From my been there done that file...there are many lathes in this class. I bought one last year (a enco 9-20) after looking high and low...one of the big issues to watch for is the included tooling...Chucks, tools, stands, bits, and other items included with the purchase. The are many good site on the web that are worth taking the time to research. yahoo groups has several. After having bought the lathe you will find that it is only the minor part of the inventory the you will need.... also the learning curve is a long and costly one in most cases...In my case I now have a lathe , milling machine, surface grinder and etc. and have made parts that I could have had a machine shop make far cheaper and with fewer lost hours and shop space, all that said , would I do it again.........you bet!!!!!!