Best lathe on Reddit
154 reviews from r/turning, r/Machinists, r/machining and 10 more subreddits
154 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Jet
4.5
(22)
"I loved using a 1221vs (variable speed) set on top of a burly workbench for a lot of work."
"I make bats on a jet 1221 with the extension."
"Jet 12 21 is a beast and is like 1000 bucks."
"I use this Jet 12” Lathe. I love it."
"Perfect for small items, pens, bowls etc."
"I love my Jet 1221VS."
"I like my jet 1221. Having used it for over a decade I'd say it is more than solid."
"I’ve been using one for a while and I love it."
"Very good quality and a very capable machine."
"Good solid machine."
#2
Sherline
4.1
(13)
"If a Sherline is big enough for you that would be my choice. It will give you accuracy out of the box."
"Sherline and Taig are the two best bench top lathes."
"I can vouch for Sherline."
"I have a Sherline, a Chinese 7 x 14 lathe, and a South Bend 10 K."
"Love my sherline. get the extended axes for tooling clearance."
"I’ve bought two Sherline lathes and a mill."
"Taig looks nicer than the Sherline."
"I like my Sherline a lot"
"Closest I can think of is something like a sherline."
"High quality, made in the USA."
#3
Rikon
4.4
(11)
"I got a rikon and love it."
"Love my 150vsr so much, and maxed it out, so bought their big boy with the sliding bed."
"The ideal machine in that segment is the seven-inch Rikon benchtop lathe."
"I ended up with two Rikon, love them both, and service is phenomenal."
"I’ve had both a Rikon and now a Jet lathe that come in in that range and have been very happy with them."
"My rikons have treated me well."
"I turn the majority of my pieces on a pretty simple Rikon midi-lathe."
"There is a new, more capable model with 1-1/2 HP motor."
"I bought that exact Rikon on fb marketplace for half price."
"The two new Rikons do look compelling."
#4
Laguna
3.6
(11)
"Laguna 18/36 in 220v is likely the only lathe you’ll ever need."
"I love, love, love the Laguna. The build quality is better."
"The 24/36 is a phenomenal machine and is $4k."
"The Laguna 1524 looks like a nice setup."
"It's a good work horse for spindle work."
"The Laguna 1836 and the 2436 give a lot of bang for the money."
"I have a Laguna 18/36 and its really good."
"Biggest pro of the Laguna is that they are one of the few that actually give you a tailstock riser block."
"I would only buy the Laguna if somebody could reliably ensure me that they have fixed their toolpost clamp design."
"However be aware that Laguna's customer service isn't just bad it is no-existent."
#5
Nova
4.7
(7)
"For the chuck, skip the generic one and get a Nova."
"I recently got a Nova Neptune. It's my first full size lathe and am loving it so far."
"This has been a great machine."
"Recently I upgraded to a Nova Comet II with an extension bed."
"I use a nova lathe now and got to where i use replaceable tip gouges now. I love it!"
"It's a fantastic lathe but it is definitely overkill for pens and small projects."
"Nova Nebula."
#6
Powermatic
4.4
(7)
"I have Powermatic and love it."
"I love it."
"Powermatic is the only way to go, no other is even close Imo."
"Rugged, dependable, and plenty of kit made specifically for this lathe."
"The stands of the Vicmarc (most models anyway) and the Robust fully adjust and would accommodate that height."
"I’ve been using the pm3520 now for about 3 years."
"Do not buy a Laguna. Used powermatics come up all the time."
#7
Record Power
4.3
(6)
"Record power. Huge fan here."
"For that price I got a record power coronet herald that has a 14" swing."
"I’ve finally decided upon the Record Power Lathe."
"The RP Coronet Herald is the next best thing."
"Record Power has a ton of options and they are decent lathes."
"I absolutely love it."
#8
Hardinge
4.8
(4)
"Hardinge lathes are pretty awesome but probably carry a premium."
"I loved working on Hardinge Conquest lathes."
"You would ned a Hardinge or Monarch EE toolroom lathe for stuff like that."
"Get an old Hardinge."
#9
Haas
3.6
(5)
"Haas has a really nice tool room lathe that i use on a daily its a TL2."
"HAAS ST30Y would be a good fit."
"Haas, they’re very easy to learn and good enough for most things."
"If your budget is 15k, then a used Haas or Mori is for you."
"Bunch of used Haas SL’s in my area at that price."
#10
Grizzly
4.0
(4)
"Their business is tools & they claim to have parts."
"I have their big 3hp and it has been great."
"Take a look at the Grizzly T25920."
"I started with a grizzly 1022 lathe 10 years ago."
#11
Axminster
4.3
(3)
"Axminster lathes are great. I have had the Axminster Craft AC355WL for over five years now and I love it."
"I have an Axminster AW305 and it’s decent."
"I have an Axminster AW305 and it’s decent."
#12
Craftsman
4.0
(3)
"Based on what you want to turn, I would have to recommend an older, used Craftsman."
"I got an old Craftsman off of Craigslist for $75 that I've used to turn chair leg spindles and bowls."
"Go and find an old one. There are lots of decent old lathes out there."
#13
Vicmarc
5.0
(2)
"If I was in Australia, I would do anything to get my hand on a Vicmarc."
"Vicmarc. They are the Rolls Royce of Lathes."
#14
Cuesmith
5.0
(2)
"If your ready to spend 3/4k get the cuesmith deluxe with taper bars and 3/4 hp motor."
"This would be your best bet."
