Draper 33893 250W Variable Speed Metal Work Lathe , Blue

Arrived today ex Ellet machine very played with item and serviceDriver excellent on delivery set up ready to use excellent size for price and voltage highly recommendedAll round ten out of ten

For the price (absolute bargain recently) this cannot be faulted. However, it needs a deal of time and effort to make it work as well as it can as quality control is not its best feature. The chicken fat grease applied to much of the machine needs to be stripped off (using a suitable solvent, I used isopropyl alcohol) which means that the machine virtually needs to be stripped to ensure it is clean and can then be lubricated. This ensures that tight or sloppy joints can be remedied and everything checked over. Most users recommend this but it's not in the instructions.I do have one problem with a noisy gearbox and possibly tight gearing (some are nylon so may have burrs). The high/low gearing lever also didn't fully engage properly leading to other noise but once I'd discovered this it worked much better. I haven't stripped the gearbox as this is a big job but suspect that it must be done.So what? A great machine for the price, no sloppy joints at all and arrived packed in a VERY stable and protected plywood box (weighing 40Kg so may well have been thrown around on its journey from China). If you take the time and trouble to service the machine and thoroughly check and de-grease it you will not regret buying it. Other reviewers, I suspect, have expected a machine usable straight from the box.Unfortunately it comes with no cutting tools, nor a chuck for the tailstock so these will need to be bought separately. Recommended if a good price compared to elsewhere.

Bought this lathe and was not pleased at all, It broke on the first day and Draper had it collected to investigate the problem. Up until then the service was good but that soon changed. After about 2 weeks I started to try and find out what was going on with it, with no clear answers and after nearly a month with still no news and getting sent from Draper returns to the workshop I managed to get a refund from the company I bought it from which gave an outstanding service and I would use again. I will unfortunately not be buying anything with the name of Draper from now on as the service was I'm sorry to say, not good.

At first, the build quality looked OK, but not quite up to what I expected from a mini lathe of this price.The gibs were either far too tight, or super sloppy with no in-between which is poor machining of the parts used.When put under any load from anything larger in diameter than 25mm, it struggled - even with aluminium when removing 20 thou.When screw cutting, the drive belt slipped causing marks in the thread, and that was only if the primary gear didn't slip also causing the loss of continuity in the screw thread ruining the operation.All this put together means it is simply under-powered with weak plastic gears and a slipping drive belt, it doesn't suit anything over 20mm in a light metal. Forget stainless or EN8/16T etc, it simply wont be capable.Probably fine for cutting small bolts and mini parts, but then why pop an 80mm jaw on it?Makes no sense at all.

Draper 33893 metal working Lathe.For the price a well made lathe which although small in size is coping very well with everthing I have tried so far in my opinion good value for money.

EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED,HOME USE SMALL ENGINEERING JOBS,

Laithe didn't work form it was delivered

This is exactly the same lathe as machine mart are selling for £690 and Axminster for £650 just not yellow or grey. Its made in China. Alibaba have the same lathe for 1/3rd of the price. Its very bad quality. Shame firms are allowed to get manufacturer to paint in their colours and brand it in the buyers name. Draper shame on you. Forever will never forget this lie. In the poo list with Hewlett Packard now and machine mart and axminster. Fraud is what it is.