Who makes good lathes/mills/etc?
Who makes good cars? This is almost purely a personal preference, though in general the imported machines (Grizzly, Jet, Enco) seem to rate lower than US-built machines (South Bend, Bridgeport). However, the imports are usually MUCH less expensive, offsetting some of the quality issues for home shops. There is some indication that Grizzly equipment is slightly better than other “Taiwanese” machines such as Enco, and that Jet is slightly better than Grizzly. Prices go up with quality. One of the main complaints about Taiwanese machinery is the lack of replacement parts and service. Grizzly claims that they keep a supply of parts on hand for all their machines. The same factories appear to turn out Grizzly, Jet, Delta, and the “no-name” machinery. A few years ago Fine Woodworking magazine published an article on this subject. Unimats are sometimes considered “toys” rather than real machines, though they may do just what you want if you don’t push them hard. Some Unimat owners are quite p
