I got a Noga with magnetic base for Christmas. I now have relegated all other foreign devices I have to the back shelf. There is nothing like a Noga!
The magnetic base holds with at least 3 times the force of all the rest, and that arm! oh that arm! one twist of the knob and its as solid as a solid shaft, then a twist of the knob in the other direction and all of the movable joints are totally free to move wherever you need them. I have four of the "other' bases that I got with my used lathe and they just didn't hold worth a ****. Trying to get a dial indicator in the right position was a pain, and once it was there, every joint and even the base was prone to moving under the "great stress" of the dial indicator plunger! Then I got the Noga and there is no comparison, solid, easy to set up, and a real joy to use. solid as a rock. I thought that the cost was sort of high at roughly 3 to 4 times what the folks at Grizzly etc. charge for theirs, but.......... I see another Noga or two in my shops' near future, and I'm a real cheapskate .
CHuck the grumpy old guy