Difference between 7x, 8x or 9x Chinese Lathes

ShagDog

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I am familiar with a 7x chinese mini lathes. I have never seen an 8x or 9x chinese lathe in person. Other than the obvious differences in swing, I am curious as to other differences. I know the 8x12 Harbor Freight lathe weighs around 250 lbs. while the 7x12 weighs around 90 lbs. The HF 8x12 is also around twice the price of the HF 7x12.

Questions:

1. Is the price difference worth it for the HF 8x?

2. I know that weight (mass) is your friend in a lathe. However, all that extra weight may do little if the cross slide and carriage and compound slide of the 8x and the 7x are similar in size and weight. How do the sizes of the HF 8x and 7x lathes compare?

3. Any other comparisons and contrasts that may be pertinent?
 
the 8X and 9x are better constructed machines, more metal in them
the threading capabilities on the 8" was kinda impressive, the 9" not so much
i never got their 8 or 9 " but i did have the 7x12- it did it's purpose, but i had to make a whole bunch of quality control issues with my heap
 
One thing people have mentioned is they either don't get all the gears for cutting threads or the gear set doesn't match the manual or the chart on the machine- That is one important thing to check when considering one of these.
Little Machine Shop and Precision Matthews both have good reputations for service and parts. Grizzly is a bit hit and miss, but many like them.
Not sure about Bolton.
Also, on the lathes (and mills) with electronic speed controls the circuit boards seem to fail frequently- fortunately there is a service that repairs these: www.olduhfguy.com
-Mark
 
I've fiddled with the HF 7x12 display models and wasn't impressed with their build quality. I have not laid hands on an 8x16 but from what I've read both in specs and peoples experience with them the 8x16 lathes are basically the same as the 7x scaled up, but more importantly better built. They also come with more tooling. I think the HF 8x12 is a completely different (and much cheaper) machine than the 8x16 sold by Grizzly and others.


Last year I picked up an Enco 9x20 for $300. It was in nice shape but missing some of the tooling they come with, including the change gears. It is basically the same lathe Grizzly, Busy Bee, Jet etc sells. In fact I've used parts I bought from Grizzly on mine. You will see them alternately listed as a 9x19 or a 9x20, that just comes down to whether they are sold with a (shorter) dead center or (longer) live center.

The 9x20 isn't a bad small lathe, but it does have some short comings mostly related to rigidity (it is only a 250lb lathe). There is a large active community of 9x20 users who have put together lots of modifications to improve these lathes. These lathes have been around for about 30 years, the basic design was copied from the Austrian Emco Compact 8.

The 7x and 8x are variable speed lathes, with the speed controlled by turning a knob. The 9x20 is a 6 speed lathe with the speed set by the position of the belt on the pulleys.

In size the 8x lathes are actually 8-1/4", and the 9x20 are 8.75". Weight on the 8x16 is about 150lbs, the 9x20 250lbs.
 
I have the Seig SC8 which is an 11x30 lathe I guess (specs are in metric).

I went from a 7x10 to this and it is a very big step up. The SC8 has a brushless 1500w motor. Built in gear box. X and Y power feed and weighs 500lbs

From what I gather Seig is the original Chinese small machine manufacturer and has the better quality of of them all.
I think they rebrand their lathes for places like Little Machine Shop.

Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
 
The 7x and 8x are variable speed lathes, with the speed controlled by turning a knob. The 9x20 is a 6 speed lathe with the speed set by the position of the belt on the pulleys.

In size the 8x lathes are actually 8-1/4", and the 9x20 are 8.75". Weight on the 8x16 is about 150lbs, the 9x20 250lbs.
I have an HF 7X lathe. I bought it in 1999. After many mods it is still working fine for me, but I would swap it for a 6 speed 9x20 anytime. The electronic speed control is easy to blow up and expensive to replace. I may be wrong but I've heard that the newer versions of speed controls are not easy to repair.
 
I have an HF 7X lathe. I bought it in 1999. After many mods it is still working fine for me, but I would swap it for a 6 speed 9x20 anytime. The electronic speed control is easy to blow up and expensive to replace. I may be wrong but I've heard that the newer versions of speed controls are not easy to repair.

Yeah, I know lots of people make the 7x lathes work, some quite well. My reaction is just looking at the display models. Plastic handles, movement was sort of jerky and fit seems iffy at best. It is a display model so thousands of hands and who knows how much care the employee chosen to put it together gave, but I've fiddled with more than one in the stores, I have a thing for little lathes. If I find a used one in the $200 range it will come home with me.

All of these small lathes are built to a budget to be affordable to hobbyists, the 7x are just built to a much smaller budget. I think all have good bones to work with if you are willing to put the time and effort into them. That is actually a big part of why I grabbed the 9x20, it seemed like a fun project to make it better.
 
I purchased my 9x20 in the understanding it was really a kit of parts that required a lot of work to fettle and get working well.
I enjoyed the journey and as it was the first lathe I ever owned I learnt heaps in the process.
To date heres what I have done (some might say butchered) to it so far.
  1. indexing unit
  2. reverse tumbler
  3. cross slide handle
  4. better worm
  5. oilers and grooves on cross slide
  6. extra oilers on saddle
  7. extended cross slide travel
  8. solid plinth
  9. 4 bolt clamp for tool post
  10. axa tool post
  11. er collet spindle chuck
  12. vertical milling slide
  13. extended splash guard
  14. shelf for tool holders
  15. cam lever saddle lock
  16. new half nut lever
  17. half nut dimples further apart on apron
  18. lead screw brush
  19. ball turner
Of course I would love a better larger lathe, mill, shaper, etc etc but costs do not allow this.
I think the 9x20 is a lot of bang for the bucks but then I dont have any experience of anything else.
 
I purchased my 9x20 in the understanding it was really a kit of parts that required a lot of work to fettle and get working well.

I think the 9x20 is a lot of bang for the bucks but then I dont have any experience of anything else.
you have done very well at that too, good Sir! :beer:
you have a tenacity that is required to do very nice work
 
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