My apologies for another "what to buy" thread, but I'm ready to buy my first lathe, and have it narrowed down to a handful. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I also don't want to fight with a cheap, poorly made tool that will deliver poor results and frustration. Being new to lathes and spinning, I'm not sure what features are most important. I would like a small footprint (likely won't be adding any bed extensions). Not sure if variable speed is a must or not, but would rather spend time working wood and not working machines. I've separated what I'm considering into two groups, one with lots of options, and one with no frills lathes.
The current Nova Comet II deal including the G3 chuck seems like the best bargain for the bells & whistles category, but until I actually get into using it, I'm not really sure how much the bells and whistles would prove necessary (G3 chuck, forward/reverse, variable speed, indexing, etc.)
Can anyone help sort these out further and give me some guidance?
Bells & whistles category
Jet 1015vs - $579.99
Nova Comet II - $499.99
Nova Comet II (including G3 chuck) - on sale $549.99
Bare bones category
Jet 1015 - $479
Rikon 70-100 - $299.99
Excelsior - on sale $199.99