I got this and have been cleaning the grease off. For one that really helps you learn your machine.Things I have noticed on this mini lathe versus others on the market and their common issues:1) Spindle bearings are decent from the factory. I hear they die quickly, so I'll have to report back in a few months of use to see how they are. However, the chuck and spindle itself have a runout of +/- 0.0005". That's pretty good all things considered!2) Shipping for this specific product was great! It was bolted down to 2 blocks and had a box built around it with foam padding on either end, wrapped in a bag. Plenty of grease which may leave your ways stained a bit, but its only aesthetic and not dimensional.3) The ways are great! I've only gotten readings of <= +/- 0.0005" maximum at any point using a dial test indicator off the carriage.4) Simple construction. It is easy to disassemble and clean. The back gears and inside the electrical housing area is not covered with grease which saves cleaning in a tight space. All of the components past the headstock are greased/waxed pretty heavily, though.5) Lead screw is firmly mounted and the apron has an adjustable gib strip to move the half nut up and down if you need to modify it. This is great because it will save you from modding the apron or shimming it to avoid lead screw flex. Mine has no flex when engaging properly.6) Tailstock lock has a lever and is very easy to use. Adjustable pre-load for how sensitive you want the lock lever travel to be.7) Graduation dials can be set like a normal lathe.8) Higher RPM than other mini lathes9) All metal change gears, although there are fewer of them. There is a set for $100 more here on Amazon as well for more sizes of gears that I will probably be buying.10) Can run without the gear cover! This is great if you have any modifications that disallow it closing. I plan on eventually 3D printing a gearbox to test with this lathe and eventually machining one from metal on the lathe itsel
René Simmerman 
