Jack Armstrong is a recent retiree to New Zealand. Jack took a chance on us and bought his lathe without ever actually seeing one in person. We did some special packing for Jack to ensure a safe arrival on his distant shore, and helped him organize a somewhat challenging delivery to his studio behind his house
Here's part of Jack's correspondence with us about the lathe:
I moved from Hawaii to New Zealand and left my trusty Vicmarc 300EVS-SB behind. Pickings in NZ for lathes are slim whether new or used...I originally planned to replace my Vic with another but have been following the Robust American Beauty for several years...
I spent over two years reviewing different lathes and their specifications before finally deciding to purchase the Robust American Beauty. My research paid off because my AB is everything I ever wanted in a lathe, and lots more. I love well-designed machines and my AB is an outstanding example of elegant engineering and user-friendliness. But it’s more than just a pretty face, my AB is quiet, rock solid and powerful (I got the 3 hp motor). Hogging off excess from big logs is effortless, and I can use more speed without vibration than I ever thought possible because the AB is so stable. The only thing my AB won’t do is clean up the shavings, but I couldn’t be a happier turner.
P.S. I checked your owners’ gallery and I think that, at just over 8,100 miles from Barneveld, I may hold your distance record on Robust AB sales so far.