To buy or not to buy...

[RyanS]

That is the question.

My local Woodcraft has this package on sale for $600.

Woodworking Lathes - Benchtop Lathes - Mini Lathes

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If I'm in the market for a new lathe and was planning on buying a G3, is this a buy-now kind of deal? I see the Comets on Home Depot for $440 and the chuck for $104 which requires a $24 adapter. I already have plenty of tools so would probably try to re-sell them if I bought this package. What're your thoughts?

 

[magpens]

Compared to the regular retail price quoted in the ad, a price of $600 seems good but you always have to be skeptical of the regular retail in such ads so don't go by that alone. . And, don't get sucked in by the tool set that goes with it unless you know more about those tools and what you really need/want.

Also, what capability will this new lathe offer you compared to what you already have ?

 

[Lucky2]

Ryan, I live in Canada, and for me it was a very good price, but seeing as how you live in the states, maybe not such a deal. We don't have a very big selection of lathes to buy, here in Canada. So I bought one of these two months ago, and I love it. It is a very nice working "little" lathe, and it has the options you would want on any lathe you would buy. It is a variable speed lathe, and it also has reverse. But with it being a "little" lathe, it most definitely has its limits. It is quite restrictive on what you can turn, because of the size of it. But that doesn't make much difference to me, because I also have a 14"x 42" full size lathe. So if your looking to turn much more then pens and small bowls, you should look for something that will take larger stock then this one will. And when your taking things into consideration, don't count on using the set of tools that's included in this package. They're much to small to do much with, they're only good for small items, you wouldn't even use them to turn a pen with. Did you check into prices of other lathes, there's all kinds of different choices and prices.

Len

 

[Lucky2]

Ryan, I forgot to mention, the largest bowl you'll be able to turn on this lathe. Yes, it has a 12" swing, but it's a battle to turn a 9&1/2"-10" bowl on it.

Len

 

[RyanS]

Compared to the regular retail price quoted in the ad, a price of $600 seems good but you always have to be skeptical of the regular retail in such ads so don't go by that alone. . And, don't get sucked in by the tool set that goes with it unless you know more about those tools and what you really need/want.

Also, what capability will this new lathe offer you compared to what you already have ?

Ryan, I live in Canada, and for me it was a very good price, but seeing as how you live in the states, maybe not such a deal. We don't have a very big selection of lathes to buy, here in Canada. So I bought one of these two months ago, and I love it. It is a very nice working "little" lathe, and it has the options you would want on any lathe you would buy. It is a variable speed lathe, and it also has reverse. But with it being a "little" lathe, it most definitely has its limits. It is quite restrictive on what you can turn, because of the size of it. But that doesn't make much difference to me, because I also have a 14"x 42" full size lathe. So if your looking to turn much more then pens and small bowls, you should look for something that will take larger stock then this one will. And when your taking things into consideration, don't count on using the set of tools that's included in this package. They're much to small to do much with, they're only good for small items, you wouldn't even use them to turn a pen with. Did you check into prices of other lathes, there's all kinds of different choices and prices.

Len

Thanks for the responses.

I'm not sure what my living situation will be in the coming years, so I thought a midi would be portable enough to move every couple years but still versatile enough to do my planned projects. My current setup is a full size Grizzly, but even TBC gave me an OOR barrel today. I also have to shim the tailstock to get it in line.

Is there a market for the tool set? I think it's worth the purchase (compared to buying the lathe and chuck separately) if I can get $40 out of them.

I've considered Jet, but it looks like you get a lot more bang for your buck with the Comet II. I've seen good reviews for the machine here and elsewhere.

 

[Lucky2]

Well Ryan, I doubt that you'd be able to get $40.00 for the small set of gouges. You might, but I doubt it, probably more like $25.00. But with things being as you describe, maybe it would be the lathe for you. It is a very nice working lathe, and it is easy to move around and to store. When I'm not using mine, I store it in a plastic container. If you do decide to purchase this lathe, you'll be pleased with how well it works.

Len

 

[indytruks138]

I have had the Comet II for about 6 months and I am mostly happy with it. The only real issue I had was it trips GFI circuits. I had to replace the GFCI in my garage with a hospital grade GFCI. If you have it plugged into a GFCI and it trips just go ahead and spend the $50 off Amazon and get a hospital grade GFCI to replace yours.
Other than that my only real problems are I'd like it to be heavier, the cast iron rails are not too large and after playing with the Laguna Revo I can say that extra weight is nice, and the variable speed doesn't have a digital readout.
It's worth the $ though.