Hello everyone. This is my first post. I've read many past messages and have found this board to be very informative. I plan to start pen turning in the near future. Since I feel the lathe will be the most important item I need, I don't want to make a mistake by buying the wrong one. I have been leaning towards the Jet mini because of negative comments made about the Rikon lathe. My first question, has Rikon corrected past problems and now make a lathe that rivals or is better than Jets? My second question, if Jet is still the best choice, I see they have 4 models available, variable w/nova chuck, variable w/face plate, 6 speed w/nova chuck, and 6 speed w/face plate. Which of these five choices (including the Rikon) would be the best for penturning? Thank you for your replies.