Warco v Chester.

I am keen on the imperial Warco WM 180 mini lathe but the imperial is not in stock, also Chester have a lathe which appears to be very similar although slightly dearer, both come with the same amount of gear, the Chester machine is DB7VS the Chester is also slightly more powerful. Does anyone know how long an out of stock period could be? Thanks. Ronnie.

Hi

First of all have you tried talking to Warco re their likely delivery schedule? I have a Chester DB7VS lathe and I have found that for a small lathe it is pretty sturdy and a good work horse; given several years of trouble free service and been asked to do some quite heavy work for a relatively small unit. The reason I bought from Chester is that I saw it at a show and it was available at the time. Both Chester and Warco seem to have a good record when it comes to post sale support and I can confirm that for both companies from personal experience as I have also got a Warco mill.

Do you live relatively close to either company? If so then they normally have their showrooms open so you can look at the lathe you're interested and get a hands on feel for the item.

Cheers

Martin W

Just asking Ronald but is there a particular reason for you wanting an imperial machine?

Thanks Martin I may go for the Chester lathe, I bought a mill from them some time ago, and I know how important it is to keep Chinese motors cool! As for the imperial machines,I am a retired maintenance turner and was brought up with the imperial system Thanks to all who replied. Ronnie.

I have had a Chester DB7v metric version since 2012, had a problem with it when it was delivered, which was quickly rectified. It stopped working after about 3 years, and their service department soon got me going again ( a loose connection!). I find a great lathe, although it replaced an ancient worn out Drummond! If I ever changed it, it would be another Chester machine. Usual disclaimer!

May not be much to choose between them,so I would be more inclined to look at the "After Sale Service".

Seem to remember that both had issues with this from time to time,to judge from some recent Posts.

Maybe just hiccups,but worth checking out. Ask around !

The lathes from both companies come from the same source so customer service is likely to be the decider.

Machines I purchased from Warco have always been delivered and bolted down in my workshop for free.

Excellent after-sales service from Warco as always.

Just a satisfied customer of many years standing.

Richard2.

Could be as little as 5 months to 10 months dependant on what each seller has going through, same with parts.

To reduce this time certainly Chester break new machines down just to use as parts. Last few times been there Welsh one had 24ft containers stacked 3 high all side by side approx 36 of them full of machines broken down.

Warco dont waste your breath, i couldnt deal with my customers the way they do.

Probably find theres several other shops selling same rebranded products in a different colour and name.

They dealt decently and knowledgably with a problem I had.

Edited By Mick B1 on 20/12/2018 19:31:29

I’ve had no problems with Warco. On the other hand:

**LINK**

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Some sterling first world problems in those links