Colchester Student 3100 VS

Hi all,

Whilst still looking for a lathe a Colchester Student 3100VS has come up for grabs, Just wondering on peoples opinions on such a lathe. Yes I have looked up info on lathes.co.uk. Just wondered if anyone had any personal experience of the lathe? Any known problems?

Many thanks Gary

Looks tidy, but remember you will pay 39.2% on top of the online hammer price.

Also make sure you are happy with clauses 33 to 41 of their T&C.

Hi David,

You are on the ball. Help me out where do you get the 39.2% please

Gary

Hammer price + 16% buyers premium, + 20% VAT on both

20% on 16% = 19.2%

Can’t help with the Colchester.......however this caught my eye, no idea what it will fetch, but looks like a tidy well specced and tooled machine........**LINK** as David pointed out, just don’t forget to figure in the buyers premium and vat.

Hi Alan, looks nice, plus plenty of tooling chucks etc

As with all these items its getting the thing disconnected, out and back home.

Trying to arrange sensible costs is like pulling hens teeth.

Gary

David. Thanks for the heads up.

I hadn't calculated it that way. Now that I do it will revise my highest bidding offer, I think!

Gary

Yes i agree the costs can quickly escalate if you’re not in a position to move things yourself. Auction purchases can be especially tricky as they often give you a window to get in and shift whatever you have bought.

Iv’e always managed to move my own stuff, but i do have a van and a decent trailer at my disposal, along with a motley collection of jacks, slings, rollers, pallet trucks etc, and a good mate who lends a hand and happens to own a fairly hefty tractor. However you can hire the equipment required to lift and haul machinery fairly reasonably.

Hi Alan,

Impressive moving equipment.

Yes the auctions aren't easy but if the price is right, and only if.....then I guess its all worth while. I have only seen pics of this lathe, it looks clean, but its all a gamble.

Gary

Do you have a link ? PM me if you want to keep it low key. 

Edited......Found it.....looks very clean, a couple of things that may not matter to you, but would be negatives for me.....it’s not a gap bed, and the bed is short.......neither are showstoppers, but worth bearing in mind.

Edited By Alan Waddington 2 on 23/11/2017 22:24:51

Hi Alan,

Yes I agree with both comments. However if its for the right price. I wonder if its clean, or been touched up, or the pics have been doctored or both?

Gary

Gary

Those auctioneer T&C don't look too bad, but some want you to show evidence of insurance, a Method Statement for removal, and all sorts of other onerous things, so if you look at something from another online auctioneer, beware.

I believe Apex have difficult T&C, for example.

As for moving costs, my Boxford 330 I bought in June was in Liverpool, a 450 mile round trip.

Steve at Landylift quoted, IIRC, around £450-500 for collection/delivery to me, which was fair enough (but 20% on top of the cost of the lathe), but in the end I bit the bullet, hired a Luton van with tail lift and went and got it myself.

I stuck the Boxford on castors, it went on and off easy - 400kg but two of us pushed it on and off easy - all in cost of transport was around £180.

Gary

My reasonably practised eye says there is evidence of paint touching in on the edge of the rubber mat on top of the headstock, and on the information plate above the chuck.

But, it looks generally unmolested, and I have done the same, doesn't mean it is abused.

It's like many secondhand cars, they look straight and honest as soon as you look at them.

Incidentally, I see the Harrison M300 that was painted by Stevie Wonder with a roller and Dulux Weathershield is relisted on eBay yet again!

I doubt the pic’s have been doctored, or indeed the machine tarted up.....(judging by the condition of the other lots etc.) One other point that does come to mind is the VS3100 is quite a rare beast and there doesn’t seem to be any steadies etc included in the sale. Unless they are interchangeable with other models, you might struggle to actually find any.........

Hi David,

Yes the T&C's don't look to bad.. I have various quotes ranging from £850 + Vat , to a sensible £380 inc.

Then theres the complication of specified times to collect and having someone to disconnect it.

I can't collect it myself. anyway we will see, it might be bid up to silly silly money yet, and as David has pointed out with the 39% on the hammer price, might get expensive

Gary

Hi Dave,

Yes I saw the M300 its abysmal isn't it. The Colchester looks relatively straight as I said......it all comes down to price , its just difficult to know where you stop. As I said before I have seen a couple of M300's for sale but they are expensive around 7K ish including VAT. + transport costs on top.

What do you think I should pay for this colchester? I am just not sure! If its 5K inc vat is that good, I guess it would be better if it was £3K,

We will have to wait and see.

Gary

How strange, most of the stuff at that auction is actually stock from a machinery dealer in Hyde......thought it was strange that all the machines pictured were sat on rubber pads......maybe they have gone bust? Although not the impression given by the website.

**LINK**

Hi Alan,

Yes you are correct, I thought exactly the same. They appear to have a lot of stuff. Perhaps they just need to move excessive stock?

Gary

Alan

I thought I recognised those rubber pads from somewhere!

I just quickly pulled their accounts from Companies House, out of curiosity (my job was corporate insolvency in a previous life). I think they are having a necessary stock clearout, shall we say............

David,

How necessary? Overstocked or No Cash

Gary