Thread: HAFCO AL-960B vs Myford Super 7

Hello all,
apologies for the thread title, I thought it might garner a bit of interest though.... I am after peoples thoughts on the following;
Presently I have been using a well used Super 7 (the early model with oil feed sightglass in headstock) which I have had for a number of years and am looking to upgrade. I had been considering a later model Super Seven, in very good condition (either sourced in Aus or shipped from the UK). As most of you will be aware good used Super 7s are rare for sale in Aus and expensive. Buying sight unseen from the UK has risks as well and cost.
This brings me to the AL-960B which I have had a look at and am really warming to as an alternative. I have had some good advice on this model from others I have spoken to on this forum (cheers Gavin). I am interested with the DRO option on the 960 and am interested in hearing peoples thoughts on these. Are DROs worth having for model engineering? Which is what I will be using the machine for. (5' and 7 1/4' gauge locos).
I am also hoping to hear from anybody that has or has had the 960B and their thoughts on this machine or even a better alternative to my current options?
Cheers all,
Steve

Steve

I considered the DRO option and would have liked to go that way but the extra cost made it a no-no. What I ended up doing was using the cross-slide and saddle dials for most of the work and when more accuracy was required I use a long travel dial gauge on a magnetic base clipped to the relevant part of the lathe. It's a little bit more fiddly but works quite well and it's a lot cheaper.

Rgds - Gavin

How much space for a lathe do you have?, I'd personally opt for a 80's or newer vintage small to medium Colchester or Harrison lathe. They are well built, spares are still available new or second hand and they are made to such uniform standards that a part off a given model will fit accurately on any example of that model.

Colchesters have a foot brake and depending on the model a wet pack clutch for reversing spindle rotation in under a second when doing speed threading which is something a lot of modern asian lathes don't have

They are all three phase but a VFD running off single phase will get you 240V three phase to run the motor off once it's reconfigured.

Thanks for the replies guys,

Gavin,
having never had a DRO I do consider the feature a nice to have item but not a priority. What I am after is the most capable and high quality machine I can find in my budget. The peripheral stuff I can chase later.

Graziano,
space is not a problem at the moment, however my job sometimes requires me to move around the country, so I wouldn't go any larger than something like the 960. I haven't investigated the Colchester/Harrison option and will do that. I do have a friend with a three phase motor on his Super Seven and it is beautifully smooth and quite, plus the variable speed is most handy. Can't recall is the VFD is hard wired or simply plugged into a GPO?