Does the Jet 1220 VS sacrifice power?

[David Little]

It's commonly reported that the Jet 1014 VS has less power at the lower speeds than the standard 1014. With the 1014 having only 1/2 hp this apparently can make a noticeable difference with some applications. I'm wondering if this is also true of the newer Jet 1220, i.e., does the 1220 VS also have less power at the lower speeds compared to the standard non-VS 1220? If there is some difference, is it less noticeable with the 3/4 hp of the 1220? I'm hoping that there has now been enough experience with the 1220 that some of you can provide some helpful information to those of us still waiting to decide on whether to make the move to the 1220 and, if so, which model we may want to buy.

[Thom Sturgill]

Well, I have the 1220VS, but nothing to compare it to. Since it does have the most powerful motor in its class (the only mini, AFAIK, that has a 3/4hp motor) it is probably still better than a 1/2 hp even if it does lose power.

From what I understand, variable speed motors are always going to lose some torque when running at a slow speed.

It has six stepped pulleys, so there is quite a bit of options between changing pulley to the smallest size with the speed setting to the middle vs using the slower speed on a medium pulley setting.

Some more experienced turners will have to chime in on comparisons.

[Jon McCoy]

I found my friend's 1220VS easier to stall when roughing than my plain 1220. Just a data point, maybe his is slack or mine is strong. Both have plenty of power to get the job done, you just can't take huge cuts.

That said, having also tried another friend's 3520b recently, stalling is not always a bad thing. I now understand why catches can be scary -- instead of stalling the motor or slipping the belt, that little chunk of wood went off like it said "this side towards enemy".

-jon-