lathe ticked all the boxes, both steadies/pratt burnerd three and four jaw chucks/faceplate/Dickson quick change toolpost and a Newall readout. I paid £1000 5 years ago and sold my South Bend "Heavy Ten" to recoup some of the cost. You need to buy on condition, the brand counts for nothing if totally worn out. When I was working we only got five years out of a Colchester Triumph 2000 before replaced with another one, they where knackered after four years but we had them on five year finance deal.

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