After reading the replies, I’ve decided to post my list showing the reasons I chose the 7x16 from MicroMark.

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As I and others have said, the main reasons were Brushless DC Motor (no Hi/Lo gears), and longer bed .

With changes over the past 10 years some of the information may be out of date.

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Michael - California, USA

Micro-Mark MicroLux 7x16

LMS 3990 Hi-Torque Mill with power feed

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Micro Mark 7x16 lathe

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Pros:

Longest bed available on a 7x lathe

See some measurement photos of the bed length at

< https://picasaweb.google.com/109240381799213351397/MicroMarkMicroLux7x16?noredirect=1# >

?????????????? - 16 inches between centers (actually more than 16 inches, see photos)

?????????????? - added room when drilling with a tail stock drill chuck

?????????????? - allows you to use longer drill bits

?????????????? - allows you to get the tail stock out of the way when not in use

?????????????? - extra length is good to have if you use a larger 4 or 5 inch chuck which requires an adapter plate

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Powerful 500 watt DC brushless motor

?????????????? - lots of low speed torque

?????????????? - no brushes to deal with

?????????????? - quieter

?????????????? - full range of speeds available with the turn of the speed adjustment potentiometer

?????????????? - no need to change gears for HI/LO speeds

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No HI/LO gears

?????????????? - often made of plastic and users break them requiring replacement

?????????????? - quieter operation without these gears

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Spindle Thru Hole

?????????????? - 20.5mm (0.807") spindle thru hole

?????????????? - This is 0.5mm (0.020") larger than HI/LO geared spindle lathes

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True Split nut

?????????????? - has a true split nut for power feed and threading. Some others only have a half nut with a support

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Collet Drawbar

?????????????? - Comes with a collet drawbar for use with a ER25 collet set (THIS IS NOT FOR A MT3 COLLET).

?????????????? ? This style of collet does not allow for long piece of material to be passed thru them. They have a set depth.

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Round Head Phillips screws on cross slide and compound handles instead of the cap screws that some other lathes use

?????????????? - users complain of scraped knuckles on lathes with cap screws

?????????????? - Note: these screws are of the phillips variety, not the "Crown Bolt" hex socket variety for use with an allen wrench

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Cam lock tail stock

?????????????? - Allows you to lock the tail stock down, or loosen it, with a flip of the lever

?????????????? - No searching for a wrench to tighten or loosen the nut

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True inch scales 0.050" per turn on cross slide and compound

?????????????? - Tail stock quill also has scale in inches

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Shipped in two boxes

?????????????? - lighter weight boxes prevents shipping damage

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No Red shipping grease

?????????????? - Some lathes come covered with red shipping grease* all over them requiring lots of clean up

?????????????? - Micro Mark lathes come with oil on them to prevent rust during shipping

????????????????????????????? * Other users are reporting that other dealers are now shipping their lathes with oil instead of red grease

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Port for optional Tachometer

?????????????? -The headstock has a port for an optional plug in tachometer,

?????????????? ??this tachometer can be used on a mini mill that has the same port

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Cons:

Price is on the high side for a 7x lathe.

More assembly required.

Takes up more table space.

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Neutrals:

Same cross slide travel limitations as other SIEG & Real Bull mini lathes have.

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No safety switched chuck/chip guard. Some users experience problems with this switch going out preventing the lathe from starting.

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Forward/Neutral/Reverse lever detents need to be drilled deeper or even moved.

This is listed as a neutral since this flaw seems to appear on just about all the mini lathes.

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The Big Dog version comes equipped with a "lever lock" tailstock and spindle speed readout as standard (spindle speed is optional extra on Sieg)

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The Big Dog RB also comes with a number of features not available on any Sieg equivalent that I am aware of

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4" 3 jaw universal chuck as standard with no backplate required. Allows full use of the 20mm pass through of the spindle from the box (not possible with the 3" chuck on Siegs)

Saddle lock as standard

Lead screw end float adjuster as standard

Oilers fitted to lead screw, saddle, tailstock as standard

Saddle way wipes fitted as standard

Positive locking of slide dials (via an Allen screw as opposed to Sieg spring restraint

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< http://www.micromark.com/microlux-7x16-mini-lathe,9615.html >

< http://www.bigdogmetalworks.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=779 >

< https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5100 >

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