- Joined
- Mar 14, 2016
- Messages
- 6
I've spent the past two months looking at multiple options including some larger (used) LeBlond and Clausing lathes in the area. While promising in their own ways and carrying a good name all had various issues and all were overkill for the work I do. The last Clausing I looked at was a 70", the last LeBlond was a 54", both had seen decades of solid industrial use. Difficulty shifting between some gears, broken or missing small parts, slop and so on. In any case, I keep coming back to PM for the warranty and support from Matt everyone seems to rave about. One conclusion I've reached after researching this extensively (and I can agree with the advice offered here on the forum): The PM lathes cannot be matched by other import machines of the type, including the Kent/Grizzly/Baileigh/Jet/Enco models I originally looked at. So, I plan to call up Matt no later than Friday and based on his recommendation and pricing, pick out either the PM-1440E-LB or the PM-1340GT.
I really prefer the DRO, QCTP, gear box, additional features and free shipping on the 1440E-LB package, but want the 5 year warranty, better bearings and overall quality of the Taiwanese 1340GT. Might end up springing for the the 1340GT w/ QCTP and DRO add-ons depending on what sort of deal may be had. Thanks for the input on the PM machines.
I really prefer the DRO, QCTP, gear box, additional features and free shipping on the 1440E-LB package, but want the 5 year warranty, better bearings and overall quality of the Taiwanese 1340GT. Might end up springing for the the 1340GT w/ QCTP and DRO add-ons depending on what sort of deal may be had. Thanks for the input on the PM machines.