Revo 18/36

[Roger Chandler]

I had a chance to get an up close look at the Laguna 18/36 at Woodcraft in Roanoke earlier today. I can certainly see why John Keeton and other owners are up on that lathe. Very nice features! I did think the banjo was a bit short in length, but remembered my former 18/47 Grizz......that banjo certainly would handle anything the 18" swing of the lathe would handle, and was the same length. I think it was an optical illusion, because the bed ways are nice and wide for a lathe that size.....very nice ergonomics on the Laguna 18/36 Revo.

I also got a look at the Nova Galaxy.......hands down I would go for the Revo/18/36!

[Allan Ferguson]

Roger, my assessment is the same as yours. If the funds had been in my pocket, I would have gotten one when they first came on the market. It could have been a 16" and I would still have gotten one.

[Joe Frank Porter]

I have owned the Revo 18/36 for about a year and really like it. One feature I like that most others don't have is the unique position and angle of the control panel. It's easy to see when turning from any position.
The lathe has performed well for me, and I turn a lot of almost 18" heavy material. I also core a lot of heavy green 18" material with a Woodcut MAX 3.

[Prashun Patel]

Roger, how do you like the Revo vs your Grizzly? I respect that you have limited experience with the Revo, but your zeal for the G0766 has made that the top contender for my impending upgrade and I am curious which you like better.

Revo and PM's are on the list as well.

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, how do you like the Revo vs your Grizzly? I respect that you have limited experience with the Revo, but your zeal for the G0766 has made that the top contender for my impending upgrade and I am curious which you like better.

Revo and PM's are on the list as well.

The 3 hp motor and the 42 inches between centers makes me go for the
Grizz G0766, but I want maximum swing and power, because of the type woods I turn. I harvest most of my own wood, and some is large and heavy. I am truly impressed with the performance of my G0766....it rivals any PM 3520 I have turned on.

For ergonomics....the layout on the Revo 18/36 is sweet, but it has basically the same features on the headstock, but the Revo has a comparator feature, which is good for spindle turning like table legs, and it also comes with a cage if I am not mistaken.

If a person does average size turnings, the Revo 18/36 is a great contender, but the Grizz G0766 has the horsepower advantage and a more advanced inverter with the Delta M series, where the Revo has the same inverter as the Jet and PM lathes, which use the Delta S1, which is a tried and true unit. Fit and finish ....I would say both the Grizz and the Revo are about the same. The Revo does have a locking mechanism for the spindle and the Grizzly uses a pin that goes into the holes in the headstock to lock the spindle. The indexing system on the Revo is real nice, incorperated into the handwheel. The Grizzly uses the indexing pin.

Price for the Revo....approx. $2500. Grizzly G0766 $1575. I don't see how one can get much better performance out of a lathe than I have had with my Grizzly G0766, and I have some sessions on a Robust American Beauty, and one on the Serious SL 2542, so I have a range of experience to draw from.