I will assume the "not 100% Vicmarc lathe" you refer to is the one sold
by Craft Supplies USA. I have the shortbed version of that lathe and
have been entirely satisfied with it. I made my purchase based on the
experience of another friend who bought that same lathe, but in the
longbed model. The stand is made up by/for Craft Supplies and is fine.
My very first test on my lathe was a badly unbalanced 14-inch bowl blank
that had not had its corners rounded off. There was no bouncing around
on my cement basement floor.

I did experience some harmonic vibration sounds from the stand that
would come and go depending on the turning speed. Some carefully wedged
in 2 x 4's across the stand's frame seemed to take care of that. I
certainly would vote for the variable speed model on this lathe. My
lathe came with a 1 1/2 hp Leeson DC motor and Minarik controller, a
very nice combo. You'll need a 220v circuit.

Shipping on my lathe from Provo to Minnesota was $220, not a minor
expense. You might need to factor in that cost when deciding where you buy.

Sharon Berman wrote:

I've been looking at the VL200 and I'm curious about the 2 retailers
that sell them in the US. For the same money, one sells the 6 speed
that is "100% vicmarc" and the other sells the variable speed that is
on a different stand. I realize the latter company is probably
purchasing bare lathes and adding the stand, motor and drive. I guess
my question is, which is the better product or are they comparable?
Any pros or cons to either one? Anyone have any experience with the
not 100% Vicmarc lathe?
Thanks
Sharon