On Tue, 8 Jan 2013 14:38:05 -0800, "anorton"
wrote:


"Pete C." wrote in message
...

Cydrome Leader wrote:

jon_banquer wrote:
I think this guy has the right idea trying to get home shop machinists
to pay more for better Chinese machine tools:

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/default.php

I've used them quite a few times, they have a nice selection on US made
stuff. I wanted a insert from ar warner they didn't carry so they got
some
and added it to their product list.

They're good folks.

On the Chinese machine tools end, the Seig folks who make the mini mills
and mini lathes are good folks as well. Their products are quite good
for the money and size, and they respond to email questions promptly.
Important to remember that there are some good Chinese companies that
care about their products, and not lump them all in a "cheap junk"
category.

I would modify that statement a bit. I bought a Sieg mini-lathe and minimill
a few years ago and both came with numerous assembly and Q.C issues that I
had to straighten out before using. The mill was a Grizzly brand and it did
have fewer issues than the Pro-Tech brand lathe I had bought earlier. That
said, they are an OK value for the money. I bought them mainly because I
could fit both on one bench in my small shop. I would have paid a little
more for better quality.

I think most Chinese factories can produce high quality, but whether they do
depends on the expectations and inspection processes of their customer's who
resell the product.

Little Machine Shop is a good place and I have bought some Chinese-made
tooling there that was fine.

If you go into a machine shop in Asia today you find that the older
machines are European made and the newer equipment is all Chinese. I
recently had the opportunity to use a bloke's shop in Singapore for a
week and my experience with his Chinese made vertical mill and lathe
was very positive.

The difference in perception appears to be that the U.S. market is now
oriented toward cheap **** for cheap people while the Asian market is
more interested in professional level machinery that does the job and
lasts a long time. Of course, the professional level Chinese stuff
doesn't sell for pennies either.

It is interesting that I don't believe I have ever seen a U.S. made
machine in any of the shops I've been in "over here".

--
Cheers,

John B.