RIKON Power Tools VSR MIDI Lathe (RIK-70-150VSR)

I purchased this lathe for pen and ring turning, it arrived very quickly and was in good condition.I don't usually write reviews but it's not very often that you get what you pay for now days, this lathe is high quality and the workmanship is fantastic.The lathe is highly precision made, the tolerances are very very tight, there is no sloppiness in any part whatsoever, the center to center on the spindle and the head stock is perfect.

Nice machine, solid, easy to use. We did experience a piece of plastic breaking behind the shut off switch but the company quickly sent out a replacement.

This lathe replaced another smaller Rikon lathe. I received it quickly. There wasn't much assembly to be done. I had it up and running within 30 minutes. I love everything about this lathe. The size is perfect for me. ( I did buy a bed extender but haven't used it yet.) The variable speed works great, though I would have liked it to be capable of a bit slower than the current minimum. Being able to move the switch to anywhere on the lathe is genius. I've had a couple other Rikon tools and have always been impressed by them. I did note that this lathe is exceptionally quiet. The spinning wood makes more noise than the motor. Overall I'd taste this the most pleasing tool that I have in my shop. And I have a lot of tools!

First thing is that I like this lathe. Rikon did surprise me though. I have another Rikon lathe (70-3040) and I love it. So, when it came time to replace a rapidly dying Delta Midi-lathe I elected to go with the 70-150VSR. Now, after turning about 60 pens on it there are some things that I am noticing. First thing that truly shocked me was the "fit and finish" of this lathe. It isn't as good as I expected from Rikon. The lathe bed is not smooth. It is quite rough. The banjo and tail stock move OK on it but it is nowhere as good as my big Rikon lathe. The lower door is hard to get inside of to change belt position. I have somewhat large hands (where a size nine glove) and have a tough time getting my hand in there. Plus, the metal around the door is a bit sharp so it makes it that much more of a hassle to get the belt in the right place on the lower pully. The two handles on the tail stock get really close to each other when you are trying to get things settled properly. If I move the ram tightening handle it can interfere with the tail stock lock handle. I finally took it all apart and moved the tailstock handle into a new spot so that it locks at a different place. The power switch on the remote control box is going to take some getting used to!! And, the only place that it fits on the left side of the lathe is below the headstock. I finally mounted a metal plate to the wall behind and toward the right end of the lathe and mounted it there.Having to push the "Emergency stop" button and then reset it every time I turn off the lathe is a bother too. You have to push the "Emergency stop" switch and then rotate is about 60 degrees and pop it out to turn the lathe back on. I may take it apart and replace the switch with a different configuration. (Like on my 70-3040).I am getting the electrical errors quite a bit that require the lathe to be unplugged to reset it. When I called Rikon about it they said "...yeah, that lathe does that. Not really anything you can do about it though..."!! I have come to expect more from Rikon than that.Last, but not least, the tool rest shelf. It is to small to hold the basic tools for the lathe. If you put both of the lathe wrenches on the tool rest then you can't store the knockout bar on it. Don't even think about putting any actual turning tools on it unless they are very small, detail like tools. They just had to make it to small to fit on the back of the headstock.Don't get me wrong, I do like this lathe. It has decent power for midi-lathe. It has a good solid bed. Quick to set up. Good ram travel. It came with a wonderful tool rest! But those are the things are disappointing coming from Rikon. I would buy another 70-150VSR if I ever needed to. All in all I give it a 4/5. If it had better finish and fixed the other things it would certainly be a 5/5.

Very sturdy with all the power and features one wants. My "STOP" switch came apart about the second time I used it so I called the help line to be told to email my request. After a week of hearing nothing I asked for an update and to my surprise the President responded on a Sunday and promised to have a new switch mailed immediately. By Monday morning I had proof of posting and by Wednesday I had the switch. I also received a very good set of instructions to fit the new one which I did in 10 minutes.

I was looking for a midi wood lathe on a budget without compromising quality and this fill the bill. I had set it up and happy turning since December, this is a high quality midi wood lathe on a budget.

I bought this lathe just over 2 years ago and neglected to write a review. It was my first lathe, even my first time ever using a lathe. Talk about a big step in woodworking, I was super nervous. Jet, Delta, Wen, Grizzly, etc. which one to start with? I already had a Rikon bench grinder, and my uncle had just purchased the 10" bandsaw, which really impressed me. Honestly, those were the two factors that nudged me to this lathe.Fast forward two years and I could not have been more happy with my choice. I have turned everything from spinning tops to bowls, mallets, jewelry boxes, tea lamps, and even "hand reel" fishing poles.Well the other day I was turning a mallet for a buddy and my gouge caught a knot and stopped the motor. No big deal, happened before. Only this time the motor would not turn back on.I hesitated to contact customer service because I just passed two years. But thankfully I did and the people at Rikon are great. Phil was my service rep and they decided to send me a replacement control box, even though I offered to pay for it.I would DEFINITELY recommend Rikon tools to anyone, especially if you are starting out. The 14" bandsaw has my eye next..... hopefully the wifey agrees.Thanks for your time,-bryan from Chicago

Ya han pasado un par de meses y estoy muy contenta con este torno. Llegó en buen estado aunque demoró más de lo que pensaba, fue fácil de instalar, y su potencia es perfecta para proyectos medianos; es un plus que el control de velocidad se pueda ubicar en distintas partes del torno y que tenga un portaherramienta. Hay que tener mucho cuidado de no encender la máquina con la clavija de bloqueo.Un único de detalle es que en algunas ocasiones las manijas de bloque del soporte de herramienta se chocan al momento de ajustarlas a la vez pero es cuestión de acostumbrarse y no hacerlo al tiempo.

Primeramente el pedido lo hice el 7 de diciembre 2022, se envio hasta el 29 de diciembre y llego el 4 de enero 2023. Mucho tiempo en surtirlo!!Desde que llego se pudo obervar que tenia algun problema, la caja estaba deforme de una esquina . Al abrirla efectivamente sufrio un golpe por lo que la espuma protectora se comprimio y se deshizo y la tapa negra que cubre las poleas se quebro, el metal a un lado de las polear tambien se abollo. El golpe tambien llego a la perilla de bloqueo del eje. Devolvi el equipo inmediatamente, ahora estoy a la espera del reembolso