#15
Oneway
5.0
(2)
"Oneway 2436. Buy once cry once. Lifetime machine."
"A used Oneway lathe."
#16
Precision Matthews
4.0
(2)
"Precision Matthews makes good quality bench lathes."
"I’ve heard good things about Precision Matthews but I have no experience."
#17
Harvey
4.0
(2)
"I have the big Harvey lathe…been using it for almost 2 years and am very happy with it."
"I just purchased the Harvey T-40 and I’m excited to get it up and running."
#18
Rockler
4.0
(2)
"Rockler's running a sale right now on their VS 12-24 midi lathe for $520."
"Rockler's 1018 Mini lathe is $300 and does not suck."
#19
Okuma
4.0
(2)
"Find a 20yo Okuma Crown."
"We bought a Okuma LB 9 for 8000."
#20
Harbor Freight
3.5
(2)
"I have been very happy with the typical harbor freight benchtop unit for several years."
"The bigger of the two Harbor Freight lathes would probably be just fine too."
#21
Doosan
5.0
(1)
"The doosan is definetly the best choice imo."
#22
Penn State Industries
5.0
(1)
"Great lathe, absolutely no reason to spend 1k plus for pens."
#23
Laguna 1216
5.0
(1)
"I absolutely love my Laguna 1216"
#24
Powermatic 2014
5.0
(1)
"I found a used powermatic 2014 for $1700 and haven’t looked back."
#25
Rikon 1420
5.0
(1)
"I really like my rikon 1420."
#26
Holzstar 450
5.0
(1)
"I have Holzstar 450, best small lathe here in CZ."
#27
Nova Comet 2
5.0
(1)
"Nova Comet 2 is a great lathe to start with."
#28
Laguna 1836
5.0
(1)
"I have the Laguna 1836 and have nothing but great things to say about it."
#29
JET 1642EVS
5.0
(1)
"I have a JET 1642EVS which is now I believe resized and sold as a 1640EVS."
#30
One-way
5.0
(1)
"If you can stomach about 7k get a One-way 2000 series and never even think about looking at another lathe again."
#31
South Bend
5.0
(1)
"I have a South Bend 9a at home. Perfect size for what you’re looking to do."
#32
One Way
5.0
(1)
"One Way has been working for me for years."
#33
Robust
5.0
(1)
"The last lathes made in the US and the best quality of em all."
#34
Accusize
4.0
(1)
"I got a cheapish set of carbide insert tools off Amazon for like $45."
#35
LittleMachineShop
4.0
(1)
"Check out littlemachineshop.com. They have a beginner set of tools jacobs chuck, center drills, etc..."
#36
Tormach 8L
4.0
(1)
"Something like a Tormach 8L."
#37
Takisawa Nakamura
4.0
(1)
"Old takisawa or Old Nakamura should be a good deal."
#38
FTL320T
4.0
(1)
"Something like this would be a good fit."
#39
OmniTurn AW-100
4.0
(1)
"Maybe look for a Used OmniTurn, or since you're west coast, an old American Way AW-100."
#40
Emco Compact 5/8
4.0
(1)
"Maybe an Emco Compact 5 or Compact 8? They're older machines but solid."
#41
Metal Lathe
4.0
(1)
"I'd certainly be looking at a metal lathe if at all possible."
#42
Logan
4.0
(1)
"You might be better off with an old US made lathe such as a Logan or South Bend."
#43
Taig
4.0
(1)
"They make a small lathe that’s generally regarded as a little bit bigger and heavier duty than sherline."
#44
Shop Fox
4.0
(1)
"You can get one new for around $250-$300 online."
#45
Wen
4.0
(1)
"I was given a small Wen lathe (that retails for around $200)."
#46
Jet 12 x 36
4.0
(1)
"If I were you, I'd be looking for a used Central Machinery or Jet 12 x 36 with a Reeves drive system for speed control."
#47
Nova Neptune
4.0
(1)
"I just got the Nova Neptune; only had it for a week, but at $1500 US it seems in your range."
#48
Stratos
4.0
(1)
"Are you able to get a hold of Stratos or Record Power? Those are a couple I'd look at."
#49
Grizzly 14 x 20
4.0
(1)
"I've got this and I like it a lot."
#50
Excelsior
4.0
(1)
"I started recently and I got the Excelsior from Rockler on sale and I'm pretty happy with it."
#51
Delta midi
4.0
(1)
"I have a delta midi, has served me well for two years."
#52
Easy Tools
4.0
(1)
"Carbide wood turning tools have an easier learning curve than traditional high-speed steel."
#53
Jet 1440
4.0
(1)
"I upgraded an old craftsman to a jet 1440."
#54
Powermatic 3520c
4.0
(1)
"I bought a 3520c in January."
#55
Proxxon
4.0
(1)
"I can recommend the Proxxon db 250."
#56
WEN
4.0
(1)
"It has good features for the price."
#57
Emco
3.0
(1)
"Emco made good machines."
#58
Chinese
3.0
(1)
"I recently got a bench top Chinese mini lathe for ~500 bucks Canadian."
#59
Vevor
3.0
(1)
"A cheap new mini lathe for metal like a 7x10/12/14" is under $450."
#60
Storebro
3.0
(1)
"Storebro (a Swedish machine company) has small, and cheap, machines."
#61
Harbor Freight 7x10 lathe
3.0
(1)
"I used a 7x10 harbor freight lathe for quite a while."
#62
Seig
2.0
(1)
"I bought a seig c3 from little machine shop (7x16). The lathe could physically do the work."
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