Laguna vs Jet

[Monty Ivy]

Powermatic CS has been fantastic. The handle broke off my tail stock wheel and they sent me a new one no questions asked. During that call they asked if there was anything else I needed and sent a bottle of touch up paint with the handle at no charge.

The handle came in about 2 days but was the wrong thread. It was bigger than the original and there was plenty of meat in wheel so I just drilled and tapped to fit the SAE version of the handle.

Other than that the PM has been problem free.

 

[Tom McClellan]

I have the jet 1640 and it’s an amazing machine. Between buying a mini/midi and until taking the plunge for a Vic/oneway/robust, the only models anyone should ever buy are the jet 1640/1840.

 

[Doug Freeman]

I have the jet 1640 and it’s an amazing machine. Between buying a mini/midi and until taking the plunge for a Vic/oneway/robust, the only models anyone should ever buy are the jet 1640/1840.

I just have to disagree . I put my Nova Galaxi significantly ahead of the Jet 1640 and its cheaper.

 

[robo hippy]

The only Novas I have turned on are the older sheet metal framed DVRs. While I was surprised at how much torque comes from that little motor, it did work well. I didn't like the original 'select speed' button set up they had. As a bowl turner, I have to have variable speed. I do think Nova listened to customer feedback about that and went with a cast iron frame and more variable speed with twist the knob type speed control. The old DVR had a minimum speed of about 200 rpm. That was a deal breaker for me. I need less than 15 for sanding my warped bowls. The Jet, I think, goes down to 50 rpm, which is too fast for sanding warped bowls. One other thing I would look at is how far the feet are splayed. Some of the earlier ones had a pretty narrow foot placement. One thing I liked about my Robust was the telescoping feet and they were splayed farther apart than about any other lathe I had seen. I don't think the Jet has the splay that the Robust does. First time I saw the new Nova lathes, the foot print looked pretty narrow. If you turn nothing but spindles, it isn't an issue. If you turn a lot of bowls, it is a big issue to me.

robo hippy

 

[Bill Blasic]

Just for kicks I have a 20 year old Nova DVR3000 and its low speed is 100. I have been able to update it from the beginning to present with all nova updates including the knob version that also updated the top speed to 5,000 RPM. It was funny as I didn't buy the steel stand available but stopped at a Woodcraft somewhere and they had the top of the steel stand but no legs for $10. Bought it and used it on my made up stand and the whole shebang has performed perfectly all these years. I also have a Jet 1642 (which sits next to the DVR) and I personally do not care which I would turn on as they are both outstanding lathes. I have 9 lathes in the shop and the best thing about that when not having hands on with a Pro turner is that I have about 6 different projects set up around the shop so I don't have to break anything down when I feel like doing something different. They are by the way all cast iron.

 

[Rick Wilk]

I have the Laguna 15|24 and I really enjoy using it. The only thing I strongly dislike is the tool rest clamp, but everything else has been so much better than when I was using the Jet 1221VS.

I have the 18/36 and I also hate the tool rest clamp. It takes way too much force to get a firm grip, and then its hard to loosen. Have you found any cure or replacement part?

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I have the 18/36 and I also hate the tool rest clamp. It takes way too much force to get a firm grip, and then its hard to loosen. Have you found any cure or replacement part?

I have the 12/16 and don't have any problem with the clamp. I wonder if they used a different design for their larger lathes? Have you tried a small metal pipe slid over the handle? If you have the reach I would think that would help tighten and loosen the clamp.

 

[Craig Horrocks]

I just bought the Jet 1836 and am very happy with it so far. It comes wired 220. I was also looking at the lagunua but stayed away with the customer service issues I saw. I know I can always by Jet parts and that means a lot.

 

[Curt Yaws]

I started on a Jet 1221 and used it for a year. It worked great but was a little jumpy on unbalanced wood. Then I switched to a Vicmarc 200, which of course is much heavier and more stable. This week I had the opportunity to pick up a Revo 12/16 and have turned a few small items on it. I think it is more stable than the Jet, and the speed response is quicker. I can't speak to the longevity, but it is used and about a year old and seems to run fine. My pick of the two would be the Laguna Revo. It also has a much better stand.

 

[Gerald Rutledge]

I was very close to pulling the trigger on a Laguna 18/36, but it was these kinds of stories that finally led me to choose a Harvey lathe. I have only barely used it so far, so I cannot comment on reliability yet, and by extension, their customer service, but it feels like a well-built machine with ample power.

I noted a clear lack of poor reviews or complaints for Harvey. (The Laguna machines look like Harvey lathes... did I read somewhere that Laguna contracts out their fabrication to Harvey?).

OTOH, Laguna has piles of complaints, right up there with Grizzly, which turned me away from that brand as well. So, to both of those companies, if you are listening: you can run your shows however you like, but you ABSOLUTELY ARE losing potential and repeat business by using too-cheap components, and then crapping on your customers when they have problems with them.

