Eisen 1324GHE Thoughts?

[Erlau]

Hi All, I am in the market for a home shop lathe. In my lathe use to date, I rarely end up working with anything long so the 12-13 in swing lathes with short beds are appealing to me for space reasons. I had my eye on the Eisen 1224, which seems very similar to the PM1236T that people seem to like, but the 1224 is not in stock and would take several months to arrive. The Eisen 1324GHE looks somewhat similar and is still made in Taiwan but I can't find much info on it other than what Eisen lists.

Does anyone have experience with this model? If so, what do you think of it?

The main difference I see compared to the E1224GH/PM1236T/PM1340GT is the gearbox style and it looks like there is a motor high/low speed setting in addition to the gear changes.

 

[matthewsx]

Hello and welcome

Eisen is a well known commercial brand with good support from what I've read (don't own one myself). Assuming you are looking at a local machine dealer and they have the machine in stock?

If so and it fits your budget and needs I don't think you'll get hurt buying it, post some pictures if you have them.

John

 

[tjb]

I bought an Eisen 1440 Made-in-Taiwan last year and couldn't be more satisfied. I looked at both the Eisen and Precision-Matthews equivalent and discovered that the machines are very nearly identical and were probably made by the same manufacturer in Taiwan. My assessment reduced down to two significant differences. First, the Eisen is a much heavier machine. The specifics escape me now, but my recollection is the order of magnitude was a couple of hundred pounds or more. Nearly all of the weight difference was in the base. Eisen's is much more robust, and by looking carefully, I was able to identify that from the stock photos in both sets of ads. Second, the PM has a larger spindle bore. That's a nice feature if you're routinely turning large pieces of stock. I opted for the Eisen because of the weight. The heavier the machine, the more stable it will be. And since I rarely turn anything in the 2" range, that was only a minimal nicety but not a necessity.

I have no experience with the size machines you're looking at, but based on my research at the time, I suspect you can't make a mistake with either - as long as you're certain the machines you're considering are Taiwanese - not Chinese. My Eisen replaces an older Chinese 13 x 40 lathe (Travers Tool's OTMT brand, which is a dead ringer for the PM Chinese lathes). The difference between the two is off the charts. Again, specifics are not front and center in my mind anymore, but my recollection is the Taiwan Eisen outweighs the Chinese OTMT by a good 500 pounds. And that difference is most definitely apparent in operation and results.

I haven't looked at specs on the units you're considering, but you might want to look at a weight comparison. All other things being equal, heavier is better.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Erlau]

Thanks for the notes guys. No red flags so I am planning to move ahead with the plan and make a purchase when the budget allows.

@tjb - did you order directly from Eisen in Canada and have it shipped? Mathew’s comment about looking at one in person at a local dealer has me intrigued but I haven’t found any info on local distributors.


EDIT: I just realized (after tjb mentioned CA) that they’re in Ontario California, not Canada, ha.

 

[tjb]

Thanks for the notes guys. No red flags so I am planning to move ahead with the plan and make a purchase when the budget allows.

@tjb - did you order directly from Eisen in Canada and have it shipped? Mathew’s comment about looking at one in person at a local dealer has me intrigued but I haven’t found any info on local distributors.

I ordered directly from their facility in California and had it shipped. I can get you contact information tomorrow, if you're interested. My recollection was the individual I spoke with was Jason. Very helpful and responsive.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Erlau]

Sure, the contact info for the guy you dealt with would be great. Thanks.

 

[tjb]

Here's the information on Eisen:

Eisen Machinery, Inc.
285 S. Dupont Avenue
Suite 101
Ontario, CA 91761
909-457-8488
'Jason' at extension 105
website: www.eisenm.com
email: sales@eisenm.com

NOTE THE 'm' AT THE END OF 'eisen' ON BOTH THE WEBSITE AND E-MAIL ADDRESS. WITHOUT IT, YOU'LL GO TO A COMPLETELY UNRELATED COMPANY.

Good luck, and keep us posted on what you do.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Phil_C]

I bought the 1236 from Eisen this past May and couldn’t be happier with it. Ordered it and had it in Montana 5 days later. The stop was missing sent an email and had the stop delivered within 2 or 3 days, I didn’t ask for them to ship it that fast.

I’d do it again, it’s a nice machine, all the dials are smooth and tight, without being tight if that makes any sense. This is coming from a hobbyist so take that for what is it worth.

Phil

 

[Anthonytn79]

Hi All, I am in the market for a home shop lathe. In my lathe use to date, I rarely end up working with anything long so the 12-13 in swing lathes with short beds are appealing to me for space reasons. I had my eye on the Eisen 1224, which seems very similar to the PM1236T that people seem to like, but the 1224 is not in stock and would take several months to arrive. The Eisen 1324GHE looks somewhat similar and is still made in Taiwan but I can't find much info on it other than what Eisen lists.

Does anyone have experience with this model? If so, what do you think of it?

The main difference I see compared to the E1224GH/PM1236T/PM1340GT is the gearbox style and it looks like there is a motor high/low speed setting in addition to the gear changes.

Did you get the 1324GHE? Do you like it? I'm in the market for a similar if not the same lathe. What QCTP did you use?

 

[Erlau]

Did you get the 1324GHE? Do you like it? I'm in the market for a similar if not the same lathe. What QCTP did you use?

Not yet, still have a while of saving my $. I am planning on either the 1224 or 1324 eventually. If you get yours first you’ll have to let us know what you think of it.