Why not Jet JWL-1221VS 12-1/2 in. x 20-1/2 in.

[Mengtian]

Lots of us newbies to turning usually are torn between the Rikon, Delta, or Comet for our first lathe. I always see goo reviews on this JET. Is the Jet worth the extra money (799.00 vs 619.00 for Delta or Rikon or 500 for Comet II).

The Jet seems closer to the Rikon because of the distance between centers. The Comet is 3/4 HP, all others are 1HP.

I am pretty much committed getting the Delta 46-460. Just curious why if the extra money for Jet is worth it.

The only thing that holds me back from Delta is their poor track record of support for parts.

 

[Charlie_W]

One plus for the Comet is that if you do shows or demo/teach, this lathe is more portable being lighter to move from place to place.
Otherwise, I would go with the 1 hp lathes. Preference is the Rikon and Jet. The Rikon midi uses a 1" post on its tool rests. More metal....steadier tool rest.

 

[Leatherman1998]

Jet 1221 is awesome., it has a bigger motor than the others I think. Lots of power, well worth the money.

 

[Lenny]

I'm sure you would be happy with either one of them. I have the Delta and love it. Some will tell you their parts support is suspect. I haven't ever had to use it but replacement parts can be found here ... Delta 46-460 Parts List and Diagram - (Type 2) : eReplacementParts.com
I assume you have read Rangertek's review here ... http://www.penturners.org/forum/f97/delta-lathe-model-46-460-a-58041/

 

[dthayer]

I was debating the same thing just a few months ago and went with the Jet because it had all the features I was looking for (slightly larger capacity, 1 HP, indexing, reverse capability, safety switch, and I liked the speed range). All the others seemed to be missing at least one of those. The Delta and Rincon came close though (I think it was just the speed range and reviews that pushed me towards the Jet).

I've never used any of the others so I can't comment on them but I love my Jet 1221VS!!! :biggrin:

 

[Dan Masshardt]

I think the jet has been the most popular midi range out there since it came out.

Anecdotally the delta took a hit when the jet came out as many more members here have bought the jet than the delta in the last couple years since it came out.

Before that delta pretty much owned that market with their still well loved midi lathe mentioned above.

Now Rikon has come in with a lathe that has almost all the same features as the jet and the delta at a very attractive price point - especially when on sale. I'd think any of the 3 would be good.

The comet has been less popular it seems but ongoing upgrades as they have recently done will probably see it's popularity increase.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

Also, hopefully it's all been resolved now but the delta parts issues were not bs. I know of several turners who waited months for a switch and at least a couple turners who went through the hassle and would buy the jet if they had to do it again.

Again, hopefully that's all resolved now. I'm not sure. The only advantage I'm aware of with the delta is a slightly higher top speed and some prefer the switches on the left to the right on the other lathes like the jet. Oh and the paint quality on the jet sucks. The delta is surely better there.

The delta also lacks the rpm readout which some don't care about but I really like having it.

 

[thewishman]

Delta parts are available without trouble, now. I had a Jet 1014 and when I moved up to the Delta 46-460, the Jet became a buffer.

I don't think any of your 1hp choices would be wrong. They are all good machines.

 

[Cmiles1985]

I have the Jet. Our club has the Delta. I have only used these two (from your list), and based only on the speed ranges, I prefer the Jet. There are only two things I would prefer different on the Jet:
1) The paint job. If you're paying $800 for a machine, you'd think the paint wouldn't be chipping away so quickly, and
2) The power switch location. If you turn bowls, you can easily turn the lathe off accidentally. Or, if your toddler comes in the shop to get you, he can easily turn the lathe off while you're working. this is just more of a nuisance than anything else.

I don't like the speed ranges on the Delta as you have to change belt positions for nearly any task (drilling/turning, turning/sanding, sanding/finishing). On the Jet, you have great torque all the way from about 450 rpm to 3650 rpm on the high speed belt setting. The 200-450 range is a bit weak, and the motor will stall easily.

