I agree that the Reeves is a good alternatie to electronic. Actually,
I think it's a better alternative, not so much because of price, but
because you maintain low end torque with a mechanical drive.
Personally, I still prefer a direct drive belt/pulley cluster. The
Reeves is a secondary consideration. The last time I looked (and that
was some time ago) the Delta & Jet were quite a bit less than the 3K.
If they are now at the same price point as the 3K they are overpriced.
The machining, design, and engineering on the 3K is superior.