As for the notion that China is nothing but junk, this is patently false. If you pay for it, they can deliver high quality as well as anyone else. You get what you pay for there, in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Australia, the UK, or anywhere else. People just go to China when they happen to want to make junk.

 

[Norm Marentette]

Did a lot of research before buying my Laguna 18/36 220v. Have put it to the test maximizing the 18 inch swing with large bowl blanks. Haven't had a problem. The deciding factor in Canada you can't buy a powermatic, robust, grizzly without paying a fortune in exchange rates, 30 percent, taxes, and shipping. Oneway is about 3 hours away from my location but couldn't afford the extra $3000. So far the lathe has been great, no vibration, a very solid machine. As for the switch problem is there no electronic switch available from some other distributor that would work. Don't forget a $50 dollar switch for a $3500 dollar machine doesn't mean much in this day. A mobile on /off button, would be something I would consider having modified. The sliding headstock works great for cutting bowls at the end of the unit which makes life a lot easier on the back as some of you know. Don't forget we are skilled tradesmen in some fashion and are always problem solving for better solutions. Haven't brought my car to a dealership to repair for years. But I do believe there are lemons everywhere. PS. Buy the Oneway if your really serious about turning. Also would like the buy a new Porsche.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I've had a laguna 12/16 lathe for almost 4 years now and for the most part I've been very happy with it (I should have bought a larger one). Unfortunately, haven't had a great experience with their website or customer service. I ordered a couple of add-ons during their 4th of July sale and received a order summary email but nothing else. A month later I receive a nice email from one of their employees telling me that one of the items I ordered was out of stock (it was marked in stock when I ordered) and asked if I still wanted to place my order for the other item.
Today I received the item, a bed extension, but received no hardware to mount it. During the past 5-6 weeks I've tried calling them, emailing them, using their web form and until I heard from their employee at the beginning of August I was unsuccessful with contacting them. Tomorrow I'll try contacting them again, I've already emailed their representative, but I'm not holding out hope of getting through or getting the hardware I need.
I feel that for a pricey precision product that's suppose to last a long time have a good customer service department is critical. I really like my lathe but if I had known about their customer service practice I may have rethought my order. Maybe they're going through growing pains, or short of help, or busy with trade shows but I'm worried that this trend may continue.

 

[Aaron Harris]

Charles-My sense is that they have just gotten FAR too big, which is always the death of customer service in a company. But they are truly tragic in that department-many more horror stories on Instagram. The only thing for it is to let the market speak, and don't buy Laguna products. I started with a 12/16, turned a lot of stuff on it, had ongoing switch issues, and after a couple of years scraped my savings together for bigger and better. Sold the Laguna and all accessories for a fair price, and never looked back.

I would bombard every social media you are on with your post, and send it to everyone in Laguna you can connect with, as far up the ladder as you can go. They they will "start a ticket," no doubt.

 

[Kevin Jenness]

Laguna has had a poor rep for customer service as long as I can remember. I'm sure it's not all bad, and I know several shops that are happy with Laguna equipment, but I am wary of them.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I heard back from their rep this morning, they created a case number so that's a good sign. @Kevin, I starting to feel the same way.

 

[john lucas]

Jet/ powermaticishaving the same problems all the manufacturers are. Back ordered stock from Taiwan and China. It's not just turning products.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Jet/ powermaticishaving the same problems all the manufacturers are. Back ordered stock from Taiwan and China. It's not just turning products.

My concern is less of back order/no stock and more of communication. Don't list products as in stock when they're not; just in time inventory tracking software is pretty good and cheap these days, and don't wait a month to contact the seller or 6 weeks to ship half the order and then leave out the necessary hardware. From an outsider's view it feels like they're in crisis mode.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

On a side note: Ace is the place! Ace has the hardware I need. It looks identical even down to the black matte finish so if Laguna can't help me I can pick the hardware from them.

 

[robo hippy]

I was looking for a Jet mini lathe a year or so ago, and went to my local Ace store where I have shopped for 40+ years. They told me there was no way for them to get a Jet mini lathe. The local Woodcraft store had them in stock. No clue as to why.

robo hippy

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I heard from Laguna CS last Friday, which was pretty fast, unfortunately they don't carry just the hardware for the item I ordered. They suggested I purchased them from a hardware store. Not sure how I feel about a vendor not stocking extra parts for the equipment they sell. Maybe this goes back to what John said about other vendors being backordered, maybe they're having trouble getting stock from oversea?

 

[Bill Blasic]

No matter what the product and how good it is there will always be somebody to complain about something. But when the preponderance of the gripes come against the same company there is something wrong. Now I have been involved and an observer of gripes against Laguna for over 20 years. There is definitely a serious problem with Laguna. Right here who sells an attachment that doesn't come with the hardware to use or attach it?