 

[Fish30114]

I had the Jet, and I got a late Friday night built one. I had a host of problems, and Jet was untypically difficult in dealing with on my lathe. It had electronic problems, spindle alignment problems, and the paint (as others have mentioned) was absolute sh**. I ended up with a Nova DVR XP and it is a pretty good machine IMO, I have turned on the midi Rikon though, and it is a damn good lathe--I believe if I was starting over again, I probably would go with the Rikon. I agree that any of the 1H motor lathes will probably do well for you, but my choice would be the Rikon. It's speed control worked flawlessly compared to my Jet on which that feature simply died, the motor runs smoothly with good torque and the tool rest is solid and a 1" post. Good stuff.

 

[Mengtian]

I had the Jet, and I got a late Friday night built one. I had a host of problems, and Jet was untypically difficult in dealing with on my lathe. It had electronic problems, spindle alignment problems, and the paint (as others have mentioned) was absolute sh**. I ended up with a Nova DVR XP and it is a pretty good machine IMO, I have turned on the midi Rikon though, and it is a damn good lathe--I believe if I was starting over again, I probably would go with the Rikon. I agree that any of the 1H motor lathes will probably do well for you, but my choice would be the Rikon. It's speed control worked flawlessly compared to my Jet on which that feature simply died, the motor runs smoothly with good torque and the tool rest is solid and a 1" post. Good stuff.

Thanks. One thing about Rikon: Customer Service is top rate. A few of the speed control boards were bad (according to some reviews) and they were very pleased with Rikon's support.

Funny thing is you see top reviews on the Rikon lathe with people who HAD problems with it:wink:

 

[Dan Masshardt]

I called rikon yesterday when setting my my bandsaw and was shocked when a person answered the phone! A real person.

Had to wait about 4 or 5 minutes to get a technician but he was very helpful. Good support.

Jet technicians have been helpful in the past too but crazy long wait times. Although it's probably a bigger company.

 

[duncsuss]

My turning club held meetings in the Rikon head-office showroom for a while. The people there are first rate, from the President of the company on down (both he and the head of customer support were turners.)

This was before their latest models were released, so I can't say anything about them.

The club bought a Jet 1221vs, it's solid but there are a couple of niggling things with it ...

(1) the position of the power switch is perfect for my hip to nudge when turning bowls/hollowforms

(2) the motor has a very soft start -- it takes several seconds to ramp up to speed, which is a pain when doing frequent stops to check the fit of a lid on a box or to put calipers on pen barrels to check size

(3) when end-grain hollowing, at least 2 different brands of chuck have come loose (several club members have experienced this). This is nothing to do with braking, or running in reverse, and the actual cause is a mystery -- but it happens, at least on the lathe we have.

Were I in the market for a lathe in this size, I'd take a good hard look at the Rikon.

(ps ... the mallet you made for me is still going strong!)

 

[Mengtian]

My turning club held meetings in the Rikon head-office showroom for a while. The people there are first rate, from the President of the company on down (both he and the head of customer support were turners.)

This was before their latest models were released, so I can't say anything about them.

The club bought a Jet 1221vs, it's solid but there are a couple of niggling things with it ...

(1) the position of the power switch is perfect for my hip to nudge when turning bowls/hollowforms

(2) the motor has a very soft start -- it takes several seconds to ramp up to speed, which is a pain when doing frequent stops to check the fit of a lid on a box or to put calipers on pen barrels to check size

(3) when end-grain hollowing, at least 2 different brands of chuck have come loose (several club members have experienced this). This is nothing to do with braking, or running in reverse, and the actual cause is a mystery -- but it happens, at least on the lathe we have.

Were I in the market for a lathe in this size, I'd take a good hard look at the Rikon.

(ps ... the mallet you made for me is still going strong!)

Thanks! I have come a long way since then I am glad it has not fallen apart!

Duncuss and I were part of a mallet swap on another forum about three years ago.