Not a Robust owner but turned on an American Beauty for two weeks at Arrowmont several years ago. It is a solid, well thought out lathe. The machining is top notch. Favorite features were the movable control box, tilt away tailstock, and reversing on the fly.
Three of our club members own American Beauties and another has a Sweet Sixteen.....another wonderful lathe.
If you want a quality USA made lathe, Robust is it.
Next up would be OneWay.....Canadian/ North American made. I don't own but have used the 16/40s as well as the 12/24s and would be tickled to own either.
They are solid, well built, and a joy to use.
Vicmark and Stubby lathes are solid quality machines as well.
Very popular is the Powermatic 3520C.....not American made but another top contender. If you can find a good used 3520B, grab it....they are hard to find now.