Posted by Jim Newberry 1 on 11/12/2013 21:19:58:
Again, thanks for the input everyone. The Sieg certainly seems to be a popular choice. My concern is that, having read a couple of reviews, it sounds like a strip down and rebuild is – if not inevitable – then certainly highly likely if I want it to perform as advertised. Considering that I'm a newbie to all this, the idea of having to strip down and rebuild my first lathe before I can use it properly seems somewhat daunting. The Warco lathes on the other hand apparently come all set up and ready to go. If the advertising is to be believed then it is simply a case of wiping off the protective grease layer and plugging it in, yet the comments above seem less complimentary about Warco. I live near Leamington Spa and so I reckon the Arceuro showroom in Leicester is about an hour north of me while the Warco showroom is a similar distance to the south so if I may well take a trip to each and have a look before committing myself one way or the other.
Hi Jim,
In ARCs opinion, all Chinese lathes are of similar build, be they from ARC, Tom, Dick or Harry….
In ARCs opinion, all Chinese lathes and mills require some kind of strip, adjust, lubricate at some point, depending on users experience and requirements. it is true that SIEGs or any others work straight out of the box. How much and what you wish to depend on with regard to marketing stuff any one of us sellers say, is up to you. At the end of the day, the choice is really yours.
Regardless of what you buy and who you buy from, at the end of the day, this is a hobby, and you you will enjoy making swarf on which ever lathe you buy. Just keep an open mind.
Ketan at ARC.