Rikon

[chips ahoy]

Was on the Lee Valley site earlier and they were showing new products. They now carry the Rikon Basic lathe # 70-100 and the 70-220vsr, with reverse. They both feature indexing. There is a list of Rikon products that I haven't looked at yet.

Mel

[kludge]

I've had my Rikon 70-100 since 2009. It's hard to say it's not a good lathe, because I've thrown a lot of crap at it, but it's not a good lathe.

I would skip the Chinese made lathes if at all possible....

[AHill]

kludge said:

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I would skip the Chinese made lathes if at all possible....

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What's left? Robust. Oneway. All the others I know of are made in China. Jet and Nova make decent lathes, and they are made in China.

[Arlin Eastman]

kludge said:

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I've had my Rikon 70-100 since 2009. It's hard to say it's not a good lathe, because I've thrown a lot of crap at it, but it's not a good lathe.

I would skip the Chinese made lathes if at all possible....

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I also had a new 70-100 and gave it away 2 weeks ago. It is a nice lathe and did everything I wanted it to do.

Arlin

[dartman]

I have a 70-100 and love it.Changing speed is easy so dont get hung up on having vs.This lathe has done everything I asked of it including some fair sized bowls.I was not sure going in but I made a good choice and would again.

[kludge]

So, the speed thing kinda sucks.

480 rpms is the lowest setting.
1/2hp is way too undersized for a 12in bowl.
I like have a 12in swing but 16in between centers is too small.

I've had three parts break on me. Rikon fixed the first two as it was within the first year, but the third one I had to pay for, and since they updated the 70-100 model the new part didn't fit.

If you ever have to change the bearings on the spindle. You will HATE working on this thing. It's a nightmare to get to the guts and the tight tolerances on the wiring is insanity.

Again, as long as it works, it's fine, but I cannot pretend that it is great.

[chips ahoy]

Should have mentioned guys, I have no intention of buying one of those, still happy with my General VS. I was just surprised that Lee Valley were selling them.

Mel

[AHill]

kludge said:

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I've had three parts break on me. Rikon fixed the first two as it was within the first year, but the third one I had to pay for, and since they updated the 70-100 model the new part didn't fit.

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Did the third part fail within the warranty period? Makes no sense that they wouldn't make it right for you, just because they changed the design.

[David Delo]

Speaking of Rikon. I've never owned anything from them until buying their new 1HP bench grinder 80-808. Nothing but the highest praise for that unit. Starts 2 CBN wheels to full speed in about 1 second. Even let it run for 10 minutes without any heat buildup. Woodcraft has intro price of 170 for a few more days.

[AnthonyYak]

I've have a Rikon 18" bandsaw for ten years now, cuts 10" tall rounds all day long. Like anything from China, it's built to a price point and you get what you pay for