NOVA DVR XP vs Laguna 18-47 Lathes (Which lathe to purchase?)

I don’t have any comparative input for you, but I can tell you that I almost pulled the trigger on a the Nova DVR XP back in November at The Woodworking Show when it was in Denver. Tool King was selling the floor model for about $1700, including the cast iron legs. The machine was assembled new on Friday, then used for demonstration purposes through Sunday. I was very impressed watching it in action. It ran smooth and strong, and never varied by more than 5rpm, even when heavy cuts were being made. It adjusted the torque almost instantaneously to compensate and held it steady.

I’m sure it will go on sale again soon, especially with the introduction of the 2024 being the newest offering from Nova.

I have recently joined our local turning club in hopes of gaining lots of insight into various lathes, as well as speeding up my learning curve when I begin to turn. I’ll be curious to see the responses you get. Thanks for posing the question.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

Thanks for the comments Jonathon. I appreciate you letting me know what you seen and how you almost picked up the DVR. It is greately appreciated.

I think I am going to goto m local wood turning club this coming week and see what their comments are too. Thanks man.

-- "There are no gains without pains." -Benjamin Franklin

I believe that Woodcraft puts it on sale about once a year, and that should be in the next couple of months, if I remember correctly? I think that it goes on sale for around the price of what I was going to pay for the “demo model,” but the sale price at Woodcraft is just for the lathe itself, not for the cast iron leg set which was going to be included with the “demo model” and the leg set is an additional $399 regular price. That’s why I was so tempted to pick up the lathe at the Woodworking Show, as it was going to be around $1000-off regular price.

I’m sure your local turning club is a great group of people that will be willing to help you learn more about turning and offer solid advice on both tools and technique. You may even be able to pick up a used lathe in good condition from one of the club members.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."