Laguna Revo 18/36 Lathe-Recommendations?

[SteveG]

I am considering this Laguna lathe featured with an intro sale price at CSUSA website for $2160. It appears to be a decent machine at a competitive price for wood lathes in the same class. I have no experience with Laguna, but noted that the warranty period is one year...less than some competitor tool companies. My credit card company free warranty extension will help with that some.

I am wanting to start turning things larger than pens: moderate size hollow forms, turned boxes, etc. This I could do on my Delta Midi, but I may start looking toward larger turnings, and this lathe offers an optional 20" extension that will bolt on as a regular extension, or at a point 7" lower, effectively creating an outboard turning configuration with a 32" swing.

So, the reason for this post is to ask if anyone has any experiences (good or bad) relating to the company itself, and of course any direct experience with this specific lathe or it's close relative of the same size, but with a 2hp/220v motor. The one on sale that I am considering is 1.5 hp/110v.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts or comments you care to share, including any experience based suggestion to consider some other lathe that is in the same price range.

 

[southernclay]

Steve I don't have any first hand experience with one of their lathes although several months ago a decent deal popped up on Craigslist in the area. I had no knowledge of Laguna lathes so started researching. The thing that stood out to me was their customer support didn't stand out as stellar. With a new model lathe and unknowns that would make me a little hesitant. It may have changed, improved etc and like I said no first hand experience but some due diligence may be wise.

However I'm pulling for you to get a bigger lathe and make some awesome stuff to show us!

 

[duncsuss]

Here's a link to a write-up by a guy who got the 220V/2HP version last year. It's a long thread with plenty of tangential commentary ... makes it more fun to read, IMO

LINK

 

[SteveG]

Duncan, thanks for the link...fun to view, and it shows a satisfied customer. Useful input. The guy was drawn to the lathe for the same reasons that I have, and really had no significant regrets once the shavings were flying. I do wonder about the Laguna after-the-sale service.

 

[HamTurns]

Hi Steve - I am a past Laguna lathe owner and have direct experience with their technical service department, and how they operate regarding warrantee.

I was one of the frustrated owners of a Laguna 1847, the inverter blew up 4 days after warrantee. Even though Laguna service told me they knew about the problem they wouldn't cover it with warrantee.

I bought that lathe in 8/2009, it blew up in 8/2010. There where a number of those lathes owned by unhappy customers, some actually got their money back, others got new lathes (with the same troubles). I got a bill for the repair parts

, then fixed it and sold it right away.

If you NEVER need service you may be okay with a Laguna, but they stand out (in a negative way) if you require service, especially warrantee service.

Don't buy a Laguna lathe, you will not be happy with it.

Save your money and get a good lathe, and you'll never regret it.

Happy Turning - Tom

 

[HamTurns]

any experience based suggestion to consider some other lathe that is in the same price range.

Hi Steve - I overlooked this last part of your sentence.

Jet is my suggestion for a lathe in that class/cost, but with a much better track record and outstanding warrantee service.

As you can see from my signature line I chose to "not mess around" with the next lathe I bought and got a Robust Sweet 16 Long Bed. Worth every dime. But not for everyone's budget.

Happy Turning - Tom

 

[duncsuss]

If the Laguna service reputation makes it a no-go for you (and I wouldn't blame you if it does) would you consider Grizzly? I've read some good things about their G0766 model -- 22" swing, 42" between centers.

There were issues when it was first introduced, which I hope have been taken care of now.

LINK

If I had the funds, I'd be on the same Robust Sweet 16 as Tom in a heartbeat

 

[Edgar]

FWIW, I am very pleased with my NOVA DVR XP that I bought last year when Woodcraft had them on sale. The XP and its bigger brother, the 2024 are in the same general class as the Laguna you are considering.

I can't offer any first-hand comments on how the NOVAs compare to the Laguna, but I really like the direct drive and load-sensing motor control electronics of the DVR. But then I'm a microcontroller development geek, so such things appeal to me.

 

[KenV]

Do not have a Laguna Lathe. Have used the band saws and they were sturdy and solid.

Laguna and Grizzly had low points on their lathe lines about 5 years back. Both have been reporting efforts to improve.

One positive for Laguna is they are being sold by Craft Supply.

Give Craft Supply a call and talk to one of the tech reps. They have always been square up on giving good info about the products they sell. The Laguna line is fairly new to them, so they must have seen some good things

 

[BSea]

When I was researching my last lathe (yeah right), I considered the 18/36. I then read some reviews about Laguna's service. At 1st, I sort of dismissed the bad service reviews, but the story went on and on. The thing that really stood out to me was that I couldn't find hardly any good reviews of their service for lathes. I mean there are always a few bad reviews on most any product, but there are usually good reviews too. But I just couldn't find any. So I passed on the 18/36.

Don't misunderstand, there were some good reviews of Laguna lathes, but I could only find 1 positive review of their service. And most of the bad service reviews were horror stories similar to Tom's.

 

[SteveG]

I am listening carefully to all your different inputs, as I work toward making a good decision. I am a little older (66), and although continuing to work, I am no longer full time at my woodworking career. Although I have sufficient funds to buy this (or a different lathe), it is not a casual decision. The prospect of potentially getting a "lemon", and then facing poor service after the sale, is NOT the desired outcome. (I just do not want to make that flavor of lemonade.) There is some indication that Laguna customer service may be better now, vs a few years ago. So I will give it a few more days of consideration. Your kind efforts to enlighten my decision are truly appreciated.

 

[SteveG]

Do not have a Laguna Lathe. Have used the band saws and they were sturdy and solid.

Laguna and Grizzly had low points on their lathe lines about 5 years back. Both have been reporting efforts to improve.

One positive for Laguna is they are being sold by Craft Supply.

Give Craft Supply a call and talk to one of the tech reps. They have always been square up on giving good info about the products they sell. The Laguna line is fairly new to them, so they must have seen some good things

I wanted to provide an update to anyone following this thread. I did just what Ken suggested...talked to tech support (Josh) at CSUSA about Laguna. Topic: Poor reviews in the past for customer support. He said CSUSA has been looking at Laguna for a coupe of years, and is very satisfied that all is well NOW at Laguna, and decided to again carry the Laguna line at CSUSA. After one year, no complaints were unresolved with Laguna tools. CSUSA is happy. I have much higher confidence having heard that report today. Thanks Ken, for the suggestion. I am thinking that if I take the plunge, it will be for the Laguna Revo 36/18 (1.5 hp, 110 volt) which is at a 10% off intro sale until Laguna has sold out the inventory devoted to this sale (best guess is about July 20 or so).

 

[Old Codger]

Sorry to hear about the 'negative' reviews on the Laguna Revo 18"X 36" 115 VAC lathe... I looked at it at Woodcraft and liked the spec's and what I saw... Nice and heavy, nicely finished and appeared well built. But after doing some research and reading all sorts of negative reviews, decided on the new Jet 1640EVS instead. Similar spec's, but A-1 Customer Service and parts availability. I have had excellent service from my current Jet 1221VS with a 5 YEAR warranty and Jet's super fast customer service. Jet's new lathe is not quite as heavy, but Jet's reputation for quality, parts availability and excellent customer service has convinced me that Jet is the way to go for a larger 115VAC lathe in that same price and size range! Not enough $$$ in my budget to take a chance on a long term mistake... Safe turning to everyone!