Lathe/milling advice

Hi there, was wondering if there's any one over here who could give me some advice with regards to purchasing a smallish lathe for hobby use.
The main reason I want to get one being I lost access to the Colchester master I used to use for all the bits and pieces I needed :-|

I've had a look at local ones but most are of the larger types being over 1000mm between centres, and costing well over my budget. I came across a website in the UK which do ship abroad...
http://www.warco.co.uk/metal-lathes-metalworking-lathe-machine/302934-wm290-variable-speed-lathe-wm-290-vf.html

This type looks perfectly suited for my needs , the size is right, chuck and spindle size is good, DRO is also handy and it can take a milling attachment.....but the brand, hmmm, I'venever heard about it so I guess its something made in China!
Anyone got some experience of these guys and their machines or any other brands I could check out or consider?

Chris,

Warco have a good name in the model engineering world and the lathe is pretty well equipped. I like the 160mm chuck, tells me that it is pretty sturdy.......but for £2400 I would expect that.

It is probably made in China, but isn't everything now.....

http://www.chestermachinetools.com/c...the-3979-p.asp

A similar machine to the Colchester Master but a bit cheaper - no DRO though.

Trev

Depends on what you want to machine. I would highly recommend looking at the denford orac lathe. Old CNC lathes that are mechanically sound with ball screws on each axis. Can usually pick one up for a grand. Electronics can be iffy so a retrofit is advised.

I won't be earning my living from the lathe, that's for sure! just want it as I do like machining work, and it's really handy for a person like me who's always coming up with ideas and designs which can't be handled with a simple hacksaw and a file!

But I have my limitations, never handled a cnc lathe so I'd feel slightly uncomfortable getting one...feel more at home with the manual types so I'll better stick to them :roll:

That crusader lathe looks well specd Trev, would like it even better if they threw in a 4 jaw with the lot!....But then it's £400 cheaper...
Had a look at ebay earlier on and I found two other lathes which look really similar, if not identical to the Warco...so I guess that they are of Chinese origin and renamed...not that it matters much from where it comes as long as it does the job.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bernardo-P...item1e7d4b7f63

and

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-AMAP29...item53ee75299f

So far I'm liking the Warco, they offer more tools with the machine and quoted me a delivery of £380 to Malta...will do some more research and shop around a bit more before I take a decision....hmmm, depending on whether it gets approved or not by the bank "manager" !