Rod:

All the tools have gotten so expensive I take a really good look at
them before I buy anything. New stuff comes out all the time (although
this tool has been around for years) that is shown as something we must
buy, something we have to have or we aren't even in the game.
Woodturning is no longer a cheap activity, and for most the cost of the
lathe is the cheapest part of the deal if you add up all the chucks,
chisels, buffing stuff, finishes, sandpaper, hollowing stuff, specialty
tools, additional faceplates, and on an on.

And the farther I get along this path, the fewer tools I use. I have a
lot of tools, some I made, some I bought, some are excellent quality,
some are not too good, and some were aquired as part of other purchases
when the business was going away. But in reality, I only use about 5
of 80-90 tools I own. My original Delta set from 1996 or '97 hasn't
seen the light of day in years.

When I demo or teach, I really try to stress that people use the tools
they have to their fullest capacity, and not be afraid to make their
own tools, a la Feltmate. Since the lathe tools are incredibly hard to
completely ruin (although when deep hollowing I did get a catch from a
loose knot that bent my gouge about 2 inches!) you should experiment
with wild abandon with stance, presentation, and intent. Learning to
use the tools one probably already has will save an awful lot of $$$.

Robert