Im looking into getting a comm lathe and Im trying to sort through all of the diffrent choices. Im looking to spend about $150 on the lathe itself. I normally buy the best available but I'd probably never notice the diffrence between a motor cut on a top of the line Hudy lathe and a budget priced lathe that does a good job. Im looking at the Cobra 2000 lathe, the Integy XIPP X-MOD 2, the Hudy advanced comm lathe , and the Orion lathe. Does the cobra lathe have v-blocks? I think it does based on the picture, but it doesnt state that it does. What is the advantage of the Hudy tech lathe over the advanced lathe? Is it really a noticeable diffrence? The Integy XIPP appears so have a similar orientation to the Hudy tech lathe mabey this would be a good choice? On Integy's site there is a $11 option for a low RPM drive motor with the lathe, is this their 55T motor? I cant seem to find the orion lathe anywhere, do they still make it?
Id appreciate any suggestions on which one to get or other lathes that would be a good choice.
Thanks
EDIT: While Im at it I might as well ask what equalizer you reccomend. Ive heard lots of good thing about the Yokomo Rayspeed.
i have had the cobra for 6 years and no problems. i do have the diamond bit though, think it is like $100 bucks for the bit, at least when i bought it.
Originally posted by barnacle i have had the cobra for 6 years and no problems. i do have the diamond bit though, think it is like $100 bucks for the bit, at least when i bought it.
i think all the lathe are the same. pretty much it depends the depth at what your cutting at and what bit your using to cut! hudy is just a brand name! i dont think theres any different between different lathes!
there are still orion lathes out there, but you have to search around a little bit. you could call orion and see if they have the lathe!
I think Ill eliminate the orion lathe becuase its discontinued. I think Im leaning to the Integy because it looks similar to the Hudy Tech Lathe, does anyone know how the ease of use and quality of the cut of the integy compare to the Hudy?
I just realized that the Hudy tech lathe is only $40 more than the Hudy advanced lathe, is this the tech lathe really a good step up and worth the money?
I just found the Hudy Tech lathe for $185 on horizon hobby I'm 95% sure Im getting it, can anybody comfirm that this is a good decision. Ive read that it's the best lathe out there.
that hudy lathe is great...im sure your gonna be pretty happy with it! the extra belt on the tech lathe helps elimiate vibration which helps give a better cut. the carbide bit cuts good, but then after a while, it will get dull. diamond bit could cut 100-200 comms without showing signs of wear!
Thanks for the resopnse. Have you actually tried one of the bits on ebay that I posted? Do you know which type I should get for the Hudy Tech Lathe? By type I mean the AL4 or the AR4.
you could use both, but then..you just have to make sure the arm spins the right way. for the AL4 bit, the arm should be spinning up at the bit, for the AR4 bit, the arm should be spinning down at the bit
Stick with AL4 and you can't go wrong. Good choice on the tech lathe. I have that one with the carbide bit and I love it. Even though the carbide will get dull, I'll have to buy at least ten of them to catch up to the price of the diamond. That may be years from now...
I was told by someone that the tech lathe is uncomfortable to use because it feels small and weird. Has anyone else experienced this? I dont know if it would bother me because I've never used a lathe before and I dont have anything to compare it to.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but right now it sounds like you're still
only window shopping... but when you're shopping for a hand
tool, you really gotta see it & feel it in real life.
I went to a shop that could offer me several brands... they had 3.
(Beforehand I was also at another shop and looked at another 2.)
If you admire fantastic workmanship & excellent engineering, the
Hudy simply stands out so far above the rest its not funny.
What impressed most was the Hudy had finer threads on the
sliders (ya you'll have to twiddle the knobs more per cut) which
I like for better control, and the actions was so smooth.
(later discovered its got teflon padding & adjustable for play)
There wasn't much difference in the price, not as if Hudy
was 3x or something - so it made the choice was easy.
Whether Tech or Advanced... depends on if you need to cut
in-situ comms. I only cut mods/rebuildables so the Tech sufficed.
I got the v-blocks and Hudy's own diamond bit.
Hudy gives me mirror shiny cuts staight off the tool.
comm lathe suggestions
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