I ran the next size up one quite a bit ... it's not a Pacemaker but works okay, was not annoying to run, made parts the right size as long as the operator didn't mess up
The only thing I found a little annoying was that it's a hydro-shift headstock, and like all of them you have to hold up a second between speed changes. But that's common to several lathes, like the Regal and some Monarchs and even the American Strip-Shift. Not a deal-killer.
On the other hand, the nice part about that is you don't have to flip six different levers and check a chart to change speeds. Just spin the dial up or down.
The flat place on top of the tialstock is useful, except like all flat places, it collects junk
Dan from Oakland has one too, you could pm him and ask what he thinks.
edit: blew up the photo four times bigger, looks like maybe not a hydra-shift ? That'd be even nicer.
@lucky - how the hell would a guy know the headstock gears were "weak" unless he blew the teeth off ? I know I've drilled 2" holes on the 15" model, nothing broke or even complained. Sorry, doesn't pass the sniff test for me.
