You need to understand that when you ask this question, most responders will subconsciously defend their own purchasing decision - the lathe they bought is unquestionably the best, and any other is inferior.
I don't have any experience with the Turncrafter lathe, but I have read many posts by people who have them and who find them to be perfectly adequate. And there are several less expensive variable speed lathes out there - the ShopFox 1704, the Rikon, and even the Harbor Freight (which appears to be almost identical to the ShopFox except for the color of the paint). I have the ShopFox and my experience is that it works just fine for pens, bottle stoppers, tea lights, small tool handles, small bowls and cups, and other small projects. And I suspect that is the case for the other lathes in that class.
Certainly, there is a risk that an individual lathe may be defective - but that risk also exists on the more expensive offerings. And if you find that the lathe you purchase has a problem, that's an issue for the seller to address on an individual basis and not an indictment of the overall design.
Are coming at this purchase with experience in turning? If so, and all you are looking to do is buy a small lathe for a very specific mission, then only you can define the kit required to achieve that mission. But if you are a total newbie, I have to question whether you really need to start out with a duplicator. Duplicators are great if you are doing production work and need to be able to easily produce multiple copies of a design for a specific item. But if you are a newbie, it seems to me that the immediate challenge is learning how to turn. So if cost is an issue, you might consider not springing for the duplicator up front - it can always be added later if you conclude that you really need it.
