Another which lathe question

[David Bolson]

Rikon 70-3040 or Grizzly G0766

I have a small workshop with space at a premium. I'm a hobbyist addicted to turning. I'm replacing a Nova 2024, and I want something with at least a 20" swing. Price is an issue, also. I've narrowed it down to these two lathes.

The Grizzly seems well made with a 22" swing at about $2500.

The Rikon looks like a beast with a 24" to 31" swing. It is also a space saver when it's not extended. About 60" long (Grizzly is about 81"). It would probably be very rare that I would need that huge swing, but maybe I would use it if I had it? Rikon has a 5 year warranty, Grizzly is one year (3 years if I get the Shop Fox version). The Rikon is about $3600.

My heart is saying Rikon my head is saying Grizzly. Any advice appreciated.

David

[John King]

David - I have had two of many tools - band saw, drill press, table saw - because I went low price option. Eventually not satisfied with limitations/quality of low price purchases. I upgraded all to better equipment. So, when it came for lathe purchase I went all in on a Oneway 2436. No second purchase required. My advice is simple. Save your money until you can purchase a lifetime quality tool. - John

[Chris A Lawrence]

I have had my Grizzly G0766 for about 3 years and am very satisfied with it. I had to replace the pot once and i just recently put a new belt on it. Other then that it has handled everything i have thrown at it including a couple of back breakers that maxed out the swing. That being said if that rikon was out when i made my purchase i might have went that route.

[Richard Coers]

5 year warranty on the Rikon, 1 year on the Grizzly. If you order a Grizzly, order 3-4 more potentiometers. You'll need them for replacements. 20rpm min on the Rikon, 100 on the Grizzly. Rikon is heavier by about 80 pounds. The Grizzly only has 2 bearings in the head, pretty light for that class of machine. Can't find the number of bearings in the Rikon. Longer quill travel on Rikon, remote control panel on the Rikon, more taper on the headstock nose than the rectangle head on the Grizzly. Easy decision for me, get the Rikon!

[tom lucas]

I have had the G0766 for about 2 years now. Zero issues. Works great. The Rikon seems pretty neat. Is it $1100 better? You have to decide that. BTW, I don't thin my G0766 takes up 81". I position the drive head in about a foot because I haven't needed the full length. As I have it, I think it's closer to 6' in stance.

[Alex Zeller]

I've had my G0766 for about 3 years now. Unless they've changed something the minimum width is about 66". The headstock slides so that's the width of the bed. Mine will go down to 50 rpm. I replaced the pot right off the bat with a larger one and haven't had a problem. It was about $2 and required a couple minutes of soldering. So far it's done everything I've asked of it. That includes being a 20" disc sander. With a sliding headstock you can do outboard turning if you needed more than 22".

That Rikon is kind of an odd design. If space is a premium then I think it would be a good option. Otherwise the sliding bed seems to just add to the complexity.

[William C Rogers]

There are many satisfied Grizzly owners, but it would not be my choice. I don’t like the leg splay at 20” or the one year warranty. Not sure on the leg splay of the Rikon, but it has a 5 year warranty. It is heavier and Rikon products are decent. Not sure how well the sliding ways really work. I now have a Robust AB. There is a lot of truth to what John King posted, but I also understand budget and it wasn’t the first lathe I purchased new.

[David Walser]

David -- The Rikon is too new a design for many of us to have had any experience with it. However, Rikon tools, in general, have a very good reputation. Their lathes, also, have a good reputation. Will the 70-3040 be another winner for Rikon in terms of reliability? Only time will tell.

As to the 70-3040's design sliding bed design, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Many would prefer a sliding headstock for bowl turning. I have a lathe with a sliding headstock. I've NEVER slid the headstock. I used to have a short bed lathe, which is what the Rikon is with the sliding bed 'closed'. For turning bowls, I prefer a short bed lathe. As I said, others disagree. This is clearly a YMMV situation. The downside to Rikon's innovative design is it will be harder to use it for a long spindle. Hard, but not close to impossible. The 'hard part' would be having to move the banjo up or down between the 'upper and lower' beds as you move down the length of the spindle. Other than that, there's not much not to like.

My recommendation is to go with your heart. If you don't, every time you use your Grizzly lathe, you'll be wondering if you made the right choice.

[Brice Rogers]

I think that both lathes are fine tools.

I've owned a Griz G0766 for 4-1/2 years and have been happy with it.

I measured my bed and it is 67 inches long.

In regards to the throw, only once did I have a nice big piece of wood that I contemplated making a 22" platter. But then I thought, where would I put it since it wouldn't fit in my kitchen cabinets. Also, what would my wife do with such a big platter? And how often would it be used? So I made a 17 or 18" platter.

I like the sliding head of the Griz because I can slide it to the end and work on a bowl or platter without needing to bend over.

I googled it and the price of the G0766 is $2250 and the Rikon is $3800. So, with the exception of coupons and sales, they are about $ 1550 apart. If I was going to spend close to $4k, I would consider a Robust or Powermatic even though they cost more. But I'm frugal and would not want to spend close to $4K. I bought my Griz for around $1650. If I won the lottery and had money to burn I'd consider buying a Robust or Powermatic lathe.

I'm curious, why you are considering replacing your Nova 2024 ? Do you turn things at that full capacity or is it some other factor ?

