I started turning after being gifted a Craftsman lathe in response to my saying that I'd like to start turning...I'd been watching one of the woodworking shows on PBS and decided it looked interesting. That was nearly 20 years ago. After quickly hitting the limitations of this lathe, I manned up and bought a Jet 1642 that I turned on for several years. Facing retirement in a couple of years, I decided it was time to explore the 'last lathe' I'll ever buy.
After checking out and getting significant turning time on lathes from OneWay, Powermatic, Vicmark, Magma/Titan and Robust I settled on the Robust AB, 3hp, tilt away Pretty much the 'standard' configuration.
I can honestly say that, after 8 years of use I'm still thrilled and delighted to stand at this lathe and make shavings. Can't honestly say that it has made me a better turner, but it's surely allowed me to learn to appreciate the importance of a well designed and produced piece of equipment.