Not sure what your colleague was referring to, but my Toolmaster 1-B is remarkably rigid, and surprisingly accurate given its age. When new, it was equipped with a precision measuring system on all three axes (a pre-DRO system that gave it abilities approaching a jig borer).
I wouldn't expect to have the double swivel adapter installed all of the time, just for those jobs where nodding the head is necessary or more practical than tilting.