I think the other reviewer who presented a laundry list of grievances was a bit hard on what he received. I agree that with this particular lathe it appears to be a crapshoot what you’ll actually receive. The other person showed a photo of the lathe I saw in the listing. He also showed a photo of another lathe that he thought he was getting. What I received was different still. So there are at least 3 different lathes you might receive. I got an MX-600 if you’re curious. But even then there are different configurations of that model.It’s also true that there’s virtually no way you’re going to get any warranty service on these machines because there’s no contact information whatsoever. So you need to make sure the machine you get is in proper order and do your best to keep it the way. I actually had to have a replacement sent because the first one wasn’t working properly. Once the return period has expired it will be no different than if you had bought it used the way I see it.The other reviewer mentioned you’d be better off with an American made lathe. Hmm. I’m not sure I agree with that. A new one would be nice certainly. But it would cost, at minimum, twenty times the price. As for a used American lathe it’s truly a crapshoot what you might end up with, especially in the price range of this lathe. I’ve seen so many videos on YouTube where people are having to do way more work than I’d be willing to do to get old lathes working. If you get a lathe that was in a factory for years it could easily have a scooped out bed. Or who knows what kind of abuse it might have undergone in a school setting. Again, if you find an immaculate lathe it won’t be anywhere near this price range.I can say the people that sent these lathes out should be ashamed. Both the ones I received looked used with dings and dents. But they were safely inside their crate. I think it was just rough handling at the factory. Also understand these are assembled and that’s it. You’re going to have to fine tune it yourself. Nothing was properly tightened or aligned. I spent at least 8 to 10 hours going over mine. I’m not complaining because I got it at a lower price than anything I saw elsewhere. If I had paid much more I might have wanted my money back.I do now have a lathe that will be perfectly suitable for my needs. I didn’t want to spend a truckload on something I’m only going to use occasionally. And so, considering foremost what I paid for a brand new machine (well under 1k), I’m giving it 4 stars. The takeaway is you need to be realistic in your expectations at this bottom end price range.

It's a learning curve, but lathe measures up to all my expectations. Have enjoyed working with this lathe. Recommend if you want to learn hobby machining this is a good lathe for that.

I’ve been running this almost daily for a couple of months and it’s been completely reliable—no issues with electronics, motor, or gears.

I run a small side business making custom parts, and this has handled every order so far. Accuracy and repeatability are right where I need them.