Mosaic Mini lathe

I had never heard of them, Guy

... but a quick Google search suggests that the name might actually be MosaicAL

Is this the model that you have in mind ? : **LINK**

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MosaicAL-Precision-Variable-Telescopic-Working/dp/B07DDCTXHF

MichaelG.

I think we had an enquiry a few weeks ago about these lathes and the poster decided to go with a Warco version as it has more accessories included and a solid reputation for service and backup. Last time around it seemed no members had actual brand experience. At the end of the day price isn’t everything and up to a point you get what you pay for. If you buy it and it everything is good then you may have a bargain but if you have problems with it you may regret it.

Mike

Hello Guy,

As similar questions come up so often, rather than comment specifically on a machine I have little knowledge of, I've created a new thread:

Advice on Choosing a Mini Lathe

Neil

There was a problem with a Mosaic lathe which was discussed here on this forum. It may be a one off but there were concerns raised regarding certain aspects of its construction and potential safety. I would, as Mike, suggests stay with established UK based companies i.e. Chester, Warco, Axminster, etc.

Martin

Hi Guy,

I will offer some advice based on my experience's and assumption.

I assume that like most of us, you would like the biggest and most well regarded lathe you can afford.

I will also assume that looking at various web sites and the pictures of the machines the various vendors aer offering all look very similar.

I have made these assumptions because that's how it went for me, so I ended up going to an engineering exibition almost two years ago, I went to the Warco stand and despite being interested in teh lathes was left standing and touching various lathes without any offer of advice or assistance. So I went over to the Chester stand, I was quickly pounced on and asked various questions as to what I was looking for and what budget I had in mind. By the end of the day I came away with a very skinny wallet and a delivery date.

My chosen machine wouldn't be classed as a mini lathe (DB10) but in this case my lessons can be passed on regardless. The machine would (I was told), cut metric and imperial threads, if using the milling slide and vice which I also bought I would be able to perform most milling operations.

The machine arrived on the agreed delivery date and the guy delivering it was very helpful. Anyway some months later I decided I needed to perform a simple light milling operation, total dissaster, the slide and vice were so badly machined you could not cut anything with any degree of accuracy at all. I ended up buying a proper milling machine. Some months after that I wanted to cut some standard imperial threads, no chance. My machine had been supplied only capable of cutting metric threads, in order to cut imperial I would need a different set of change gears to the ones supplied. I thought no problem I will call Chester and ask what they reccomend, they promised to call me back with a solution, I'm still waiting. In the mean time a member of staff from an alternative supplier read my problems from this forum and offered to sell me the change gear that I needed, and at a competitive price.

So based on my experience, if I were to re-invest in machinery I would buy from Arc Eurotrade, they provide advice for free, and offer a good level of support (I have read) to their cutomers, their equipment may be a little dearer (not much if at all) but it is in my opinion, that it is so much better to deal with people who will be there when you need something.

I have no connections with any of the companies mentioned other than as a customer (potential customer).

Well there was a post the other day where a Mosaic180 went bang in about 20 seconds, another person asking about a similar lathe (same photos different name) two weeks ago and the view was to steer clear.

The spec on the front of the lathe pictured in the Amazon link above does not match the spec described by the seller and both of these are different from the spec described by at least one of the reviewers. Although both reviewers gave high scores, reading their comments they have been very generous to say the least.

One more vote for sticking with the established sellers.

The answer about Mosaic / Mosaic AL lathes is that no one knows. There isn't a community of users with any experience. They might be excellent examples of the mini-lathe type or they might be sub-standard.

I suggest buying a lathe is all about risk. We know that some mini-lathes are too cheap, possibly factory rejects, and that they tend to reach customers via obscure internet sellers at bargain prices. We also know that many obscure internet sellers also sell real bargains, for example bankrupt stock. It's impossible to tell until the seller and machine have built up a track record.

The important question is 'what happens if I buy this and don't like it?' You have to read the small-print carefully, for example you might only get your money back after the item has been returned at your cost. Could be expensive if the vendor is in Germany!

The advantage of buying from an established local vendor rather than randomly off the internet is they have a reputation to protect and local consumer protection law fully applies. Generally you pay more for the product, but there's a better safety net. How brave are you?

I don't think buying a new unknown lathe from Amazon or ebay is daft because they offer customer protection. But no tears allowed if a bad purchase results in some extra hassle. It's not the most dangerous way to buy a lathe - that's buying a secondhand machine sight unseen from a private seller, where you can lose your money in exchange for a machine beyond economic repair.

Dave