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Basically, the level of quality in all of the lathes in this category is about the same since they are all manufactured in China by just a couple of manufacturers, so this was a wash in terms of which brand to choose. Nice, helpful people at Grizzly - this will be a strong point the next time I shop for a tool. The fact that they had an in depth review and adjustment and set up pointers specifically for this lathe really made my selection a lot easier. I have been interested in buying a lathe for hobby work and have done research and talked to people about their experiences. Be ready to buy additional accessories to get up and running. One call to the customer service group at Grizzly solved this by way of a new tray sent to arrive in just a couple of days. A live center and a steady rest were included, but cutting tools and a Jacobs chuck are required items not included in the box.
The desirable features on this unit were the wider bed for work on longer pieces and the variable speed motor control. They have an abundance of great info for the beginner and intermediate machinist. If you are new to this hobby, you will find the web site very helpful. Being new to a tool like this, the fact that different materials require different cutting speeds would require gear changes on lathes without the speed adjustment. The slides have very little play and the chuck centers properly with almost no run-out.
I was convinced that the Grizzly was the best choice for a few reasons. I have turned a few items on the lathe already, and all seems fine. The Grizzly box arrived in pristine condition, but that did not indicate a damage free shipment as the drip tray was bent in shipment. It came down to features, included accessories and convenience. The ability to slowly bring a piece of work up to the proper speed is also important to a novice (like me) to determine if the work is mounted and centered properly on the chuck.
Other than that it run smooth and quiet. (2) The threading gears are made of plastic along with some of the gears in the head housing. I just go one os these and I love it. Couple of things I found to be unexpected: (1) It's made in China I had expected to be made in USa since it's grizzly.
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