I bought the el dorado about a year ago.
plus
+ size
+ pretty accurate
minus
- The contacts within the motors weld shut req. the motor to be removed and dismantled. I've had it happen to the mill motor twice and the lathe motor once
- The key within the mill head is too tall. You have to file it off to make the collets fit.
- the adjustable vise has only a thumb-screw to hold the angle. useless
- The tool post they sell is inadequate. Buy the Enco model
- the chain drive (trust me, this is a legitimate component) is noisy. try motorcycle chain lube.
- they adv. reverse lathe work but putting it in reverse causes the belt to fly off. No way to fix it.
- the idler and other components are really noisy. Sounds like hell. Fixable but shouldn't have to.
- the one -year guarantee requires you to ship the defective part back at your cost. For a motor, that's too expensive. (Anyone out there know of an alternative? I tried Grainger but it would require a new base plate, etc.)
Would I buy it again? Yes, but only because I don't have room for a good used floor model of a mill and a lathe.  |