Grizzly 8x16 lathe vs eBay 8x16

Tomzo

H-M Supporter - Silver Member
H-M Supporter - Silver Member
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Jul 27, 2021
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I am finally going to buy my first lathe. I have read a bunch of threads about the comparisons, support, etc. between Grizzly and eBay sellers, but I can get one of the "MX-210V" class lathes on eBay for a bit over half what the G0768 lathe costs on Grizzly. Sure, the Grizzly comes with a four jaw chuck and a back plate, but those are not all that expensive. I figure I could add those and still save at least $500 and use that for tooling, etc. From the images, aside from the paint job they appear to be very similar, although some of the MX-210V class lathes on eBay have a much larger spindle bore.

My experience in other hobbies tells me to feel the pain once and get over it, but dang, that price delta is pretty large.

Any advice is appreciated.

Tom
 
Not as easy to find stuff on the 8x16 but if you look at some of the youtube reviews on the ebay 7x14 lathes, I think the main issue is spotty quality control. If you are willing to do a lot of work to fix up the lathe or potentially fight with the seller if you get a real lemon, the prices are certainly attractive. You also might get lucky and get a good one and just save a few hundred dollars,

In the case of the ebay 8x16 looking at the specs, it is not only cheaper, but in several ways it is better than the Grizzly G0768. A full 1 hp (750w) motor vs a 3/4-ish (600W). It comes with less tooling but has a larger 5" chuck, vs 4". The advantage to Grizzly is if there are any problem they will probably be responsive and the G0768 comes with more tooling.

If you are willing to take the chance with ebay, there is also an 8.7x23" or 29" for a couple hundred more. The specs look pretty decent for a small lathe and it doesn't appear to be available outside of ebay although it might be related to the 8.5x20 that Little Machine Shop sells.

8x23" lathe
 
Thanks Aaron - I was thinking the same way about the lack of power on the Grizzly model. That 8x23 looks nice but may be a bit large for my space. I notice that the Grizzly appears to have a gear box to change the lead screw direction that is independent of the spindle direction. That would be a nice feature but I have already built the Clough42 electronic lead screw and will be installing that when I get the lathe so that feature will not be needed for me.

I generally don't like eBay sellers but last night I posed a question about shipping to the "Orion Motor Tech" seller and got a reply in actual English within 6 hours which means at least someone is paying attention. It does not mean they will support the product, but at least the lights are on wherever they are.

I fully expect to have to tear any machine down, clean it up, deburr a bunch of parts, and make a bunch of adjustments. Tinkering and modifying things is a well worn path in one of my other hobbies of astrophotography. Yeah, time is money, but tinkering is a part of the path that I actually enjoy - to a certain point....
 
Thanks Aaron - I was thinking the same way about the lack of power on the Grizzly model. That 8x23 looks nice but may be a bit large for my space. I notice that the Grizzly appears to have a gear box to change the lead screw direction that is independent of the spindle direction. That would be a nice feature but I have already built the Clough42 electronic lead screw and will be installing that when I get the lathe so that feature will not be needed for me.

I generally don't like eBay sellers but last night I posed a question about shipping to the "Orion Motor Tech" seller and got a reply in actual English within 6 hours which means at least someone is paying attention. It does not mean they will support the product, but at least the lights are on wherever they are.

I fully expect to have to tear any machine down, clean it up, deburr a bunch of parts, and make a bunch of adjustments. Tinkering and modifying things is a well worn path in one of my other hobbies of astrophotography. Yeah, time is money, but tinkering is a part of the path that I actually enjoy - to a certain point....

There seem to be a lot of sellers in Ontario. Since you are in Socal I wonder if one would allow you to pick up in person. Saves them shipping and you could put your hands on the exact lathe you get to ensure you don't get a bottom of the barrel example.
 
That is actually a great idea - at least I can make sure the crate did not roll down a flight of stairs before taking delivery!
 
I would not buy a mill/lathe or similar type machines from unknown eBay sellers, they all have one thing in common, they sell significantly cheaper than reputable online sellers like Grizzly, LMS, MIcromark, you can always find logical explanation for the lower price but there's no guarantee that all electronics are fully functional, or the support after sale, availability of parts. for me these outweigh the saving of a few hundred bucks.
 
I understand the risks with unknown eBay sellers but the specs of the Grizzly 8x16 are a bit underwhelming. For quite a bit less there are models based on the same overall framework that have:

- Larger spindle bore
- Larger chuck (5" vs 4")
- tapered vs roller bearings (from what I can glean from youtubers)
- brushless vs brushed DC motors
- higher horsepower

If the Grizzly model had similar specs it would be a no brainer. I have faith that I am much more likely to get a lathe from Grizzly delivered intact to my door than with the eBay sellers - that is why Aaron's thought above about trying to pick it up at the warehouse has some appeal to me. I have pinged the seller to see if that is an option.

Since I intend to modify the lathe as soon as I get it, I am prepared to deal with a good deal of fine tuning of the machine.
 
This youtuber has several videos on his experience buying an ebay 7x14 lathe. I would assume an 8x16 would be a similar experience, nothing too crazy, but he did a full tear down and certainly put a bit of work into getting his into shape.

Adventures with a very small lathe CJ0618 7x14 lathe playlist

Agree that it is only a few hundred dollars savings but on a $1200 lathe that is a sizable chuck of the cost.
 
I have seen that video - and some with similar complaints about more reputable brands in this price range. I fully expect to go through this process. I am just waiting to see if I can drive up and pick up the crate at the warehouse so I can at least see it intact before it goes in the truck.
 
Tomzo, one thing that may seem minor is weight. Generally, the more iron, the more rigid. The Grizzly and the MX are around 150lbs. The Little Machine Shop 8" is 220lbs. My Lathemaster is 260lbs. It looks like that you are about 100miles from LMS. That way, forget shipping, just pick it up. I've had done business with both Grizzly and LMS. Both are good companies. Both companies have tooling, especially LMS. I'm not trying to sell you either company. It's just that I've had good luck with them.
 
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