wolftat
Product Reviews Manager
It has been about a year now that my Rikon 70-100 lathe was given the variable speed conversion. The conversion kit was donated to me by Rikon for evaluation purposes and I have put it through some harsh shop conditions. It has been used by about 25 different kids who I work with at the shop and they all love it too. I have used this lathe for everything that I could think of and have tried to destroy it but that didn't happen. This conversion kit is solid as a rock and well worth the money. The actual install was not the easiest thing to do but when I got stuck, I called the tech support at Rikon and not only did I get help, the tech even knew what I was talking about and understood the issue I was having. My lathe was one of the earlier Rikons and was set up a bit different then most so the majority of those out there will not have this issue. The conversion took a little over an hour and a half even with a difficult spot. The parts that were supplied to be used were all top quality and the fit was perfect. I have to admit that in the beginning I felt I didn't need a variable speed lathe and had turned for years without one happily. The conversion was a nice move and I found that I like the speed control a lot better now. I have 3 belt speeds but only use one and can turn anything I want with it. The speed range is from very slow to pretty fast and I don't need to change the belt for any reason I have found. Polishing and sanding works out great and I don't have the acrylic/wood speed problem anymore. Overall, I would give this conversion a 9 out of 10 and since I recently purchased another 70-100 for my shop, I will probably buy another conversion for it as well.
