Prazi

[Walkman]

Anyone out there have a Prazi lathe or mill? If so, what do you think about their machines and do you feel their equipment is worth the money?

Walkman

[Thrud]

Walkman:
I have seen several. All are high quality German made machines. You can expect to pay about the same for a good small lathe as a larger "ok" lathe. They are not cheap. Call the distributor (listed in HSM) and check them out.

I have a Maximat 7 made by the Austrian firm EMCO - it is toolroom quality and uses standard lathe tooling and accessories such as 1-1/2"x8 chuck plates or 3/8" shank tooling (can use up to a 3/4" tool with the English toolpost). Wabeco and Emco are in the same price range. The Minimills by Prazi and Wabeco can be ordered with ballscrews for CNC use.

The smaller machines such as the Taig and Sherline are good machines in their own right but tooling costs can be as high or higher than the cost of the machine (common problem with all machines). But if you later want a bigger machine most of the accessories are useless for the larger machine.

I like the Prazi, Wabeco, and Emco - all are European made and high quality. Well worth a look.

[jcurrell]

I have a 5 x12 and seems to be good but I only use it for metric theads with a hand crack since I have to stop at a sholder.