I have a Jet 1442 and it does every thing I need to do, from
pens to bowls to baseball bats. In my opinion it is the best
lathe in it's price range. It may not be the last lathe I,ll
ever need (a powermatic 3520 would be nice) but it depends
how far you want to go with your turning experience. This
review might be helpful;

http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker.../TT_Lathes.pdf