Help Me Decide: 1127 w/DRO vs 1228

A

Aurelius

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First off, let me thank everyone here. I haven't been on this board for too long but have learned so much.
I am planning on making kitless pens and, after much research and revision of my plans, I have narrowed things down to either the PM 1127 with a DRO or the PM 1228 without the DRO. From what I can tell the differences are:
  • the 1127 is a 1hp AC motor vs a 1.5hp brushless DC for the 1228 - advantage 1228
  • the 1228 has more gears and an easier to change gear box - advantage 1228
  • the 1228 has a slight lower bottom end of the speed range (50 vs 70) but also a lower top end (2000 vs 2200) - advantage nobody
  • comparing apples to apples, the 1228 without the DRO but with the 4-jaw chuck and QCTP added is about $250 more than the 1127 - advantage 1127 (but only slightly as both are within budget)
  • the 1127 is rated to pull 20 amps whereas the 1228 is rated for 11 amps - advantage 1228
Both appear to be out of stock until the fall and, as far as size and weight, they seem to be pretty much equivalent as well.

Am I missing anything?

Given all of that, the 1228 seems to be the overall better machine, no? If saw the PM 8" 4 jaw chuck is a $380 option. As I haven't shopped for chucks, are there other options out there that I should be considering?

Thanks!
 
BDC trumps single-speed AC for me. But that's just me.

You're going to be buying tooling anyway, so just throw the DRO for the 12x28 on the 'to buy' list.
 
I think the spindles are different also, with the 1228 having the D1-4 mount. The PM 4 jaw works, but you may find a better chuck used on ebay, my very old Pratt was smoother, and easier to dial in than the new PM. Maybe if I had taken it apart, deburred, and cleaned everything it would have been better.
 
Aukai said:
I think the spindles are different also, with the 1228 having the D1-4 mount. The PM 4 jaw works, but you may find a better chuck used on ebay, my very old Pratt was smoother, and easier to dial in than the new PM. Maybe if I had taken it apart, deburred, and cleaned everything it would have been better.
Click to expand...
Maybe because your old Pratt was used/already broken in? Just a guess on my part.

I have the PM 8" four jaw and it works very well. And the first thing I did when I got it (besides unpacking it) was to take it apart and clean and deburr everything.

I did the same for my (then) brand new PB 8" 3-jaw set-rite. It also works very well.
 
1228 I think is the winner- I wouldn't worry about the difference in upper end speeds. I never go up anywhere near that high, 1500 tops and that's very rarely
D1-4 is good to have also
-Mark
PS I would ask about the warranty on the electronics, can they ship a new speed control board out if you have a failure? That's probably the most likely thing to fail within the first 3-5 years and some of them don't even make it that long
Fortunately there is a fellow who fixes those: www.olduhfguy.com
-Mark
 
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I went through the same deliberations. I chose the 1228. The 8" chuck was out of stock and not available for backorder when I placed my order in April. I ordered a Grizzly 8" 4-jaw D1-4 chuck followed up by the PM ER-40 collet D1-4 chuck which became available in May. While I have the chucks already no lathe until July.
 
The 1127 is a change gear lathe; the 1228 has a quick change gearbox. Advantage: 1228. Just this alone should sway you, although changing gears is not a major deal. You can also install an electronic leadscrew on a 1127, making it even less of a deal.
 
Either the quick change gearbox or the camlock spindle alone would be enough for me to get the 1228.

You can add a DRO to the 1228 any time you like but might have trouble adding a QC gearbox and camlock spindle to the 1127.
 
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I would HIGHLY recommend getting the quick change gear box. I have had both and the quick change gear box IS the reason I upgraded from my old lathe to the new one!
 
The 1127 does have the camlock spindle.

I disliked the change gears enough to build an electronic leadscrew for mine. Not everyone wants to go that way though.

DROs are inexpensive to import from eBay and not difficult to install. The cross slide on these smaller machines can make a tight fit, but it just takes a little creativity. The more expensive smaller scales would make it easier, but I was trying to keep costs down.
 
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