Thanks for all the replies.....
I'm still teetering on the edge of getting a VS motor. MichaelMouse, I'm sure, is right that there is very little a step pulley drive system can't do that a VS can.
I do see the advantage in selecting the right speed for an out of balance condition and then gradually increasing speed as allowable.....VS would certainly come in handy there, but it would have to be VERY out of balance to make a real difference to me. My 500lb Woodfast is bolted to the floor, and minimally out of balance pieces don't present much of a problem for me. Possibly a very large and heavy out of balance bowl blank could make a difference here.
For most bowls, the 370, 650, and 1200 rpm settings seem to work very well for everything.
I did see a John Jordan (?) video once, where he explained how the VS eliminated tool chatter with a small adjustment in speed. If I knew that was something I could depend on, I'd be pulling out my wallet and getting the VS pronto! Nobody else has confirmed this, so I'm not so sure Jordan is evaluating his conclusion correctly.....maybe, or maybe not.
At this point, the Woodfast does everything else very well for me. Sometimes I wish I could do bowls larger than 16" diameter, but bowl blanks that big seem to be rare as hen's teeth....so to upgrade to a larger capacity lathe for that reason alone seems like wasted money. (If I ever did go for a larger capacity lathe, I sure do like the new Vicmarc 24" lathes.)
This whole thing seems to boil down to the stick shift vs automatic concept. One is more convenient.....while the other will get you there just as well.
Since I'm happy with my Woodfast lathe, and don't really see a new lathe in my future....if I end up with a VS, it will most likely be added on to the Woodfast.
This whole discussion, as I see it in my mind, is primarily theoretical, with input from those with hands-on experience. There is only one way to see if I'll like a VS........get one, or forever be satisfied with the step pulleys.
Sooner or later, I'll probably just get the VS. It will either work better, or not.....but having VS won't be any less useful than the step pulleys.
Again, thanks for all the replies, gentlemen.
otis of cologne