[David Walser]

Bryce — He’s replacing the 2024 because the electronics in the headstock are fini. His option is to replace headstock or replace the lathe.

As to the choice between the Rikon and either the Powermatic or the Robust. The Robust and Powermatic are not in the same price class. A Powermatic 3520C will set you back $4,500. A Robust American Beauty will cost over $8k with shipping. The question is whether the Powermatic is worth close to $800 more than the Rikon. The Rikon has 3hp and both a greater swing and more room between centers.

[Alex Zeller]

The Powermatic will hold it's value better if you ever decide to sell it. Some people I've talked to see Rikon as a step up from Grizzly while others feel it's inferior. I've always felt it was on par with the better Grizzly stuff and Laguna. In the end what it really comes down to is spending more money to get some sort of value. Is the Powermatic worth the extra money? The same question can be asked about the Rikon over the Grizzly. Is two pairs of bearings in the head stock and the sliding bed worth an extra $1100? If people were posting about how they have to replace the bearings on their G0766 I would be more likely to say yes but I can't remember reading one post about a bearing going bad. But I also believe in buying what you want and dealing with the money after the fact. If that means a Robust then that's what you should do. You can't put a price on walking into your shop smiling as you see the tool you coveted sitting there waiting for you.

[William C Rogers]

Let's not forget there is the PM 2020 that is $100 less than the Rikon. You could add the extension later if you wanted more capability. Of the three, this would be the option I would choose.


You can't put a price on walking into your shop smiling as you see the tool you coveted sitting there waiting for you.

I have owned a Laguna 18-36, but now own a Robust AB.

[David Bolson]

I googled it and the price of the G0766 is $2250 and the Rikon is $3800. So, with the exception of coupons and sales, they are about $ 1550 apart.



I pulled the trigger on the Rikon. I found a very good deal, making the difference between the Grizzly (including their 5% discount) and the Rikon less than $900. It's still a lot of money, and it really pushed my budget, but its features and warranty seemed worth it to me. I expect it to be the last lathe I'll ever own.

The bad news is that Rikon is waiting for a shipment from China and I probably won't get it until March. I just went through the same thing with a Bosch sander that I ordered. It took me three months to get that one.

[David Walser]

Congrats on the new toy, err, tool! Have fun with it and give us a review after you’ve had a chance to use it for awhile.

[Roger Chandler]

[QUOTE=Alex Zeller;3092033] Some people I've talked to see Rikon as a step up from Grizzly while others feel it's inferior. I've always felt it was on par with the better Grizzly stuff and Laguna./QUOTE]

I don't think Laguna has any advantage over Grizzly, except offering a tailstock pendant. Motor, inverter, etc are not a whit better, and the Laguna uses the old "S" type inverter, where the G0766 uses a more advanced "M" series, and the motor is strong, as I've cored, put a lot of big/heavy wood on it, and maxed it out numerous tines.......it handled the coring and big wood with no problems.

The G0800 is even better, heavier, more advanced and should rightly be compared to the PM 4224b in size/class, and Harvey manufactures the Powermatic lathes for them. Too bad they discontinued the G0800....I hope they bring it back with the tailstock pendant at some point...a super lathe.

[Allen Mattsen]

I pulled the trigger on the Rikon. I found a very good deal, making the difference between the Grizzly (including their 5% discount) and the Rikon less than $900. It's still a lot of money, and it really pushed my budget, but its features and warranty seemed worth it to me. I expect it to be the last lathe I'll ever own.

The bad news is that Rikon is waiting for a shipment from China and I probably won't get it until March. I just went through the same thing with a Bosch sander that I ordered. It took me three months to get that one.

I'm very interested to hear about your experience with this new Rikon 70-3040 lathe. The 3HP motor is a very attractive feature as is the sliding bed / space saving ability. Is there the ability for outboard turning on this? The price is very competitive and warranty impressive. It's definitely on my short list for when I upgrade. So: please share how you like it when you get it and going. ☺️

[David Bolson]

Allen - I didn’t end up getting the Rikon. I ordered it in January and was told it would arrive on March 15th, to which I agreed. A couple of weeks later, I was told May 1st. I was having lathe withdrawal, and didn’t want to wait that long and I also suspected there could be further delay. So I ended up ordering the Grizzly G0766. Which is currently on its way.

[Rusty Nesmith]

I saw the Rikon at Woodcraft. I didn’t get to use it but the guy ran it through all of the speeds and bed extension. It was impressive.

[Robert D Evans]

I hope you will be as happy with your new G0766 as I am with mine. I did a lot of research before I bought mine and I think it's the best lathe for the money on the market.

[Randy Heinemann]

Just wondering why you need to replace your Nova? Seems like it is large enough and, if weight is the issue there are a ways to remedy that. I own a Comet II midi lathe because I wasn't sure I would keep turning and didn't want to spend a lot of money on a lathe. Since I've turned for over 2 years and now find I'd like more capacity and power and weight, I think I may buy something like a Powermatic 2020 or 3520. However, if I already had a 20" over bed capability I'm not sure I'd even consider spending the money on a new lathe, especially if money was an issue.

[David Bolson]

Just wondering why you need to replace your Nova?

The motor on my Nova 2024 died. It is proprietary and unfixable and Teknatool has no more 2024 headstocks.

[Robert D Evans]

At least you have a very sturdy saw horse.