I've been on my new-generation 25-200 for almost two years now and have formed some pretty strong opinions.
When it is working, it's very nice to turn small items on. The evs, handwheel, reverse, etc, all combine to make it a great tool for precision woodturning. I'd say that in terms of performance, there is no better pen/small item lathe available.
That being said, I will never purchase another General tool ever again.
The electronic control gave up the ghost the first time after about a month of use. Turns on, but reads "0" and won't spin. Thankfully I bought it locally, and they replaced the whole headstock under warranty. However, service is miserably slow and the new headstock took over a month to arrive. And yes, the delay was General, not my local shop.
About 6 months ago I had a very small catch (honest). Afterwards, I noticed I couldn't get my banjo to tighten down. Upon inspection, the small catch had cross-threaded the banjo bolt. This is a custom cast piece with a tube and threaded rod that connects the banjo cam rod to the washer.
Also replaced under warranty - with a 3 week wait. However, the replacement part (which has the right part #) is slightly shorter than the original, and so barely holds all the threads of the nut on.
I sit here now writing this because, once again, my headstock's evs controller has lost it's mind and will only spin in reverse. I'm headed out this afternoon to see if my local dealer will do anything for me. I'm through with this tool.
From what I've read out there, electronics problems are the norm on these machines.
For shame, General, I expect more from an $800+ tool.
I'm ready to drop ~$2k or so on a larger lathe if it means I can get a good lathe that will work without issue - any recommendations? Maybe Grizzly's G0733?
When it is working, it's very nice to turn small items on. The evs, handwheel, reverse, etc, all combine to make it a great tool for precision woodturning. I'd say that in terms of performance, there is no better pen/small item lathe available.
That being said, I will never purchase another General tool ever again.
The electronic control gave up the ghost the first time after about a month of use. Turns on, but reads "0" and won't spin. Thankfully I bought it locally, and they replaced the whole headstock under warranty. However, service is miserably slow and the new headstock took over a month to arrive. And yes, the delay was General, not my local shop.
About 6 months ago I had a very small catch (honest). Afterwards, I noticed I couldn't get my banjo to tighten down. Upon inspection, the small catch had cross-threaded the banjo bolt. This is a custom cast piece with a tube and threaded rod that connects the banjo cam rod to the washer.
Also replaced under warranty - with a 3 week wait. However, the replacement part (which has the right part #) is slightly shorter than the original, and so barely holds all the threads of the nut on.
I sit here now writing this because, once again, my headstock's evs controller has lost it's mind and will only spin in reverse. I'm headed out this afternoon to see if my local dealer will do anything for me. I'm through with this tool.
From what I've read out there, electronics problems are the norm on these machines.
For shame, General, I expect more from an $800+ tool.
I'm ready to drop ~$2k or so on a larger lathe if it means I can get a good lathe that will work without issue - any recommendations? Maybe Grizzly's G0733?
