I have little personal experience with Laguna lathes, but nothing bad to say, either.
If you're looking to compile a list of similarly sized lathes to consider I would include the Nova Saturn (or the 1624 with DVR upgrade' which I have).
Nova has a lot of features which appeal to me. The DVR system for speed control has great range and functionality. The headstock rotates instead of sliding, which I like. A swing away and bed extension are options taking the chore out of storing the tailstock.
One downside with some of the Nova products is that the blister type buttons can be difficult to actuate. It's a problem with the upgraded 1624, but the Saturn may be better (the Galaxy has better buttons).
The upgraded 1624 is another option that could save money, but I don't recommend the plain, belt drive, 1624.
Nova also has a new model called Orion that may be replacing the Saturn, but I have not had an opportunity to look it over.