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

I've had a laguna 12/16 lathe for almost 4 years now and for the most part I've been very happy with it (I should have bought a larger one). Unfortunately, haven't had a great experience with their website or customer service. I ordered a couple of add-ons during their 4th of July sale and received a order summary email but nothing else. A month later I receive a nice email from one of their employees telling me that one of the items I ordered was out of stock (it was marked in stock when I ordered) and asked if I still wanted to place my order for the other item.
Today I received the item, a bed extension, but received no hardware to mount it. During the past 5-6 weeks I've tried calling them, emailing them, using their web form and until I heard from their employee at the beginning of August I was unsuccessful with contacting them. Tomorrow I'll try contacting them again, I've already emailed their representative, but I'm not holding out hope of getting through or getting the hardware I need.
I feel that for a pricey precision product that's suppose to last a long time have a good customer service department is critical. I really like my lathe but if I had known about their customer service practice I may have rethought my order. Maybe they're going through growing pains, or short of help, or busy with trade shows but I'm worried that this trend may continue.

I know, it is terrible. Not to sound weird, but one of the big decisions on our purchase of the Robust lathe was the customer service. They pick up the phone every time and even sent back a repaired part in one day!!! Brent is really fantastic and has kept the company small enough to care about each customer.

Never buy a Powermatic btw, just received a part last week for one of the lathes at the OVWG. I ordered the part 10 months ago, yes that's right, 10 months I had to wait for the part!!!Relying on overseas products is a bad idea. It is just so inconsistent and the quality just keeps declining. I try to buy anything and everything that is American made anymore....

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

who sells an attachment that doesn't come with the hardware to use or attach it?

The weird part, at least in my opinion, is that their 20" extension comes with the hardware while their 10" doesn't. I don't have room for the 20" which is why I purchased the 10" one. I'm not sure why the 20" bed extension needs hardware but the 10" doesn't?

 

[Bill Blasic]

Well having a Powermatic for almost twenty years and not having 1 single problem. Knowing other folks with the same lathe and no problems sort of makes your statement to never buy a Powermatic sort of senseless. It is not 20 years of hearing people complain about a company. Sorry you had a problem but crap happens to everybody at sometime or another. Even if I had that problem I'd be happy to know I could get parts for a twenty+ year old lathe

Never buy a Powermatic btw, just received a part last week for one of the lathes at the OVWG. I ordered the part 10 months ago, yes that's right, 10 months I had to wait for the part!!!Relying on overseas products is a bad idea. It is just so inconsistent and the quality just keeps declining. I try to buy anything and everything that is American made anymore....

 

[john lucas]

I agree with that Bill. There are a huge number of Powermatics out there and extremely few problems. One of the reasons I bought powermatic was that I could buy most of the parts aftermarket. Need screws to put a bed extension on just go to your local tractor supply. I can get bearings locally. I can even buy an aftermarket VFD locally and I live in a small town. My own powermatic is 20 years old and not a single problem.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

So my Laguna saga continues, they didn't cancel my order when the banjo I ordered was out of stock, they told me they did. Instead they charged my card and sent me the item 3 months after I ordered it. In the meanwhile I ordered a banjo from another retailer and was informed that it would be shipped directly from the vendor so I now have two Laguna banjos shipped directly to me from Laguna. Does nobody check on orders? I would think two identical items being sent to the same address at the same time would catch somebody's attention. I guess not. I've tried contacting the company but haven't had any luck, I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[john lucas]

Laguna customer service continues to be a problem.

 

[Michael Ogden]

I the market for a new lathe and narrowed my choices to the Laguna 18/36 or the Jet 18/40. Originally I was leaning towards the Laguna machine until I read about customer service issues - anyone have any thoughts one way or the other?

thanks
Bill

I'm in the same boat, and those two lathes are what I'm looking at.

I've been using a JET 1221 for years. It's been rock solid.

There are lots of videos out there with people using Lagunas. Most people don't comment about problems, but there are a few who seem to have no end to issues... switches, relays, and wonky spindles.

On the other hand, I find it rare to see JET lathes in use - other than the 1221.

From reading this thread - coming from people with no apparent axe to grind - I am going with the JET 1440.

Thanks for posting this and thanks to the folks who chimed in.

 

[Paul May]

I'm in the same boat, and those two lathes are what I'm looking at.

I've been using a JET 1221 for years. It's been rock solid.

There are lots of videos out there with people using Lagunas. Most people don't comment about problems, but there are a few who seem to have no end to issues... switches, relays, and wonky spindles.

On the other hand, I find it rare to see JET lathes in use - other than the 1221.

From reading this thread - coming from people with no apparent axe to grind - I am going with the JET 1440.

Thanks for posting this and thanks to the folks who chimed in.

Most of the stationary tools in my shop are JET including the 1221. Awesome customer service.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Laguna customer service continues to be a problem.

At this point I am done with Laguna. If I hadn't invested so much money into my lathe I would buy something else. IMO their customer service is awful and their equipment is not worth the hassle.